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Appcelerator Announces Beta Support for BlackBerry
Web Developers Empowered by Titanium Mobile to Create Native BlackBerry Applications
The Native Advantage
Many of our developers, large and small have been eagerly anticipating BlackBerry support
Orlando, Fla. (PRWEB) April 28, 2010
Appcelerator®, the leading platform for rapidly developing native mobile, desktop, and iPad applications using web technologies, today announced Titanium beta support for the BlackBerry platform. Web developers already use Titanium to create rich native applications for the iPhone, Android and iPad. With today’s announcement, Appcelerator expands its cross-platform solution to include BlackBerry – the nation’s top-selling smartphone.
According to a March 2010 survey (http://www.appcelerator.com/mobile-developer-survey/) taken by Appcelerator, 43% of developers are interested in creating applications for BlackBerry. That’s a two-fold increase in just two months, during which time RIM saw a significant increase in awareness of next-gen platform capabilities, in particular the number of rich APIs available to developers to create new applications.
“Many of our developers, large and small have been eagerly anticipating BlackBerry support,” said Jeff Haynie, CEO of Appcelerator. “With the BlackBerry Beta, Titanium developers gain a full-featured, rich environment for creating native apps that leverage BlackBerry’s enhanced smartphone capabilities. We are delighted to offer Titanium developers native support for yet another platform on which to showcase their innovative apps.”
The Titanium platform enables web developers that lack Java or Objective-C knowledge – the languages required for Android, BlackBerry, iPad and iPhone development – to create native apps quickly and easily using the JavaScript knowledge they already have. Apps made with Appcelerator’s Titanium platform look, function and perform as fully native apps with native UI components, native code compilation, and native access to the device’s storage, multimedia, input, and geo-location APIs.
Interest from the Enterprise
While first generation mobile apps focused heavily on games and entertainment, Appcelerator’s January 2010 developer survey (http://www.appcelerator.com/tabletappwave/) indicates increasing developer interest in enterprise-type applications. Titanium developers now say business/productivity applications is the number one category of apps they would like to create. This sentiment is echoed by Appcelerator clients such as Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), a leader in providing technology-enabled solutions and services, which is looking forward to leveraging Titanium to build rich BlackBerry apps for its customers.
“CSC’s customers are interested in all of the capabilities the latest generation of BlackBerry devices offer,” said Jim Petrassi, managing director for systems integration and development at CSC. “We have already been using Titanium for iPhone development, and we are very much looking forward to expanding that offering to include rapid BlackBerry development on Titanium for the enterprise.”
BlackBerry Beta Program
With today’s announcement, Titanium Professional subscribers will be able to access the BlackBerry Beta, which includes premium support from Appcelerator’s experts and professional training to get developers up to speed quickly. Beginning June 1st, Appcelerator will also grant select beta access to developers who can register their interest here: http://www.appcelerator.com/blackberry-beta.
About Appcelerator
Appcelerator enables web developers, ad agencies, ISVs, and enterprises to take advantage of the explosive growth in mobile, desktop, and iPad applications. The company’s flagship offering, Titanium, is the only open source platform to enable cross-platform development, from a single codebase, at web development speed for these three platforms. Appcelerator’s customers can leverage their exiting skills and open, industry standard technologies to decrease time-to-market and development costs, increasing customer adoption and revenues, and enjoying greater flexibility and control. For more information, please visit http://www.appcelerator.com or http://pitch.pe/60703.
Appcelerator is a registered trademark of Appcelerator, Inc. Appcelerator Titanium is a trademark of Appcelerator, Inc.
Carmen Hughes
Ignite PR
Tel: 650.227.3280 ext. 1
Ignite PR, for Appcelerator
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Turning Misfortune into Innovation
SEE YOU TUBE VIDEO
Simnor Enterprises Inc. is an innovative company located in the heart of Norfolk County , Ontario, Canada. Located on the north shore of Lake Erie and boasting six arenas and a thriving hockey interest, Norfolk County has given rise to such notable hockey stars as Red Kelly, Chico Maki, Rob Blake, Dwyane Roloson, Nelson Emerson, Rick Walmsley, Jassen Cullimore and Ryan Vandenbussche.
Besides being the birth place of eight hockey legends, Norfolk County is also the birthplace of the most innovative piece of arena related equipment since artificial ice and the ice resurfacer.
Simnor Enterprises Inc. was incorporated in 2006 by Norfolk county resident Stan Pogorzelski who is the founder and President. Stan has a broad knowledge of mechanical and architectural design and construction as well as experience in arena and ice resurfacer operations.
After a blade change injury in 2003 at a local arena, an in depth analysis of the current blade change procedure uncovered that there was a need to greatly improve on the method being used to change blades. The current method presented too many opportunities for injury because the blade in most cases was being handled unprotected. The magnetic edge guard was inconvenient to use and in many cases not used at all. It was also discovered that virtually every arena in North America used a similar and rather unsafe method to service their ice resurfacer blades.
Stan used his extensive mechanical ability and experience to design and build what would eventually be known as "The RAZER", the world's first mechanical blade changer for ice resurfacers. This is a revolutionary device that totally mechanizes the blade changing operation and reduces the risk of injury by utilizing the wooden transportation sheath as the safety guard. To go an extra step we decided to simplify the blade change procedure by eliminating that annoying bolt spin and installing the mounting bolts from the top. This now allows the use of power impact tools to remove and install the blade mounting bolts. This reduces blade change time while decreasing the risk of injury.
"The RAZER" is the only device on the market that can reduce the likelihood of blade change related cuts as well as musculoskeletal disorders.
© Copyright 2007 - 2019 Simnor Enterprises Inc. All rights reserved.
"The RAZER" Video Demo
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2018 CONCACAF Champions League
Started by Mibabalou, Nov 06 2017 10:34 AM
108 days before our next competitive game, another short offseason for our guys.
Let's hope we're in better shape early this season than we were last year.
Anybody know when the draw is? Ive kinda just not thought about CCL since theyre changing up the format.
We qualified? If so, how?
sabremike
Location:Brewster, NY
Supports:Metros, Man Utd, Buffalo Sabres
last season's conference champs. There is no longer a group stage so we are straight into knockout rounds.
Let's Go Buffalo!!!
999duo
Supports:Metro, Bolton, Swansea
Hasn't been announced yet. We won't be drawn against other US teams in the first round. Not sure how seeding will work beyond that. Watch us get a rematch with Toronto . . .
From last year since there wasn't one this year. 2019 Champs league will be 2017 and 2018 US Open and MLS Cup camps. 2020 league will likely revert to the previous pattern of that seasons MLS Cup champ, US open champ, E1, and W1.
Edit: There's been no clarification of what will happen if one team claims multiple cups in this window or if a Canadian team wins MLS Cup.
given our guesses at who'll be here and who won't...
----------------------------------BWP----------------------------------
-----Royer-------------------------------------------------Veron-----
---------------------------------Adams---------------------------------
-------------------Felipe----------------------Davis-------------------
-----???-----------------Baah---------Long------------Murillo-----
---------------------------------Robles----------------------------------
Meara / Lade Escobar / Etienne Muyl Bezecourt / Keita
There was a tournament this year, it's always run on (e.g.) summer/fall 2008 for the group stages and early spring 2009 for the knockout rounds, and MLS teams qualified on the season that ended in November 2007.
They've changed it now so that the group stages are essentially replaced by the CONCACAF League, which is mostly Central American clubs with a few carribbean clubs joining.
The 2017 winner of that league, (running August-October ) was Olimpia (Honduras.)
The same mechanisms for multiple qualification are in place, which means we won't get a shot at 2019. (I'd like to see USOC qualifying slot go to USOC runner-up, if the winner qualifies. But in this case, even that wouldn't help us.)
MLS sends the MLS Cup winner plus the Eastern and Western conference winners, and the winner of the USOC also qualifies. If any team qualifies through more than one place, (or if a Canadian team occupies a qualifying spot,) the team with the next best record in MLS enters the tournament in its place.
Canadian teams cannot qualify through MLS and must win the Canadian Championship to qualify.
108 days ... another short offseason ...
15 weeks is an average offseason in soccer.
European leagues end in May, resume in August.
Location:Queens
Supports:NYRB, Real Madrid
2 slots in 2019 are still up for grabs next season. 2017 and 2018 Open Cup and MLS winners make up MLS's 4 slots for that edition.
CCL is now is a entirely a spring affair and starting in spring 2020, the 4 US slots are all won in the previous calendar year.
irishstevenj
We are in Pot 1 with 3 other MLS sides and 4 Liga MX sides. The other pot is Seven Central American/Carribean teams and Toronto.
Somebody is leaving that draw maaaaaaaaad.
100% were getting Toronto again.
More canadian think pieces calling us classless
Is that right? I still don't see why they would need to skip a year, MLS teams were always playing in knockout games they'd qualified for 2 years previous. (unless they were canadians.)
Maybe it was to even out the schedule with all of CONCACAF?
https://youtu.be/RhvIISDoarU
The reason for that was always because the seasons overlapped so there was no alternative (similar to Russian/Scandinavian teams in UEFA). Now with MLS ending in December and CCL proper starting in Feb/March, it would make very little sense to keep doing that.
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You are here: Home --> Forum Home --> Rules-based RPGs --> Dungeons and Dragons --> The Gobber King
Related thread: The Gobber King- QnA
Related thread: Gobber Characters
GM for this game: Alacrity
Players for this game: Keeper of Dragons, Nomad D2, Odyson, Chessicfayth, Leviathan
This game has fizzled.
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Messages in The Gobber King
Lawful Evil Womens
Jesus Saves!
Salvator Navaar
looks safe.... too safe
Mal regaurded Alan's theory, that this room was nothing more than what it seemed. A Bath and Sauna house for the Wizard's own luxury.... But Mal couldn't let go of the idea that there was something more. Why have youe steam room set with an illusion about one's god? Why did it connect to the weapon room? These things made no sense. No, there was something evil here, in this room of relaxation.....
Following close behind Crow, saber raised and ready to strike, Mal stands at the ready as Crow disturbes a curtain, ready for any beast to lunge forward with murderous intent....
Friends with benefits?
...Wembley attempts to pet Ivan as the humidity puffs him to new dimension. He only gets a couple of strokes in before the feline jumps up and away - hissing wildly. Then Ivan regains his composure and says, "Whoa dude - major uncool. I don't run that way - not there is anything wrong with it but still. Don't be getting frisky with me."
The cidal mage was obviously wounded by the cat�s words. �Aw, come on, cat,� Wembley sniff. �There ain�t no harm in a little petting between friends.�
But the cat would have none of it. Ivan looked around, "I need to get out of here before I go up another shirt size."
The little rogue hopped up and followed after the talking feline. �I think fluffy looks good on you,� he offered encouragingly.
Moving on through the curtain after Alan, Crow, and Mal, Wembley enjoyed the sensation of the curtain as he passed through. �Wow! Did you guys feel that? I wonder how he made that...�
The coolness in the next room was welcomed after the humidity of the last. The pool looked very inviting to Wembley. He stirred the waters a bit with his staff. �No one wants to take a little dip?� He looked around hopefully at his companions. Everyone�s always in such a rush... he thought to himself with a sigh.
Alacrity
The Tired
A Massage in a bottle
Crow pulls back the curtain of the west side and it reveals a room of the same dimensions as the Sauna you were just in. There, stands a woman with red hair and green eyes beside a table with padding on top. The woman is dressed all in white leather ... or something that resembles leather but is glossy and thin � not suitable for armour at all. In fact, the white outfit only goes to midway between her knees and thighs and from there she has white garters and white silk hose going down to white shoes with an exaggerated heel � at least 6 inches. She bears no weapons and certainly could not be hiding anything in her outfit.
The woman moves a step away from the table and gestures towards it. �Welcome sir.� She says, �Would you like a nice relaxing massage?�
Looking at her as she moves and talks, it is quite obvious that she is not a �real� person but some sort of creation, much like the man in black you met previously. Her skin looks unreal, her eyes do not move and her mouth and speech do not sync together.
Odyson
PUN-dit
Your In Good Hands............
Dudley watch as Crow regarded the lady in white. The Cleric smiled and winked saying,"Careful there fella, you may be planning to get into a little mischief...but this one could very easily rub you the wrong way."
Karma: 17/2
Another room.
Al�ndas looked around the pool room and seeing nothing else of interest turned his attention to the blue curtains. He couldn�t see through them; seeing Crow walking over to the West curtain, the Mage walked to the opposite one (East, I guess) and reached out with his stave and used it to draw aside the curtain. He thought it safer to use the stave, it gave him a little more reach and if anything dangerous was beyond it would give him a bit more time to react; the curtain pulled back he peered beyond.
and you find
Al�ndas pulls back the curtain of the east side and it reveals a room of the same dimensions as the Sauna you were just in. There, stands a woman with Blonde hair and blue eyes beside a table with padding on top. The woman is dressed all in red leather ... or something that resembles leather but is glossy and thin � not suitable for armour at all. In fact, the red outfit only goes to midway between her knees and thighs and from there she has red garters and red silk hose going down to red shoes with an exaggerated heel � at least 6 inches. She bears no weapons and certainly could not be hiding anything in her outfit.
Let me be the first to..
�Welcome sir.� She says, �Would you like a nice relaxing massage?�
The mage raised an eyebrow as he slowly stepped into the room checking the sides of the doorway first to make sure no one was there to jump him when he stepped in.
�Thank you,� he said wearily, �but not right now.�
He looked around the room as he stepped in a couple more steps; observing closely the rest of the room yet keeping the woman in his peripheral vision.
�Can you tell me what is this place?� he asked turning back to her, �Who�s place is this?�
Can i help you?
The Lady turns her head slightly as if thinking and then replies, "I am sorry. I do not understand you question. Would you like a nice relaxing massage?"
NOTE: there is a portal across from the curtain in this room and the one on the west.
Edited on 2014-02-20 at 17:06:53 by Alacrity
Break time?
�Maybe later!� he said with a polite smile as he stepped back to the curtain and parting it returned to the room where the others waited. Once there he told them what he had found in the East Room and the fact that there was only a portal as an exit. He waited to hear what the others had found and to discuss their options.
�So,� he said with a faint smile, �anyone for relaxing for a time before pushing on?� It was hard to tell, from his tone, if he was joking or serious.
I want a massage! Oh, oh! Pick me!
Wembley watched as Crow and Dudley explored the west room and Alan wandered into the east. I want to discover something! he thought.
Moving around the around edge of the pool, Wembley made his way to the southern curtain. "Let's see what's behind curtain number three," he said cheerfully as he stepped into the room.
Dirty ol wizard anyways
As the curtain slipped back to, Mal knowing in his heart that it would be some beastly demon, or blood thirsty monster, He was in fact, simply left stunned at the woman before them. Quickly though, his saber lowered, and he took on a slight smirk. He had been among ship crews a long time, and through all the ports he had visited, a prostitute usually looked similar.
But as the beautiful consort spoke, Mal's smirk became an expression of disgust. Ignoring the offer of a massage, the disappointed, and already angry Swashbuckler moved back away from the side room, muttering about foul wizard magics and dirty old men.
His despair only grew as Alan mentioned that only portals would get them out of this place.
"Seems one be as good as th'other. So, Blonde or Red Head?" He asks, little mirth in his small joke. It would just be another game. Perhaps it was all games... Perhaps, without knowledge of where the portals go, one could simply make random jumps into evil rooms forever...
And for that matter, what if only the Wizard knew the way out? They didn't even know if the geezer was still alive. And last of all, even if they DID get out, the island above was impossible to survive apon, and they had nothing to build a boat.
All of this ran through Mal's head over and over again, but he says nothing. Why bother killing the group's possible hopes?
The Swashbuckler looked to Wembley, peeking excitedly through the last curtain. The little rogue always seemed to smile, and enjoy everything he came across. Mal briefly considered that perhaps the Cidal didn't comprehend the danger they were in, but disregarded that. He believed Wembley knew full well, and simply hoped for the best.
"Optimist..." The Swashbuckler mumbles to himself with a smirk, lost in thought. And, he supposed, they should all be that way.... What could it hurt?
TannTalas
Trilogy Master
Karma: 174/117
Sexy Redhead huh Roger LOL
As he pulled back the curtain Crow found himself looking into another small room. There, before him stood a human woman with red hair, green eyes and quite beautiful even to Sylvan eyes. Standing next to some type of padded table she was dressed all in white leather. The outfit only going to midway between the women�s knees and thighs. From this point Crow could see she wore white garters and white silk hose going down to white shoes with an exaggerated heel.
As the woman moved a step away from the table, Crow at once brought out his swords not sure just what the women was doing here. With a gesture towards the table.
�Welcome sir. �Would you like a nice relaxing massage?�
The Sylvan Ranger finally realized the room was similar to a massage parlor as that found in the higher Elf houses and the women a magical masseuse.
Though intrigued by the women�s sexy beauty, Crow had no time for constructs or magical massage parlors. Closing the curtains he returned to the rest of the party to inform them what he had found and that another portal stood within the room.................
Edited on 2014-02-23 at 19:38:05 by TannTalas
Oops....
Wembley draws back the third curtain, "Let's see what's behind curtain number three," he said cheerfully as he stepped into the room. But when he did a billow of hot steam poured out causing him to flinch back from the blinding vapours.
Which may have saved his life.
A huge spiked ball on a chain flails out of the steam cloud and missed Wembley�s head by less than an inch. As the Cidal dove back to get out of the way, four heavily armoured humanoid creatures with dark brown skin and hair, about 7 and a half feet tall, stepped out of the fog. Two have long swords and shields; one has a heavy crossbow in hand with two quarrels (Over/Under like in Ladyhawke) but a sword at his side. The third is a head taller than the others and wields the flail.
The Flail Ugly says something loud in a guttural tongue but the meaning is obvious as he raising his weapon intent on pounding Wembley into ground meat. They intend on killing you all. They move as one like a military unit. The one with a crossbow is shouldering it to draw his sword.
Each one of them his a symbol on their armour on the right shoulder. It is of a red Rose wreathed in flames. A Sendrian symbol of Amer'loc.
See illustrations in QnA.
An Ugly Interlude
Al�ndas smiled as he heard Wembley remark and peer into the Southern room and then flinched as the Cidal dove away as four large ugly creatures came through the curtain; all armed to the teeth.
�Bugbears,� the Mage hissed between his teeth as he stepped towards the South and began to mumble the words of a spell; he reached out his arms and taking care to aim above the Cidal on the floor he touched the thumbs of both hands together and spread the fingers out and spoke the final word of the spell.
(OOC: Casting Burning hands at the gathering of Bugbears, taking aim chest high on him so that he should clear Wembley who is a lot lower than the 7�tall creatures especially if he dove to the floor. A side note: the Mage�s Armor spell should still be in place since it lasts until he is attacked, which will probably be shortly. )
Is it a bug, or a bear?
Mal's smile was short lived, for even as his eyes slipped away from the curious little Cidal, and begins commenting on a route, the loud crash, and vibrations it triggered brought the Swashbuckler back into a combat stance, a snarl forming on his lips. He was NOT pleased...
�Bugbears,� the Mage hissed between his teeth, to which Mal agreed. They seemed to fit the bill, but they were much larger than the warrior had ever imagined them. Growling, he starts forward, but noticed the mage in the middle of Casting. Mal understood little of magic, but staying out of it's way was an easy lesson to have learned.
Cursing, Mal could only hope that Alan was accounting for Wembley, and promptly dropped into a roll, staying as low as possible to get to the fallen Cidal's side.
((From here, it is up to Wembley, as Mal will either begin dragging Wembley back to safety, or if he moves before Mal arrives, the swashbuckler shall hold his attack until the fire dies, then strike out at the ball-and-chain wielder.))
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Review • Theatre
Curry Kings of Parramatta
Catherine Skipper · Friday, May 10, 2019 · Leave a Comment
Venue: Riverside Theatre, Parramatta
Written By: Sudar Bhuchar & Shaheen Khan
Directed By: Kristine Landon-Smith
Set in the very realistic kitchen of a Harris Park restaurant, Curry Kings of Parramatta gives its audiences a comical and often heart-wrenching insight into the lives of migrants from South East Asia. While many of the characters’ problems are not culturally specific, the challenges of survival in a new land are often exacerbated by the self-isolation of cultural groups, which while understandable as initially supportive may also undermine their ability to benefit individually from their new country.
The major problem for the small family restaurant, built up by the on-the-verge-of-retirement Yahsin Anwar (a convincing Dinsha Palkiwala), is a threatened takeover by the ambitious and competitive Jalfrezi Junction, “already on Ubereats and Deliveroo”. However, it is not only the family whose livelihood and standing is menaced, but also the employment of their workers, whose life-style is already precarious. Now that the time has come for them to pull together, many internal conflicts are revealed.
A multi-layered intergenerational conflict between father and sons highlights economic changes in the wider society as well showing the need for a broadening of migrant outlook. Both sons, in their different ways, want to move on from Yashin’s adherence to keeping “our own Muslims” as “the backbone of our clientele”, but he rejects their attempts at change. Shahab (a not so confident Firdaws Adelpour), the second eldest son, has planned a “Curryoke Grand Buffet” with Bollywood stars and 35 separate dishes to increase their exposure and put “Shakeel’s”, as it is called, on the restaurant map. The eldest son, Shakeel, (a likable Gregory Dias) has a different idea about promoting the business, having set up a website, which with “search engine optimization” will become the “go to” place for authentic Jhelum cuisine.
While all three Anwars expect loyalty from their staff who work long hours for low pay, the staff has legitimate grievances. Khalida (a very endearing Abida Malik), for instance, feels that she has been ethically and financially cheated and when she broaches the topic with Yashin, his rationalisation reveals a meanness that is disappointing. Further, the likelihood of Billa (an assured Aviral Mohan), the gifted and lonely chef, losing his upstairs flat to what is essentially the same kind of ambition as JJ’s, illustrates the gap between the “haves” and “have-nots”. Relocation, it seems, may have changed who has the power, but not the use of power to exploit.
Some hope for a less mercenary future is perhaps offered by Shakeel’s affection for Mariam (a charming Yolanda Torres), and in Mariam herself, a refuge from Afghanistan who carries a painful story of persecution, flight and loss. Looking to foster understanding, she is working on an exhibition of photos inspired by her community’s experiences however her life is complicated as she has allowed herself to be seduced by the narcissistic Nadim (a persuasive Atharv Kolhatkar). She unsuccessfully tries to borrow money for a test but in a neat twist at the close, Shakeel gives her charity tin, supposed stolen, saying “charity begins at home”.
Filling out the picture of the migrant experience, Mariam’s brother, Issac (a suitably unsettled Zabi Mohammadi), blames himself for his mother’s death and is alienated by the perception of Muslims as “refugees and terrorists”. He begins to hang around with louts and after pretending to go to the mosque returns to work smelling of weed. Eventually, his unexpressed anger is released through a violent attack upon the irresponsible and callous Nadim. While the incident comes to an end without injury, Mariam’s simple statement, “This country can’t change our past”, gives us food for future thought.
Perhaps Yacoub (a touching Nitin Venguriekar) is the most moving all the characters in this story. An ordinary man, he initiates the narrative as opens the restaurant early in morning on the eventful day of “Curryoke Grand Buffet” and is last to leave late in the evening, concluding the play. His ambition is small and he would take any job if it meant he could support his family and although he has only one eye, having lost the other in a work factory, he sees the world clearly enough.
To Khalida’s claim that she knows “the inside story” of the “Grand Buffet” which is to raise money for Shakeel’s wedding, he says, “What inside story? Look outside. Lakshmi printers gone … Bechara now selling gosht out of his van … Restaurant is in trouble … Soon owner chewed up too.” Again at the close when Billa questions whether Coles will be open so late, Yacoub says that if the chef ever left the place, “he would know that there is a big world out there”. And above all, he has the energy after an exhausting day to buy a “milk tray” for his daughter, suspecting she may have met disappointment.
It was a challenge for this speaker of Australian English with her ear attuned over a lifetime to flat vowels, unaccented words and monotone sentences, to always capture the dialogue, but attend and learn. There are many different ways of speaking English as is evidenced by a trip to the UK – and by this performance – and no way should be privileged over another.
We must applaud the Nautanki Theatre Company (Neel Bangeree, creative director) for having made a consistent effort for several years now to provide the community with opportunities for cross-cultural story telling. In this way, Nautanki is making a valuable contribution to truthfully representing a culturally diverse contemporary Australia on stage. In view of this, the choice of Kristine Langdon-Smith as a director was inspired given her well-known expertise in intracultural theatre practice.
April 18-20, 2019.
Category: Review, Theatre · Tags:
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Tian Guan Shuang Xia by Zheng Feng
Thread: Tian Guan Shuang Xia by Zheng Feng
tian wai you tian
I've picked this up. The first chapter is on Wuxialover. Figured I'd also post it on spc since I have an account.
Flowers are shed as apricots bud. Swallows migrate, leaving water to others. Willow flowers scatter, spreading fragrance through the world.
The swing goes over the wall. Outside a man walks, inside a beautiful woman laughs. The laughter becomes sad. Passion is tormented by indifference.
Su Shi, “Butterflies Long For Flowers”.
Early spring. Balmy weather had come and the northern cold was gone. Hundreds of flowers bloomed vividly in the capital. It was the fifteenth year of the rule of the Jiajing Emperor of the Great Ming dynasty. The emperor was in the prime of his life and diligently applying himself to governing. The land was at peace, the people were happy.
On this afternoon, the crisp, sweet chatter of young girls could be heard from a high walled courtyard in the southern part of the capital. Two girls were playing on a swing in a flower bower in one part of the yard. Their laughter rang like silver bells through the splendid courtyard. The older girl looked about eleven to twelve and wore a sleeveless embroidered top and a pleated goose yellow skirt. The younger was seven or eight. She wore a brocaded pink short jacket with cuffs embroidered in a soft green over ocean blue satin trousers, and a pair of shoes beaded and embroidered with tree peonies. She was very charming, with hair worn in two buns and twin dimples on her cheeks. With their luxurious clothing and ornamentation, they were no doubt the noble daughters of a rich family. The younger girl was named Han’er, and she was the only daughter of the Grand Secretary Zhou Mingdao. The older one was called Li Ling and was Han’er’s cousin.
The girls played on the swing in the yard until they grew bored. “Han’er, let’s play hide-and-seek, okay?” Li Lingling proposed. Han’er clapped her hands in agreement and then covered her eyes. She giggled, “Go hide, cousin. I’ll be it. Quick, quick. I’ll find you in ten.” Li Ling laughed, “Ai! Count slower, slower!” She hurried to jump off the swing and padded through the yard.
Han’er swung on the swing as she loudly counted to ten with her eyes covered. She took her hands away and laughed, “Here I come!” Shockingly, there was a man dressed in black five or six feet away.
Han’er froze in shock. She opened her mouth wide but no sound came out. The tall, thin man held a shining sword with one hand. The other held his chest. He coughed twice and spit out a mouthful of blood. He crashed to the ground, crushing two orchids under the flower bower while still holding his chest and coughing nonstop. Only now did Han’er notice that he was wounded all over, his black clothing soaked in blood. He kept bleeding from his shoulder and leg. How could a sheltered young girl like her have seen such a thing before? Scared stiff, she sat like a statue on the swing, even more unable to make a sound.
At this moment, three more figures appeared above. One of them barked, “He’s in here!” The three simultaneously landed, encircling the man in black. They pointed their blades at him. Han’er recognized the golden brocade they wore as the uniform of the Imperial bodyguards. One of them said, “Did you think we wouldn’t follow you into the house of Grand Secretary Zhou?” Another one, a fat man, said, “Give it to us already! We were once comrades. We could spare your life.”
The man in black laughed coldly. “Who was comrades with you? I, Zheng Hanqing, have never put scum like you in my eyes before!” The fat man’s face became severe. He thrust his saber toward the man in black, who was laying on ground, seemingly unable to move, and thus could only take what came next. But he didn’t kill the man in black, instead yelling out and scrambling back. He put one hand to the that had bleeding slash on his cheek and cursed, “You ****ing *****!” The other two had also somehow had their faces cut by the man in black. They cursed loudly and raised their blades over the man in black. He didn’t try to resist, only yelling, “I don’t have it on me!”
Their swords paused at this. The man on the left asked, “Where did you hide it?” The other said, “He’s too crafty. Let’s capture him and hand him to Steward Hong to interrogate.”
The man in black shook his head. He said miserably, “Wang, I don’t blame you if you want to capture me to complete your mission. You’re being professional. But do you know what I took?” The man named Wang hesitated a little. “I know you took something important from the palace.” The man in black said, “Did Steward Hong not tell you?” “No.” Wang said.
The man in black spoke unhurriedly. “He didn’t tell you that it was something he himself stole from the palace? That’s why he sent you, whom he trusted, to recover it. Steward Hong will kill all of you if you learn what it is. I warn you not to look at it.”
Wang snorted. “I am loyal to Steward Hong. I don’t believe your bull! Despite being an Imperial bodyguard, you did something as vile as stealing from the palace. You are disgraceful!” The man in black sighed and then turned to another man, “Lin, do you believe me or Steward Hong?” The man named Lin shook his head. “Zheng Hanqing, whatever you say is useless now. You’ve killed at least ten Imperial bodyguards while fleeing the palace. Even if you didn’t steal anything, you still owe us too much blood.”
The man in black sighed, “If so, then I’ll let you fulfill your mission. Lin, Wang, it’s hidden in… It’s hidden in…cough cough…” The men named Lin and Wang lowered their heads to hear his words. The man in black suddenly leaped up, his longsword flashing silver in the air towards their throats. Blood sprayed. They looked up incredulously, then fell thrashing to the ground and were still. The fat man’s round face paled. He screamed, turning to flee. The man in black thrust out with his right hand. His longsword flew and stabbed the fat man in the back. He fell but kept crawling several feet, until he stopped.
The man in black gasped for breath, panting heavily. He made himself get up to kick the bodies of Lin and Wang into the underbrush. He slowly made his way over to retrieve the longsword from the fat man’s back and kick him into a corner. Then he turned towards Han’er, who was sitting on the swing.
Han’er had been scared silly by the terrifying and bloody battle. She was rooted in place as if caught in a nightmare. The man in black slowly walked over. Every step he took required all his strength. If he fell, he might never be able to get up again. Every step was painstaking, but at last he arrived before her. He crouched to face Han’er. His face was covered in blood, his expression fierce. His eyes struck her like lightning. She trembled. But what came out of his mouth took her by surprise.
The man in black said: “You are the family’s daughter, Miss Han’er?” His tone was unexpectedly gentle.
Han’er hadn’t expected that this monstrous stranger would know her name. She was astounded but didn’t dare to not answer. So she nodded her head.
The man in black looked up gravely. He seemed to be thinking about something important. He gave a deep sigh after a while, then reached to his chest, and withdrew a small square-shaped package. It seemed to contain a book. He offered it to Han’er and once again grabbed his chest, coughing for a long time. His face was increasing pale. He gasped, “Tonight at midnight, a woman and a girl will come to the well in your backyard. Give this parcel to the woman.” His tone was stern. This was no plea, but a command. Zhou Han’er listened dumbly. She didn’t reply, didn’t reach for the parcel. She was too shocked to even feel fear.
The man in black said again, “Tell that woman to flee immediately to Tiger Mountain and seek the help of a married couple of chivalrous doctors. This parcel...this parcel, and the letter inside must definitely be delivered to them. Is that clear?” He raised his voice at the end. Han’er was startled and nodded her head promptly.
Then he said, “You can’t tell anyone but that woman about the things you’ve seen or what I’ve given you. Not even your parents. They’ll stay safe if you follow what I say. But your family will be ruined if you say anything! Remember, you must give this to them at tonight at midnight. If you don’t do as I say, I will come back to haunt you after I die!” His face became harsh. Han’er turned white. The tears she’d been holding teemed in her eyes, at last spilling with an Ah.
His expression reverted to normal. He placed the parcel in her arms and gently said, “Good girl. You must do as I say. This is very, very important. You must do as I say, and give this to them tonight. You must not tell anyone about what this! No one! Do you understand?”
He gazed at Han’er until she nodded, crying. He broke out into a smile. He turned and slowly limped away, turning around again when he reached the wall. He said,
“Please… Please tell also the girl, that she absolutely must not open it until she turns twenty. And also… Also…tell her that when Daddy’s gone, to remember that she will always be Daddy’s beloved girl, always and always…always…” He shuddered as he choked out these words. Then he sunk to his knees and fell, disappearing among the flowers.
Han’er sat dazedly on the swing, motionless for a long time, as if awaiting to awaken and discover that that it was all a nightmare, not reality. A while passed. A breeze chilled the sweat on Han’er’s back. She heard a sudden shout behind her: ‘Han’er! Han’er! Why didn’t you come find me?’ Han’er was startled. She turned to see her cousin storming over. Li Lingling has been hiding all along in the front yard. She’d come back since Han’er hadn’t come, and become furious upon seeing Han’er lost in thought on the swing. She was about to reproach Han’er when she noticed her pallor. Startled, she asked, “Han’er, what’s wrong?”
Han’er returned to her senses. “I…I…” she croaked, but couldn’t say anything. She swallowed and jumped off the swing. She grabbed her cousin’s hand with a sudden courage and walked towards the flower bower where the man in black had gone. But while blood stained the flagstones among the flowers, the body of the man in black himself had disappeared. Li Lingling didn’t notice the bloodstains in the growing darkness. She was frightened by the eerie atmosphere, and said, “Han’er, let’s go back inside.” Han’er was bewildered. She looked at the parcel in her arms and remembered that three other bodies were hidden in the yard, and was even more frightened. She hurriedly followed her cousin inside.
Zheng Hanqing made me shed a manly tear. Zhou Han'er is quite an awesome woman.
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Cheng Ying and Lu Wu Shuang's connection to Lu Guan Ying and Chen Yao Jia
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News Contact Us Concert Calendar Concert Reviews Interviews 65 Best Songs of 2017 10 Best Albums of 2017
Album Review | Wilco - The Whole Love
Speakers Rating: 96/100
"I still love you to death, and I won't ever forget how," Jeff Tweedy sings on the title track of Wilco's eighth studio album, The Whole Love. It's one of Wilco's best albums in a few years because it exudes happiness and vulnerability at the same time. Yes, this is the band I fell in love with a decade ago.
Wilco is at its best when the songs they deliver are fragile, yet unrelenting. This happens from the start on The Whole Love, with "Art of Almost" sounding as if it's got just enough juice to jump a dead car battery. And once it gets going, well, the road ahead is a little bumpy -- it takes a wrong turn, comes back around again, and knocks you out with a few minutes of noise that only a guitarist like Nels Cline can deliver. It's more than a bit manic, and I love it.
"I Might" follows with Tweedy taking a non-committal approach to his lyrics: "You won't set the kids on fire, oh, but I might." It's a hint at what's on his mind -- that there is potential in his every move, but he's going to take his precious time. We find this again on the title track when he sings, "I hope I'll know when to show you my whole love." He hopes, but he doesn't promise anything.
Of course, the light can go on at any time. On "Dawned on Me," there is an inclination to just pick up the phone and tell the person you love them. I guess it can be that easy, albeit we're told there are "voices" in Tweedy's head, and that sometimes he "can't believe how dark it can be." The beauty that potential brings is always masked with a touch of hesitancy in his world.
The Whole Love's best two tracks, "Born Alone" and "One Sunday Morning," are both blessed with certain gifts. The former has a can't-miss melody that overshadows dark lyrics about being "born to die alone." The latter is more of a journey, lamenting on doubts and soon farewells, perhaps a statement on lives that were not able to find or give their whole love.
How much can you give, and will you ever be able to give it? Will you pick up the phone, completely by chance, and tell someone you love them? Will you live a life of settling for "almost?" Will you die alone? Those are the questions on The Whole Love. The answers are different for all of us.
Written by Speakers in Code
Tags: Album Review, Wilco
[ALBUM REVIEW] Brandi Carlile - By The Way, I Forgive You
after all maybe I should thank you for giving me what I've found Forgiveness has been a hot topic for, oh, I don't know, a t...
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[ALBUM REVIEW] Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - The Nashville Sound
Album Review | Houndmouth - Little Neon Limelight
[PHOTOS] Better Oblivion Community Center at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro
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Another Thrilling Podcast
If you didn't know already, Welcome to Night Vale is one of the best podcasts out there and it's my current obsession and reason for living. It recently celebrated it's one year anniversary and continues to be the highest level of awesome possible. It's weird and spooky and hilarious and... it's only 28 chapters long thus far. What do you do when you finish them all?
Dear readers, let me humbly suggest another podcast of astounding quality. While Welcome to Night Vale is the 21st century cousin to great radio events like the War of the Worlds broadcast by Orson Wells, my suggestion for your next obsession is a little more vaudeville. It follows in the great radio traditions of The Shadow and other famous turn of the century radio plays. This is my official decree for you to let the Thrilling Adventure Hour into your hearts and your ears.
The Thrilling Adventure Hour is a long running show performed in front of a live audience once a month at the Largo in Los Angeles, California. The brainchild of Ben Acker and Ben Blacker, the Thrilling Adventure Hour hearkens back to a time when radio was the only form of entertainment out there and it had to wear many hats. There is a large cast of characters, celebrity cameos and catchy theme songs. If radio was like this back in the 20s it's no wonder why it was so popular!
The show is broken up into three acts and there are many different sagas to follow. There is the Firefly-esque western Sparks Nevada, Marshall on Mars. It's uproariously funny and exceptionally clever. It's ten pounds of awesome in a five pound sack. Sparks Nevada and his Martian side kick Croach the Tracker try to keep the peace on the rough and tumble red planet. Nathan Fillion, our very own Captain Mal Reynolds, has a reoccurring role in the show as Cactoid Jim, a heroic and kind figure who makes Sparks life miserable. There are robots and love triangles, talking horses and talking bars. It's impressively well imagined and exceptionally well acted.
The other major draw in the Thrilling Adventure Hour is a saga called Beyond Belief. It's a knock-off Nick and Nora story about two boozy socialites named Frank and Sadie Doyle. And, oh yes, they see ghosts! Every month they fight evil clowns, vampires and restless spirits while trying to make sure they don't run out of gin and vodka. Frank and Sadie are both urbane and witty as well as hilariously unobservant. They're also completely and adorably in love with one another. Beyond Belief is well written and often genuinely heartwarming. Frank is the (slightly) more mature of the two, while Sadie often gets side tracked by how funny clowns are or accidentally turned into a vampire. They often accidentally stumble upon the answer to the problem they've been handed and they charmingly solve each issue they're faced with.
Other segments include the Cross-Time Adventures of Colonial Tick-Tock, which is the most zany and whacky of all the programs. There's also Captain Laserbeam, a send up of old Superman radio shows that is so wrong it's right all over again. Amelia Airhart, Fearless Flyer and Jefferson Reid, Ace American round off the show as quirky WWII era comedy spoofs. Each show is equal parts charming, hilarious and just plain wonderful.
You want special guest stars and famous cameos? The Thrilling Adventure Hour has you covered! Nathan Fillion frequently drops by, as well as the voice of Doctor Venture himself, James Urbaniak. Some other famous voices you can count on stopping by are Chris Hardwork (the Nerdist himself), Alison Brie and Danny Pudi (from Community), Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother, winner of life as we know it), Karen Gillan (Doctor Who), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (The Dark Night Rises), Simon Helberg (Big Bang Theory, Doctor Horrible), Billy West (Futurama) and Alan Tudyk (Firefly). I am not kidding when I say star-studded.
The Thrilling Adventure Hour is available for free on iTunes and the Nerdist website. It's broken up into segments, so if you want to only listen to Beyond Belief and skip Captain Laserbeam you can. It's a fun and, dare I say, thrilling podcast to delight your ears and brain with. Trust me, you need this in your life. There's over 100 segments available already, so get cracking! In no time at all you'll be singing the Sparks Nevada theme song as you shower. Not that I do that. Not at all. You can't prove anything!
Posted by Meghan B at 5:27 PM
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Robert J. Avrech: Emmy Award winning screenwriter. Movie fanatic. Helplessly and hopelessly in love with my wife since age nine.
Silent Star Esther Ralston: Why Do All My Husbands Want to Kill Me? Part II
July 11, 2014 by Robert J. Avrech 19 Comments
Esther Ralston, 1920s.
Part I here.
Esther Ralston was blessed with a lovely, melodic voice, thus it’s something of a puzzle why Paramount dropped Esther’s option in 1929.
Esther was a rising star who, between 1924 and 1929, starred or co-starred in twenty-five films. She was a natural for talkies.
But the mystery is soon cleared up as Esther explains:
Since I had only a year to go on my Paramount contract, the studio sent me a new contract with a talkie clause to sign. Knowing I had been brought up in the theater before going into pictures, George decided I should ask for a hundred thousand dollars to sign this talkie clause. He sent me alone to talk to Mr. Lasky and Mr. Zukor. They were courteous as always, but explained that the new talkie panic had them worried and they didn’t feel they should have to increase my salary until they were sure I would be adequate in talkies.
Once again, the destructive Svengali-Trilby relationship asserts itself as the guiding principle of Esther and George. Unlike so many other stars who grew tired and cynical under the pressures of the frantic pace of production, Esther genuinely delighted in the hard work and was, by all accounts, well liked by everyone. Well, almost everyone. In her modest but hugely revealing memoir, Some Day We’ll Laugh, and years later in conversation with silent film historian, Anthony Slide, Esther vents about an unpleasant breach, professional and personal, with director Dorothy Arzner.
Publicity photo of Esther Ralston for “Ten Modern Commandments”, the film in which director Dorothy Arzner sexually harassed the young star.
Open about her homosexuality, director Dorothy Arzner, during production of Fashions for Women and Ten Modern Commandments, 1927, is in the habit of dragging Esther into her lap and groping her breasts. Esther rejects her director’s crude advances. Arzner takes revenge by browbeating Esther, making her perform take after take of a single scene. Ironic, because Esther was known as One-Take Ralston. Furious, Esther storms into Adolf Zukor’s office and announces that she will never again work with Arzner.
Esther Wants a Baby
Broke, with Hollywood getting ready for the new era of talkies, George proposes that Esther go on the road with a vaudeville act. It is notable that George himself never once considers going to work. No, the structure of their dysfunctional relationship dictates Esther as breadwinner and George as, um, parasite.
Like the veteran trouper she is, Esther puts together an act billed as the “Golden Girl of the Silver Screen… in Person.”
Esther opens in 1929 at the Orpheum in Los Angeles. Playing to enthusiastic audiences, the tour moves to Chicago and then The Palace in New York. A month later, playing three shows a day, four on Saturday and Sunday, Esther is worn down, depressed.
Although it was a thrill to see people lined up for a block and a half waiting to get into the theater to see my act, I just wanted to go home to have a baby. George kept urging me to be patient, saying that having a baby might make me lose my American Venus figure, that I was still young and there would be plenty of time to start a family.
A crude manipulator, George threatens to commit suicide if Esther insists on abandoning the tour. Torn by her desire to start a family and her husband’s control over her life and career, Esther sinks into silence and starts to lose weight. Alarmed at seeing his meal ticket in a meltdown, George makes an appointment for Esther with a “Park Avenue specialist.”
I was thoroughly examined and, after I had dressed, I came out to the office where the specialist was talking with George. They both stared at me so solemnly that I was frightened. “What is it?” I almost screamed. “Why are you looking at me like that. Is something wrong with me?
“Better sit down, my dear,” the doctor said quietly, then he told me the bad news. Evidently, my strenuous acrobatic dancing, my high kicks and so forth, had left me with one ovary completely damaged and the other only halfway intact. “I’m sorry, Miss Ralston, but I’m afraid you can never have children. I’m so sorry.” He said.
I was numb with shock. It just couldn’t be true. All I wanted out of life was to have children. Who cared about a career? What price being a movie star, here today gone tomorrow? No babies? Not ever? I wanted to die.
I presented Esther’s narrative to a close friend, a distinguished physician. He pointed out that female athletes, and dancers—usually ballerinas—through endless training, rehearsals, and extreme diets, frequently lose their menstrual cycles, which leads to temporary infertility.
But Esther does not present as that kind of dancer or dieter. No, it seems that Esther was the victim of a cruel manipulation designed to keep her on the road and insure a cash flow.
I’m fairly certain that George Webb greased the palm of the Park Avenue specialist to offer the heart-breaking diagnosis thereby breaking down Esther’s defenses and making her even more dependent on her husband.
Esther agrees to finish the tour.
The Case of Lena Smith, 1929, directed by Josef von Sternberg. Released just as sound was coming in, this film, according to Esther, was her very best work. No copies are known to exist. Lena Smith is one of the most sought after lost films of the silent era.
Esther might be gullible, and she is most certainly uninformed about female biology, but she has true grit and faith in G-d.
Raised an Episcopalian, Esther confesses that for years she has been an earnest student of Christian Science. Convinced that G-d wants her to have a child, Esther summons a Christian Science Practitioner for prayer sessions.
In the days before antibiotics, when the most ordinary infection could result in death, scores of the Hollywood colony flocked to Christian Science. The great director King Vidor was one of the most visible adherents.
A few months later, her vaudeville tour ended, back in Hollywood, Louis B. Mayer offers Esther a long-term contract worth $100,000.
Esther turns it down, explaining that she is, yes, pregnant.
With all due respect to Christian Science, I still believe that George Webb and the Park Avenue specialist conspired the false diagnosis to keep Esther working.
Esther and the Miraculous Turtle Cream
Meanwhile, George discovers a “scientist” who has invented a miraculous “turtle cosmetic cream” guaranteed to make women look years younger. In 1930, using the money Esther earned on her vaudeville tour, George opens “Esther’s in Hollywood” a spa on Yucca Street in Los Angeles.
In 1931 Esther gives birth to a daughter, Mary Esther, and Ralston looks forward to a quiet life in her mansion as a mother and wife.
But business and money management at “Esther’s in Hollywood” is not what it should be—big shock—and George arranges for another grueling vaudeville tour.
Playing to sold-out audiences, Esther is invited to England to deliver a Command Performance at the Palladium, the largest theater in the world.
Rather than be separated from her child, Esther hires a Nanny to help care for baby Mary on the tour.
Esther and the Anti-Semites
Checking into the Mayfair hotel in London, Esther discovers that Eddie Kay, her musical conductor and arranger, and his wife Tessie are not registered.
“Why not?” I said. “All my company are to be registered here at this hotel. “But Madame,” answered the clerk, “I’m sorry, but we couldn’t register Mr. Kay. He is a Jew.”
Restricted hotels were a part of the social landscape in Europe and America all through the 1950’s.
Esther immediately checks out of the Mayfair and rents a luxurious apartment directly across from the Marble Arch where Eddie, Tessie and Esther’s entire staff stay for the duration of the London tour.
Esther does not deliver a tedious lecture about fighting injustice and prejudice. She doesn’t make any grand claims for her righteousness. She does the right thing, and moves on with her story.
Admirable.
Esther is exhausted and homesick, for America, for her lovely mansion, and the golden California sunshine. But George books weeks of further engagements in Scotland and Wales.
We had been almost a year in England by now and I began to fret with homesickness. We had received a cable from our receptionist at “Esther’s in Hollywood” requesting an immediate five thousand dollars for new hair dryers. It seemed to me that our salon was beginning to cost more than it was bringing in.
I complained to George that it just didn’t seem fair that his mother, Mrs. Frey, his nephew Mac, and his youngest daughter, Marion should all be living in our “castle,” enjoying the California sunshine, swimming in my beloved pool, being waited on by Sing [the cook] while my baby and I were so far from home and I had to work so hard for every penny.
So badly has George mismanaged Esther’s finances that on February 27, 1933, Esther’s mansion and all its contents are put up for auction. Esther does not provide details of George’s financial mismanagement, but between bad investments, various swindles, and George’s degenerate gambling we can well imagine how another fortune is lost.
Esther makes a list of each creditor and accepts every job that Hollywood has to offer. Dollar by dollar, Esther pays off her considerable debts.
Quarreling all the time, George and Esther are bound in a loveless, dysfunctional marriage.
Esther Ralston and Gary Cooper in “Batrayal”, 1929.
Esther Gets on the Very Bad Side of L.B. Mayer
Thirty-one years old, Esther is no longer the devastatingly beautiful ingénue who lit up the screen in the silent era. But Louis B. Mayer, the most powerful studio head in Hollywood, is still anxious to bring her to MGM.
He offers her $750.00 a week, a steep decline from the days when she was pulling in $2,500 a week, but Esther is more than grateful to sign the contract.
But there’s a catch. And it’s classic Hollywood.
L.B. Mayer has a massive schoolboy crush on Esther, and when she realizes that the powerful mogul expects, um, favors in return for roles, Esther spurns Mayer’s advances.
When I arrived at the studio the next morning, I was told to go at once to Mr. Mayer’s office. He wanted to see me.
“Good morning,” I said cheerfully as I entered his office.
Mr. Mayer glared at me and, shaking his finger at me furiously, he shouted, “Think you’re pretty smart, eh? Think you fooled me? Let me tell you, I can have any woman on this lot — Joan Crawford and…”
I stood up indignantly and interrupted his tirade. “Perhaps you can — any woman but Esther Ralston.”
“Just who do you think you are?” he sputtered.
“I thought, Mr. Mayer, I was hired as an actress, but evidently you had other plans for me.”
Getting up from his chair, Mayer paced up and down the room, shouting, “You sing your psalms, young lady, and see where you get! I’ll blackball you in every studio in Hollywood, and what’s more you’ll get nothing here!”
Mayer makes good on his promise. MGM sells Esther’s contract to Universal for a group of less than stellar projects which do nothing for her career, and as everyone knows if you’re not on an upward trajectory in Hollywood, you’re probably in a downward spiral.
Esther Ralston and Joan Crawford in “Sadie McKee”, 1934.
Esther’s one MGM film during that period is the Joan Crawford vehicle, Sadie McKee, 1934.
It is director Clarence Brown—Garbo’s frequent helmer—who insists on casting Ralston as the theatrical femme fatale, Dolly Merrick.
Esther’s part is small, but she sparkles in every scene. Even as a slinky tramp, Esther brings warmth to the character that keeps you off-balance. You want to hate this vaudeville villainess, yet at the same time there is the urge to melt into her arms.
Here’s a brief clip of Esther Ralston singing I Looked In Your Eyes with Gene Raymond. As you can see, Esther is magnetic, with a richly-toned voice. As Dolly Merrick, Esther plays a vaudeville femme fatale who steals Barry from good girl Crawford. Sadie McKee is not one of Crawford’s better known vehicles, but it happens to be one of my favorites. And Esther Ralston’s presence is one of the reasons this film has such appeal for yours truly.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP0r02wtAn0[/youtube]
In March of 1934, Esther finally sues for divorce from George Webb. True to form, Webb countersues, demanding $75.00 a week in alimony. The judge denies Webb’s claim and hands Esther full custody of their child Mary Esther.
Esther Rebuilds Her Life — Sorta
At last free from George Webb, a liar, a gambler, and swindler, Esther is free to rebuild her life and career, and hopefully choose her next relationship through the prism of hard earned experience.
However, the day after her divorce—the very next day—at a Hollywood party in Brentwood, Esther clamps eyes on Ted Morgan, a smooth crooner with a pleasing baritone.
Chatting intimately, Esther learns that Morgan’s wife has just run off with another man.
Reflects Esther:
I guess the fact that we were both unhappy victims of divorce brought us closer together, for I brought him home to Mama’s the next day for dinner.
In the meantime, Esther comes to the conclusion that though she can always earn money, she can’t seem to hold on to it. Thus, Esther engages a high-profile money manager who claims that his clients are a who’s who of Hollywood talent. Confident that, at last, she has found financial salvation, Esther turns over her entire savings to her new money manager. He puts Esther on a weekly allowance and —
— and if your stomach is churning as you read this, well, you have guessed correctly.
The money manager blows town, conning Esther out of all her money.
For those keeping a scorecard, this makes three fortunes Esther has earned and lost.
Esther Ralston is once again broke, adrift in a cocoon of bafflement and betrayal.
It is under these circumstances in June 1935—betrayed by a man she trusted, and forced to drastically downsize—that Esther accepts Morgan’s marriage proposal.
Admits Esther:
During these months, Will Morgan and I were seeing each other constantly and though it seemed that he was drinking an awful lot, I refused to see the danger signals. We were so in love.
Esther with husband #2, Bill Morgan.
At this point in the narrative I’m slapping my forehead like a Dexedrine fueled lab monkey.
Esther, baby, what are you thinking?
Of course, Morgan can’t buy a job in Hollywood and so he convinces the pliable Esther to combine their talents.
The Ralston-Morgan Vaudeville Act goes on a mildly successful tour across the U.S. No doubt, if it was just Esther headlining, the box office would have been better.
Forced to leave daughter Mary behind, the pain of their separation is almost more than Esther can bear. And so when Esther’s agent tells her that she has several film offers back in Hollywood, Esther cancels the tour and hurries home.
Resenting Esther’s success, Morgan climbs into a bottle — many bottles.
One day, on location for The Girl From Mandalay, Morgan, a sloppy drunk, staggers on the set and disrupts production:
After this final humiliation, I took Mary and went to stay with Mama. I told Bill I’d had it with his drinking and I was leaving him for good. A few nights later, I drove back to our apartment in North Hollywood to pick up my belongings. I parked the car in front and as I got out, saw Bill waiting for me. He was drunk again, and as I turned to go back to the car, he grabbed me by the throat and tried to drag me to the apartment door, yelling, “You aren’t going to leave me, I’ll kill you first.”
Okay, kids, pull out your trusty scorecard: check off two husbands who have threatened Esther with murder.
Esther’s life, her dreadful choices in love, is like a Kabuki performance where movement and emotion are ritualized. Esther and the men in her life play their assigned roles to grim perfection.
Esther and Bill are divorced in 1938. Again, Esther is almost penniless and the sole support of her daughter.
Esther drives cross-country to New York seeking work in radio and summer stock.
The American Venus is determined to get a fresh start.
On her very first day in New York, in an agent’s office, Esther meets a young, well-connected showbiz columnist who immediately sets his sights on Ralston.
Esther ralston on the cover of Picture Play magazine, March 1928.
Coming soon, Part III. And yes, husband # 3 also wants to murder Esther.
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Books, Esther Ralston, Hollywood, Hollywood Stars Tagged With: Adolf Zukor, Anthony Slide, Dorothy Arzner, Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford, LB Mayer, Sadie McKee
Miranda Rose Smith says
Restricted hotels were a part of the social landscape in Europe and America all through the 1950′s.
I never watch the scene, in GENTLEMEN’S AGREEMENT, where Gregory Peck tries to register in the restricted hotel, without thinking “Why doesn’t he tell the desk clerk that he’s really Menachem Begin and the last restricted hotel they wouldn’t let him into was the King David?”
Barry says
Miranda:
I think your comment amusing, but…Gentleman’s Agreement was made prior to the events at The King David, and Gregory Peck does not play stupid. And, he is also not Jewish in the picture just exercising his intellectual muscle in a rather naïve way.
The King David Hotel Bombing was in 1946. GENTLEMEN’S AGREEMENT was made in 1947. I know Gregory Peck’s character was impersonating a Jew. I sitll think he should have said, to the desk clerk, “Anyone who would run a restricted hotel doesn’t have the proper mind and soul to be in the hospitality business. Why don’t you try something else, say pet products? I will give you, for free, several tons of cat litter, to get your business started.”
Miranda, you are half right, about the date, but if you think any bit of childish hysteria would play well, then you, the filmmakers and I are not at all on the same page. Bet, Robert isn’t either.
That was not only evil it was stupid. Hollywood is a gossipy small town. Once word got around of what he had done, nobody in Holly wood would trust him to buy a newspaper. Also, why didn’t Ralston charge him with fraud?
Rick McGinnis says
Embezzlers rarely see justice. More recently, musician Harry Nilsson of “Everybody’s Talkin'” fame was near the end of his life when he was conned out of the savings he’d been hoping to leave to his family. The embezzler/former trusted accountant only got two years, and never paid back a cent. Nilsson had to scramble and beg to replenish his estate before the second heart attack that killed him.
I didn’t know that. Harry Nilsson was presumably an intelligent, been-around man. That such a man could be conned is a scary idea.
Blessed with a lovely, melodic voice, it’s something of a puzzle why Paramount dropped Esther Ralston’s option in 1929.
That means Paramount was gifted with a lovely, melodious voice. Clauses and phrases at the beginning of a sentence refer to the subject of the sentence, remember?
This coming Tuesday is the 17th of Tammuz. I wish you an easy, migraine-free fast.
sennacherib says
Don’t know if I have any expertise on this, but it does seem when you inhabit a world that’s focused on make believe and is populated by people who are expert on being someone else, your chances on having a normal life is pretty slim.
The world is not focused on make believe but a physical and intellectual exercise in communication.
Michael Kennedy says
Mauren O’Hara had her troubles with husbands. She finally got lucky only to lose him in a plane crash.
Bill Brandt says
Michael – how about Clark Gable and Carole Lombard?
The thought just occurred to me – why so many Hollywood marriages fail – is that most actors and actresses are basically narcissistic – Esther seemed outside this but craved some normality in a family life.
One has to wonder of all the famous actresses over film history how many of them used the casting couch as a means of career advancement ..
Then there are some who could be considered brilliant in their field but for lousy script choices (or agents?) they would have been icons today
That would be an interesting list, Robert.
As would brilliant screenplays that flopped because the wrong actors and/or directors made the film.
If it weren’t for her lousy choice in men, Esther could have been remembered as being on the same plane as Marlene Dietrich, Ginger Rogers, Carole Lombard.
I always felt a bit sorry for Marion Davies – I thought – as a comedienne she was great (as did Charlie Chaplin). But constant pressure by Wm Hearst kept pushing her into dramatic roles, for which she was ill-suited, relegated to “also-mention” status.
Had she stayed in comedy roles her mark on Hollywood would have been much greater. At least in my humble opinion.
But the trials of Esther makes Marion’s problems pale by comparison.
She had it all – talent, looks, drive to succeed – wealth – all brought down by lousy choices in men.
And, she had a quality unusual in Hollywood among actors/actresses – a moral compass.
I have a theory about men and women – not speaking an an expert but when it comes to judging the opposite sex or picking a potential mate – most men and women have blinders and see what they want to see – not what is.
At least that is my belief.
I will not address your opinions about talent, but people in Hollywood have and had a similar ‘moral compass’ to folks in other walks of life. But, I can’t help it — Esther Ralston was not Carole Lombard. Ginger Rogers. Marlene Dietrich. That is ridiculous.
Actually that is not correct. You can read any number of studies on the prevalence of narcissism in actors. Narcissists are most inclined to two professions: acting and, unfortunately, teaching. A narcissists moral compass is severely damaged.
I have no intention of reading studies. I knew, or still know some of these people, and the contention is flat out absurd.
In Sadie McKee Esther is just fine — but she fades. Not a star just someone who had the opportunity and did not grasp it, for whatever reason. She is certainly an interesting curiosity but the world is full of Esther’s. Mae Clarke comes to mind immediately, but making a list of those who were unable to navigate through the industry isn’t really worthwhile — and it is an industry, sort of like, and simultaneously due to the product, unlike, any other.
How I Married Karen
The new book
by Robert J. Avrech
Available in All Major Book Stores
Adobe Digital Edition's version is available through the Lulu store!
Robert J. Avrech
I'm an Emmy Award winning screenwriter. I'm also an observant Jew, a religious Zionist, a conservative Republican, and a member of the NRA. I've been writing and producing in Hollywood for over twenty-five years. But the focus of my life is my family: my radiant wife, Karen—with whom I have been in love with since I was nine years-old—and my two daughters, who, thankfully, look like Karen. Not too long ago, we had three children. But our son, Ariel, died at the age of twenty-two from cancer. We miss him terribly. We think about him practically every minute of every day. People tell us that time heals, but Karen and I know this is not true. Time grinds away doing its terrible work. Ariel is gone. Yet absence becomes presence.
Ariel Chaim Avrech, ZT'L, May His Righteous Memory be a Blessing.
Annual Ariel Avrech
Young Israel of Century City
NOTE: Click on video titles inside the thumbnail images, below, to open that video in YouTube
Fifteenth: June 10, 2018
Jackie Danicki: “Confessions of a Convert: A Humbling, Joyful Journey to Judaism.”
Blog Post | Audio: (94 MB)
Fourteenth: June 11, 2017
Daniel Greenfield: “Fighting Anti-Semitism and Defending Israel in the Age of BDS.”
Blog Post | Audio: (100 MB)
Thirteenth: May 22, 2016Ben Shapiro: “How You Can Save Israel”
Twelfth: June 7, 2015
Larry Elder: “The New Black Anti-Semitism”
Eleventh: June 8, 2014
Michael Medved: “Shifting Alliances: Why Liberals No Longer Reliably Support Israel — And Conservatives Do.”
Blog Post | Audio: (97MB)
Tenth: June 9, 2013
David Horowitz: “The War Against Judaism on the University Campus.”
Ninth: June 3, 2012
Joel B. Pollak: “The Mainstream Media’s Betrayal of Israel.”
Eighth: June 5, 2011
Yossi Klein Halevi: “What is Expected of a Survivor People: Lessons My Father Taught Me.”
Seventh: June 13, 2010
Dennis Prager: “Happiness is a Mitzvah, Not an Emotion.”
Sixth: June 21, 2009
Rabbi Steven Pruzansky: “Conformity in Jewish Life: Vice, Virtue or Affectation?”
Fifth: June 15, 2008
Rabbi Dr. Gil S. Perl: “What Was the Rosh Yeshiva Reading: Intellectual Openness in 19th Century Lithuania.”
Alfred Hitchcock Al Sharpton Anna May Wong Ariel Avrech Audrey Hepburn Ava Gardner Benjamin Netanyahu Bette Davis Brigitte Bardot Carole Lombard Cary Grant Clark Gable Dovima Edward Hopper Elizabeth Taylor Gary Cooper Grace Kelly Greta Garbo Hillary Clinton Hollywood Iran Irving Penn IslamoNazis Israel Jean Harlow Jeremiah Wright Jew-hatred Joan Crawford Karen Singer Avrech Lana Turner Liberal Facism Ma'ayan Ariel Marilyn Monroe Marlene Dietrich Myrna Loy Nuclear Iran Obama Prager University Richard Avedon Rick McGinnis Rita Hayworth Shabbat Tobi Kahn Vintage Cars Wrist Watches
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Title: The Invisible Hours
Genre: VR Non-linear Story
Developer: Tequila Works
Release date: October 10, 2017 in US and October 17, 2017 in Europe
Flat Screen Release: April 24, 2018
Publisher: GameTrust
PEGI & ESRB: TBC
Tequila Works has created a story that can only be told in a VR game. The Invisible Hours is a complex murder mystery in VR, in which players freely explore an intricate web of interwoven stories within a sprawling mansion – in order to untangle the dark truth at its heart. It is one of the deepest narrative experiences in VR to date.
All seven suspects in the mansion continue their stories in real time throughout the game, even if the player is not there to see them. This means there are seven very different but intersecting stories all happening at the same time. Players will need to make careful decisions about where to be, and when, in order to unravel the mystery.
The player is invisible to the cast of characters, giving them freedom to follow and observe anyone in the story – or to explore the mansion for hidden clues at their own pace. The game is a gripping mystery, and to find all its deepest secrets will require careful observation and exploration.
VIDEO GALLERY: TRAILERS
VIDEO GALLERY: DEVELOPER DIARIES
VIDEO GALLERY: CHARACTER FEATURETTES
theinvisiblehours.com
twitter.com/HoursInvisible
www.facebook.com/TheInvisibleHoursGame
www.gametrustgames.com
View full credits list
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TAR HEEL: WARREN CASEY IS USING SCIENCE TO SAVE LAB RATS
Warren Casey, top US scientist: The move to ban animal testing in the U.S. "is driven by concerns about public health and economics"
WHY CURING CANCER IS SO HARD
Oncologist Azra Raza is the director of the MDS Center at Columbia, where she moves the latest cancer therapies from theory to practice.
WHY TESTS ON MICE MAY BE OF LITTLE USE
Years of scientific research called into question as it is revealed that mice and men are genetically further apart than previously thought.
Mice and men are genetically far further apart than was previously thought, calling into question the important role the rodents play in medical research. A new study has found that while mice and humans share many protein-coding genes, the way their genes are regulated is often very different.
US scientists were surprised to find that gene activity diverged wildly between the two species in some key biological pathways. The finding may help explain why more than 90% of new medicines that pass animal tests then fail in human trials.
Laboratory mice have been a pillar of medical research for more than a century, being used by scientists investigating everything from social behaviour to obesity.
Professor Bing Ren, from the University of California at San Diego, who co-led the new research, said...
GERMAN MEPS THAT SUPPORT STOP VIVISECTION: JO LEINEN
German MEPs that support Stop Vivisection: Jo Leinen (Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament).
"Protecting basic animal rights is a moral obligation and of personal interest at the same time. Animal experiments belong to the past; and this should be reflected in our laws. For this purpose, I support the European Citizens' Initiative "Stop Vivisection" for a modern science without animal experiments".
GERMAN MEPS THAT SUPPORT STOP VIVISECTION: MICHAEL CRAMER
German MEPs that support Stop Vivisection: Michael Cramer (Group of the Greens/European Free Allliance).
"Ninety five per cent of all animal tests cannot predict how humans will react to the same treatment. In order to protect humans and animals, we urgently need to use alternative methods. I will push this issue in Europe".
BREAKTHROUGH REPLICATES HUMAN BRAIN CELLS FOR USE IN ALZHEIMER’S RESEARCH
For the first time, and to the astonishment of many of their colleagues, researchers created what they call Alzheimer’s in a Dish — a petri dish with human brain cells that develop the telltale structures of Alzheimer’s disease. In doing so, they resolved a longstanding problem of how to study Alzheimer’s and search for drugs to treat it; the best they had until now were mice that developed an imperfect form of the disease.
The key to their success, said the lead researcher, Rudolph E. Tanzi of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, was a suggestion by his colleague Doo Yeon Kim to grow human brain cells in a gel, where they formed networks as in an actual brain. They gave the neurons genes for Alzheimer’s disease. Within weeks they saw the hard Brillo-like clumps known as plaques and then the twisted spaghetti-like coils known as tangles — the defining features of Alzheimer’s disease.
The work, which also offers strong support for an old idea about how the disease progresses, was published in Nature on Sunday. Leading...
VIVISEZIONE: PROCURA RINVIERÀ A GIUDIZIO "NEGRI SUD" PER UCCISIONE TOPI
Per la prima volta un centro di sperimentazione autorizzato dal Ministero della Salute e simbolo della vivisezione in Italia verrà rinviato a giudizio per “uccisione non necessitata di animali”, come previsto dall’articolo 544 bis del Codice Penale. Lo ha deciso la Procura della Repubblica di Lanciano (Chieti) a chiusura dell’inchiesta scaturita da una nostra denuncia e dalle indagini svolte dal Corpo Forestale dello Stato.
Esprimiamo la nostra soddisfazione per la decisione della Procura che in quattro mesi ha raccolto elementi di prova a carico del Mario Negri Sud, evidentemente così schiaccianti da poter arrivare a questa prima conclusione.
Il caso era stato sollevato in seguito alle notizie di cronaca relative alla soppressione di oltre un migliaio di topi “da laboratorio” all'Istituto Mario Negri Sud a causa della mancanza di fondi per mantenerli. La LAV, dopo la denuncia, lo scorso 1° agosto aveva ottenuto la custodia di 49 topi, che aveva provveduto a trasferire in una struttura idonea a garantire...
THE HUMAN BRAIN PROJECT: A VERY EXPENSIVE HEADACHE
What tax payers should know, a reflection by Stop Vivisection promoter Andre Menache.
By now, most of us have heard of the Human Brain Project, whose aim is to simulate the complete human brain using supercomputers. The project is largely funded by the European Union and overseen by the École Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne (EPFL). This roughly ten year project (2013 – 2024) will attempt to better understand the most complex organ in the universe and also simulate drug treatments for human mental diseases. If this sounds too good to be true it’s probably because it is. The human brain contains around 86 billion nerve cells, each capable of creating thousands of interconnections with other nerve cells, with mind boggling permutations. But the brain is much more than the sum of its parts. Although a supercomputer could hypothetically unravel the way in which the brain does maths, how would a two-dimensional supercomputer simulate human emotion or language, for example?
A reductionist approach to attempt to mimic the most complex organ in the universe is destined to face significant...
ANIMAL TESTING CAN MISLEAD DRUG DISCOVERY AND DEVELOPMENT
Several blockbuster drugs would not be on the market, if scientists had relied solely on drug-uptake in animal trials, according to new research.
The research, carried out by PharmaInformatic, a German biotech company, compared study results on drug-uptake (“Oral Bioavailability”) in animals and humans for a large number of approved and established drugs.
Results showed that oral bioavailability in animals is inconsistent with the values reported for humans and large differences can exist. This also applies to very successful commercial drugs, called blockbuster drugs, with annual sales of more than one billion US Dollar.
In drug development today, a large number of compounds...
ABOUT ANIMAL MODELS OF ALS ...AND IN DEFENSE OF PAMELA ANDERSON
Pamela Anderson has made a media splash by refusing to take part in the ice bucket challenge in support of the ALS Association because of its history of funding animal experiments that she describes as being cruel and fruitless.
Her stance has sparked widespread discussion. The question for us to consider is does Ms. Anderson have a point?
As a board-certified neurologist who has cared for and as the principle investigator of grant-funded research with ALS patients, I have literally cried with my patients and their families when I had to give them the devastating news that they had Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or "Lou Gehrig's Disease."
Like so many neurological diseases, ALS is a truly terrible and...
BETTER RESEARCH AND BETTER CURES WITH "BODY PARTS ON A CHIP"
Bio researcher Geraldine Hamilton on alternative methods to animal experimentation. Subtitles available in 26 languages, click here.
ECCO PERCHÉ LA SPERIMENTAZIONE ANIMALE VA SUPERATA
Intervista con Susanna Penco, biologa e ricercatrice all'Università di Genova.
BABY-MONKEY ABUSE FUNDED BY YOUR TAX DOLLARS
There's an old joke: "How many baby monkeys do you have take from their mothers to prove that maternal deprivation is harmful?" The answer: "As many as the NIH will pay for." The joke is old because it refers to the 1970s work of Harry Harlow, who removed primate infants from their mothers and housed them with cloth or mechanical surrogates. Some of the surrogates were programmed to abuse the infants, periodically jabbing them with sharp implements. Harlow may be most famous for placing baby monkeys in what he blithely termed the "pit of despair," a dark chamber in which they were entirely isolated for a year. The psychological damage incurred was permanent, not rectifiable by subsequent care and socialization. We learned much from...
(italian version here)
THE FILM THAT WON THE GOLDEN LION IN VENICE SHAMES VIVISECTION
Roy Andersson’s surrealist drama, "A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence", is the final part of a trilogy about human beings. Marked by “silica gel humor”, it is a film about the daily horror and absurdity of living. To see the film's trailer click here.
UK STARTUP CREATING ANIMAL-FREE DRUG TESTING
A new UK startup is developing a unique new method for testing the impact of pharmaceutical drugs on the heart without having to resort to animal testing or early-stage human clinical trials.
InoCardia, the company in question, is a spin-out from the Coventry University. It is currently in the process of validating the model and commercialising the business. It has already attracted funding from Mercia Fund Management, a Venture Capital (VC) fund that has tie-ins with eight West Midlands universities and specialises in sectors such as medical research, disruptive technology, financial technology and e-commerce.
The funding and further help from Mercia has been invaluable in furthering InoCardia as a business, says Dr Helen Maddock, an academic at Coventry University’s Centre for Applied Biological and Exercise Sciences and the chief executive officer (CEO) of InoCardia.
For example, Mercia has linked...
WITH BILLIONAIRE'S BACKING, WYSS SPINOUT AIMS TO RETIRE ANIMALS IN R&D
Over the past 5 years a team at Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering has been building a pioneering human "organ-on-a-chip" tech platform for discovery-based work on new therapies. And it's being spun out today to make a go of it as an independent company dubbed Emulate Inc., backed with a $12 million A round from a group that includes the billionaire founder of the institute that created the technology.
Emulate Inc. is getting started with money from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, venture capital group NanoDimension, and private investor Hansjorg Wyss--the Swiss med tech billionaire who founded the institute at Harvard with a donation of $125 million. And the biotech has enough enough money to execute on a 3-year game plan, says CEO James Coon, marketing the chip technology to research labs while forging new industry collaborations.
The goal of the new company, says Coon, is to take a core group of people who built the technology...
LETTER TO MEMBERS OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT #2
Dear Member of the European Parliament,
We first of all want to congratulate you on your election to the European Parliament. At the same time we ask for a moment of your attention in order to explain the meaning of the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) STOPVIVISECTION, which has brilliantly succeeded in collecting more than one million signatures.
As you well know, the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) is a new instrument of direct citizen participation in the legislative process of the European Union. Thanks to this instrument the signature of at least one million citizens may indicate a legislative process to follow, legally binding. The ‘STOPVIVISECTION’ ECI aims to achieve - from below - a path of complete withdrawal from animal testing, in favor of new advanced and reliable methods of scientific research.
Animal experimentation is based on a grotesque scientific error, if we consider that experiments carried out on other species are not predictive for the human species. It therefore is a totally unreliable method for the protection of our health, and of the environment, which is closely linked to our health.
Animal testing also is a cruel practice, applied in Europe to tens of millions of animals each year, in conflict with ...
ANOTHER INCREASE IN ANIMAL EXPERIMENTS: GOVERNMENT TRIES TO AIRBRUSH GM ANIMAL SUFFERING
The number of experiments conducted in British laboratories in 2013 was the highest in nearly 30 years, according to government statistics published today. The total of 4.12 million ‘procedures’ exceeded the 2012 figure by 11,600. The use of genetically modified (GM) mice once again dominated the Home Office’s (HO) annual figures, and the department’s strategy is a clear one: to suggest that little or no suffering is involved in this area of research because most of it involves benign breeding programmes.
In reality, as Animal Aid’s 2013 report, Science Corrupted revealed, GM animals undergo severe and traumatic suffering, as a result of:
Being subjected to invasive gene-altering surgery
Being born with devastating but unintended malformations, such as facial deformities and exposed internal organs
Suffering ‘designed-in’ conditions including heart disease, brain damage and cancer
Being subjected to cruel experiments that have involved injecting acid into their stomachs or being locked in plexiglass chambers and forced to inhale tobacco smoke
Of the 3.08 million procedures on mice conducted in 2013, 2,190,742 were on genetically modified animals or those with harmful genetic mutations. Universities were the biggest GM mice users. In fact, universities now account for 49% of all experiments conducted in British labs. Important sources of their funding, as Animal Aid has revealed, are medical research charities funded by public donations, and government research council grants paid for by the taxpayer.
Another alarming development, revealed today by...
LETTER TO MEMBERS OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
we wish to express our great satisfaction for your success in being elected to the European Parliament. At the same time, we wish to thank you again for having joined the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) STOP VIVISECTION.
We believe that your joining our Initiative has contributed to your political success, as you gave evidence of your commitment for the protection of human health and of the weakest creatures, animals.
After the end of our collection of signatures (a total of more than 1,150,000 signatures has already been confirmed as valid by the government bodies responsible for certification), we are now starting the second part of our campaign for STOPVIVISECTION.
With the support of a very large number of scientific experts (whose number is constantly growing) and many enlightened people devoted to the defence of common good, we shall now explain the importance of our campaign at all political levels .
The new European Commission that will take office next autumn, must, according to the regulation of the European Citizens’ Initiatives, organise a public hearing during which we are going to explain our reasons for STOPVIVISECTION.
This will be a very important opportunity for ...
MEPs SUPPORTING STOP VIVISECTION
Click here to know the complete list of MEPs supporting our initiative.
SEE THE LIST OF CANDIDATES SUPPORTING US
Click on the banner to see the list of EU parliament candidates supporting Stop Vivisection.
A VOTE TO STOP VIVISECTION
The European Citizens Initiative (ECI) is an instrument of participative democracy for European citizens. Provided that a minimum of one million signatures are obtained, the EU will be legally obliged to have citizens take part in the decision making process.
1.340.000 EU citizens signed the “STOP VIVISECTION” ECI, calling for a total ban on animal experimentation in favour of research methods that are scientifically relevant and reliable, based on the wishes of EU citizens.
Animal experimentation is founded on the scientifically invalid assumption that tests on animals can predict human response. It therefore represents an unreliable method of protecting human health and the environment, which also directly impacts on human health.
Animal experimentation is also a cruel practice, responsible for causing suffering to tens of millions of animals every year throughout Europe, and contravenes art. 13 of the Treaty on the functioning of the European Union, according to which animals are sentient beings and therefore deserve our protection.
After the forthcoming elections, the European Parliament and the Commission will be required to schedule a public meeting to...
1 MILLION VALID SIGNATURES
The national authorities have confirmed to us that we have collected more than 1 million valid signatures for the European Citizens’ Initiative STOP VIVISECTION.
This means that STOP VIVISECTION will continue the institutional process and will be the first Citizens’ Initiative discussed and analyzed by the next European Parliament and European Commission.
In September 2014 the official hearing of our representatives André Menache and Gianni Tamino will be held in Bruxelles, at the European Parliament. In October 2014 we will have the official reply of the European Commission that will explain in which way it will act to comply with our requests.
PRESS RELEASE STOP VIVISECTION
After over a month of intense work, on the 23rd of December 2013, the signatures collected in support of STOP VIVISECTION were submitted to the competent authorities of the European Union’s 28 Member States. The final number of statements supporting the initiative was 1.326.000, the extraordinary result of the commitment and perseverance of the thousands of volunteers of national committees and of hundreds of associations and committees all over Europe that worked hard to achieve this amazing objective.
Twelve Countries achieved their national targets with a very modest budget of approximately 25.000 euros, collected through the donations of supporters and NGOs.
National Authorities will now proceed to certify the validity of the signatures by the end of March 2014 and subsequently disclose the final result achieved by STOP VIVISECTION, although the margin of 300,000 extra signatures that top the required one million, reduces the possibility of bad surprises.
Once the STOP VIVISECTION initiative is approved, the European Commission will convene a hearing with our Scientific Committee, after which it will have to specify the actions it plans to take to enforce the will expressed by European citizens. We therefore call on every single Association, Committee and Citizen to continue disseminating, sensitising and exerting pressure to give strength to the growing number of...
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HomeMan UnitedHenrikh Mkhitaryan – Manchester United Playmaker Is Not Offering Enough
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – Manchester United Playmaker Is Not Offering Enough
November 7, 2017 Nebojša Marković Man United, Players 1
Another international break is upon us and that is a good timing for looking back on what has been done in previous weeks. Manchester United dropped in form between October and November breaks, winning only one Premier League match in the process.
Starker drop in form has been that of Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The Armenia international has been searching for his best in previous months. However, he seems to have been finding it hard to show what he is capable of. Manchester United fans have been unhappy with Mkhitaryan going missing, especially in the last four weeks.
Mkhitaryan, actually, had a great start of the season. He made five Premier League assists during the first three matches against West Ham, Swansea and Leicester City. He also scored once in both the league and Champions League and everything was looking fine. However, the things have gone wrong for the Armenian. His influence on matches is very bleak, especially since Paul Pogba’s injury.
Assists Have Dried Up
The Frenchman got injured during opening Champions League match against Basel. All of that had to be a chance for Mkhitaryan to step up his game in Pogba’s absence. Yet, both Mkhitaryan and Lukaku dropped in form without the charismatic midfielder playing along them.
Former Borussia Dortmund man is still sitting at five assists. All of them came in August and ever since his impact on the matches has been poor. Looking at the stats, Mkhitaryan is still amongst the most creative European players, but with a deeper stare at them, the problems are obvious. In eight Premier League matches since August, Mkhitaryan only managed to score a single goal. He is not creating for those around him the way usually did.
In matches against Liverpool and Tottenham, the Armenian was more focused on defensive duties that were put upon him. That is amongst the reasons why he did not create for Lukaku. The match against Chelsea showed the problem even more than before, as Mkhitaryan failed to make any kind of impact against the champions.
Mkhitaryan Is Not A Threat Himself
Jose Mourinho talked few months ago about needing Mkhitaryan to step up his game regarding goals scored. Some ten days later, he scored his only league goal of this campaign, but that was about it. Nothing else happened.
Mkhitaryan is not a threat for opposition when he is the one making shots. It is very nice when he is making assists for those around him, yet Manchester United need a player that will also contribute himself in a more direct way. His tally of 0.16 goals scored per 90 minutes worrying for a standard first team player at a club like Man United. Mkhitaryan is making a mere 1.75 shots per 90 minutes, which almost puts him amongst the worst five per cent of players in that category.
His shooting percentage is not great either, as only one shot in three goes on target. That is because his shot positions are not very good (he is shooting from difficult positions), but also because his finishing is not of a great quality. Mkhitaryan is contributes with only 1.25 dribbles per 90 minutes, showing he is not the best choice when trying to get past opponents in tight areas.
There are plenty of things Mkhitaryan needs to improve. The most obvious one is trying to put himself in a commanding position against high profile opponents.
Match preview: Manchester United vs. Sunderland
November 4, 2011 nameonthetrophy 9
Manchester United beat wasteful Arsenal as De Gea shines again
November 23, 2014 Stretford-end 0
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1 Comment on Henrikh Mkhitaryan – Manchester United Playmaker Is Not Offering Enough
Chris Nielsen November 8, 2017 at 1:58 am
Both Mkhitaryan and Lukaku have not scored since Pgba was injured and there lies the problem
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2000 Trees Festival supports ‘save our venues’ campaign
Published on May 20,2014 by Review from old page
10-12 July 2014 – plus Early Entry tickets available for Thursday 10 July ...
'Made in America' Lacks Quality In Production
As the title would suggest, Ron Howard’s documentary of the Budweiser Made in America...
Scouse in the House: Bank Holiday fun at Liverpool’s city festival
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Subba-Cultcha has teamed up with Nozstock to offer one lucky band the chance of playing the main stage at this year’s festival!
Are you in a band? Would you like the chance to play one of the most exciting...
Live at Leeds provides the perfect showcase for the next generation of bands
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The awkward placement of Easter has cut the academic year down to just two terms for a lot...
Latitude Festival's Ninth Year Geared Up To Be Its Biggest Yet
Combining multiple art formats in the rolling Suffolk countryside is the fantastic...
Ten Bands To See at this year's Live At Leeds
Live at Leeds festival takes place this weekend (2 nd – 4 th May)! ...
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Frat Boy At the Movies: RocknRolla
by tonyd on November 5, 2008 at 2:10 am
In RocknRolla, Guy Ritchie returns to his old directorial stomping grounds: English hoodlums, rock music and flashy camera work. The premise is a little convoluted: A group of hoods called “The Wild Bunch” have been screwed over by a bigger hood named Lenny Cole. This forces the bunch to pull some robberies that they would not otherwise commit and it just so happens a hot accountant (played by Thandie Newton) has got the gig. She works for a Russian mobster that needs to hide his money, so when he moves it is the perfect time to steal it since it is off the books. The Wild Bunch do this, but this money, of course is part of a bigger deal with the Russian mobster and Lenny. The impact from this robbery continues to ripple and bounces back and messes about with the dynamic of the local underworld economy. Although my knowledge of organized crime tells me this is a more realistic plot, my knowledge of screenwriting tells me he probably should’ve gone with a more simpler premise.
Now you might ask, what does this have to do with the title. That’s part of the problem. The RocknRolla is Johnny Quid, a junkie rockstar, only he doesn’t show up to a good third of the way into the movie. He’s sort of built up as a guy that destroys everything he touches and I sort of expected him to devastate everything in his path when he finally did interact with the characters. That doesn’t quite happen, but there is an awful lot of swell mayhem, rock music and English guys yelling at each other to “Fok off!”
If I had to compare it to “Snatch” and “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” I would say this: The earlier two movies had thieves and hoodlums that were mostly incompetent or too greedy for their own good. The Wild Bunch actually has their act together mostly, so while they do get a bit over their heads, it’s not as epic as the characters from the first two movies. Still, there is a nice plot device that ties the whole movie together. And even though I didn’t feel for “The Wild Bunch” as much as I felt for the main characters in the previous movies. Maybe there were too many people to keep track of. I would’ve trimmed two or three characters to narrow the focus. RocknRolla is still very entertaining. (Although I am a big fan of Ritchie’s crime movies, so take it with a grain of salt.)
Jeremy Piven and Ludacris are in the movie, but quite frankly, they are wasted. Their parts could’ve been played by anyone. That’s not to say they aren’t good, they just aren’t really given much to do. Mark Strong as the narrator, Archie, is pretty good, but his narration doesn’t drive the movie as consistently as you’d expect.
Ritchie sets up Johnny Quid for a sequel, which I suspect might be more along the lines of what I was looking for in this movie. Maybe he’s just regaining his sea legs, I don’t know. I was expecting a big action scene at the end and what you get feels a little uneven. Ritchie tends to kill a lot of his characters, maybe he sacrificed that for the sequel set up. I would rate this as third compared to the other two, but not such a distant third. I give it 7 out of 10 beer kegs and I look forward to the sequel.
└ Tags: Frat Boy at the Movies, RocknRolla
Investigation into Head
by tonyd on November 3, 2008 at 3:51 pm
The latest news from campus
└ Tags: RU Newser, Rubber
Comments Off on Investigation into Head
by tonyd on October 29, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Ask Señor Cactus!TM
translated by Mr. Shit
transcribed by Tony DiGerolamo
And now it’s time for that prickly purveyor of wisdom…
The king of the Caryophyllales-Cactaceae…
Ladies and gentlemon’, the great Señor Cactus!
Inebriated on the Internet:
Thanks for the super fray update love pledge kitten bully
Ps I am siouiiiiiiio drink.
Dear Drunken Bro:
Cactus say, he inspired by yer illiterate love for another bro and thanks for da email attachment with all your credit card numbers, pin numbers and pictures of your genitals. When ya sober up, make sure ya have a doctor check dat mole out!
Happy in Orlando:
Dear Señor Cactus:
I met a great guy online! He’s awesome and we’re celebrating our fifth anniversary in a couple of months! Isn’t that awesome?
Denise, 18, Orlando, Fl
Dear Jailbait Online:
Cactus say, five years?! Who’s yer boyfriend a target of Chris Hansen? If he not, he like da boy in da plastic vagina. Ya gonna have ta let him out before he go crazy. Cactus agree with wise Chinese philosopher: “Man who touch only two boobs soon look for a third.”
Torn in Texas:
Señor Cactus:
I don’t know who to vote for. I’m afraid of McCain because he’s old and I don’t like old people. I can’t vote for Obama, because I think he’s an arab. What should I do?
Joe, 20, U of N
Dear Voter Majority:
Cactus say, you are a fuckin’ retard! Ya shouldn’t vote at all. Ya should just concentrate on breathin’ because yer braindead head can barely handle dat! Dat you go to a University in da United States is an outrage! Ya should be sent back ta grammar school and forced ta repeat da fourth grade another seven times! Cactus say, it’s da retards like you dat make da debates get dumbed down even more! And ya still don’t watch! What should ya do? Stick yer head in a fuckin’ bucket and bang wit a brick, Joe da dumbass!
Liar-Liar Pants On the Floor:
I lie to get laid. It’s so easy! Once I found this ATM receipt for $19,000. I wrote my number on the back after meeting this model in a club and she called me 10 minutes later. I told this other girl I worked for the Secret Service. Another one that I was the lead in an upcoming movie. It’s just too damned easy. Why is it so easy?
Scott, 20, Villanova
Dear Genius:
Cactus say, slow down! He writin’ all dis down! Cactus don’t have opposable thumbs!
Wasted in NYC:
Yesterday I was out with this guy I started dating. I’m a little buzzed, but totally functional behind the wheel. I took a sip from a beer I had in my lap and he starts to freak. Grabs the beer right out of my hand and throws it out the window. I’m like, fine, you think I’m drunk, but I’m not and I’m proving it by driving fine. Then I start to think, this guy is probably a faggot because he doesn’t drink at all and why am I dating him?
Irene, 20, Manhattan
Dear Waste:
Cactus say, self-preservation is not a trait reserved exclusively for homosexuals. If he still dating you, he obviously not dat concerned wit his own safety. Plus, yer probably an unbelievable bitch because ya drive in da City anyways. Oh, wait, did Cactus make a sweepin’ generalization about ya based on one tiny bit of behavior? Sorry, Cactus meant ta call ya, “cunt”.
└ Tags: Mistah Shit, Señor Cactus
Comments Off on Ask Señor Cactus!
Frat Boy At the Movies: The Duchess (is hot!)
Yes, Keira Knightley is naked in the Duchess, but the real question is: “Is it a good kind of nudity?” There’s nudity that makes you feel good about yourself and then there’s nudity that makes you feel kind of guilty for looking at it. The Duchess walks a very fine line.
On the one hand, there’s no denying that Keira Knightley is smokin’ hot. Even after a ridiculous scene where Ralph Fiennes, as the douchebag Duke of Devonshire, undresses her out of very complicated garmets. But even so, you feel kind of guilty because Ralph is being such a dick and when it is revealed what a dick he is later— Well, in retrospect, it’s kind of like watching some creepy old guy bone your sister.
That being said, there is a second lesbian scene without so much nudity that is REALLY hot. Very boner-inducing. That’s probably (pardon the pun) the climax of the movie. The focus of the movie is the Duchess’ horrible relationship with the Duke, but the interesting stuff is going on behind the scenes in politics. The Duchess is a popular historical figure in England because she held a lot of political sway at a time when women couldn’t even vote. Unfortunately, most of the movie is about what a douche her husband is. Although entertaining, I think the director missed the boat on what could have been an interesting look at English politics at the time, manipulated by a woman who had a bad husband and the occassional lesbian affair. Everyone in the movie is great, but it’s like the real movie is happening somewhere nearby and you keep getting stuck at home with a dysfunctional family of rich people. All in all it’s a fairly bearable chick flick. I give it 5 beer kegs.
└ Tags: Frat Boy at the Movies, The Duchess
Comments Off on Frat Boy At the Movies: The Duchess (is hot!)
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Fandom Role Plays
Amegakure
Started by Kyo, August 18, 2018
Kyo 297
Just plain mean
Shounen As Fuck
LocationScotland
Posted August 18, 2018 · Report post
[Guren]
In this world of shinobi none stand taller than the 5 Great Shinobi Villages. Spread across the countries of Fire, Water, Wind, Lightning, and Earth, they are Konohagakure, Kirigakure, Sunagakure, Kumogakure and Iwagakure. There are many other lesser known ninja villages, but none hold the infamy of the Great 5. While each of these villages has a myriad of great legends to unfold, today we will tell the tale of a hero from one of the lesser known villages. This is the story of Amegakure.
War was once all we shinobi knew, a time where clans warred against clans, and many died within the battle. The ninja villages were a means to end this conflict, by uniting clans and working together so that all shinobi could thrive, and so children could live happier lives. Yet as the villages grew more powerful, soon they began to see one another as threats, and war returned to this land. The wars that followed would be known as the Great Shinobi World Wars, as they were fought across the entire continent, leaving death and destruction in their wakes.
Amegakure is a shinobi village that was unfortunate enough to reside within a land bordered by three of the 5 Great Shinobi Countries. When the great wars were waged the battles were fought in this small country and the land was laid waste to. As the 5 made peace with one another yet again, the land they had used as a battleground had been left destroyed and the people left dead, injured, or facing a lifetime of poverty and hardship. As Konohagakure sent shinobi to lend aid to the country, Amegakure’s leader became increasingly reclusive and unwilling to lend aid, until eventually there was no news coming in or out from the village.
At this time there was a young orphan. She had lost her parents in the war and had no other family to speak of. She lived on the streets, stealing food when she could and sleeping outdoors in the caves outside the towns, trying to keep sheltered from the almost constant, drizzling rain. This poor young lady had given up on any hope of a better life, and was consigned to her fate, until she met a shinobi from Konohagakure. The man, who had fought in the war, felt exceptionally sad and guilty as he looked upon the girl. He decided that through this young girl he could try to make amends for his deeds, and so he decided to train her. He asked the girl her name, the first to ask her in a long time, and so she told him; “Kotetsu Asuna.”
Asuna, it turned out, had a hidden talent for the shinobi arts. Under the tutelage of a Konoha Jounin she excelled in the martial arts of Taijutsu, the Chakra fueled arts of Ninjutsu, and the illusionary arts of Genjutsu. A year passed and the Jounin was called to return to his village, and so he led Asuna to the village of Amegakure, where he hoped she would continue to hone her skills and become something one day. Hope had once again returned to Asuna once more.
Amegakure was not what Asuna had expected. The village was ruled by a powerful but bloodthirsty shinobi. This man had kept the village safe as wars were waged, and had done so through brutal and underhanded tactics. There was no school to speak of to teach young ninja as the Konoha Jounin had told her of. Amegakure had no ranks, no clans, and made its living by carrying out assassination contracts for lower prices than any other village, and they had become quite proficient.
Years passed and Asuna became stronger in this harsh new environment. As she grew into a woman her heart grew colder, and she became the most effective assassin in Amegakure. Then during a mission with a small group of comrades, when the mission turned sour, she had been abandoned by them. Left to die Asuna realized that Amegakure was not a village at all, it was corrupt, and it had corrupted her. Asuna did not die, however. Weak but alive, she managed to escape and hide her presence, living a quiet life for a short time as she recovered. However when her strength returned Asuna left the small village she had temporarily called home, and was never seen again for many years.
When Asuna returned to Amegakure she was not alone. Asuna brought with her 12 shinobi each with strikes through their forehead protectors. She had rallied missing nin, defectors from other shinobi villages, and had gained their allegiance. Together they struck at Amegakure during a heavy rainstorm, in the dead of night. They moved swiftly and quietly, killing any who stood in their way. Asuna had turned the very skills she had honed within Amegakure against it. She killed the corrupt shinobi who was still in control, and killed all of his conspirators. The streets of Amegakure ran red with blood on that day, but it was not long at all before the rain washed it clean.
Asuna had not returned to Amegakure to simply seek vengeance, she had come to bring her revolution. She assumed leadership of Amegakure, vowed not to run it the way her predecessor had, but also not like the 5 Great Shinobi Villages either. 20 years later and this industrialized, modern village is finally beginning to thrive and stand out once more.
[Kakashi’s Theme]
“-and the reason I am telling you all this story is very important.” The teacher stood in a large classroom, addressing a hall of young teenagers who for the most part looked thoroughly bored about being there. “You see today you have all graduated from this academy, and you will be beginning your journey as young shinobi soon, so it’s important to keep in mind that things were not always this way here. After all it’s important to consider that Kotetsu Taichou gained-“
Boring. Why couldn’t sensei just shut up already?
Sora tuned out from the dull nattering and leaned back in the chair he was sat in among all the other students. The expression on his face was often one of mild irritation, as if just living was a minor inconvenience to him. He had always been someone who got lost in their thoughts, and he wasn’t often very interested in the thoughts of others either. His shoulder length, red hair was tied back in a high and tight ponytail, and his amber coloured eyes looked sharp and focused despite the fact he wasn’t paying much attention.
He had three silver studs spaced out along the rim of his left ear and wore a thin, olive green coat with a high collar and a black fishnet vest underneath, a pair of simple, black trousers and black sandals. He sat with his arm folded, leaning back in the chair with a relaxed slouch. He wondered how much longer this assembly was going to go when something snapped him from his musings. He tilted his neck sharply to the left as a piece of chalk missed him by inches. He gave a satisfied smirk as he looked back at his sensei, who had hurled the chalk at him.
Then gravity did it’s work and he fell off the side of his chair and landed with a thump on the ground. There was a ripple of laughter through the students and Sora quickly stood up and groaned as he looked at the giggling students looking at him.
“Uketsuki Sora!” The teacher called out his name from the front, “Couldn’t pay attention for just one more class, eh?”
“Whatever…” Sora replied with a half hearted shrug, “At least I won’t have to listen to your cheesy history lessons.”
“It’s recent history, Sora. Your own mother was one of the brave shinobi who fought with Kotetsu Taichou, what would she say if she saw you dozing off to the story of her past?”
“She’d tell you that you’re telling it wrong.” Sora said with a frown, a testy frustration starting to bubble up within him.
“And you would no better, hm?” His teacher asked. Sora’s lips became thin as he tried to say something, but there was nothing to say.
[Many Nights]
Uketsuki. It was the name of his mother’s clan. The rest had died during a planned assassination from a vengeful clan who had feared their abilities. His mother had always been very secretive about their clan. He knew that his mother had excellent chakra control which made her an expert medical ninja, and many in the village praised her expertise with sealing jutsu. He knew that their clan were originally from Sunagakure, and that his mother had fled as a missing nin and soon after joined Asuna to liberate Amegakure.
The adults of Amegakure were always so secretive, and his mother was no exception. She would always tell him that he wasn’t ready whenever he had questions about their clan. After a while of this he had just stopped asking. His mother had always been quite distant, she was brilliant and clever but she had never been the affectionate type. His father was even more puzzling. He was a man born here in Amegakure, a Jounin ninja who worked within the village. He was a brave and confident man, but no very bright, at least not compared to his brilliant wife.
At some point the other students had began filing out. The final class of the ninja academy was over. Sora was a Genin now, and starting tomorrow he would meet his assigned team and begin doing work for the village. Real missions; like spying and bodyguard assignments. Sora hoped it wouldn’t be as much of a chore as the academy was. At least it would be more interesting.
[Hidden Will To Fight]
Kotetsu Asuna stood on the balcony of the tallest tower in Amegakure. She looked out over the village, a cluster of large tower structures complete with running water, waste filtering systems, electricity. This was an industrial village of dark brass tones, and a dull skyline of grey clouds, and a constant, drizzling rain. It was a melancholy place, but one that Asuna found to be quite beautiful. She was a tall woman, dressed in a long, black rob with a wide and high collar. Her jet black hair was long, spiky and stuck out to the left. She wore a black eyepatch over one eye, a few deep scars coming out of either side of it. Her remaining eye was a cold blue and looked keen and prepared.
Asuna turned around and walked inside the tower to her office where two people were waiting for her. One of them was a woman only a few years younger than Asuna in her early 40s, she was an average height woman with a slim built, dressed in a long black labcoat, with a short skirt and fishnet leggings, and a pair of heeled sandals. Her hip-length red hair was pinned away from her face with a couple of light blue hairpins, and a pair of black, thick-rimmed glasses were perched on her nose, the glare of the lenses in the light masking her eyes.
“Asuna Taichou…” The woman said with a monotonous tone, then she tilted her head and revealed a pair of amber eyes, “Are you ready for your report?”
“I didn’t ask for a report, I asked you to come here.” Asuna replied.
“Correct.” The woman replied with a slight nod, “However…considering the Jinchuriki is graduating from the academy today I deduced that you would like to know the progress on our…project.”
“Your son graduated today too, Satomi.” Asuna said.
“Yes…” Satomi replied as if she hadn’t thought about that until it had been mentioned.
“Have you thought more about teaching him-“
“He’s not ready.” Satomi said, cutting Asuna off.
“That’s a real shame.” Said the other person in the room. She was a younger woman with a lean, fighters build. Her skin was almost a slightly greyish blue colour, and her eyes were a pale blue, almost white, and as she grinned she revealed a set of spiky shark-teeth. Her hair was cut short but had a set of unruly spikes not dissimilar to Asuna’s. She had a forehead protector tied around her head with the symbol of Amegakure emblazoned on it. She was dressed in a dark grey flak jacket, a pair of tight-fitted shorts, but wore a belt with long sashes of black material that covered her lower half almost like a skirt, but less restrictive. “You see…they matched up for being squad mates.”
“Impossible…” Satomi said with a shake of her head, “Sora is too much like his father, head in the clouds. He’s unfocused, lacking motivation and unhelpful in a crisis. He’ll make a good ninja one day I’m sure but…we need a genin with genius capabilities.”
“Your lab nerds have been gathering all the data from every test conducted in that school and they’ve crunched the numbers.” The shark-toothed woman explained, “They’ve determined that his lack of motivation comes from lack of challenge. He scores high on tests and by all accounts he does so without really trying. Which means he’s going to be chum for me and the Jinchuriki.”
“This is…” A flicker of concern appeared in Satomi’s eyes, and then she was back to her stern look of concentration, “…If that’s what the reports have concluded then I will have to agree.”
“Geez…who took your mojo?” The shark-toothed girl turned to Asuna, “Am I right?”
“Omi…” Asuna said with a sigh, “You could try for a little more tact.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Omi said with a dismissive wave of her hand, “So when do I get to start torturing the little pups?”
“You can start as soon as you’re ready. I can find you a mission if you like, something safe…” Asuna suggested
“Nah…I’m gonna mess with them first.” Omi said with a toothy grin.
Valentine 178
LocationEngland
[Morning]
It was a new day in Amegakure. The rain that blanketed the city more often than not had abated just enough that smiles seemed to be on people's faces. A young girl with snow-white hair walked down the street, dressed in a cream-coloured kimono, with a flower blossom print. Her skin was almost as pale as her hair, but her eyes were a brilliant light blue. She had feminine features and almond-shaped eyes but was a little short for her age, even if she was 13. She weaved through the crowd, walking on traditional wooden geta. A small book clutched to her chest.
Droplets splashed down off the guttering and rooftops of the city around her, while the merchants set their stores ready for the day. She crossed off the main path and disappeared down a back alley until she came to a large tree, surrounded by a small courtyard. It was quiet and intimate here, with only the wafting lines of clothing from the houses around the courtyard, blowing in the breeze. The white-haired girl walked up to the tree, turned and sat. Crossing her legs and pushing her back into the trunk of the tree. And just like that, practically on queue, it started raining again. It never stopped raining for very long in this city. You could count on maybe a few minutes to a few days, and then it would start raining again. She heard the tree getting pummelled by the rain, but it was running off and away from her. She sighed, enjoying the rattle of the water on the leaves and opened her book.
A resounding thunk interrupted the gentle rhythm of the rain as a grocery bag fell from the sky and crashed into the ground, spilling it's contents all over the path. A few moments passed with nothing else happening, and then a figure shrouded in a dark green poncho hopped around the courtyard using balcony fences until he finally reached the ground and ran over to the grocery bag. When he reached it he cursed softly and scrambled to start picking up all the groceries. When he picked up the box of eggs the contents dripped out over his hands and he dropped the box back on the ground.
"Aw c'mon..." He said with a sigh, "Guess I'll have to go back." He started seeing what else he could salvage, until the girl under the tree finally caught his attention and he turned to her looking a little startled, and then embarrassed.
She held the book up to her mouth and chuckled, then closed the book and placed it on her lap.
"Good morning, Shinobi-sama." Her voice was soft and full of cheer. She bowed slightly, with only her head. "I'm Kaguya Yui, pleased to meet you."
The boy stood up properly with the grocery bag and tipped back his head to reveal his face. "Yo," He said casually, "I'm Uketsuki Sora, pleased to meet you too, Kaguya-san."
"Ah, so you would be Uketsuki Satomi's son, then." Yui smiled at the boy, "Yes, I think, you must be an academy student? I'm home-schooled. My mother and grandfather teach me. But I still had to take and pass the exam to become a Genin. Luckily, it wasn't too bad, ne?"
"Peace of cake." Sora replied with a smirk, "So you're a genin now too, huh? I guess you won't know anyone if you're home-schooled. Do you know who you're being paired with?"
"No, I was told--" Yui trailed off, her eyes wandered down to the bag in Sora's hand, the bottom of it wasn't torn from the weight of the groceries inside, it had been sliced open from the bottom. A clean cut. Her eyes lit up as she felt the approach of projectiles.
[Reverse Situation]
Yui spun around, kicking away two of the thrown kunai and leapt back as a foot attempted to sweep her supporting leg, she cartwheeled backwards and landed on the courtyard stone as the shadow dropped a smoke bomb and vanished. Who was attacking them?! She wanted to know Sora was alright, she could hear footsteps all around her, the sound of clashing metal. Then something glittered in the smoke and Yui deftly dodged to one side as the kunai flew past her head, but as soon as she'd moved a fist came flying towards her. But her reflexes were honed like a well-kept weapon. She deftly spun to one side, and leapt into the air to kick her attacker in the head. Two rock hard fists knocked each of her kicks aside as she whirled in the air like an acrobat, compensating for the loss of momentum due to her attacker's strikes, and launched off from the ground with her hands, knocking aside two more thrown kunai and landed with a soft tap. She had to stay quiet, she couldn't call out to Sora. He had to be okay... but she could hear the clash of battle somewhere else in the smoke.
A sudden gust of wind swirled around the courtyard and carried upwards in a spiral, taking the smoke up with it and revealing the courtyard once more. Sora was crouched on the front of his feet, his hands forming a seal. Somewhere in the scuffle he had discarded his poncho. He had a few scuff marks about him and he was panting heavily, but otherwise seemed okay. The attacker was nowhere to be seen.
"Are you alright?" Yui asked, remaining motionless. Her eyes scanning the environment for movement.
"I'm fine." Sora replied, his eyes also searching the area. "How about you?" He asked.
"Confused." Yui replied, the smile on her face had barely lessened, "Their attacks are too advanced for most in our class, and a ninja from another village wouldn't bother with a couple of genin..." She drew a kunai from within her kimono and held it up, ready to defend herself.
"That would depend on who the genin are," Sora replied, "Younger ninja are an easier target for stealing clan secrets and special bloodline techniques. More importantly... the attacker fled when I blew away the smoke, which could mean keeping their identity hidden was a priority."
"But they cut your bag, not your throat, ne?" Yui smirked and waited. The rain intensified.
"You're right...which means..." Sora's brow furrowed as he recalled the events prior to this, "I wouldn't have even come down here if the bag hadn't been cut. Which means whoever is doing this wanted me down here... wanted me to meet you."
[Nervousness]
The realisation seemed to come a little late, however, as a dark mist seemed to be rolling in from every direction. It was quickly getting as thick as the smoke bomb, but it stretched out even further and seemed less likely to shift in a breeze. Sora managed to reach Yui before he lost sight of her and he stood so that their backs were facing.
"Aww... so adorable." The voice echoed through the mist, a deep but feminine voice with a taunting tone to it, "What's the next move, chumps? Have you figured it out?"
"Sora, you should know, they might be here for me, i'm a--" Yui knocked a thrown kunai aside with her own and readied for the next attack. "... do something." Yui whispered to Sora, "Distract her. Anything." Yui took a step away from Sora and vanished into the mist.
The mist was clawing around her. Hugging her, suffocating her. But she weathered it. She could feel movement around her, but she didn't know where it was coming from. Yui held her breath. She had trained for this, she was ready to fight. She wanted to fight. Reading and chatting were their own things. But this was combat, and her eyes were alive. She glanced one way and then another, making her way through the mist.
"The great thing about this ninjutsu is that it distorts my voice, making it hard to locate where I am until it's too late." The voice echoed all around her, but then right at the end it became more localised, like it was right behind Yui. "Kaguya-kun..." The voice said from right behind her, the attacker's grey face appeared from the mist over her shoulders, her white eyes wide with anticipation, her serrated teeth fixed in a hungry, sinister smile as she drove the kunai down at Yui's neck.
[Beautiful Wild Green Beast]
Like a whirling dervish, Yui spun around without warning and kicked at her attacker who jumped back to avoid the strike but Yui followed her with a speed she hadn't shown until now. She was upon the woman in an instant. Yui kicked twice more, each strike thumping the woman's forearm as she blocked but was knocked back a step from each of Yui's powerful strikes. Yui moved like a flash, dashing one way and then the other, throwing kunai at the woman who deflected them with ease. Who was she? Why was she here? Yui finally saw her chance, as the woman moved back, losing further ground, the back of her heel caught on a loose stone and she stumbled, for only a moment. That happy accident was all she needed to take advantage. She flew forwards, dodged the woman's obvious counter-attack, and thrust her palm into the woman's torso, a bone spike shot out from the centre of Yui's forwards-facing palm and impaled the woman. She held the spike in her hand for a moment, shocked, and then she melted into a puddle of water.
"A clone..." Yui held her hand up and retracted the bone spike back into her arm, her skin naturally healing closed, leaving not so much as a scar to show it had ever been broken. This was her kekkai genkai. The Kaguya were master manipulators of their own bodies, in particular, their bones. However, the talent was extremely rare, only 1 in every 100 are born with the skill. And of those, maybe only 1 in a generation ever has the skill to wield it as she did. She was her clan's last true survivor. She was not going to let them go extinct today.
"Sora...!" Yui turned and ran back the way she'd come.
[Orochimaru's Fight]
As Yui returned to Sora the mists seemed to lighten a bit, and they revealed Sora was trapped, suspended in a sphere of swirling water, and was floating limp and lifeless. Standing next to him, with one hand outstretched to control the jutsu, was the attacker. She was an average height woman with grey skin and eyes that were almost white. Her teeth were serrated like a sharks, her spiky black hair was cut short and pointed out to one side. The forehead protector she wore had the symbol of Kirigakure across it. "Whoops... he's dead." She said with a shrug and gave Yui a fierce grin, "Are you next? Or will you come with me alive, Jinchuriki?"
"So you know..." Yui smiled to herself. So, a Mist nin was here to kill her. She had been told this might happen. The Jinchuriki were weapons, of a sort. Weapons of defence, or mass destruction. They were a form of mutually ensured destruction, that kept the villages in-check with one another. For a village to gain another Jinchuriki, it would be an enormous advantage. And what was a Jinchuriki? A host to a demon. A tailed beast, formed of pure chakra, the energy they accessed within themselves. Two years ago, the beast had been sealed within her, and now it seemed, on the day of her first Genin mission, she was forced to fight for her life. That boy was dead, she barely knew him, but he was a part of this city, and now it was her duty to protect the people remaining.
[Fake]
"Nah it was just a shot in the dark!" With a roll of her eyes and a sly grin, "You've got a dangerous look in your eye, I like that. You failed already though." The woman dropped her arm and the water prison collapsed, and Sora lay limp on the ground but breathing. "Allow me to introduce myself..." She said as she snapped her fingers and the symbol on her forehead protector changed from mist to rain. "Kirisame Omitsune, I'm your jounin leader!" She held her hands up like she'd announced the winning lottery numbers or something and gave a toothy smile, "Oh and he's fine by the way I just knocked him out. I'll explain it to him when he wakes up."
Yui lowered her hands and crossed the courtyard back to the tree, picked up her book and sat down. "Thank you for the work-out, Sensei." She said, smiling. Then sat, crossed her legs, and re-opened her book. Licking her finger, to turn the page.
"You failed your teammate." Omi said darkly, "Despite your clear skill with taijutsu and the trump card of your bloodline ability it was Sora kun who made the best decisions. Neither of you have what it takes to beat me, but together you might have escaped me. We'll be training every day until you can prove to me you really are a genin." Omi turned to rouse Sora from his sleep, "Oh and don't use the J-word in front of Sora, he doesn't know about it, and we're keeping it that way for now, clear?"
Turning the next page, Yui looked up from her book, "As you like, Sensei."
An interesting turn of events. Her sensei was the kind of person to put her students in danger to test them. Maybe they had decided to pair her with someone who could stop the demon inside her, if it ever got out... Yui gripped the cloth of her kimono, glancing at Omi, "What now?" She asked, with a quizzical smile.
"You have your first mission." Omi said with a grin.
"Hwa? a mission?" Sora asked groggily, "Who are you?"
"Omi, your boss lady." Came the reply, "And your mission is..." Omi pointed over to the far corner of the courtyard where there were two metal litter pickers and two trash bags sitting against a wall. "Litter picking duty!" Omi said with mock enthusiasm as she began to walk away, "And that's all you'll be doing until your training is complete. It's all you're fit for."
[Kakashi's Theme]
"Uwa!" Yui gasped as an awning above her collapsed under the weight of the rain, drenching her instantly. Thunder boomed in the distance. So, Omi really hadn't been kidding about cleaning up litter. She jabbed a piece of litter with her picker and placed it in the bag, then another, and another. She watched Sora a few paces ahead of her, poking bits here and there. Yui spied an old tin can, she made a beeline and with a smirk tried to pierce the can-- snap!
The picker broke in two.
"Ehh?!" Yui gasped and stood staring at the mess on the ground. "Ah--" She held her arm out, and a long spiked bone ejected from the centre of her palm and as it detached and flew out, she caught it with her already healed hand. It was like a needle but the size of a sword, and several times stronger and sharper than a metal instrument. With a squeak, the bone needle pierced the tin can like it was a styrofoam cup. Then she jabbed the old picker and placed both in the litter bag.
"Sorry I got us in this mess." Sora said with an annoyed frown, "This is worse than school and I didn't think that was possible."
"I should not have left you." Yui replied, giving him a smile, "I am the one at fault." Yui finished picking up the litter in her area and as she looked up to move on, she thought she'd seen something hiding in the shadows in the corner of the street. But when she moved her eyes to focus on it, there was nothing there.
Go To Topic Listing Fandom Role Plays
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Role Play Game Discussion
nWoD Interest Check
Started by DayDreamer, November 26, 2013
What would you like to play? 7 members have voted
1. What would you like to play as?
Sin-Eater
Any/All
DayDreamer 184
Nico Nico niiiiiiI~~~
LocationSomeplace... far away.
Posted November 26, 2013 · Report post
Firstly this is not signups for a game, so whether you're free or not, do keep reading. This is simply to see what game we should start. Specifically, what supernatural creature(s) to base the game upon. This topic is to decide that, and once that is worked out, we will then begin work on an actual game, and post a new thread for signups to that when it is ready, in perhaps a fortnight or so.
There is a poll attached here for you to vote in. It is multiple choice, so do pick all choices that you would be willing to play. If you're not fussed, check the last option of "any/all". Depending on the results, we will either try to create a game that caters to the most people possible, or plan multiple games to cater to different smaller specific groups. Also feel free to elaborate on your choices by posting in this thread, particularly if you have selected multiple options but do have a certain strong first preference.
For those unfamiliar with the game, who may not know what the options are or what each supernatural creature entails, here is a brief summary of each of the creatures (except Demons, because neither myself or HH has viewed the rulebook for that, so we'd prefer to run a game with something we're at least slightly familiar with), courtesy of TVtropes:
Players take the roles of vampires, people Cursed with eternal (un)life, supernatural power, and — oh, yeah — bloodlust and a fatal sunlight allergy.
In Requiem nobody knows exactly how the vampirism curse started. Some believe that they were cursed by The Powers That Be for a specific purpose, others believe that vampires are a concealed part of natural world and there are those who think it's not important at all. But one thing is for sure, vampires have stalked and preyed on humanity for a very long time.
The mortals killed and brought back as vampires are in for a tough existence. The first thing to be noticed is the ever-present Beast, the name given to the urges that drive vampires away from their Humanity (one of them being an endless thirst for the blood of the living). Then there is the fact that fire and sunlight are the bane of their existance. They also have to socialize with other bloodsuckers that compose vampire society, which can be roughly described as vicious, and most likely deal with hunters and/or other nasty creatures that go bump in the night. Every night since the first is a battle for survival (metaphorical, or not). In addition (maybe as a compensation) they get powers like immortality, super strength and supernatural charm, just to name a few, aside from the possibility that one night they may become the almighty overlords of the afterdark.
Werewolf: The Forsaken
Once upon a time, the physical world — the Gurihal — and the Spirit World — the Hisil — were one world, named Pangaea. Father Wolf patrolled Pangaea, ensuring that spirits were kept in line and did not terrorize humanity. Luna, one of the very powerful Spirits of the Moon, saw Father Wolf's duties, and fell in love with him. The children of this union were the first werewolves — beings part spirit, part flesh, charged to follow Father Wolf in his duties. But after spawning these Firstborn, Father Wolf grew old and weak, and could not fulfill his duties. So five of the first werewolves killed him, and then everything went to Hell — Luna cursed their name, the Spirit World broke from Earth, and their brothers, who refused to take part in the death of Father Wolf, swore revenge on them.
Werewolf: The Forsaken is about playing one of the titular Forsaken — werewolves who threw away the closest thing they had to paradise millennia ago because they believed it could not be maintained. Their duty in life is to serve as "border patrol" to the Spirit World, keeping voracious spirits from riding humanity like toys. At the same time, they have to protect their territories and fend off the Pure, werewolves who view all Forsaken as murderers for their complicity in the death of Father Wolf. It's a hard, bloody, and usually short-lived experience... but someone has to do it.
Mage: The Awakening
The story goes that long ago, people all over the world had dreams that brought them to Atlantis. Once there, they undertook a spirit quest that enlightened their souls and gave them magic powers. Thus the Mages Awakened. Unfortunately, the good times soon ended: Mages wanted to get to the Supernal World, the source of all magic. To achieve their plan they built an enormous ladder that let them travel the gap between worlds. This ended badly, as these god-like Mages abused their newfound power, forcing others of their order to climb the ladder and fight them. This war broke the ladder— destroying the connection between earth and the Supernal, and thus magic— and replacing it with an evil, magic-destroying realm called the Abyss. Atlantis fell, and the rest is history. Literally.
Now the Mages seek to find lost arcane secrets, prevent the Abyss from further corrupting Earth, act as Badass mage cops, find magic in normal life, and rebuild the ladder to the Supernal. They are thwarted by Abyssal demons, servants of the Exarchs, those Mages who made it to the Supernal, and pretty much everybody in the World of Darkness.
Promethean: The Created
The name of Promethean refers to its central characters, reanimated corpses fueled by "the Divine Fire", "Azoth" in alchemic terms. (The Divine Fire is often affiliated with the fire Prometheus stole from the gods, thus the use of the name.) These creatures are cursed to suffer the unending hatred of the human race, and must struggle for survival against both mankind's rejection and the rejection of the earth itself. What's worse, Prometheans are also hunted - Pandorans, creatures born from Promethean creation rites gone wrong, desire to devour the Created.
Despite the description, this game is actually optimistic. Prometheans follow what they call "the Pilgrimage", a quest to refine themselves into something more closely resembling humans. They learn to master the Azoth within them and the nature of humanity, with the goal of someday completing "the Great Work": redemption, the final transformation into human beings.
Assuming, of course, they can avoid giving up in the face of the world's spite and taking up the Refinement of Flux.
Notable perhaps because a viable group of characters in the game consists of Frankenstein's Monster, a marble statue imbued with life, a hypertech nanite colony in the shape of a man, a mummy, and a golem complete with the name of God on his forehead, and they can go beat up a radioactive zombie-making (and also radioactive-zombie making) thing brought to life by a nuclear bomb and guarded by living cancers, because you were told to by a blood-drenched angel with a flaming sword and six wings. And despite that description, it's actually a rather deep game of personal horror and on the nature of what makes a man. Possibly the strangest of the new World of Darkness games, Promethean requires more investment between Storyteller and player than the norm, and is thus recommended for smaller groups.
Changeling: The Lost
Player characters are Changelings, humans who were stolen from their lives by the True Fae of Arcadia and kept as slaves or servants. Changelings are no longer entirely human, having been tormented in positively Lovecraftian ways until they were broken in either body, mind, soul, or all of the above, and then rebuilt according to the True Fae's whims. The player characters, and many non-player character Changelings, are those who managed to fight, sneak, run, or trick their way back to freedom and the mortal world, but even when they return they bear the scars of their experience. Their very bodies have been changed into inhuman shapes. Their eyes have been opened so that they can see the truth of things, but they are also beset by hallucinations and tricks of perception. Worst of all is the constant, nagging worry: what if I never escaped? What if this is all a trick... or if I was allowed to leave?
Considered by some to be the single bleakest thing White Wolf has ever written. Well, maybe not quite as bleak as Wraith: The Oblivion was, but cranked up there pretty hard and fast. Definitely a stark contrast to its idealistic predecessor, Changeling: The Dreaming.
Even if it isn't the bleakest thing White Wolf has included in the New World of Darkness, it is almost certainly among the most melancholic and a stark contrast to its predecessor, Changeling: The Dreaming. There is no redemption, no way to go back to what you once were. The True Fae are infinite, their sorcery unstoppable, and their appetites impossible to slake. The Changelings can either resume their old lives knowing that they could be helping but aren't, or they can take on their new lives, safe in the knowledge that their endeavors will be at best a moist towelette on the raging bonfire of the Fae. If, by some miracle, they ''do'' become powerful enough to truly take on the True Fae, the results aren't pretty. On the other hand, there is a deep emphasis on relationships, interconnection, and wonder that isn't there in other New World of Darkness games. Being only slightly better than humans, Changelings must rely on others— their Motley, their Freehold, their Entitlement— to help them take on most threats and maintain their hold on what sanity remains to them. In addition, several sourcebooks note that for all the horrors of the Changeling existence, they also experience incredible beauty and fantastic marvels that most mortals can never see.
Hunter: The Vigil
This follows the normal humans who decide to go out and shoot the monsters hiding in the shadows. Of course, this being the World of Darkness, bad things happen a lot.
Hunters organize on three levels: Cells (small groups of two to 12 Hunters working more or less alone), Regional Compacts and National- or Global-level Conspiracies. Compacts provide benefits to their members based on their prominence in the organization, whereas Conspiracies can provide Endowments — tools or powers that can put hunters on the same playing field as some supernaturals.
Since all Hunters are, essentially, human beings, there is no distinct "origin" for how they become a hunter or for their actions. Instead, the organizations are the various compacts and conspiracies.
Geist: The Sin-Eaters
(since this entry on TVtropes doesn't say much, I'll use my own words):
Sin-Eaters are humans that have died, and whilst on the cusp of death, they struck a deal with a quasi-ghost known as a Geist in order to return to life. The Geist is bound to the human, and provides them with various supernatural powers. These are based on how the person died, and what the Geist itself represents - Geists are thought to be ghosts who have abandoned their human identities and instead transformed to embody a concept or theme related to the way they themselves died (you might have a constantly dripping wet Geist who is themed around the sea, who would be a person that drowned and their ghost came to embody the sea).
Sin-Eaters can see and interact with ghosts, as well as potentially enter the Underworld.Their abilities and the fact they can't make themselves blind to ghosts means that they often take up roles dealing with helping ghosts move on, or in outright destroying them. As if seeing ghosts wasn't enough, their Geist is always with them, hanging around and watching them, invisible to mortals, so they really would find it tough to ever try to live a normal life again.
Mummy: The Curse
In the beginning there was the city of Irem, heart of a powerful Nameless Empire, based where the Egypt of the Pharaohs would one day arise - an empire far more mystically advanced than any of the time. You and a select group of people were subject to the greatest feat of magic that has ever been attempted by mortal hands, the Rite of Return. Now, as an Arisen, you walk the line between life and death, which is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, you have life everlasting. It takes nothing short of a nuclear bomb to destroy you. On the other, you're able to rise only for short periods, your power steadily ebbing away each time. Your friends and family are long since dead and gone, even fading from your memory as the centuries pass.
Your 'true' body remains as it was when you underwent the Rite, a preserved corpse, but it's an easy thing for you to adopt a more human guise, shaped by your memory of yourself - for better and worse.
Finally, look here for the rulebooks, which you can skim at your own discretion to see what may be right for you.
Seanzilla 513
Based Dungeon Master
LocationThe Netherlands
I'd be up for anything... but Changeling reminds me a lot of Saya no Uta and now it's giving me the creeps >____>
Noia 136
Loreseeker
RE:RE:RE:FW: Pls advise
Saya no Uta was pretty great.
But yea I wouldn't wanna play as something that resembles her either.
The Geist seems pretty fun to play with, story wise. Reminds me of Sims ghosts. Or the HeatHaze Project.
Lots of opportunities for variety!
HerculeHastings 302
LocationSingapore
By the way, this is a disclaimer that neither DayDay nor I own the game or its contents. XD This means that if you guys want to run your own WoD stories, do feel free to as well. The poll's for our benefit to gauge interest and decide what to do, but you're free to base your decisions on this poll or not. It's all up to you. The more the merrier!
rubberrazors 139
Punk with Spunk~
LocationFlorida
I like the story behind Mages and I also voted Hunters because I really like Hunters. I:
Geist is my personal favourite actually.
And it seems so far Hunters are in the lead. At this stage we will probably run a Hunter game then, because it also has the benefit of us being able to potentially throw the other supernatural creatures in as antagonists anyway. We'll see how things continue to unfold, see about what to do for a potential second game.
And yeah as HH said, if anyone else wants to run a game of this please do so.
Asura 34
Seasoned Adventurer
Karp karp karp
I've quite fond memories of Mage and Werewolf (I ended up with a Were-Dingo, actually xD ) and Hunters was pretty fun. My old Storyteller liked jumping books.... one game was solid werewolf, but the other was Hunter, Mage, Vampire.... it was gloriously insane xD
I'm surprised you didn't add the Geist into the voting system, despite them being your favourite.
(Psssssst. Sin Eater is Geist)
wow I totally derped so hard
Wahad 10
Young Traveller
Why is nobody voting for Changeling. Changeling is the best.
Changelings are weird maaan.
On a side note, I used to have this wonderful roleplay with Ellemerr (entitled An Asylum; it was completed and very nearly ran for Legendary Roleplay!) and it sorta had the same tone as Changeling. o3o Merry would love Changeling.
Okay guys the poll has been up a while and a lot of people have voted, and we need to start working on the games, so we're gonna start based on the poll results at the present time.
We will have Game 1 be Hunters, this will fit very well with our original game idea, and it should provide a good experience for those newer to the setting, as human characters are pretty straightforward, and the plot will allow them to get an outside taste of some of the other supernatural creatures still. It'll also link somewhat to the current idea for Game 2, which may be interesting.
The problem with Game 2 is we don't know from the poll who among those that picked Hunter also picked the next most picked option, Geist, nor who among those that picked both will join Hunter if we do a Geist one as well. We're considering a plot that would allow people to just pick whatever they wanted, but we also don't want to get too much variety because it will be pretty hard for us to read up on everything and find some balance. We could have like 2 different creatures allowed for it, perhaps.
So, let me first describe Game 1. If you want to play in it, say so here. We're thinking of having around 4 players, 5 at absolute most. If there's like 8 people, we may instead just do two of the same game as Sean did with DnD (only 7 people voted in the poll, so two games should definitely fit everyone if that happens).
GAME 1 - HUNTER
(sort of a mafia feel - kill your targets without being discovered)
Players are a relatively new Cell (small organized group) of Hunters who are contacted by a mysterious individual, offering them the chance to kill some powerful/high-profile supernatural targets.
Players will have to locate their targets through investigation, plan their method for dealing with them, then carry it out.
Players must be careful, if they expose themselves too much, the other targets will pre-emptively take the fight to them instead, likely resulting in their deaths.
Additionally, regular human law enforcement isn't going to just ignore a high-profile CEO mysteriously going missing - they don't know he's supernatural, and can only assume you "hunters" murdered/abducted an honest businessman. So you must be careful about leaving evidence.
Hunters gain "practical EXP" more frequently during the story, as opposed to just regular EXP at the end of chapters - basically, Hunters level faster than other creatures.
Hunters have emphasis on teamwork, and employ group Tactics (abilities/actions which require everyone in the group to know the skill, and to participate in rolling for its success).
GAME 2 - OTHERS
(sort of a mystery feel - find out what is going on/who the culprits are)
Players are supernatural creatures who are contacted/discover that various supernatural hiding places/codes of communication have been broken by Hunters, resulting in several ambushes and traps due to false/altered communications etc. Many supernaturals have died, and you could be next.
Players will have to investigate and learn how/why their secret codes etc have been broken, and find those responsible.
Players will have to avoid Hunters discovering them, avoid falling into the aforementioned traps and ambushes, and perhaps deal with other interferences.
SO, what we need from you guys is some clarification of the votes and what you think of these. Would you want to join GAME 1, as a Hunter, or join GAME 2, as something else (and if so, what exactly are your preferences for that, in order). We want to start the signups and character creation midweek next week, and start the actual games the following week.
Hmmm I'd vote for Game 1, but only because it sounds a lot more fleshed out structurally...
I can't really picture Game 2 playing out as a proper game, it feels a lot more like classic RPing to me. If I knew more about the mechanics of Game 2 my vote may have ended up being cast in their favor. But either way, I chose the sin eaters. So yea I'd pick them if I were in Game 2.
You guys could always just start with the idea you're more confident in; there's always time to shine the spotlight on other races. Like the poor mummies.
Ethereal 60
I know I picked Geist, Hunter, Changeling, Promethean and Human. I'd prefer Game 2, I guess. I prefer to play WoD as an hapless character faced with the dreadful unknown; Hunter might be too proactive and powerful for my tastes.
The Hunters will be new-ish to their trade so there is the option of being a newbie who doesn't yet truly know what they're about to get themselves into. And it won't be a cruise, we plan to challenge characters' morals and mental fortitude just as much if not more than combat prowess and such.
And actually Noia you raised a bit of discussion between me and HH and we've decided that coming up with 2 original games from scratch will be too difficult for us to actually do well. The mechanics of something like the second game idea (and even the first) entail a lot of NPCs and ways to find clues using your various skills, which means we have to come up with a compelling series of clues and an unfolding mystery.
So the new plan is that Game 1 will be as described, because we really like our idea for that. For Game 2, we'll instead pick one supernatural creature (likely Geist, since it tied for the top vote with Hunter), and make use of one of the official pre-made games for it, tweaking it a little as we see fit.
The issue with that is we likely can't accommodate everyone, which is what we wanted to do. But we've arrived at the conclusion that doing so is too ambitious for us a this stage, so unfortunately not everyone will be able to play what they want.
SO, now, it comes down to whether you want to play Hunter or Geist (or both if you think you can handle two games at once).
I wanna play Geist~~~
Well, okay. Game 1 for me then!
EDIT: Aiya, just sign me up for either one.
Not meaning to sway Ether from his decision, but I'm very sure Geist will also "challenge characters' morals and mental fortitude just as much if not more than combat prowess and such". =P After all, we leave combat in the able hands of Seanzi.
But yeah, DayDay and I have sorta rounded up the Geist story too, and it belongs in the "thriller" genre, so I'm quite sure it'll involve a fair bit of haplessness and dreadful unknowns as well.
In any case, I apologise that DayDay and I seem so wishy-washy about this. We're both of us first-time STs (Storytellers is the WoD version of Dungeon Masters) and we're quite anxious that our first RPG(s) turn out successful and that you guys like everything. So we do want to make stories that appeal to as many of you as possible.
(also aw yeah Noia nobody likes the poor Mummies. Everyone, give some love to your Mum today!)
Dang I love thrillers D:
*shakes head sagely* The World of Darkness is all about choices, and sacrifices, and learning that you can't have everything you want.
The game hasn't even started and we're getting punished already!
But I'm sure we'd all enjoy whatever you guys put out. :lol:
Do Geist with me~
I suppose I shouldn't let my drumstick ghost go to waste, huh. xD
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Surrounded by Girls
USATODAY.com - Bush's 'regular guy' mode can backfire
Wayne Fields, director of American culture studies at Washington University in St. Louis, said these moments help Bush relate to average Americans.
"The problem," he added, "is that in times of real crisis, people begin to think maybe you need somebody who is extraordinary."
Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, said the nature of the presidency precludes the idea that any occupant can be an average Joe.
"The office transforms you into a rarefied creature," she said.
This isn't a political statement, honest. I just wonder how often siblings' college professors are quoted back-to-back like this. Eh, Tracy?
"USATODAY.com - Bush's 'regular guy' mode can backfire" was posted Friday, July 28, 2006
Allez Floyd!
Scenes from the kiddie pool
Watering (ba-ba) the plants
Morley Field, Balboa Park
Dog Beach, Coronado, CA
HAT!
You'll never make a monkey out of me
What noise does a "..." make?
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The Gradual Evolution of Independence
Posted on September 30, 2017 by admin Posted in Software Leave a comment
What it is: Apple’s latest Apple Watch offers an option for cellular connection, making it independent of an iPhone.
The progress of technology is easy to spot. When PCs first appeared, they were derided as “toys” that couldn’t compete against mainframe and minicomputers. Then PCs got more powerful while still being far cheaper than mainframes and minicomputers. Even when PCs weren’t as powerful as mainframes and minicomputers, their low cost made them far more appealing.
To use a mainframe or minicomputer, you had to use a dumb terminal, which looked like a PC but without any processing power of its own. PCs were often used as dumb terminals too, but gradually PCs weaned themselves away from dependent on mainframe and minicomputers to the point where they could be useful on their own.
When the iPhone first appeared, it wasn’t that useful. You couldn’t add apps so you had to just settle for what came with it. Most people connected their iPhone to a computer to backup data and synchronize information. That’s because most people still relied heavily on computers where the iPhone was just an accessory to the computer. Then the iPhone got more powerful to the point where many people rely more on their iPhone and do far less with a computer.
When the iPad first appeared, you couldn’t even turn it on without first connecting it to a computer. Gradually the iPad weaned itself off dependence from a computer to the point where an iPad can be essentially free of relying on any computer.
When the Apple Watch first appeared, it had to rely on an iPhone for Internet connectivity. Now with the latest Apple Watch offering optional cellular connectivity, the Apple Watch is gradually freeing itself from the iPhone. Pretty soon, like computers, smartphones, and tablets, the Apple Watch won’t need to rely on any other device and will become a separate entity all by itself. When that happens, the true potential of the Apple Watch will merge.
Remember, if it wasn’t for smartphones like the iPhone, a whole host of businesses like Uber and AirBnb could not exist. When the Apple Watch becomes an independent product, it will likely spawn new businesses as well in ways that are unforeseen, just like few people could predict the arrival of ride-sharing services like Uber when the iPhone first appeared.
The trend of any product is to get more powerful and become independent. That’s the future of the Apple Watch. Its cellular capabilities may be primitive for now, but watch each new generation make it more powerful each year. One day the Apple Watch will become commonplace and people will forget that they ever questioned the purpose for a wearable computer like the Apple Watch. Then something new will appear, like smart glasses, and people will start wondering about its purpose and need all over again.
To read more about the Apple Watch with cellular capability, click here.
Apple Watch innovation user experience
Apple Acquires French AI Startup
Posted on September 29, 2017 by admin Posted in Programming, Software Leave a comment
What it is: Apple recently acquired a French AI startup focusing on photo analysis.
For the longest time, people feared Apple was falling behind in the artificial intelligence (AI) world. Google was one of the first major companies to focus on self-driving cars and Amazon has been using AI to help customers find related merchandise whenever they purchase something. Apple seemed to be lagging, which only seemed worse given that Apple once banned their researchers from publishing papers at AI conferences.
That’s all changed. Apple now lets their AI researchers publish papers and Apple has moved into self-driving cars along with adding machine learning to Xcode projects, making it easy for developers to use machine learning in their apps. Apple has also acquired several AI companies and their latest acquisition is a French startup called Regaind, which focuses on photo analysis.
Apple is simply acquiring AI talent because acquisition is faster than trying to create AI talent from scratch. While Apple likely has engineers working on AI projects from scratch, they’ve also acquired multiple AI companies to bring those seasoned AI researchers into the company. Apple’s AI efforts are still growing and Siri’s gradual improvement is evidence that Apple isn’t lagging in the AI market.
AI will only continue to grow in importance and Apple may not be a leader, but they won’t be too far behind. Companies like Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon are all focusing on AI research so it’s a matter of seeing how each company applies AI in their own specialty.
While Apple is letting developers add machine learning models to apps, look to see how Google responds in making AI easier to add for Android apps. Then look to see how Microsoft is responding to make it easy to add AI to Windows programs. For seemingly being behind in the AI market, Apple now seems to be moving closer to being in the front.
Apple will likely continue acquiring AI startups so look for those AI technologies to filter their way into future products. Most likely you won’t see AI appear in a flashy new product but quietly appear in the background of an existing product such as adding improved image recognition and analysis in the Photos app or boosting Siri’s ability to understand the context of spoken language.
AI is becoming an important field for every major technology company to develop and it’s only going to continue getting more hectic in the future. If you want a solid future, focus on AI. Who knows? You might end fay get a job working for Apple or one of their competitors.
To read more about Apple’s latest acquisition of an AI startup, click here.
artificial intelligence innovation
Bill Gates Abandons Windows Phone
Posted on September 28, 2017 by admin Posted in Hardware, Software Leave a comment
What it is: Bill Gates admitted he uses an Android smartphone instead of a Windows Phone device.
When Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, stops using Microsoft software, it’s safe to say that software is dead. That’s when happened recently when Bill Gates admitted that he switched to an Android smartphone and no longer uses a Windows Phone smartphone. If the founder of Microsoft sees no reason to use a Windows Phone smartphone, why would anyone else?
That’s why Windows Phone’s market share has plummeted recently and shows no signs of ever improving. The whole idea behind Windows Phone is an exercise in frustration. First, Microsoft actually had a decent share of the smartphone market with Windows Mobile. Pal Computing even adopted Windows Mobile because their own PalmOS operating system was no longer competitive.
Windows Mobile was clunky and cumbersome to use because it forced the Windows desktop interface on to the smaller form factor of the smartphone. When Apple introduced the iPhone, that caused everyone to adapt quickly or die. Android managed to adapt quickly. BlackberryOS, PalmOS, and Windows Mobile did not so they died.
Microsoft knew that Windows Mobile couldn’t compete against the iPhone, so they took a few years to develop Windows Phone, which wasn’t a bad operating system. The huge problem was that smartphone manufacturers could pay a license fee to use Windows Phone, or they could use Android for free. Not surprisingly, they chose Android. Microsoft tried to force the desktop interface on to smartphones with Windows Mobile, and then they tried to use the licensing model of Windows on smartphones.
Even worse, Microsoft made Windows Phone 7 incompatible with Windows Phone 8. Many Windows Phone 7 devices couldn’t update to Windows Phone and many app developers had to rewrite their Windows Phone 7 apps to run on Windows Phone 8. This incompatibility helped drive away customers and developers alike.
Then Microsoft switch from Windows Phone to Windows 10, making Windows Phone apps incompatible once again. This constant rebooting process meant that Microsoft’s smartphone operating system was always back at the starting line while Android and iOS kept moving forward. With the lack of apps, Windows Phone had no chance to survive and that’s why it’s dead to the point where even Bill Gates won’t use one any more.
If Microsoft couldn’t make Windows Phone successful, what chance does Samsung have with Tizen? The smartphone operating system market is over and the two choices are iOS and Android. No computing smartphone operating system can offer enough apps and if apps aren’t available, nobody will want that new operating system. Just like most people used Windows in the 90s because of software and hardware support, most people use Android or iOS because of the app market for both of them. Windows Phone is dead and it’s just a matter of waiting for Microsoft to officially declare it over.
Without a mobile operating system, Microsoft has lost its leadership in the computing market. In the old days, everyone followed Microsoft because they defined the PC market. Nowadays, everyone follows Apple because the iPhone and iPad define the mobile market. Microsoft will still be profitable, but they’re no longer a leader. They could come back like Apple did, but chances are good they won’t. They don’t control of the mobile market and they killed Microsoft Band so they don’t have a stake in the growing wearable computer market.
Microsoft’s best days are behind them. From now on, Google, Amazon, and Apple are taking the lead with Apple doing most of the innovating and the others following along. The only exception is Microsoft which has resigned themselves to being an app developer for Android and iOS. Microsoft can still be profitable, but they won’t be a leader. When Bill Gates won’t use Microsoft’s own products, that’s a clear sign that product is dead for good.
To read more about Bill Gates admitting he switched to an Android phone, click here.
Android iOS iPhone Microsoft
The Adoption Rate of iOS vs. Android
What it is: Apple released iOS 11 a week ago and already it’s been installed on 25% of iOS devices.
When Android was being developed, it was meant to be a clone of BlackberryOS. Then when Apple introduced the iPhone, Android rapidly shifted gears to become a clone of what’s now known as iOS. although Android behaves mostly like iOS and sometimes has more advanced features, the difference between iOS and Android is most apparent when it comes to adoption rate.
Android device makers have zero incentive to update their older devices to the latest Android version because they can only make money selling newer Android devices to the public. That’s why companies like HTC, Samsung, and LG drag their feet on issuing Android updates for their devices. First, it takes time and money to test the latest Android version on older devices. Second, it doesn’t bring in any additional revenue and actually hurts revenue by keeping potential customers from buying new Android devices. Given these twin disincentives to updating Android on their devices, it’s easy to see why Android’s adoption rate lags behind.
The latest version of Android (Oreo) isn’t even on a significant number of devices with most Android devices running versions of Android that are two or three years old. That means no matter what new features Android offers, it will never be available to the majority of Android users for at least a few years. Even then, any new features will need to be tested on multiple hardware configurations, making it unlikely that Android can keep up with the rapid progress of iOS.
In a little over a week, 25% of iOS devices are running the latest iOS 11, which means new features of iOS 11 can be accessible by owners of older iOS devices. That increases the chance for newer features to be adopted like augmented reality. Android actually offered augmented reality before Apple, but Android’s version of augmented reality ran on so few Android devices that it’s largely ignored.
As Apple keeps introducing new features like machine learning and augmented reality to iOS, expect Android to fall further and further behind. It’s easy for Android device makers to copy hardware and lower their prices. It’s much harder for Android device makers to get their users to adopt the latest version of Android without buying new devices. The Android business model is geared for inefficiency when it comes to adoption of the latest version. The iOS business model is optimized for rapid upgrades to the latest version of iOS. In the long run, iOS will win in terms of user experience and features.
People will still buy Android devices because of the variety available at different prices. Yet the future of the smartphone industry still lies with iOS. Android will keep following iOS’s lead, which means Android will always be behind. Meanwhile, rivals like Windows Phone and Tizen are all but dead with no hope of challenging iOS or even Android. If you want to see the future of the smartphone, you can only get it through iOS. If you’re willing to wait on the future, then use Android.
To read more about the vastly different adoption rates between iOS and Android, click here.
Android innovation iOS
Clean Install macOS High Sierra
What it is: Apple recently released the latest version of macOS.
The more you use any computer, the slower it will get. That’s why you need to optimize your files by deleting files and programs you don’t need. However, even deleting a program can leave files behind so the best way to completely optimize your computer is to do a clean install of an operating system.
Such a clean install basically wipes out everything on your hard disk and installs the operating system on the computer as if it were a brand new machine. Of course, before you do a clean install, make sure you copy any critical files. Then do the clean install.
Over time, using any computer will result in files clogging the hard disk, and if you’ve upgraded your operating system several times, that upgrade process alone will likely leave hundreds of useless files scattered across your hard disk. So you have a choice of doing a simple upgrade (and preserving your files) or doing a clean install and optimizing your computer from scratch.
Generally if you want convenience, do an ordinary upgrade. However if you want to optimize your computer, do a clean install. This will dramatically improve your computer’s speed so it will be ready to go another few years of ordinary upgrades.
Just remember that a clean install takes time. First, make sure you copy everything off your computer. (You’ll eventually have to put everything back on your computer again, which will give you time to organize them more efficiently.) Second, do a clean install and wait for an hour or more. Clean installs are time-consuming so don’t do them when you need to use the computer. Finally after a few hours, pray that the clean install actually works properly. Then you’ll be ready for the final step of copying your files back on to your computer again.
Is a clean install worth it? For newer machines, probably not. For older machines, probably yes. Whatever the case, upgrading to the latest version of macOS High Sierra will give you bug fixes that older versions of macOS may by missing. So in general, keep your Macintosh up to date to the latest operating system it can support. Eventually you’ll Macintosh will get too old to support the latest operating system, but until that sad day occurs, keep your old Macintosh alive as long as possible through constant macOS updates. Best of all, macOS updates are free so you have nothing to lose but time.
To read more about how to do a clean install on a Macintosh, click here.
Macintosh macOS
Stopping Rootkits and Other Malware on a Mac
What it is: The latest version of macOS High Sierra will check weekly for changes in the firmware of a Macintosh.
One of the biggest problems with any computer are malicious software otherwise known as malware. Malware can take many forms including viruses, Trojan horses, rootkits, and spyware. Whatever form malware takes, it usually causes problems for the user and the computer.
In the PC world, Microsoft has had to battle malware for decades because MS-DOS and later Windows became the default operating system for most people. That’s why hackers targeted MS-DOS and Windows so heavily with occasional forays into other operating systems. Yet because most people (targets) used MS-DOS and Windows, most hackers wrote malware to infect MS-DOS and Windows.
Microsoft has made great strides in making Windows more secure, but the fact remains that Windows still is home to the most malware in the world. It’s not Microsoft’s fault, but they have to deal with the problems.
In the smartphone world, Apple tightly controls which apps people can install on their iPhone or iPad, which limits the spread of malware. It’s not perfect, but it greatly reduces the spread of malware that Android allows through its openness. While Android users must worry about malware, iPhone and iPad users generally do not.
With the Macintosh, Apple has had fewer problems dealing with malware than Microsoft has had to do with Windows. That’s because fewer people used the Macintosh so hackers mostly ignored it although you can still find plenty of malware written for the Macintosh. As more people use the Macintosh, more hackers are writing malware for the Macintosh.
To limit the possible spread of malware, Apple created GateKeeper, which attempts to block suspicious programs from being installed on a Macintosh. It’s not perfect, but it’s helpful. Now with the latest version of macOS High Sierra, Apple has added a new feature to detect firmware changes.
One of the toughest forms of malware to eliminate is a rootkit, which gets its name because it takes complete control over a computer. Rootkits can infect a Windows PC and hide from all attempts to find it because it literally controls the operating system and what data it sends back to technicians and anti-virus software. Once infected with a rootkit, a computer can only be fixed by wiping out the entire hard drive and reinstalling everything all over again.
That’s why macOS High Sierra checks a Macintosh computer’s firmware weekly. If it detects changes, then it’s likely the change occurred through a rootkit. If the firmware has been changed, then the Macintosh can contact Apple and Apple can (hopefully) find a way to fix the problem.
This new feature of macOS High Sierra is simply meant to make the Macintosh more secure. It won’t be perfect, but it’s better than nothing and it makes malware harder to spread on a Macintosh (but not impossible). As more people switch to the Macintosh from Windows, they can expect a far less troublesome computing experience. If Windows users could tolerate the strange user interface of Windows 8, they should have no problems adjusting to the slightly different ways of the Macintosh.
Now that macOS High Sierra adds an additional security feature, macintosh users can also expect far fewer malware problems than if they had used a Windows PC.
To read more about the latest security feature of macOS High Sierra, click here.
Macintosh macOS malware security Windows
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Home » News » News Releases » Halifax Convention Centre Corp. Announces New Name and Structure
Halifax Convention Centre Corp. Announces New Name and Structure
The Halifax Convention Centre Corporation has been renamed Events East Group, reflecting the full scope of its business and operations.
The new name was announced today, April 3.
Events East will be responsible for the management and operations of the new Halifax Convention Centre, Scotiabank Centre and Ticket Atlantic. These businesses were formerly the responsibility of Trade Centre Limited. All employees of Trade Centre Limited have also been transferred to the new organization, effective April 1, 2017.
“Our new name and brand reflects our new mission and vision and positions us as leaders in the events industry,” said Carrie Cussons, president & CEO, Events East. “This change reinforces our modern and forward-looking direction, is fully reflective of all of our business areas, and is an important step in solidifying our new organization.”
Events East was created as part of a joint partnership between the province of Nova Scotia and the Halifax Regional Municipality. The new entity is governed by the Halifax Convention Centre Act and its ten-member Board of Directors.
“The transition to our new name and governance structure does not change what we do or how we do it,” said Ms. Cussons. “We will continue to manage and operate the Halifax Convention Centre, Scotiabank Centre and Ticket Atlantic, and create memorable event experiences for our community and our guests.”
Along with the name and identity, Events East also launched a new website: www.eventseast.com.
Suzanne Fougere
Email: suzanne.fougere@eventseast.com
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TPO AWARDS: EXCELLENCE IN TRADE
by Trade Forum Editorial
TPO Award winners, from left to right, Prakash Beeharry (CEO, Enterprise Mauritius), Susan Haird (Deputy Chief Executive, UK Trade & Investment) and Mauricio Borge(Business Director, Apex-Brasil). © ProMexico
Winner Susan Haird
Winner Prakash Beeharry
Winner Mauricio Borges
The 2010 TPO Network Awards recognized excellence in export development initiatives by trade promotion and support organizations to boost export performance.
Sponsored by the International Trade Centre (ITC), the biennial TPO Network Awards aim to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly in developing countries, to become more competitive in global markets. In accordance with the ITC’s Export Impact for Good mandate, the Awards support the ITC’s objectives to strengthen the international competitiveness of enterprises and develop the capacity of trade service providers to support businesses in integrating into the global economy.
In presenting the award winners, ITC Executive Director and Chair of the adjudicating panel, Patricia Francis, highlighted the vital contribution that strong, well-equipped and agile TPOs (trade promotion organizations) make to economic growth and development.
‘These awards recognize TPOs that understand where the opportunities are and think about innovative ways to motivate companies to go after export markets,’ said Ms Francis. ‘Success today also depends on understanding the nuances of supply chains and how you can fit into a global supply chain. Business is no longer focused solely on end-to-end production – it’s about being part of a whole. Globalization is creating more opportunities to do this.
‘These winners are tackling the growing challenges of today’s increasingly competitive marketplace and the effects of the global economic recession. They are delivering real value to their customers.’
Winners of the Small Island Developing State category, Enterprise Mauritius took an integrated approach to address both the needs of clients and the market. ‘The proximity of markets is a problem, so we have to leverage our every strength. We focused on SMEs to help them maximize their internal capacities,’ said Prakash Beeharry, CEO of Enterprise Mauritius.
‘For us, success depends on a continuous learning process, based on listening, being part of the process and understanding what we have to improve in our service delivery,’ said Mauricio Borges, Director of ApexBrasil, which won the Best Developing Country category award.
In the Developed Country category, UKTI’s Deputy Chief Executive Susan Haird said that her organization undertook case studies and focused on projects that were measurable and that they were proud of. ‘We worked with selected companies over a period of two to 10 years, giving them in-depth assistance which included looking at new export markets. We certainly learned a lot about best practice from other TPOs.’
Like past award winners, the 2010 recipients will be able to use the recognition to focus attention on the value of TPO services and assist governments in achieving their economic goals through showcasing the value of developing and funding export promotion programmes. The 2012 TPO Network Awards will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in conjunction with the 9th TPO Network Conference.
Best Trade Promotion Organization from a Small Island Developing State
(Enterprise Mauritius)
Best Trade Promotion Organization from a Developing Country
(Brazilian Trade & Investment Promotion Agency – Apex-Brasil)
Best Trade Promotion Organization from a Developed Country
(UK Trade & Investment – UKTI)
THE RUNNERS-UP
from a developing country
(Armenian Development Agency – ADA)
from a developed country
(Hungarian Investment and Trade Promotion Agency – ITD Hungary)
SPECIAL MENTIONS
(Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation – MATRADE)
(Australian Trade Commission – Austrade)
2010 TPO NETWORK AWARDS WINNERS
The winners of the 2010 TPO Network Awards demonstrated outstanding performance in the use of innovative and efficient processes and systems in their export development initiatives. On behalf of International Trade Forum, Dianna Rienstra questioned the winners about their experiences including the challenges and opportunities they faced during the global economic crisis.
WINNER – DEVELOPED COUNTRY
Susan Haird, Deputy Chief Executive, UK Trade & Investment (UKTI)
TF: What challenges did UKTI face before you made the changes that led to your winning this award?
SH: The main difficulty was to meet the needs of companies with some export experience that were ready to grow their export business. We were good at dealing with experienced exporters that did not need intensive relationship management. The gap was with companies with little experience that wanted to expand into more complex markets, such as China and India, where they faced issues such as cultural challenges and intellectual property rights (IPR) obstacles to name a few.
TF: How did you identify what changes to make?
SH: We identified this gap in the market through evaluation. We implemented a system for in-depth account management for a group of new customers over a period of 18 months, through which we identified needs and markets that might be most appropriate. We signposted this to our services overseas, but also turned to private sector advisers in the UK to get advice, for example, on issues such as IPR.
TF: What challenges did UKTI face when implementing these changes?
SH: Once we had identified potential customers, we then put together a package that enabled new customers to access services. These services had to be relevant to the private sector and designed to help our clients increase their capacity to export into new and challenging markets.
TF: What results have you achieved to date?
SH: Last year we supported 25,000 companies and created £5 billion of additional profits for our customers and £35 billion of additional exports. That result represents a ratio of £19 to every £1 the UK spends on trade promotion. We use external contractors to measure our impact in a rigorous way. We interview 15% of our clients six to eight months after we deliver services and we return to a smaller number of clients one year later. Consultants ask targeted questions in a 20-minute interview focusing on the quality and satisfaction levels of the services offered. We specifically aim to find out if we helped them, gave them access to contacts, built their reputation and changed their business processes. We also ask what more research and development they undertook, what additional profit they expect to make and whether we helped to increase competiveness.
Our Gateway to Global Growth (G3) programme targeted innovative companies with two to 10 years of export experience that needed a new approach to export support which recognized the changes in the international business environment. G3 offers a trajectory of guidance and support services designed to take these companies to a higher level of international success. Evaluation showed that 1,200 SMEs participated in the first 12 months. Of those, 67% improved their business performance and 80% increased productivity and competitiveness. Quality and satisfaction ratings for G3 are 88% and 81% respectively.
TF: What are the most innovative changes you have implemented?
SH: Implementing in-depth account management for a new group of customers and drawing on the private sector to support these customers was innovative for UKTI.
TF: What are the major obstacles faced by TPOs in demonstrating value for money to stakeholders including both clients and governments, at local and national levels?
SH: There are many. For one, every government is demanding that TPOs show value for money. In the US and Europe, growth rates are low and the pace of global demand is also slow. The big opportunities are in the emerging markets, but the difficulties faced by companies and TPOs are larger than in other markets. For example, market access barriers can work against setting up a business. To be competitive when global demand is restrained by the recession is a huge challenge. TPOs must promote growing markets, which will help to demonstrate value for money. They must also measure what they do.
TF: Is your model replicable by other TPOs?
SH: Yes, absolutely. We’d be happy to make our evaluation model available to any interested TPO.
WINNER – SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATE ENTERPRISE
Prakash Beeharry, CEO, Enterprise Mauritius
This is Enterprise Mauritius’ second TPO Network Award. In 2006, it was recognized for an integrated approach that allowed it to focus on the internal capability of Mauritian businesses and international market opportunities simultaneously rather than sequentially. This allowed Enterprise Mauritius to respond to change more rapidly and help more of the country’s companies to shift from a local market orientation to an emphasis on exporting. This year, Enterprise Mauritius was awarded for the innovative approach it took to determine client needs and facilitate the right programmes to service them through implementing its 3C’s concept.
TF: This award recognizes the changes your TPO made in order to offer an integrated approach. What challenges did you face before you made these changes?
PB: Changing times meant a reconsideration of the TPO landscape and Enterprise Mauritius realized we had to re-engineer ourselves from a trade support institution (TSI) and TPO to a fully-fledged trade development organization (TDO). Previously, TPOs were geared towards providing information to bridge the knowledge gap between suppliers and buyers. They had more involvement with supply chain variables but the evolution of the international commercial environment brought complex and interlinked challenges that required a paradigm shift. This is why we revised our concept to TPO+TSI=TDO.
Enterprise Mauritius has historically handled projects across different areas of enterprise and market development. Overseeing a vast number of widely diverse projects, coupled with a process that expected each member of the technical team to be responsible for a portfolio of cross-divisional assignments, made it cumbersome to monitor, evaluate and report. Our ‘multi-highway’ mode required a new structured approach aimed at proper filtering and measurement processes to evaluate our success. This required the development of a model that was flexible enough to include all projects within our scope and to equip the organization to follow each individual project and make spot reports on all projects at any point in time.
PB: We reviewed industrial structures and identified the difficulties faced by each of our industry sectors worldwide. Industries vary, usually with SMEs outnumbering larger companies, but their market focus is also different. This ‘reality check’ suggested that companies’ needs are similar. However, the proportion of each subsectoral need within the universal set of needs is directly proportionate to the weight of that subsector in the national economy.
As a result, we based our new model on the 3C’s concept:
• Competitiveness enhancement – focusing on diffusing technology, developing enterprises, providing working capital and sourcing clean energy
• Market connectivity – support for upgrading product quality, standards and packaging
• Product conformity – surveys of markets with export potential, business meetings, international trade fairs and financial assistance to companies exploring foreign markets.
PB: The functionality and user friendliness of the model have inculcated a new culture and officers have a much stronger grip on project implementation. Engagement of potential beneficiaries, clear demarcations of the role of stakeholders, optimization of resources and impact are assured. Measurability of both quantitative and qualitative performance indicators is achieved on a step-by-step basis.
We tested the 3C’s model in three case studies. The new market development for SMEs in the Swedish market project supported Mauritian SME clothing manufacturers in developing export opportunities. Between 2006 and 2009, exports of clothing to Sweden grew from less than 2 million rupees to nearly 10 million rupees. Another SME project sought to help Mauritian agro-processing and textile companies penetrate the US market. Between 2008 and 2009, exports by large enterprises increased 21%, while SMEs, without prior US export experience, realized 69% growth.
Enterprise Mauritius also created an action plan to inform and prepare SMEs to meet new European Union (EU) product regulations, which resulted in the European Commission commending us and provided funding. In 2008, no Mauritian SMEs were exporting to the EU. By June 2009, three SMEs were regularly exporting processed food to France with a value of nearly 5 million rupees.
TF: What is the most innovative change you have made?
PB: This model has the capacity to provide a structured approach that enables the identification of needs and assists in the clear formulation and efficient implementation of support programmes that optimize TPO performance and maximize the impact to beneficiaries. We also established a public–private partnership involving the chamber of commerce, industry associations, ministries and public institutions.
TF: In your view, what are the major obstacles TPOs face in demonstrating value for money to stakeholders – both clients and public authorities?
PB: The major challenges TPOs face today stem from the fact that their roles have become increasingly diverse and extensive. The input–output equation is not so direct because the initiatives in developing countries revolve more around issues related to graduation and export readiness of enterprises. Subsequently, the efficacy of TPO interventions, the efficiency of resource allocation and measurement of impact are rendered complex, blurred and debatable.
PB: The 3C’s model has proven to be ‘SMARTER’ (simple, measurable, actionable, realistic, timeliness, evaluate and re-evaluate) and should be an effective mechanism for all TDOs committed to efficient service delivery. The model is an ‘all-in-one’ formula for TDO applications, best practices and benchmarking. The model is unique in that it is scientific in approach, orderly in concept and understanding, exhaustive in capturing industry needs, clear in methodology, efficient in resource planning, comprehensive in solution generation and effective in result orientation.
WINNER – DEVELOPING COUNTRY
Mauricio Borges, Business Director, Apex-Brasil
TF: What challenges did your organization face before you made the changes in processes that led to your winning the award?
MB: In 2007, Apex-Brasil implemented a significant restructuring process aimed at keeping up with changes in the economic environment, including government policies to open markets and respond to Brazil’s fast growing economy and consumer market. Brazilian companies faced increasing competition abroad and at home and, for many, going global was the only option to survive. We found different levels of preparedness in dealing with the new economic reality. Some companies were interested in taking part in Apex-Brasil’s trade promotion projects, but they were not ready to become exporters. They needed capacity building and coaching, while other mature Brazilian companies needed more sophisticated services. As a result of these external changes and new demands, Apex-Brasil expanded its range of services and offered a new integrated approach so that companies could receive assistance according to their level of preparedness.
TF: How did you identify the changes you had to make?
MB: The Brazilian Government and Apex-Brasil implemented studies and consulted counterparts in the private sector to identify the necessary changes. One of the main changes we made was to implement PEIEX (Industrial extension for exporting project), an export capacity-building programme to supplement trade promotion and internationalization initiatives already on offer and enable companies to benefit from a range of integrated, export-support services. PEIEX was crucial. It had a significant impact on companies’ competitiveness through preparing them to face challenges in both domestic and international markets.
TF: What challenges did Apex-Brasil face when implementing the changes?
MB: There were several: maintaining the integrated approach to the portfolio of Apex-Brasil services, identifying target SMEs and coordinating with external partners, especially universities.
We also had to modify our client approach with services provided directly to companies instead of industrial and services associations.
We had direct interaction with Brazilian companies, not only through PEIEX, but through other services and distribution channels such as our
regional offices, website and customer relationship management system.
PEIEX still faces problems such as maintaining its cost efficiency while making the programme available across the country, given the differences in economic and social development of the Brazilian states involved. PEIEX also requires constant updates in terms of methodology and project team training to guarantee high standards of coaching, consulting and business management.
TF: What changes and results have you achieved to date?
MB: Between 2006 and 2010, Apex-Brasil achieved growth in:
• The number of events – from 394 in 2006 to 842 in 2009, and more than 900 events by the end of 2010;
• The number of companies assisted – from 4,699 to 12,783;
• The share of assisted companies in total exports – from 6.5% to 22.98%; and
• The number of industrial and services sectors served – from 52 to 80.
Aside from registering quantitative results, we monitor and measure the impact of our activities through a sophisticated project management system used across Apex-Brasil and all partners involved in supported projects which enables us to assess the output and results of the initiatives.
Our peers also recognized Apex-Brasil’s excellence by electing our President, Alessandro Teixeira, President of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies in 2008 and 2010. He was also elected President of the Ibero-American Network of Trade Promotion Organizations in 2009.
MB: We consolidated an integrated strategy to foster the internationalization of Brazilian companies. The well-designed system included numerous integrated initiatives related to information, export qualification, export promotion, image promotion and internationalization support which allowed companies from various sectors and of different sizes and levels of business development to receive appropriate services.
TF: In your view, what are the major obstacles TPOs face in demonstrating value for money to stakeholders including clients and public authorities?
MB: As in any other country, in Brazil there are different governmental bodies and organizations involved in trade promotion, image promotion and SME export capacity building. All of these players need to avoid replicated actions in order to use public money rationally. In this sense, developing a common strategy and distributing roles efficiently between organizations are crucial. For us, the most important factor in reinforcing value for money was changing the strategy-building process. Since 2007 we have identified priority markets, sectors and activities based on business intelligence gathered from research, analysis, statistical data and market trends together with the characteristics of the potential sectors and the clients’ market knowledge and experience.
MB: Many innovative features in our model are used and benchmarked by other TPOs. We receive technical visits and provide services under technical cooperation agreements with partner TPOs, keen to replicate Apex-Brasil’s best practices. Those practices include:
• An integrated approach to the services portfolio;
• Project management and results monitoring system;
• Strategic decision-making process based on business intelligence;
• Client relations management;
• Strategic partnerships approach; and
• Benchmarking.
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About TIO
Core Goals & values
Interfaith Formation
Religious Calendar
July 2019, Disaster Response
Katherine Marshall
Religion, Risk, Resilience, and Disaster ...
by Katherine Marshall
Increased extreme weather disasters are an expected long-term effect of climate change. Already, changes occurring globally have increased the intensity and duration of heat waves, risks of drought, flooding….
Paul Chaffee
Collaborative Interfaith Disaster Response
by Paul Chaffee
Starting August 6, 1969, Hurricane Camille whipped across Cuba, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and the East Coast of the United States for eight days with winds up to 174 miles per hour.
Martin J. Smith
What Makes a Community Resilient?
by Martin J. Smith
The most critical relief efforts after a disastrous hurricane or earthquake involve getting food, water, and power to those in need. But a recent study by a Stanford Graduate School of Business professor suggests that…
Silvana Faillace
We Can Do More Together
by Silvana Faillace
When the ground shook on that September afternoon in 2018, it was only the beginning. After a few hours of small quakes, a 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck Central Sulawesi in the early evening.
Tarunjit Singh Butalia
Khalsa Aid – Sikhs Offering Balm
by Tarunjit Singh Butalia
Long before the formation of the Red Cross, there was Bhai Kanhaiya – an ardent Sikh follower of the Tenth Sikh Guru, Siri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib. He took it upon himself to roam battlefields carrying a goat skin pouch…
October 2015, Social Services
Publishing About Faith and Health
On July 7, the renowned medical publication the Lancet launched a series of articles on faith and health, led by Ed Mills. Lancet Senior Executive Editor Bill Summerskill made clear that this was a significant departure, a first. Speaking at the World Bank in Washington D.C., he and his colleagues did not shy away from the fact that the path to publication had not been easy. But they saw the opportunities and issues raised as vital to achieving universal health care, which in turn is at the core of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) that are close to being finalized at the United Nations. [Disclosure: I was a member of the author team and contributed to two comments that are part of the series].
Tagged: Lancet, health care, sustainable develop, Katherine Marshall, Sustainable Development Goals, social issues
Give to TIO
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Nancy Fuchs Kreimer
On Developing Holy Envy
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Peter B. Gudaitis and Brie Loskota
Engaging Faith Communities in Disasters
Lawrence Lerner
Creating Sacred and Safe Spaces
Adrian Bird
Can Interfaith Activities Make Difference?
Syed M. Hassan
The Power of Interfaith Relationships
Cody Nielsen
When Dialogue is Not Enough
Ruth Broyde Sharone - TIO Correspondent
Preparing for Religiously Motivated Disaster
Yonatan Neril
Protecting the Earth Through Interfaith Education and Activism
Copyright 2016-2018, The Interfaith Observer | Site by Faithlab
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by Mokibobolink on Apr.19, 2012, under Burn Notice, Entertainment, News, Royal Pains, Suits, White Collar
USA Announces Summer Premiere Dates for White Collar, Royal Pains, Suits
Anyone who knows me well, knows that I love anything that airs on the USA Network. It’s probably because many of their shows feature a great bromance and boy do I love me some good bromancing. Think about it, there’s Harvey and Mike on Suits, Peter and Neal on White Collar, Hank and Evan on Royal Pains (a true bromance since they really are brothers), and even Sam and Michael on Burn Notice. This summer USA is adding to the list, with Wes and Travis from Common Law. I was lucky enough to see the pilot last year and let me just say how fantastic it was.
But it’s not just a boy’s club for me, since I also like their shows that focus on the ladies. I’m a fan of Necessary Roughness, Covert Affairs and Fairly Legal.
Needless to say, I’m pretty happy to see that all of my favorites will be back this summer. According to TV Equals, here are the Summer 2012 premiere dates on USA.
Summer 2012 Premiere Dates for Necssary Roughness, Burn Notice, Covert Affairs
9 p.m. Royal Pains
10 p.m. Necessary Roughness
9 p.m. Burn Notice
10 p.m. Suits
9 p.m. White Collar
10 p.m. Covert Affairs
Leave a Comment :Burn Notice, Common Law, Royal Pains, Suits, USA, White Collar more...
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Fast and the Furious, The
Director: Rob Cohen
Stars: Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Rick Yune, Chad Lindberg, Matt Schulze, Johnny Strong, Ted Levine, Ja Rule, Vyto Ruginis, Thom Barry, Stanton Rutledge, Noel Gugliemi
Genre: Action, Thriller, Adventure
Review: An undercover cop is investigating a series of truck heists performed by a streetcar gang. But when he falls for the girlfriend of the prime suspect his loyalties are tested.
Point Break on wheels is the succinct description of this action movie set in the world of illegal motor racing. Sadly it fails to fully replicate that film's success as, despite a couple of well orchestrated car chases, it never gets out of first gear. Part of the problem is the lack of criminal activity, cop Brian O'Conner is supposed to be investigating a tough gang behind a local crime wave large enough to involve the FBI, but the heists are so few and far between that it's easy to forget why he is hanging out with these guys.
No one is going to watch this for deep characterisation and meaningful dialogue but it's in these areas that the film also falters. None of the characters are particularly memorable or interesting, Paul Walker's cop caught in a moral quandary is just dull and, despite the charismatic presence of Vin Diesel, the bad guys are equally forgettable. It seems obvious that all the important stuff like story came secondary to the action scenes.
Director Rob Cohen utilises a few CGI tricks to pep up the car chases, and some certainly deserve the moniker high octane. Regrettably the really innovative action scenes occur at the start and end of the film, the rest is a mix of slightly repetitive races and the odd shoot out. Cutting about 20 minutes from the movie would have resulted in a tighter, slicker piece of B grade entertainment more in keeping with the Hot Rod movies of the past, to which this film is indebted.
To argue that The Fast and the Furious is derivative is probably pointless; it's a loud dumb action movie with an undeniable appeal considering fans have been treated to a handful of sequels. To be fair it does what its title suggests in a rather basic way, providing undemanding teenage boys with a polished blend of fast cars, fast girls and fast music. As for the rest of us, fans would probably say "you're just too old daddio."
Reviewer: Jason Cook
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DKU: Clerk chases knife-wielding robber with sword
Oct 16, 2015 |
In the latest (well, it was August, but I missed it) in our ever-increasing list of “Defensive Sword Use”, a store clerk in Pittsburgh “Pissburg” (I am a Browns Fan) played a game of “knifey-spoony” with a pair of would-be robbers, one of whom was armed with what appears in the video to be a machete.
From CBS Pittsburgh:
Police say they were called to the Perry Market on Perrysville Avenue after it was robbed just before 10 p.m.
They say two males wearing masks went into the store, one of whom went behind the counter and demanded money while armed with a foot-long knife.
However, the cashier was more prepared than the robber, pulling out a large sword, scaring off the suspect. He’s then seen on surveillance footage running out of the store.
“I use this one when I see him with the sword, to make him afraid,” said store owner Jewad Hayitt.
The other suspect was held by a customer, but was able to get free and also run out of the store.
“The other one, he came to attack me from here,” said Hayitt. “I attack him like that, I touch his sword and it falls, or something like that.”
Hayitt said the thieves could have easily been shot, since he also has a gun.
“I have this gun and I can use it,” he said.
If he had a gun, why draw the sword? And the guy in the black shirt who confronts the man with the machete is both nuts and lucky. It is quite obvious that the thieves were planning to scare, not to cut.
It reminds me of the adage, “Stabbers don’t show, showers do not stab”. Most footage I have seen of knife attacks bears that out. When someone is stabbed, there is typically no warning.
PeterK says:
The show vs stab adage is interesting, but I’d not bet my life on it.
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How to be invisible on WhatsApp
Frequently, you would like to use WhatsApp to contact a friend, but preventing others to see you online. Unfortunately, WhatsApp does not have this function. WhatsApp does not allow you to connect to the service and become invisible as you could do with the old MSN Messenger. This does not mean that we can not do anything to block the annoying people, or those who want to know when we are online or when we connected the last time.
So here are some tips on how to be invisible on WhatsApp without being constantly overwhelmed by messages of little importance. If you’re wondering how to be invisible on WhatsApp, clearly there is someone who bothers you even though you set your status to “Busy”. In this case, what you should do is stop momentarily the more annoying people: so you will prevent them to see you online. In that way they can not send messages to you during the period in which you hold them in the black list. If you do not know how to block someone on WhatsApp, do not worry, it is very simple.
If you use an iPhone, you must go into the Settings tab, select Account> Privacy> Blocked from the menu that opens and press Add new. Then select the name of the person you need to block, and you’re done. When you want to reverse the blocking of one of your contacts, you will need to go again to Settings> Account> Privacy> Blocked, swipe to unlock the name (making a swipe from right to left) and press the red button Unlock. If you’re using Android, you have to start WhatsApp, press the + button at the top right of the chat screen and select the contact you want to block. Then you have to press the Menu button located at the top right (the icon with three dots) and select first Other and then the Lock option from the menu that pops up. To restore the contacts you blocked, you have to go into the chat screen, press the Menu button at the top right (the icon with three dots) and select Settings from the menu that opens. Then, you have to go in the panel Account> Privacy> Blocked Contacts, select the name of the user to unlock and press the Unblock button [name] that appears at the center of the screen.
Another way to increase the level of privacy of WhatsApp is by turning off the display of date and time in which you were connected to the service the last time. In this way, you can avoid giving explanations to your girlfriend or to your friends about why you have not replied to their messages even if you were connected. If for some reason you want to disable the display about your last connection to WhatsApp, all you need to do is to go to Settings, select Account> Privacy> Last access from the menu that opens, and set the option No-One. If you’d prefer to hide the date of your last access to WhatsApp only to those users who are not yet included among your contacts, choose My contacts. But pay attention, by turning off the display of the date of your last access to WhatsApp you will not be able to see date and time of the last connection of your contacts.
How to be invisible on WhatsApp 4.09/5 (81.82%) 22 votes
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Home > Employing People > How Employee Engagement Can Boost Profits
How Employee Engagement Can Boost Profits
By: Kevin Watson MSc - Updated: 23 Mar 2012 | *Discuss
Employee engagement is an underused business strategy. A report from the consultants BlessingWhite states that less than a third of employees engage with their work and take a genuine interest in it. This suggests that two-thirds of employees are not working to their full potential.
Research on companies that have adopted employee engagement strategies backs this up. Two consultancy reports from the last decade make particularly telling points. One says that an engagement strategy can increase productivity by 40%. The other has evidence that such a strategy can enhance company performance by 47%.
With facts like these in mind, the business commentators Frank Schmidt and James Harter have listed the advantages of having an employee engagement strategy. These include a benefit no small business can ignore: employee engagement can boost profits.
Definition of Employee Engagement
Employee engagement is not another term for job satisfaction, staff empowerment or motivation. It includes elements of these but goes further than any of them. It concerns itself with the emotion an employee feels for his or her job.
When this emotion is positive, an employee is enthusiastic and committed. When it’s neutral, an employee simply coasts through each working day. And when the feeling is negative, an employee is not only performing poorly, he or she can even hold a business back.
Employee engagement is a fairly new idea. At the beginning of the 20th century, few people, if any, gave it any thought. But as industry changed, business people began to review the morale of their workers. Mass production techniques, for instance, made people bored and lethargic. IT developments created a business environment that moved so fast, workers lost confidence. Improving morale was necessary to help keep businesses on track.
The concept of job satisfaction grew from the idea of morale. But some business leaders realised that attempts to improve job satisfaction were failing. Many staff remained detached from their workplace roles. Even performance-related pay schemes weren’t sufficient incentive to engage every employee’s interest.
During the 1990s, another factor made employee morale, job satisfaction and motivation more important than ever. In an increasingly global environment, business leaders needed a competitive edge in order to succeed. Employees could provide this edge, but they could only do so if they believed wholeheartedly in their work.
Today, the same need for a competitive edge, and for employee engagement, is as vital as it’s ever been. As a result, employee engagement is now an integral part of the operational development of some businesses. But the process requires a specific management strategy.
The most important aspect of the strategy is communication. Managers and employees must have open and honest communication lines. On the one hand, managers must keep employees informed of business developments. They must give praise when it’s due and highlight employee achievements. They must also regard employee shortcomings as opportunities to learn and develop.
Furthermore, managers must pay attention to employees by listening to their ideas and feedback. They must ask employees what they expect from their jobs, and they must mentor employees and give them every chance to reach their potential. What this amounts to is that managers need to respect employees, and make them feel as though they are doing a valuable job in the business.
Friendly and Open Business Culture
This approach must be part of a friendly and open business culture, in which managers act honestly and reasonably. They should also ensure that every employee understands and supports the values and ethics of the business. Most employees respond well to managers who act in this way, and they will start to think about why they’re doing their jobs and what they hope to achieve.
Managers can support this with regular discussions about individual and team performances. A successful employee engagement strategy never leaves performance issues until annual appraisal meetings. In fact, performance and profit are relevant issues for everyone throughout the year.
Measuring the Results
Gallup, the consultancy company, has a tool for measuring the success of employee engagement in a business: known as the Q12 scale. The scale has 12 features, each of which applies to a certain business goal.
Ideally, if an employee engagement strategy works, the Q12 scale shows an engaged to non-engaged employee ratio of around 9:1. By comparison, Gallup says that an average business without a strategy has a ratio of around 2:1.
With a high employee engagement ratio, a business can achieve a competitive edge. And it’s this edge that produces more sales and better profits.
Motivating Your Staff
Using incentive schemes can help to ensure that your staff stay motivated. Find out about the wide range of incentive and rewards that are available by reading our article How To Motivate Your Staff
How to Motivate Your Staff
Using Consultants in Your Business
Skills and Training for Your Staff
Terms and Conditions for Employees
Pension Schemes for Your Employees
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Showing posts with label May 30. Show all posts
Zanghi 'squeals' after brother's murder
On this date in 1927, two men were felled by shotgun and automatic pistol fire as they chatted outside a South Philadelphia restaurant. The shooting resulted in unprecedented cooperation with law enforcement by a Philadelphia gang leader and the arrest and (largely unsuccessful) prosecution of local Mafia leadership.
Philadelphia Inquirer, May 31, 1927.
The location of the shooting was the Cafe Calabria, 824 South Eighth Street near Christian Street. Gunmen positioned in the area coordinated with others in a passing automobile for the carefully planned 6 p.m. attack.
Anthony "Musky" Zanghi, 27, an arrogant gang boss who regularly found himself in as much trouble with other underworld figures as he was with law enforcement officers, was the apparent target of the gunmen. But he avoided any injury, reportedly by ducking for cover at just the right moment.
Zanghi's little brother Joseph, 19, and underworld colleague Vincent "Scabby" Cocozza, 31, were not as fortunate. They were hit by flying lead as they stood near Musky on the sidewalk. A slug penetrated the center of Joseph Zanghi's forehead, killing him instantly. Scabby was shot multiple times. He died minutes after arrival at Pennsylvania Hospital.
One of the witnesses to the double-murder was a six-year-old Alfred "Freddy" Cocozza, nephew of the slain Vincent Cocozza. Years later, Freddy Cocozza embarked on a fabulously successful singing career using the name Mario Lanza.
Vincent Cocozza death certificate
Early accounts of the shooting were vague. Some reports said Joseph Zanghi and Vincent Cocozza were shot while waiting for Musky to finish dinner at the Giardino di Torrena restaurant next door at 822 South Eighth Street.
Musky was so enraged by the killing of his brother that he provided detectives with a detailed story of the incident and formally accused a number of Philadelphia-area men of taking part in it. Police officials said it was the first time they recalled any crime figure of Zanghi's rank breaking the underworld's "code of silence."
According to his story, he and Cocozza had been in Atlantic City, New Jersey, earlier in the day. Upon their return to Philadelphia, Anthony Zanghi was warned to stay out of sight, as gunmen from out of town were looking for him. Zanghi did not follow the advice.
Minutes before six o'clock, Musky and Cocozza encountered local Mafiosi Salvatore Sabella and John "Big Nose" Avena along Eighth Street. Sabella and Avena greeted Zanghi with unusual warmth, patting him on the shoulders and inquiring about his health.
Anthony "Musky" Zanghi
"I knew they were a couple of [John] Scopoletti's men, and it struck me funny that they were making so much fuss over me," Zanghi told detectives. (Zanghi believed that Scopoletti was the boss of the local Mafia at the time. That appears to have been an error.)
Cocozza walked on and bumped into Joseph Zanghi, who was on his way to meet his brother. The two men stopped to talk, while Anthony Zanghi worked to extract himself from the Sicilian gangsters.
Zanghi told investigators that he spotted a few Scopoletti men sneak around a corner. Certain that something was up, he stepped away from Sabella and Avena. At that moment, a blue sedan sped around the corner from Christian Street and Sabella and Avena and other men on the street drew pistols.
Musky dove for cover as the weapons from the sidewalk and the street opened fire. As Scabby and Joseph collapsed, the gunmen on the sidewalk jumped onto the sides of the automobile and were quickly carried away.
Hearing this story, police gathered up Scopoletti, Sabella, Avena, Joseph Ida, Dominick Festa, Luigi Quaranta and Dominick Pollina. They also arrested four men from New Brunswick, New Jersey, who showed up to meet with the Mafiosi as the arrests were being made. The New Jersey suspects were identified as Norman Marsella, Nicholas Messino, Joseph Bruno and John Marco.
Early on the morning of May 31, an emotional Zanghi identified all of the Philadelphia men in a police lineup, calling the suspects "dirty dogs" and "dirty rats." As he first saw the lineup, he called out, "There's the dirty rats that killed my brother. Let me get at them." According to reports, Zanghi decked Sabella with a single punch to his head.
After making the identifications, the gang leader wept: "I've done something I never thought any cop could ever make me do. I've squealed. I'll be killed now for sure, but I don't care. My brother is dead, and I loved my brother."
Zanghi provided police with information on underworld activities, including regional trafficking in liquor, narcotics and women. Police also learned that Zanghi's organization had been shaking down saloons in the region that did business with his bootlegging competitors, a possible motive for the Mafiosi to wish to eliminate Zanghi.
A short time later, there was reason to doubt Zanghi's stated determination to see his brother's killers brought to justice. Musky went missing. Luigi Quaranta was tried and convicted during his absence. Quaranta was later given a new trial because Zanghi - his original accuser - had been unavailable for cross examination.
Defense witnesses testified that Zanghi falsely identified the suspects. One witness testified that Zanghi privately admitted he did so in order to extort large payments from the Mafiosi. Zanghi's disappearance was said to be evidence that he had received a payment. He soon returned to Philadelphia, but he had little credibility left. None of the other murder suspects were convicted.
Anthony Zanghi remained a racketeer. Suspected of the 1928 murder of Anthony Denni, he left Pennsylvania and began operating in New York under the name of William Martino. Musky was shot to death in Manhattan's Little Italy, on Mulberry Street between Canal and Hester, on August 7, 1934. Police believed that Zanghi business partner Anthony Cugino, then in hiding, killed Zanghi after an argument related to a currency counterfeiting operation. Zanghi's widow, Antoinette, was subsequently arrested, tried and convicted of working in the same counterfeiting racket. Police tracked down Cugino the following year. He hanged himself in a holding cell at New York City Police Headquarters on September 8, 1935, before he could be arraigned for his partner's murder.
Joseph Zanghi Certificate of Death, County of Philadelphia, file no. 47793, reg. no. 12335, filed June 1, 1927.
Vincent Cocozza Certificate of Death, County of Philadelphia, file no. 46043, reg. no. 12345, filed June 1, 1927.
New York City Death Index, certificate no. 18199, Aug. 7, 1934, Ancestry.com.
Register of Interments, Mt. Moriah, Philadelphia PA, Ancestry.com.
Mannering, Derek, Mario Lanza: Singing to the Gods, Jackson MS: University Press of Mississippi, 2005.
Morello, Celeste A., Before Bruno: The History of the Philadelphia Mafia, Book 1 - 1880-1931, Philadelphia: Morello, 1999.
"2 slain in street by gunmen firing from racing auto," Philadelphia Inquirer, May 31, 1927, p. 1
"Gangsters kill 2 men," Wilmington DE Evening Journal, May 31, 1927, p. 8.
"Use pump guns in gang warfare," Wilkes-Barre PA Record, May 31, 1927, p. 1.
"Two men slain on street corner," Pittsburgh Press, May 31, 1927, p. 1.
"Breaks gang law in helping cops nab brother's slayers," Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 31, 1927, p. 6.
"Gang chief names seven as slayers' bares crime ring," Philadelphia Inquirer, June 1, 1927, p. 1.
"Scopeletti trial nearly disrupted by 'buying' charge," Philadelphia Inquirer, July 1, 1927, p. 1.
"New trial in killings," Philadelphia Inquirer, Dec. 30, 1927, p. 2.
"Gangster killed in crowded street," Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Aug. 8, 1934, p. 11.
"Zanghi widow held as bad bill passer," Philadelphia Inquirer, Dec. 19, 1934, p. 2.
"Ex-inmate of Maryland pen, wholesale killer, hangs himself in cell," Baltimore Sun, Sept. 9, 1935, p. 20.
Labels: Atlantic City, Avena, Cocozza, Cugino, Denni, Festa, Ida, Mafia, Mario Lanza, Martino, May 30, Murder, New Brunswick, Philadelphia, Pollina, Quaranta, Sabella, Scopoletti, Thomas Hunt, Zanghi
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Global Ophthalmology Initiatives
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Written by Bryan Glanzer
Global Ophthalmology Initiatives:
Casey Eye Institute - International Ophthalmology Program
https://www.ohsu.edu/xd/health/services/casey-eye/about-us/casey-community-outreach/international-outreach/index.cfm
Co-Director: Mitchell Brinks, M.D., M.P.H.
Co-Director: Kevin Winthrop, M.D., M.P.H.
Casey Eye Institute’s International Ophthalmology Program strives to reduce treatable and preventable blindness by bringing high-quality training to eye care providers working in developing countries. As a participant in the World Health Organization’s Vision 2020 effort, Casey Eye Institute (CEI) is able to offer its best resources: knowledge and training. We hope to leverage this by contributing to the education of future ophthalmologists, scientists, and other eye care providers in underserved communities around the world. Additionally, we hope to inspire our own students here at OHSU to pursue careers involving public service.
Many eye care providers in Latin America, the Western Pacific and Asia lack necessary training or have limited resources. Our aim is to increase the quantity and quality of eye care in developing countries in order to reduce rates of preventable and reversible causes of blindness and poor vision in those regions. These diseases range from river blindness to retinopathy of prematurity to glaucoma to cataract – areas where CEI has the expertise to make a difference.
The International Ophthalmology Program also allows OHSU’s ophthalmology residents (trainee surgeons) to travel internationally to treat patients in underserved communities. During a trip to Fiji, more than 200 patients received the gift of sight as surgeons treated cataracts and other eye diseases. For former resident Dan Tu, M.D., this was an opportunity to augment his surgical skills – including manual small incision cataract surgery, a low-cost alternative to phacoemulsification often used in underserved areas of the world.
With additional philanthropic support, CEI could extend this life-changing experience to more students while bringing needed care to more underserved communities.
Dean McGee Global Eye Care - China and Africa Programs
http://dmei.org/china-and-africa-programs
Director: Bradley K. Farris, MD
China Project
Dean McGee Eye Institute volunteer physicians and two PGY4 residents travel annually to China for educational purposes. Our goal is to educate the Chinese ophthalmologists to train their surgical residents more efficiently and in greater numbers. In addition to providing onsite education while in China, DMEI has been assisting the Chinese in developing a residency training experience that provides more hands-on direct patient care in a shorter time frame. With significant cultural differences in our educational systems it has been understood that developing relationships gradually, as well as setting realistic goals in partnership will result in sustained success over time.
Swaziland Project
Dean McGee Eye Institute volunteer physicians and two PGY4 Residents travel to Swaziland, Africa annually for educational purposes. During this experience, residents witness first-hand the opportunities and fulfillment of participating in missionary work. Residents work directly with the HIV/AIDS task force teams in Swaziland to provide needed care to those suffering from the disease. In addition, they work directly with Dr. Jonathan Pons who provides ophthalmology care for the country and assist him in various clinics and operating theaters while directly learning many of the skills valuable in missionary work. Residents work directly with The Luke Commission, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing free healthcare to these in Rural Swaziland who otherwise have no access to needed treatment.
Global Ophthalmology - Emory (GOE)
http://www.eyecenter.emory.edu/global.htm
Interim Director: Yousuf Khalifa, MD
Assistant Director: Jacquelyn O'Banion, MD
The Global Ophthalmology Emory (GO-Emory) program is a pioneering interdisciplinary program aimed at improving health and quality of life by addressing complex problems holistically, through the integration of clinical and research knowledge and perspectives.
GO-Emory serves the needs of indigent populations with limited resources in Georgia and around the world. As an extension of the Emory Eye Center mission to help people see as well as they can see, GO-Emory physicians and researchers use a multidisciplinary approach both locally and abroad to promote access to eye care for all.
The program’s mission aligns with the ambitious goal set forth by the World Health Organization: to eliminate avoidable blindness and ensure universal access to quality eye care. GO-Emory, in partnership with Emory’s Global Health Institute, does more than provide top ophthalmology care, research, and teaching. Stretching across the vast field of ophthalmology-related service, research, and teaching, GO-Emory seeks to generate operative and sustainable systems that can be implemented near and far, from Atlanta's underserved communities—where "the world" starts close to home—to countries worldwide.
Loyola University Medical Center - Foreign Missions Program
http://ssom.luc.edu/ophtha/about/service/historyofworldservice/
Assistant Professor and Director, Foreign Missions Program: Eileen Gable
The Department of Ophthalmology at the Loyola University Medical Center has a long history of engaging in global ophthalmology. In 1962, Ophthalmology Chairman Dr. James McDonald , together with colleagues Dr. Arthur Light and Dr. Thomas Stamm, founded an organization known as FOCUS (Foreign Ophthalmological Care from the United States). The first FOCUS volunteers served in Haiti, then Guatemala, and for the past 20+ year they have concentrated their efforts at the Mercy Hospital Eye Center in Abak, Nigeria. As department chair from 1971 to 1989, Dr. McDonald made service overseas a departmental priority. Today, FOCUS continues to provide vital medical and surgical ophthalmic services and support in areas of extreme need by recruiting volunteer physicians, collecting donated medical supplies, and raising money to fund its work.
These doctors are not the only ones who served overseas, faculty member and retinal specialist Dr. Richard Gieser provided eyecare in such far-flung locations as Mongolia, China and Nepal. While he has retired from practice at Loyola, he continues to inspire new residents to give of themselves in outreach through the Richard Gieser MD World Service Lecture endowment, which is a part of the annual Loyola Ophthalmology Resident-Alumni Day Conference. This unique forum invites speakers from their current resident classes as well as alumni and community ophthalmologists to share their medical mission experiences. Faculty and guest lecturers also present research and data on the need for eyecare in remote regions of the world.
Beginning in 2006, senior residents traveled to Guatemala to offer ophthalmological services in remote underserved villages and towns. Now, formalization of a Guatemalan rotation is in the planning phase. When instituted; this unique training experience will offer residents the opportunity to work hand in hand with Guatemalan residents and attendings.
The commitment to living the mission continues. Today, Loyola Ophthalmology hosts the Annual Chicago Global Health Symposium that includes speakers who lecture and discuss matters pertaining to global ophthalmology, giving eye care professionals a breadth of resources and opportunities to help them apply their professional expertise in a vitally important and personally rewarding way.
University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center - Center for International Ophthalmology
http://www.kellogg.umich.edu/international/index.html
Co-directors:
Christine C. Nelson, M.D., Professor of Ophthalmology and Surgery Bartley R. Frueh, M.D. and Frueh Family Collegiate Professor in Eye Plastics and Orbital Surgery
H. Kaz Soong, M.D., Professor of Ophthalmology
Jonathan Trobe, M.D., Professor of Ophthalmology and Neurology
Administrative Director: Donna Donato
Kellogg Eye Center's Center for International Ophthalmology:
Promotes and coordinates international clinical and research activities at the Kellogg Eye Center
Provides assistance in organizing interviews, lectures, and hosting for visitors
Places U/M ophthalmology residents in international ophthalmology rotations in collaboration with the Ophthalmology program director and other faculty members
Coordinates clinical observerships for ophthalmologists and ophthalmologists-in-training
Coordinates laboratory experiences for vision scientists
Assists Kellogg Eye Center faculty in arrangements for academic travel abroad
Havener Eye Institute - Ohio State University - Global Outreach Project
http://eye.osu.edu/about/goproject/index.cfm
A sustainable outreach and education program to restore sight and change lives in the developing world. Serving such countries as Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, India, Peru, and Nicaragua.
Wills Eye Center for Academic Global Ophthalmology (CAGO)
http://www.willseye.org/CAGO-Overview
Director: Brad H. Feldman, MD
The new Wills Eye Center for Academic Global Ophthalmology (CAGO) is dedicated to leadership in ophthalmology by bridging the gaps in education, research, and clinical care that exist across the globe in an effort to prevent blindness worldwide through:
Partnerships & Advocacy Networks
CAGO Fellow Blog
Latest Training Institutions
Emory Eye - Global Ophthalmology Fellowship
Global Ophthalmology Emory (GOE)
Kellogg Eye Center - Center for International Ophthalmology
Truhlsen Eye Institute (TEI) - International Division Fellowships
Moran Eye Center - International Fellowship Program
Interested in Medical Mission Work?
Ophthalmology in Swaziland: A post-residency/fellowship experience
Perspectives: 10 years in global health
Ophthalmic effects of the Zika virus
NEI Global Health Lecture Series
Latest Residency with Liaison
Dean McGee Eye Institute
Havener Eye Institute
UC Davis Eye Center
Bascom Palmer Eye Institute
Tufts University Medical Center
Copyright © 2019. YO to GO. Affiliate of Global Sight Alliance (www.globalsight.org)
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Development -->
NPC hunters gone wild
Topic: NPC hunters gone wild (Read 974 times)
UnReal World creator
I've had amusing and laborous times with testing and tweaking how NPCs now behave in the wild with their newly added wits for example to actively hunt and process the downed animals. New blocks of AI always make things a bit crazy at first as unimaginable and unpredictable conditions harness the power of new algorithms.
I've witnessed NPC hunter running after a squirrel swinging a sword, and exhausting himself by circling around the tree with no better understanding of the target being out of his reach. After awhile my character decided to help the guy out and shot the squirrel down for him, after which he correctly proceeded to butcher and skin the carcass. Without manners of saying a proper thanks, though.
Another NPC came (or was actually forced to by the means of black debug magic) hunting at the site where I had just lost one of my party members. After he had succesfully shot the hare he was after he proceeded to approach the corpse of my passed companion. My character and his dog watched in confusion this guy just stand on the corpse with no intention to move anywhere. Later on I found out that the crazy NPC hunter had an unbearable craving to skin and cut the corpse of my dead companion, but the moral restrictions came in between and he ended up in endless "Should I? No, you must not." limbo.
On a brighter side of incidents I traded a loop snare from a wandering woodsman for a fresh salmon. Soon after, the woodsman decided to light a fire and roast the salmon. A simple little thing but it made a nice difference.
All in all, NPCs in the wild seem a bit more intelligent, but also bit more crazy at the moment. Craziness is surely refreshing, but tweaking and testing still need to be continued.
(13 people liked this)
- Sami | UnReal World creator
Re: NPC hunters gone wild
Quote from: Sami on May 22, 2019, 05:11:50 PM
~snip~
this guy just stand on the corpse with no intention to move anywhere. Later on I found out that the crazy NPC hunter had an unbearable craving to skin and cut the corpse of my dead companion, but the moral restrictions came in between and he ended up in endless "Should I? No, you must not." limbo.
Yeah, we've all been THERE!
(2 people liked this)
Ara D.
Which brings up the question of stealing prey? How will a non party hunter react to me butchering his prey? Until Sami teaches them manners are they all going to be bird thiefs? On a side note that would be cool if one did steal and I could cast a spell some old man me to make them reveal themselves.
koteko
Quote from: Ara D. on May 22, 2019, 08:15:27 PM
Currently they won't react at all to their preys getting stealed, and yes, they could also start butchering player characters prey.
Additions like this bring in many ifs and wild variables, and that flood of ideas as well.
Historically the downed prey was marked owned by cutting (a certain) piece of its carcass. Whoever did it first, the prey was his, even though he hadn't actually downed it.
This is because sometimes two people might have hunted for example the same elk for a long time, and whose arrow was the fatal in the end, couldn't be easily resolved.
So, whoever was the first to cut the carcass became its rightful owner. So maybe we'll apply this kind hunter ethics as well. If you get to cut NPC downed animal first, they give it to you, if you cut whats theirs they'll probably get angry. And vice versa.
Sounds like a nice piece of ownership logic.
Jerm
I've been playing Unreal World for a very long time through the standalone edition so I was just curious to ask will it continue receiving the updates such as if you decided to update hunters logic. Its a worthy investment if not but it would be very generous as I am on very tight funds currently. But I personally love the game. I've died from so many things and I've created many amazing profiles just to see them disappear in the blink of an eye over falling through ice, causing catastrophic damage to limbs from falling off cliffs, or getting killed by a wild arrow to the head from a companion, etc. I love the game and put numerous hours into my many adventures. Keep up the great work and Id love to hear back from you.
Quote from: Jerm on May 24, 2019, 08:21:18 AM
Firstly, thanks for the compliments. Then, it's interesting you that you asked since during the past years I've found myself considering future of the (donation-based) free of charge version because donations have dried out pretty much completely. The original deal (since 2013) has been to keep free of charge version available for everyone if there's sufficient amount of support. But there really isn't, and the standalone version seems to be considered more "free" rather than "donation based". It used to be in fair balance for some years, but nowadays it's (unjustly) only a fistful of people handing out some support whereas there are loads of freeloaders.
So, I really have to consider things, and when there's consensus - or changes to current policy - it will be properly announced. It may be likely that the interval between paid version and free-of-charge version will be lengthened to greater extent, paid version comes way first and the free follows later on - so that the incentive for support is more concrete.
For a difference in access time between the free version and the paid version to make sense with regards to donation incentives, donating users ought to be treated on par with third party platform purchasers, at least when the donations are above some threshold (probably around when the developers get about the same amount). That can be achieved either by introducing a new tier between free and Lifetime Member, or by lowering the threshold for the latter, possibly discarding perks that aren't sustainable in the process.
It can be noted that the Lifetime Member category is in a somewhat uneasy position currently, because releases are supposed to be discussed in the members only section before they become available as freely downloaded, but as far as I know the third party platform purchasers aren't given access to that section, which means those who have payed for a license to use UrW and want to discuss the game in its own forum end up doing so in the open section.
I just purchased this game on steam to show the support that it deserves. Keep up the good work
Quote from: PALU on May 26, 2019, 06:50:32 PM
Well, one major idea of going donation-based was to cut down office work, bookkeeping and all that hassle with different kind of licenses. Simply downloads and play - and support with as much as you feel fair, if you care to download and play. So I'd rather not return to adding extra hassle with different purchase levels or whatever - especially as I still regularly (almost weekly) receive inquiries about if 'it's possible to get a free Steam key since I bought version 3.15 (or something ancient) back in the day for $3 USD. Less office work -> more coding.
Yes, it used to be more strictly that way when betas where more of true unofficial pre- (or test-) releases, but now it's changing and I guess for the past two years it's already been mostly stated that severe problems (which are practically mostly standalone installation failures) are best to be kept to lifetimer section, whereas regular discussion can be continued normally at public forums.
Quote from: Jerm on May 27, 2019, 12:25:57 PM
Mmkay. Doing my very best, with the power (and support) invested in me.
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Kristen Bell Was Told How 'The Good Place' Ends But Forgot
Jessica Lynch
10 daily Entertainment Reporter
Or is she pulling a fast one on us?
The cast of The Good Place appeared on Conan on Wednesday to chat about the hit comedy prior to the season 3 finale airing.
Knowing that Kristen Bell is informed in advance about what twists are to come, Conan O’Brien questioned the star on whether creator Mike Schur had filled her in on how the entire series will end.
Turns out, she did, but she... can't remember.
"I was told, and… the funny thing is, I got a lot going on, and I don’t remember things very well, and I forgot. I legit forgot.”
Smelling a white lie, O’Brien continued to press her, to which Bell explained, “I got two kids, guys! That’s, like, a lot of work! There’s so much work! They don’t even tell you how much work they are! He told me. Last year, he’s like, ‘That’s how I’m going to wrap it up. Yeah, that’s the right idea.’ And it has exited my brain.”
READ MORE: What The Fork Is Up With The Aussie Accents On 'The Good Place'?
READ MORE: The Real Story Behind The Crap Aussie Accents On 'The Good Place'
“That’s good, that’s good,” D'Arcy Carden (who plays Janet) added. “You were the right person to tell, then. It’s certainly not [Ted] Danson, who, according to Jameela Jamil, “tells our secrets to everyone, so he’ll never be told. He literally told everyone this season 1 twist months in advance.”
At least she won't be able to spoil it for anyone?
Main Image: Getty Images.
Here's Who's Signed On For The Veronica Mars Revival, So Far
After Kristen Bell announced last week that the 'Veronica Mars' revival series was officially coming to Hulu next year, series creator Rob Thomas has shared a few more deets about the cast.
Rejoice! The Veronica Mars Revival Is Officially ON
After entering talks for a new season with Hulu back in August, the 'Veronica Mars' revival is officially ON, dear readers.
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‘Love Island’ Hottie Caro, 21, Before and After Surgery Photos
by 2Paragraphs in Culture | July 9, 2019
Caroline "Caro" Viehweg, Love Island, photo: Timothy Kuratek/CBS
Eleven gorgeous single people are gathering in on a beach in the exotic country of Fiji to find love on the new matchmaking TV show, Love Island. On the season premiere (Tuesday, July 9), the equally gorgeous host Arielle Vandenberg will introduce the five men and six women, including Caroline “Caro” Viehweg.
“Dirty pink” string bikini, $26
Caro is a 21-year-old marketing student living in Los Angeles who’s looking for a guy who’s “spiritual, loving, friendly, funny and authentic.” She brings a lot of optimism with her wherever she goes after facing a life-threatening medical condition.
With an optimistic heart, you can overcome anything… I had a tumor removal in 2016 it was placed between my lungs and heart. It was 10-15cm wide, and doctors where uncertain whether it could be removed. It was one of the scariest things I ever had to go through😫 Here are the 3 things that I have learned from overcoming this tumor: 1. We must stay grateful for the small things such as breathing, walking, seeing and hearing. Since you’ll never know when that can be taken away from you. 2. Life will surprise you and it will hurt you. BUT you can’t CONTROL what happens to you, you only can control how you REACT to it. Find the silver lining. 3. It’s ok to not be ok. In order for you to know how the best days feel, you need to experience the worst. But approach the bad times as a challenge, instead of an obstacle. •I just want to finish by saying that even at my worst, I chose to love myself and stay optimistic instead of drowning myself in negativity. That kind of attitude was the best choice I ever made, & I never have been prouder!! ❤️❤️ and if you have a scar, EMBRACE IT, ITS YOUR VICTORY!!! •hopefully this inspired anyone who is going through something rough, to keep their head up🦋 follow @womenprosper #scarsarebeautiful #tumorfree #transformationalpicture #nopainnogain #cancerfree
A post shared by Caro Vie (@caroviee) on May 29, 2018 at 12:35pm PDT
In 2016, Caro had a 10-15cm-wide (4 to 6 inch) teratoma tumor removed from her chest (it was found between her lungs). She says it was one of the scariest things she went through. She also encourages people with scars (like the one she has on her chest) to be proud: “EMBRACE IT, ITS YOUR VICTORY!!!” Love Island airs weekdays at 8 pm on CBS. [NOTE: Stream Love Island or any CBS show through Amazon Prime or CBS ALL-ACCESS with free trials.]
Before the surgery in 2016…
A post shared by Caro Vie (@caroviee) on Jan 24, 2016 at 8:26am PST
Caro talks about the discovery of the tumor, preparing for the surgery, and all the worry that followed, in the video below.
Love Island’s Alexandra Stewart, 26, Dated NFL Football Player
Alexandra Stewart, Love Island, photo: Timothy Kuratek/CBS
https://2paragraphs.com/2019/07/love-island-hottie-caro-21-before-and-after-surgery-photos/
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Click to copyhttps://apnews.com/f583efdd6cfb454a8de43d2f4459f8bf
U.S. Small Business Administration
Louisiana flood victims sue Trump administration over aid
By MELINDA DESLATTEMarch 11, 2019
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Two Louisiana homeowners sued President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday for policy change delays that have kept thousands of victims of a massive 2016 flood from receiving federal aid.
Jeffry and Amanda Meyer, who owned a Livingston Parish home destroyed in the August 2016 flood that devastated the Baton Rouge region, accuses the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development of foot-dragging in violation of federal law.
The Meyers took out a $280,500 disaster loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration. They are among thousands of homeowners who were later unable to access a federally financed disaster grant program because receipt of both a disaster loan and grant was deemed a duplication of federal benefits.
Congress changed the law in October so SBA loans wouldn’t count against the grants. But HUD, which oversees the disaster grant money, hasn’t issued legal guidance to match the law changes.
State officials have waited for moths, saying without HUD policy changes, the Restore Louisiana program is unable to give millions of dollars in grants to as many as 6,000 homeowners like the Meyers. That means many of the homeowners face decades of loan repayments when, otherwise, they could receive rebuilding grants to pay off that debt. Others simply may have received no aid at all.
“Plaintiffs, and other disaster victims similarly situated throughout Louisiana, continue to suffer real and considerable harm as they have wrongfully been denied the financial assistance which has been allocated to them,” the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit names Trump and HUD Secretary Ben Carson as defendants and asks a federal judge to declare that Louisiana can give out disaster aid grants to homeowners who took out SBA loans and to nullify previous HUD guidance forbidding such action.
HUD spokesman Brian Sullivan said the agency cannot comment on pending litigation, but expects to publish an updated benefits duplication policy in May.
U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, the Baton Rouge Republican who co-sponsored the congressional law change, called the current situation a “fiasco” and said his office has worked with the Meyers and their lawyers.
“The word frustrating hardly conveys what our flood victims have had to endure, and this suit complements our ongoing efforts to get flood victims their money,” Graves said in a statement. “The bureaucrats at HUD are going to be held accountable for not doing their job.”
Louisiana’s two U.S. senators, Republicans Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy, have stalled two nominees for HUD assistant secretary jobs, trying to force the agency to release the long-delayed legal guidance for flood victims. The senators have a scheduled meeting Thursday with Carson to try to free up the recovery aid sitting inaccessible for two years.
Cassidy described the stalled nominations as a “way to get their attention.”
“We’ve got folks back home waiting to reconstruct their lives,” he said Monday.
The lawsuit says the Meyers’ $120,000 home was inundated with more than five feet of water on Aug. 12, 2016, in a flood that damaged a large area of south Louisiana. The mortgage company required the couple’s flood insurance money be steered to pay off their debt on the home, leaving them unable to demolish and rebuild.
At a federal disaster recovery center, the Meyers were told they needed to apply for an SBA loan to be eligible for disaster aid, the lawsuit says. While the loan allowed them to demolish the flooded home, build an elevated new home and replace damaged contents, the couple now owes “substantially more than the value of their home” in loan repayments, the lawsuit says.
Follow Melinda Deslatte on Twitter at http://twitter.com/melindadeslatte
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Purkinje cell injury, structural plasticity and fusion in patients with Friedreich’s ataxia
Kevin C. Kemp1Email author,
Amelia J. Cook1,
Juliana Redondo1,
Kathreena M. Kurian2,
Neil J. Scolding1 and
Alastair Wilkins1
© Kemp et al. 2016
The Erratum to this article has been published in Acta Neuropathologica Communications 2016 4:67
Purkinje cell pathology is a common finding in a range of inherited and acquired cerebellar disorders, with the degree of Purkinje cell injury dependent on the underlying aetiology. Purkinje cells have an unparalleled resistance to insult and display unique regenerative capabilities within the central nervous system. Their response to cell injury is not typical of most neurons and likely represents both degenerative, compensatory and regenerative mechanisms. Here we present a pathological study showing novel and fundamental insights into Purkinje cell injury, remodelling and repair in Friedreich’s ataxia; the most common inherited ataxia. Analysing post-mortem cerebellum tissue from patients who had Friedreich's ataxia, we provide evidence of significant injury to the Purkinje cell axonal compartment with relative preservation of both the perikaryon and its extensive dendritic arborisation. Axonal remodelling of Purkinje cells was clearly elevated in the disease. For the first time in a genetic condition, we have also shown a disease-related increase in the frequency of Purkinje cell fusion and heterokaryon formation in Friedreich's ataxia cases; with evidence that underlying levels of cerebellar inflammation influence heterokaryon formation. Our results together further demonstrate the Purkinje cell’s unique plasticity and regenerative potential. Elucidating the biological mechanisms behind these phenomena could have significant clinical implications for manipulating neuronal repair in response to neurological injury.
Friedreich’s ataxia
Purkinje cell
Cerebellum
Neurodegeneration
Heterokaryon
Purkinje cells represent the sole output neuron of the cerebellar cortex and thus changes in their function have significant impact on the function of the cerebellum as a whole. Purkinje cell pathology is a common finding in a range of inherited and acquired cerebellar disorders, with the degree of Purkinje cell injury dependent on the underlying aetiology. The inherited ataxias are a group of genetically heterogeneous conditions that share common clinical features that give rise to progressive ataxia, with cerebellar injury and varying degrees of degeneration of other grey matter regions. Despite advances in detection of precise genetic causes, no therapy has been shown to prevent or slow the progression of disability in these disorders.
Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) is the commonest autosomal recessive ataxic condition, with 95 % of cases caused by a homozygous GAA.TCC tri-nucleotide repeat expansion mutation within intron 1 of the FXN gene [6] leading to transcriptional repression of the mitochondrial protein frataxin [15, 46]. Patients with FRDA experience insidious accumulation of neurological disability with progressive trunk and limb ataxia, dysarthria, sensory neuropathy and pyramidal weakness [17]. Neuropathologically, prominent areas of degeneration associated with the disease are the dorsal root ganglia, peripheral nerves, spinal cord, and cerebellum [23]. Hypoxic-ischemic damage, due to cardiomyopathy or pulmonary complications, may also result in secondary brain injury. The most significant lesion of the central nervous system (CNS) is found within the dentate nucleus, located within the deep white matter of each cerebellar hemisphere. Selective atrophy of the large neurons and their efferent myelinated fibres within the dentate nucleus is severe, and is accompanied by abnormal dendritic expansion and proliferation of the corticonuclear gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic terminals about the dendrites of dying neurons, termed ‘grumose degeneration’. Remarkably, neuronal loss within the dentate nucleus does not result in a significant level of retrograde atrophy within the Purkinje cell population and the cerebellar cortex is generally intact [27]. Nevertheless, in some patients, Purkinje cell arborisation defects have been reported and mild loss of these cells can be seen at end-stage disease [25, 39].
Purkinje cells have a fairly unique and unparalleled resistance to axonal injury within the CNS [12]. Their response to insult is not typical of most neurons and likely represents both degenerative, compensatory and regenerative mechanisms. Pathological aberrations to Purkinje cell morphology have been observed in cerebellar disease, including axon torpedo formation and loss in cyto-architecture [24, 33, 35, 44]. Structural plasticity in the form of axon remodelling and intra-cortical branching can occur in Purkinje cells and axonal sprouting to establish contact with surviving cells has been reported in humans [1], which may represent a potential mechanism by which cells attempt to re-establish cellular connections and access trophic support [43]. The phenomenon of bone marrow-derived cells (BMDCs) fusing with Purkinje cells to form bi-nucleate heterokaryons has also been observed in a variety of experimental models of cerebellar disease [2, 3, 8, 10, 11] and also in patients with multiple sclerosis [22]. Accumulating evidence is raising new questions into the biological significance of cell fusion, with the possibility that it represents an important physiological phenomenon to rescue damaged neurons [36, 51].
Understanding whether Purkinje cell axon remodelling and/or fusion represent mechanisms by which cerebellar functions can be maintained in genetic cerebellar disease has important therapeutic consequences. With the potential to protect and rescue neuronal cells and restore homeostatic balance during neurodegeneration, understanding the circumstances in which they occur may lead to techniques to manipulate these mechanisms therapeutically. With this in mind, using post-mortem cerebellum tissue, our aims were to quantify the extent of Purkinje cell injury and structural plasticity in FRDA, a condition typically associated with Purkinje cell preservation, in order to explore whether plasticity and fusion might contribute to Purkinje cell survival.
Post-mortem cerebellum samples from eight patients with FRDA and five control patients were obtained through collaboration with both BRAIN UK at the University of Southampton, Southampton, UK and The UK Multiple Sclerosis Tissue Bank at the Imperial College, London, UK. The majority of cases pre-dated genetic testing for FRDA and information regarding the GAA.TCC tri-nucleotide repeat expansion lengths for each FRDA case were not available. As a result, patients had been clinically diagnosed as having FRDA and diagnosis had been confirmed during neuropathological autopsy examination. Neuropathological reports at post-mortem included: axonal loss and prominent gliosis in the dorsal columns (more marked in the gracile than the cuneate fasciculus), long tracts and spinocerebellar tracts of the spinal cord; neuronal loss in the dorsal nucleus of Clarke; gliosis within the white matter of the cerebellum; neuronal shrinkage and loss in the dentate nucleus with consequent atrophy of the superior cerebellar peduncles; and marked depletion and gliosis of the gracile and cuneate nuclei, vestibular nuclei and solitary tract of the medulla. In the periphery, neuronal loss in the dorsal root ganglia was documented and peripheral nerves also showed demyelination and axonal degeneration. For several FRDA cases, stained spinal cord and DRG post mortem sections were available. Thus where possible, representative images of highly specific FRDA lesions in the spinal cord, DRG were taken (Fig. 1a). Control cerebellum samples were derived from patients who had died from causes other than neurological disease (Table 1). All tissues were collected with the donors’ fully informed consent via a prospective donor scheme. At death, brains were removed, fixed in neutral buffered formalin and tissue blocks embedded in paraffin. For this study, 10 μm sections were cut from cerebellar tissue of each patient and mounted onto glass slides. In 10 μm sections, approximately half of a Purkinje cell perikaryon could be encompassed.
Neuronal injury in FRDA. Tissue sections derived from FRDA cases showing pathological lesions. a Characteristic FRDA lesions. (i) H&E staining of the dorsal root ganglion showing shrunken neurones with severe eosinophilia of the perikaryon (black arrows), neuronal lipofuscin accumulation (black triangle) and a nest of reactive satellite cells known as a nodule of Nageotte indicating ganglion neuronal cell degeneration (red arrow). (ii) A section from the upper cord stained with Luxol fast blue and Cresyl violet showing marked dorsal column loss, more marked in the gracile (black arrow) than the cuneate fasiculi (black triangle). There is also significant degeneration of the posterior spinocerebellar tracts (red arrow). (iii) Luxol fast blue and Cresyl violet staining of the spinal cord showing loss of neurons from Clarke’s Column (black hatched area). (iv) Grumose degeneration; disorganisation and proliferation of the Calbindin-D28K positive synaptic terminals situated around the large neurons of the cerebellar dentate nucleus. b Signs of Purkinje cell injury. (i) Cerebellar sections immuno-labelled with Calbindin-D28K and counterstained with haematoxylin (blue) showing the location of the Purkinje cell layer situated within the grey matter on the border of the molecular and granular cell layers. (ii) Bielschowsky silver staining of the cerebellar cortex showing occasional loss of Purkinje cells leading to the presence of ‘empty baskets’ (white hatched areas). H&E staining showing the Purkinje cell layer with (iii) occasional shrunken Purkinje neurones with mild eosinophilia of the perikaryon (black triangle), and (iv) Purkinje cells with loss of Nissl substance and shrunken basophilic homogenous nuclei (black arrow). c (i) A cerebellar folium showing frequent Calbindin-D28K positive hypertrophic axons situated throughout the grey matter (black arrows). (ii) Cerebellar cortex showing Calbindin-D28K positive axonal torpedoes (black arrows). The hatched area in (ii) represents the higher magnified image (iii)
The characteristics of both FRDA and control cases used within this study
Pathological diagnosis
Sex (M/F)
FRDA
FRDA/FRDA variant
Prostate cancer, bone metastases
Heart failure, fibrosing alveolitis, coronary artery artheroma
Bladder cancer, pneumonia
Myelodysplastic syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis
Histochemical stains
For histological assessment, sections were deparaffinised in Clearene, dehydrated in 100 % ethanol, hydrated in distilled water, and stained with haematoxylin and eosin (H&E), Bielschowsky silver staining or Luxol fast blue with Cresyl violet.
Cerebellar sections were immuno-stained with antibodies to rabbit anti-Calbindin-D28K (1:500) (Sigma-Aldrich, UK) and HLA-DP DQ DR (1:800) (Dako, Cambridgeshire, UK). Sections were deparaffinised in Clearene, dehydrated in 100 % ethanol, hydrated in distilled water, and immersed in 3 % hydrogen peroxide in methanol for 30 min to block endogenous peroxidase activity, rinsed and microwaved in sodium citrate buffer (0.01 M, pH 6.0, 5 min) or EDTA buffer (1 mM, pH 8, 10 min) as appropriate and rinsed in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Non-specific binding was blocked with Vectastain blocking serum (20 min). After addition of the primary antibody, sections were incubated overnight at 4 °C. The sections were then rinsed in PBS before incubation for 20 min with secondary antibody (Vectastain Biotinylated Universal antibody) and 20 min with VectaElite ABC Complex (PK-6200, Vector Laboratories, Peterborough, UK) followed by a 10-min incubation with 3,3′-diaminobenzidine (DAB) and 0.01 % H2O2. Sections were washed in water, immersed in copper sulphate DAB enhancer (4 min), counterstained with haematoxylin, dehydrated, cleared and mounted. Images were acquired using an Olympus IX70 microscope coupled with Image-Pro Plus software.
Immunofluorescence labelling
Sections were deparaffinised, hydrated and washed as above. An antigen retrieval step was performed through microwaving in sodium citrate buffer (0.01 M, pH 6.0, 5 min). Purkinje cells were labelled by single or double immunofluorescence using rabbit anti-Calbindin-D28K (1:500) (Sigma-Aldrich, UK), mouse anti-SMI-34 (phosphorylated neurofilament; 1:500) (Covance, US) and rat anti-myelin basic protein (MBP) (1:100) (Serotec, UK). Non-specific binding was blocked with 10 % normal goat serum diluted in PBS containing 0.1 % triton. Sections were incubated at 4 °C overnight with primary antibodies. Sections were then washed in PBS and incubated for 30 min in the dark with Alexa Fluor 555, goat anti-mouse (1:500), Alexa Fluor 488, goat anti-rabbit (1:500) or Alexa Fluor 555, goat anti-rat (1:500) (Invitrogen, Paisley, UK), before being washed in PBS and mounted in Vectashield medium containing the nuclear dye 4′6′-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) (H-1200, Vector Laboratories). Sections were imaged using either: 1) a Leica SP5-AOBS confocal laser scanning microscope attached to a Leica DM I6000 inverted epifluorescence microscope with Leica Application Suite Advanced Fluorescence software and Volocity 3D image software (PerkinElmer, USA); or 2) a Nikon C1 confocal microscope and EZ viewer software.
Quantification of Purkinje cells
The total number of Purkinje cells was counted in FRDA and control sections, scanning the entire length of the Purkinje cell layer. Purkinje cells were identified based on Calbindin positivity and their specific location. To account for the difference in section sizes and plane of cutting, the length of the Purkinje cell layer was traced and measured in each section using Image J software to obtain the number of Purkinje cells per standardized unit length (mm). For these sections, the length of Purkinje cell layer was measured and the number of Purkinje cells in each area counted.
Quantification of SMI-34 positive Purkinje cell perikarya and axonal spheroids
The total number of axonal spheroids and Purkinje cell perikarya positive for SMI-34 were counted in FRDA and control sections, scanning the entire Purkinje cell and granular layers.
Purkinje cell morphology
Using Image J software, the outline of each Purkinje cell perikaryon (where the nucleus was clearly visible) was traced and the area within subsequently calculated. The total number of Purkinje cells with an abnormal perikaryal morphology were also counted in FRDA and control sections, scanning the entire length of the Purkinje cell layer. To investigate changes in dendritic arborisation, concentric circles (with increasing diameter of 20 μm) were aligned on the centre of each Purkinje cell perikaryon and the number of times each circle transected a dendrite was counted. Subsequently, the number of transections per mm at each distance was calculated. As the dendritic tree of Purkinje cells is not spherical, only section orientations that resulted in a full display of Purkinje cell arbor to be visualised were used for quantification.
Purkinje cell axonal morphology
Specific changes in Purkinje cell axonal morphology were counted in both FRDA and control sections, scanning the entire length of the Purkinje cell and granular layers. Changes included the number of Calbindin-D28K positive thickened axons (a minimum 2-fold increase in calibre of normal appearing axons), thickened recurrent collaterals (hypertrophic collateral branch attached to the corticofugal axon with a minimum 90° turn back towards the Purkinje cell layer) and thickened arciform fibres (hypertrophic axons with a minimum 90° turn back towards the Purkinje cell layer). Both Calbindin-D28K positive axonal branching (axons with at least one branch point not defined as a collateral) and terminal axonal sprouting (a network of fine nodular/branched processes projecting from the intact axon) were also counted [1, 43]. For these sections, the length of Purkinje cell layer was measured and the number of Purkinje cells in each area calculated. All axonal changes were then expressed as either frequency per standardized unit length (100 μm) or frequency per Purkinje cell.
Quantification of Purkinje cell heterokaryons
For identification of bi-nucleate Purkinje cell heterokaryons, cerebellar sections immuno-labelled for Calbindin-D28K were viewed using a Leica SP5-AOBS confocal laser scanning microscope attached to a Leica DM I6000 inverted epifluorescence microscope. Each section was scanned along the entire length of the Purkinje cell layer, situated between the granular cell layer and molecular layer, for Purkinje cell bodies containing two separate nuclei. At least 2000 Purkinje cells from each patient sample were examined, allowing for the determination of the frequency of bi-nucleate Purkinje cells. All bi-nucleate Purkinje cells were confirmed on the confocal microscope by obtaining serial sections throughout the whole Purkinje cell body. All Z-stack and 3-dimensional imaging was created using both Leica Application Suite Advanced Fluorescence software and Volocity 3D image software (PerkinElmer, USA).
Quantification of microglial cells
All HLA-DP DQ DR positive cells were counted, using at least 18 randomly assigned fields per case, within the white matter and grey matter regions of the cerebellum. The number of HLA-DP DQ DR positive cells per mm2 was subsequently calculated.
The analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism (GraphPad Software Inc, USA). For all tests, values are expressed as the mean ± SE from at least five independent cases, taking P <0.05 to represent statistical significance. Data between two groups were analysed using either unpaired t-tests or Mann-Whitney U tests. Statistical comparisons for over two groups were analysed using either one-way or two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with post hoc testing between groups where appropriate. Pearson’s correlation was used to analyse relationships between two sets of data.
Identification of cerebellar Purkinje cells
To identify Purkinje cells within cerebellar tissue, sections were immuno-labelled for the calcium-binding protein Calbindin-D28K. Purkinje cells were readily identified based on their unique morphology and location; their perikaryon situated within the Purkinje cell layer positioned between the granular cell and molecular layers (Fig. 1b). In control cases, Purkinje cells showed a typical morphology; with extensive dendritic arborisation climbing through the molecular layer toward the surface of the cortex, with its axon originating at the opposite (basal) pole of the cell perikaryon, passing through the granular layer (where it becomes myelinated) towards the white matter, sending inhibitory efferent projections to the deep cerebellar nuclei.
Purkinje cell injury in Friedreich’s ataxia
In FRDA cases, Purkinje cells showed several distinct features. Disorganisation and proliferation of Calbindin-D28K positive synaptic terminals surrounding soma and dendrites of the dentate neurons, termed ‘grumose degeneration’ was present (Fig. 1a). Using H&E staining, the Purkinje cell layer showed occasional shrunken Purkinje neurones with mild eosinophilia of the perikaryon, loss of Nissl substance and shrunken basophilic homogenous nuclei (Fig. 1b). The occasional loss of Purkinje cells leading to the presence of ‘empty baskets’ (the axon terminals of basket cells that typically enwrap the Purkinje cell perikaryon appear to surround an empty space) were observed using Bielschowsky silver staining (Fig. 1b). A marked incidence of Purkinje cell axonal thickening and swellings (torpedoes) situated within the granular layer was also evident (Fig. 1c).
Dual-immunolabelling of cerebellar sections with Calbindin-D28K and SMI-34 (anti-phosphorylated neurofilament) was used to further characterise Purkinje cell axonal morphology and injury [44]. FRDA cases had noticeable changes in axonal morphology (hypertrophy or swelling of the axon segment) compared to controls; these structures appearing to arise from the proximal end of the corticofugal axon, being strongly immuno-reactive for both Calbindin-D28K and SMI-34 (Fig. 2a and b). A small number of Calbindin-D28K/SMI-34 torpedoes were seen in control cases, however the number of Calbindin-D28K/SMI-34 torpedoes per Purkinje cell body was significantly increased in FRDA cases compared to controls (p <0.05) (Fig. 2c).
Abnormal neurofilament phosphorylation within Purkinje cell axons in FRDA. a A representative image of the cerebellar folia from an FRDA case showing Calbindin-D28K positive hypertrophic axons and axonal torpedoes expressing high levels of SMI-34. The hatched areas in (i) represents the higher magnified images (ii/iii). White arrows in (i) indicate areas of Calbindin-D28K/SMI-34 co-expression. b 3-dimensional confocal image of a Purkinje cell immunofluorescently labelled with Calbindin-D28K (green), SMI-34 (red) and DAPI nuclear stain (blue) (perikaryon (white triangle/asterisk), axonal torpedo (white triangle), recurrent collateral (white arrow)). The hatched areas in (i) represents the higher magnified images (ii/iii). c Quantification of SMI-34 positive torpedoes per Purkinje cell in FRDA and control cases. Results are expressed as the mean +/- (SE) (*p < 0.05, comparing FRDA to control)
Morphological changes in both the Purkinje cell perikaryon and dendritic compartments were examined (Fig. 3a-h). No significant differences were found in the number of Purkinje cells per unit length (mm) of the Purkinje cell layer (Fig. 3b). In addition, no differences in overall Purkinje cell perikaryon size were evident between patient groups (Fig. 3c). However, Purkinje cells in FRDA cases with an associated axon torpedo showed a significant reduction in perikaryon size when compared to controls (p <0.05) (Fig. 3c). This sub-group of Purkinje cells commonly displayed a ‘deflated’ and shrunken perikaryal morphology (Fig. 3f); a proportion of these cells also presented with marked SMI-34 accumulation within their perikaryon/dendrites (Fig. 3f). Both the percentage of Purkinje cells with abnormal perikaryal morphology (Fig. 3d) and the percentage of Purkinje cells with SMI-34 positive perikarya (Fig. 3e) were significantly elevated in FRDA cases compared to controls (p < 0.05). Dendritic arborisation of Purkinje cells is a critical determinant of neuronal connectivity and health [7, 34]. To investigate changes in dendritic arborisation, the number of dendrites at increasing distances (20-μm increments) from the Purkinje cell perikaryon was counted (Fig. 3g). Again no differences in dendritic transections were found in FRDA cases compared to controls (p <0.05) (Fig. 3h).
Analysis of both the Purkinje cell perikaryal and dendritic compartments in FRDA. a 3-dimensional confocal image of a FRDA case depicting a Purkinje cell immunofluorescently labelled with Calbindin-D28K (green) and DAPI nuclear stain (blue). The hatched areas in (i) represents the higher magnified images (ii; dendritic compartment) and (iii; perikaryal compartment (white arrow)). Quantification of (b) Purkinje cells per mm in FRDA and control cases; (c) Purkinje cell perikaryon cell size categorised into: total Purkinje cells in FRDA (FRDA), Purkinje cells in FRDA with an axon torpedo (FRDA torpedo) and total Purkinje cells in control cases; (d) Purkinje cells with an abnormal perikaryal morphology; and (e) Purkinje cells with SMI-34 positive perikarya. f, (i) Purkinje cell with a normal perikaryon morphology (white triangle) and a Purkinje cell with an axon torpedo presenting with an abnormal (deflated and shrunken appearance) perikaryal morphology (white arrow). The hatched areas in (i) represents the higher magnified images (ii) and (iii) showing the shrunken Purkinje cell with axonal (white arrow) and perikaryal/dendritic SMI-34 accumulation (white triangles). g A representative image depicting how changes in dendritic arborisation were investigated. Concentric quarter circles (with increasing diameter of 20 μm) were aligned on the centre of each Purkinje cell perikaryon and the number of times each circle transected a dendrite was counted. The number of transections per mm at each distance was calculated. The hatched areas in (i) represents the higher magnified image (ii). h Quantification of the number of dendritic transections per mm at increasing distances from the cell perikaryon in FRDA and control cases. Results are expressed as the mean +/- (SE) (**p < 0.01, *p < 0.05, ns (not significant), comparing FRDA to control)
Evidence of Purkinje cell structural remodelling and myelin disruption in FRDA
Atypical compensatory responses of Purkinje cells to axonal injury may occur in response to cerebellar injury. In control and FRDA cases, structural remodelling of Purkinje cell axons was observed with evidence of hypertrophic axons, hypertrophic recurrent collaterals and arciform fibres (Fig. 4a, b and c). Both axonal branching and axonal sprouting were also visible in both Purkinje cells with and without axonal torpedoes (Fig. 4a and d). These structural changes were significantly elevated, when normalised to the Purkinje cell layer length and/or Purkinje cell number, in FRDA cases compared to controls (p <0.05) (Table 2).
Purkinje cells in FRDA show indications of both axonal remodelling and myelin disruption. Unless stated, all cerebellar images are from FRDA cases. a-d Sections are DAB (brown) immuno-labelled with Calbindin-D28K and counterstained with haematoxylin (blue). e-q Sections are immunofluorescently labelled with Calbindin-D28K (green) and MBP (red). The hatched areas in a, b, c, d represents the higher magnified images (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) respectively. a Axonal thickening and branching (i; black arrow). b Thickening of both axon (ii; black triangle) and recurrent collateral (ii; black arrow). c Hypertrophic axon with arciform profile (iii; black arrow). d Axonal branching with terminal sprouting (iv; black arrows). e A typically ‘normal’ Purkinje cell axon, from a control case, projecting from the perikaryon (white arrow), through the granular layer where it become myelinated (white triangle). The hatched area represents the higher magnified image f. Abnormal hypertrophic axons showing either g fragmented myelin along the axon or h complete myelin loss. i-k Purkinje cell axons showing both axonal hypertrophy and fragmented myelin distal to axon torpedoes. l A Purkinje cell torpedo absent of myelin and showing indications of sprouting (white triangle/asterisk). m Myelinated (white triangle) and non-myelinated (white arrow) Purkinje cells torpedoes. n-q Purkinje cell torpedoes with varying degrees of myelin fragmentation
Structural remodelling of Purkinje cell axons in both FRDA and control cases
Axonal change
Comparator
Control cases (Mean +/-SE (median))
FRDA cases (Mean +/-SE (median))
Significance (p value)
Hypertrophic axons
0.279 +/- 0.216 (0.298)
p < 0.010
Purkinje cells
Hypertrophic recurrent collaterals
Arciform fibres
Axonal branching
p = 0.082
Axonal sprouting
The frequency of axonal structural changes within the granular and Purkinje cell layers of both control and FRDA cases. All axonal changes are expressed as either frequency per standardized unit length of the Purkinje cell layer (100 μm) (Length) or frequency per Purkinje cell (Purkinje cells). Comparisons between control and FRDA were analysed using Mann-Whitney U tests
Using MBP and Calbindin-D28k co-labelling, we also observed significant changes in Purkinje cell axonal myelination within the granular layer, with evidence of myelin fragmentation and loss localised to areas of axonal hypertrophy and axonal torpedoes (Fig. 4e-q).
Quantification of bi-nucleate Purkinje cell heterokaryons
Using Calbindin-D28k labelling and DAPI nuclear stain, sections from FRDA cases were scanned along the entire length of the Purkinje cell layer for Purkinje cells containing two nuclei (bi-nucleate heterokaryons). Using epifluorescence microscopy, we examined ≥2000 Purkinje cells from each case (total = 22,829 Purkinje cells). The location of each suspected bi-nucleate Purkinje cell was noted and subsequently scanned using confocal microscopy acquiring 0.20 μm serial sections throughout the entire Purkinje cell soma (Fig. 5). Following confocal evaluation and serial reconstruction, bi-nucleate Purkinje cells were found to be present in all FRDA cases. The frequency of bi-nucleate Purkinje cells detected in patients with FRDA was low (mean 0.215 % +/- 0.043) (Fig. 5c). Comparing this to previously published data reported by our research group, describing the frequency of bi-nucleate Purkinje cells detected in the same control patient cohort (mean 0.024 % +/- 0.006) [22], we report a significant increase in the incidence of bi-nucleate Purkinje cells in FRDA when compared to control cases (p <0.01) (Fig. 5c).
An increase in bi-nucleate Purkinje cells is evident within the cerebellum of FRDA cases. a 3-dimensional confocal image of a bi-nucleate Purkinje cell immunofluorescently labelled with Calbindin-D28K (green) and DAPI nuclear stain (blue). The hatched area in (i) represents the higher magnified images (ii/iii). b A representative image of a bi-nucleate Purkinje cell containing two large Purkinje cell-like nuclei (Big/Big) and a bi-nucleate Purkinje cell with one large Purkinje cell-like nucleus and one smaller nucleus with compact chromatin (Big/Small). c Quantification of bi-nucleate Purkinje cells in FRDA cases. d Quantification of bi-nucleate Purkinje cells in FRDA cases categorised by their nuclear phenotype (Big/Big) or (Big/Small). Results are expressed as the mean +/- (SE) (**p < 0.01, comparing FRDA to control or Big/Big to Big/Small)
As previously reported [54], two distinct types of nuclear morphology were observed in bi-nucleate Purkinje cells; either a large Purkinje cell-like nucleus with disperse chromatin and a large nucleolus or a smaller nucleus (a little more than half the normal size) with compact chromatin (Fig. 5b). In patients with FRDA the majority (70.21 % +/-9.40) of bi-nucleate cells contained two large Purkinje cell-like nuclei (p <0.05). All other bi-nucleate Purkinje cells contained one large Purkinje cell-like nucleus and a second smaller nucleus with compact chromatin (Fig. 5b and d). Using correlative analysis, in FRDA cases we found no significant correlations between the frequency of bi-nucleate Purkinje cells with either patient age at death or the number of Calbindin-D28K/SMI-34 torpedoes per Purkinje cell body (data not shown).
Cerebellar inflammation in FRDA
Both experimentally in animal models [18] and human disease [22] evidence suggests that inflammatory cues promote BMDCs to fuse with Purkinje cells to form bi-nucleated Purkinje cell heterokaryons. In control sections immuno-labelled for the macrophage/microglial markers HLA-DP, DQ, DR, few positive cells were detected throughout the cerebellar folia (Fig. 6a and b). In FRDA cases, the overall frequency of HLA-DP, DQ, DR-positive microglia was highly variable between patients and no significant differences in microglial numbers were observed, in both the white matter and grey matter regions, between FRDA and control cases (Fig. 6a and b).
Microglial numbers within cerebellar grey matter regions positively correlate with the incidence of bi-nucleate Purkinje cells. a Levels of HLA-DP, DQ, DR positive cells within the cerebellar white and grey matter regions of FRDA and control cases. b Representative images of HLA-DP, DQ, DR positive cells (DAB (brown) immuno-labelled and counterstained with haematoxylin (blue)) within the cerebellar folia of FRDA and control cases. The dashed inset is a higher magnified image depicting microglial morphology in a FRDA case showing microglia with both enlarged perikarya and thicker processes. c Correlations and linear regression analysis between microglial cell numbers (in both the white matter and grey matter) and the frequency of total bi-nucleate Purkinje cells, bi-nucleate Purkinje cells with two large Purkinje cell-like nuclei (Big/Big) or bi-nucleate Purkinje cells with one large Purkinje cell-like nucleus and one smaller nucleus with compact chromatin (Big/Small). Results are expressed as the mean +/- (SE). R 2 = Pearson’s correlation coefficient of determination. (ns (not significant), comparing FRDA to control)
Using correlative analysis to investigate the relationship between microglial numbers and the incidence of bi-nucleated Purkinje cells, we found a significant positive correlations in the grey matter between the levels of HLA-DP, DQ, DR-positive cells and both the frequency of total bi-nucleate Purkinje cells and bi-nucleate Purkinje cells containing one large and a second smaller nucleus (p <0.05) (Fig. 6c). No correlation between HLA-DP, DQ, DR-positive cells and the frequency of bi-nucleate Purkinje cells containing two large nuclei was observed.
Here we present a pathological study showing novel and fundamental insights into Purkinje cell injury, remodelling and spontaneous repair in FRDA. We provide evidence of significant injury to the Purkinje cell axonal compartment with relative preservation of the perikaryon and its extensive dendritic arborisation. Axonal remodelling of Purkinje cells was clearly apparent. We have also shown a considerable increase in the frequency of bi-nucleate Purkinje cell heterokaryon formation in FRDA cases. This is the first time in humans that Purkinje cell fusion and heterokaryon formation in the brain has been reported in a genetic condition. We also provide evidence that heterokaryon formation is influenced by underlying levels of cerebellar inflammation associated with the disease. Our results together demonstrate the Purkinje cell’s unique plasticity and regenerative potential in response to damage.
Atrophy of the dentate nucleus, which receives inhibitory GABA-ergic inputs from Purkinje cells originating within the cerebellar hemispheres, is the most significant change seen within the central nervous system of patients with FRDA [26–28, 30, 31, 49]. In FRDA cases, where the dentate nucleus was visible, we observed archetypal neuronal loss accompanied by sites of grumose degeneration. This pathological transformation labelled positively for Calbindin-D28k demonstrating that abnormal axon terminals were of Purkinje cell origin. The resulting synaptic detachment of Purkinje cell axon terminals from degenerating neurons within the dentate nucleus would likely result in a retrograde change and a lack of synaptic contact with the efferent target may lead to trans-neuronal degeneration of the Purkinje cell. However, contrary to pathological nomenclature, recent reports suggest grumose degeneration may actually be a beneficial phenomenon in which Purkinje cells escape retrograde atrophy by producing new axonal sprouts that establish contact with small surviving neurons where they form reparative grumose clusters [30].
Indeed, there were marked changes to the Purkinje cell axonal compartment, with abnormal axonal phosphorylation and abundant axonal thickening/formation of axonal torpedoes within the granular cell layer. It is thought in disease states that abnormal accumulation of the axonal structural components leads to morphological changes within the axon, and depending on the underlying disease mechanism, the accumulated material can differ [35, 57]. The axon torpedo (a fusiform swelling of the axon) is generally characterised by a central accumulation of disoriented neurofilaments, which displace the mitochondria and endoplasmic reticular elements to the periphery [37]. Neurofilament structures are essential for axonal maintenance and both anterograde and retrograde axonal transport. It is conceivable that loss of dentate nucleus neurons results in localised failures of axonal transport causing the build-up of transported proteins and axonal swelling [9]. We found frequent phosphorylated neurofilament accumulation within both hypertrophic axons and axon torpedoes, and to a lesser extent within the perikarya. Neurofilament phosphorylation and rates of axonal transport inversely correlate, this again signifying an impaired axonal transport within these areas [19, 41]. It is not known pathologically exactly how these neurofilaments become aberrantly phosphorylated, however accumulation of phosphorylation is a hallmark of several neurodegenerative conditions, including ALS [40], Alzheimer’s disease [50] and multiple sclerosis [16, 44]. Elevated phosphorylated neurofilaments detected in the CSF can be used as early protein biomarkers in disease and even correlate with clinical disability [42], together highlighting the critical role neurofilament changes have on both axonal damage and neurodegenerative processes.
The typical response of most neurons to axonal injury is a cell body reaction involving a complex sequence of molecular and genetic changes that initially sustain compensatory and regenerative responses, but eventually become regressive leading to atrophy or cell death [45]. However, cerebellar atrophy is not a major pathological characteristic associated with FRDA. Purkinje cell survival was not significantly reduced in FRDA cases and morphological analysis showed no signs of pruning to the Purkinje cell dendritic arbour. In FRDA cases the global perikaryon size was also unchanged, however in a sub-group of Purkinje cells with an associated axon torpedo, a significant reduction in perikaryon size was evident. Elevated levels of Purkinje cell perikarya with abnormal deflated/shrunken morphologies and/or SMI-34 positivity were observed, which may indicate early changes leading to cell death or possible compensatory structural modifications due to the close proximity of the axonal obstruction. Purkinje cells have an inherent and atypical resistance to stress within the CNS and often survive despite injury to their axon [12]. Purkinje cells in FRDA cases showed remarkable morphological plasticity in response to injury in the form of axonal branching, arciform fibres, hypertrophic recurrent collaterals and axonal sprouting. These changes were abundant and are thought to allow the Purkinje cell to draw retrograde trophic support by way of either reorganisation of the intra-cortical plexus or establishing new connections with other Purkinje cells or neurons in the surrounding granular layer, thus dampening down a cell body response to injury [43].
Remodelling of the Purkinje cell axon can be induced by extrinsic inhibitory cues such as myelin-associated molecules. For example, blocking of myelin-associated neurite growth inhibitory protein (Nogo-A) binding to it receptor complex situated on the axonal membrane, can induce prolific spouting in Purkinje cells from both the corticofugal axon and the intra-cortical plexus [5, 14]. Nogo proteins in the adult CNS are now known to be negative regulators of neurite growth, leading to stabilization of the CNS wiring in the healthy brain at the expense of extensive plastic rearrangements and regeneration after injury [47]. In relation, we observed significant amounts of both myelin fragmentation and loss localised to both hypertrophic axons and axonal torpedoes within the granular layer. It could therefore be hypothesized that an increase in axon calibre disrupts myelin/axon interactions and is, at least in part, responsible for initiating a cell survival response through promoting axonal sprouting and remodelling.
Of major relevance to ataxia is the potentially neuro-regenerative process of BMDCs migrating into the CNS and fusing with, in particular, Purkinje cells within the cerebellum. A process in which the two distinct cells fuse together to become a single cell, resulting in transfer and amalgamation of nuclear material, to form bi-nucleate or mono-nucleate cells. A key observation in this study was evidence of Purkinje cell fusion in diseased FRDA brains through detecting bi-nucleate Purkinje cell heterokaryons; the frequency of these cells in FRDA being significantly higher than that previously reported in control cases [22]. The phenomenon of BMDCs fusing with Purkinje cells has been observed in a variety of experimental models of cerebellar disease [2, 3, 8, 10, 11] and the presence of cell fusion, shown also by detection of increased bi-nucleated neurons, has been described in a variety of human CNS diseases, including multiple sclerosis [22], Alzheimer’s disease [58] and Spino-olivo-ponto-cerebello-nigral atrophy [20].
Purkinje cells are generated only during early brain development and in contrast to other neurons there is no evidence of their generation after birth [53]. Under normal physiological conditions Purkinje cell fusion seems to occur at very low levels [53, 54]. In FRDA cases, we found no correlation between patient age and the frequency of fusion, though experimentally, the incidence of cell fusion in the brain is enhanced with age, radiation exposure, inflammation, chemotherapeutic drugs and even selective damage to the neurons themselves [13, 18, 21, 36, 54, 55]. This raises the possibility that fusion represents a rescue process, both in FRDA and other neurological conditions, by which BMDCs migrate into the CNS and donate genetic material to injured highly complex cell types that otherwise cannot be replaced in adults through classical modes of trans-differentiation [4, 48]. Indeed, in organs other than the brain, fusion clearly represents a crucial process by which degenerating cells with genetic damage can be rescued, promoting their survival [32, 52, 56]. Using genetic models of Purkinje cell degeneration, researchers have explored the potential of using BMDCs to protect Purkinje cells. These studies have provided compelling evidence for BM cell-mediated neuroprotective mechanisms, with a neurodegenerative microenvironment appearing to augment Purkinje cell fusion [2, 10, 11]. Further studies also showed that transplantation of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-expressing BMDCs directly into the cerebellum alleviates Purkinje cell degeneration in murine Niemann-Pick Type C1 disease. Moreover, fusion between these BMDCs and existing Purkinje cells led to the formation of electrically active neurons with functional synaptic formation within a neurodegenerative cerebellar environment [3].
Little is known concerning the regulatory mechanisms behind controlling Purkinje cell fusion in response to injury; however, inflammatory cues are known to play a physiologically significant role. Fusion between Purkinje cells and BMDCs occurs ordinarily at low levels, but the incidence of fusion is substantially increased by chronic inflammation [18, 21]. The mechanisms by which inflammation enhances fusion are unclear, but the combination of TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma particularly enhance the process in vitro [21]. We found the degree of neuro-inflammation, characterised by increased microglial cell numbers, to be highly variable within FRDA cases and not significantly elevated compared to controls. In contrast to FRDA-affected cardiac tissue [29], the cerebellum does not characteristically show a significant inflammatory component, although microglial changes in ferritin immunoreactivity, morphology and frequency have previously been reported [28, 31]. Interestingly, in the FRDA cases used for our study, we did find a significant correlation between microglial numbers within cerebellar grey matter and the formation of bi-nucleate Purkinje cell heterokaryons. More specifically, microglial cell numbers correlated with numbers of bi-nucleate Purkinje cells harbouring both a large Purkinje cell-like nucleus with disperse chromatin and a second smaller nucleus with compact chromatin; a nuclear phenotype signifying a recent fusion event; the donated nucleus yet to be reprogrammed to finally assume the morphology of a Purkinje cell nucleus. Purkinje cells are classically mono-nucleate cells [38]. It is hypothesised that once fusion has occurred the small dense donor nuclei is progressively reprogrammed, causing it to become, over time, less dense and compact, and finally to assume the morphology of the Purkinje nucleus [54]. Hence, the nuclear phenotype of fused cells can be an indication of heterokaryon maturity. Due to the chronic nature of the disease, it is not surprising that the large majority of bi-nucleate cells in FRDA cases contained two large Purkinje cell-like nuclei. However, finding an association between existing grey matter microglial levels and recent fusion events provides compelling evidence that local inflammatory cues, albeit at the end stages of the disease, can promote Purkinje cell fusion in humans.
Whether the observed changes to Purkinje cells in our FRDA cohort are solely a response to depleted cellular frataxin levels and/or loss of the dentate nucleus; or alternatively, at least in part, a result of secondary damage caused by hypoxic-ischemic injury (due to either cardiomyopathy or pulmonary complications as reported in our FRDA cases) cannot be fully determined. As yet, the precise functional significance of Purkinje cell plasticity in response to stress/injury is also unknown. Nevertheless, it is likely to be closely linked to the central role Purkinje cells play in maintaining cerebellar function. It is tempting to speculate the reasons for such phenomena; survival of Purkinje cells in FRDA may be functionally irrelevant as neuronal loss within the dentate nucleus blocks corticonuclear transmission. However, these fairly unique changes in response to axonal injury may allow the Purkinje cell to convey its output information through nearby intact neurons, or be a neuroprotective process to prevent a further cascade of disabling neurodegenerative changes, as would likely result from a loss of Purkinje cells, within the cerebellar milieu. More research into these mechanisms are warranted and elucidating the biological pathways behind both neuronal plasticity and cell fusion in disease could have significant clinical implications in manipulating neuronal repair in response to injury.
An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40478-016-0332-5.
We would like to acknowledge both BRAIN UK at the University of Southampton and The UK Multiple Sclerosis Tissue Bank at the Imperial College, London, UK for providing all the tissue used in this study. Kevin Kemp is supported by a project grant from the Medical Research Council.
KCK, NJS and AW developed the concept of the study; KCK, AJC and AW designed experiments; KCK, AJC, JR and KMK performed experiments; KCK, AJC, KMK and AW collected and analysed data; KCK, AJC, KMK, NJS and AW wrote the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Multiple Sclerosis and Stem Cell Group, Clinical Neurosciences office, University of Bristol, 1st floor, Learning and Research building, Southmead Hospital, Bristol, BS10 5NB, UK
Brain Tumour research group, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS10 5NB, UK
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Hi tech app for athletes and their coaches
Drawing on the knowledge of Olympic level coach, Eric Brown and the skills of Olympic Decathlete Cedric Dubler, McBride Brown and Partners are working on a technically-accurate interactive 3D app to improve the techniques of athletes at all levels.
We spend 5 minutes with Leon McBride, Co-Founder and Creative Director at McBride Brown and Partners to learn more about this exciting initiative.
What’s involved in the development process?
We will be recording Queensland-based Olympic Decathlete Cedric Dublerperforming track and field events, and will then develop:
· a 3D digital athlete
· a 3D model of the athlete’s musculoskeletal information
· and a range of supporting information including narration.
How will the Advance Queensland Sport Science Challenge funding help develop this app?
A working prototype based on athletic throw events is in progress. Funding will take this technology to the next step. Within 12 months, it will be ready for download by coaches and athletes.
Who will be able to use this app and what sort of benefits will they gain?
This interactive technology will be most useful for coaches and athletes ranging from beginner to elite level. Being digital, it will be especially worthwhile for regionally-based coaches and athletes who don’t always have access to educational resources.
Developing the next generation of successful coaches requires quality coaching education and resources — our app helps to develop coaches of all levels including those training young children.
Quality coaches have a lasting impact on children. Children become and stay involved in sport when they are surrounded by educated and well-quipped coaches.
As well, our product features a tool that allows the comparison of user-recorded video with the technically-accurate 3D animation. This will help ‘serious’ athletes to perfect their skills — whether they are just starting out or already involved in elite competitions.
How are you working with Little Athletics Queensland?
Our app will be directly supporting coaches from Little Athletics Queensland which has a membership of more than 13,500. It’s so important to motivate and encourage participation in sport at a young age as it lays the foundation for developing performance at higher levels and also has many important social benefits.
We are very proud to be partnering with Little Athletics Queensland who share our goal of promoting athletics as a fun, healthy and social lifestyle.
What is the future for this app?
We see great potential in partnering with local, national and global sporting bodies to produce 3D apps that support coaching requirements for other sports. Watch this space!
Advance Queensland
Last updated 19 Jun, 2018
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You are here: Home / Expert Opinions / Seven Machining Metrics that Matter Most
Seven Machining Metrics that Matter Most
August 8, 2018 by Phil Canipe - Vice President, Stellar Industrial Supply Inc.
Phil Canipe
Manufacturing economics should be “Job One” for any plant manager or owner, and this approach should infuse operations all the way down to the shop floor. There should be full understanding that reducing time and increasing throughput are the keys to driving proper and efficient production. Is there a way to do it twice as fast? Is there a way to drive 30% out of your cost? Sometimes the solution is about the cutting tool, how it is held and how it is driven. Sometimes it is about how the part is held.
Getting the Process Started
Finding a solution is no easy task, particularly if old habits are ingrained. To get this process started, first identify and standardize the correct metrics to properly control and assess time, cycle time and throughput improvement. To begin that process we offer seven key metrics:
1. Analyze Setup
Analyze the current average setup time to see who takes the longest time, and what the average setup time is within the shop. Then calculate a median which becomes the shop standard.
For example, we worked with a mid-sized machine shop making automotive accessory parts, and for years they had focused their improvement efforts on a single milling cutter perceived to be the biggest problem on the job, simply because it chewed up a set of inserts every 20 minutes.
Instead, the company analyzed every aspect of the setup to gain a better view of the real causes. That led to changing the depth of cut slightly and how they entered and exited the part. These tweaks helped double the output of the tool. Instead of taking two weeks to run the lot, it took a little over a week. Net-net, after analyzing all the processes for this part, a 45% throughput improvement was realized.
2. Examine the Materials Mix
The material mix impacts decisions made on the style and geometry of cutting tools, the toolholding, and the best fixturing method.
The best way to assess the mix is to analyze a list of all materials machined under the shop roof, with their percentage of total revenue, quantity, and lot size. Include the materials form: billet, extrusion, casting, etc. This data will help the shop make rational decisions on the expendable tooling side of the equation, as well as grade and coating choices.
3. Average Cycle Time by Family and Part
Let’s say a shop produces 20% aluminum and 80% high-temperature alloy components. Break those blocks down into materials by specific family or part. If perhaps the company builds a lot of large items but with some small castings, bucket the materials by type and by process.
The average cycle time per part will drive a lot of decisions too. What if the mix is 50% milling of rectangular billets, and the part has a critical feature and tight tolerance on a ledge? It takes 30 minutes just to rough it, but the overall cycle time on the milling operation is 40 minutes. In that case, look for any new technology or method that can drive time out of the milling process.
4. What is the Spend on Expendables?
When looking at manufacturing economics, the average spend on expendable cutting tools should be anywhere from 3 to 6% of top line revenue, depending on material mix. Look at the top 20% of spend and quantify the cutting tools in that group and how many of them are used. If you’re going through thousands of $2 inserts, it will be just as important to look at that number and drive it down as it would be to look at why it costs $20,000 a month on 200 end mills!
Just as critical, analyze the number of tool changes that stop the machine, because that drives added costs and results in a profit drain. When efficiencies go down, costs go up!
5. Average Number of Tool Assemblies
Are your tool assemblies firmly controlled and documented to maintain consistency so that every tool is always set up the same way, held the same way in the same class of holder each time you run the part?
How about milling the face of a part? Do the folks on the shop floor have access to that information in a library, programming software, and if so, is it modeled? Is this access available consistently and across-the-board, so that lessons learned can be applied to every part?
For example, a company was using an older machine and a newer machine to make the same part (an hourglass shape out of a billet). Even though both machines were making the same part using similar materials, one had 39 tool assemblies and three operations to complete, while the other had 22 toolholder assemblies and two operations to complete.
Which way is better? Here again ask, “Are we maintaining a control? When we learn the best way to produce a part, do we apply that knowledge to how the next product is machined?”
This should be documented and controlled as much as the cutting tool. If it’s always going to be a 1″, seven-flute 35° helix, corner radius end mill for roughing profiles, and it’s always going to be held in a hydraulic adapter, then control it all the way down to the brand, geometry and holding mechanism, including the collet.
6. Analyze Scrap Rates
It is imperative to analyze scrap rates by percent of topline revenue, and how this rate relates to the number of parts run. A shop making 100 parts per week with a 10% scrap rate is alarming. Conversely, a shop with a $10 million monthly run rate but which is only making six parts per month with 1% scrap, well, that’s also alarming.
It is paramount to analyze it both ways and develop a team to investigate the causes. Look at things from the spindle down and from the table up. Look at fixturing, toolholder assemblies, the cutting tools, the machine movement—anything that will provide insight into why scrap is occurring.
7. Average of Parts per Lot Size
Some shops produce small batches of high-value items, say four each of an item per month, and they only have seven to ten-part families. While that may seem less complex than producing longer runs, the stakes are higher.
Here you should ask, are we building to drive shipments, or building a lot of excess material for work in progress and/or other needs within the shop? What is the process flow?
Look at the average number of parts per shop order and then look at the orders with the lowest and highest number of parts. It may be better to run smaller lot sizes or longer lot sizes, but first ask, “Have we always done it this way or is there a better way to process plan?” Then, look at the throughput to see what needs to ship versus what can be produced at the lowest possible cost.
From there it would be best to compare reducing the lot size and/or increasing the variable workflow so you can better ascertain what needs to ship, rather than just making lots in a production run.
Process Improvement Goals
In process improvement plans, strive for a 30% or 40% throughput improvement in manufacturing, particularly on the machining side. There is bound to be low-hanging fruit in every manufacturing facility. It’s also critical to constantly look at how things can be done better and explore new technologies that perhaps didn’t exist even six months ago, all in a concerted effort to innovate. Going to the people closest to the process is always the best place to start.
About the author: Phil Canipe has more than 37 years of industrial distribution and manufacturing experience, focusing on cutting tool design, manufacturing/application engineering excellence, and process improvement. Prior to joining Stellar, Canipe spent 15 years as president/co-founder of a specialty cutting tool distributor. He is a member of SME and AMT—The Association for Manufacturing Technology.
Filed Under: Expert Opinions, Manufacturing Trends, Moved, News Tagged With: Process Improvement, Quality & Metrology, Tool Assemblies, tooling
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APC TIG Week: Applying APC Evaluation Practice to Theory by Annette Gardner and Claire Brindis
Leave a Comment / Advocacy and Policy Change / By Liz Zadnik / June 9, 2017 May 27, 2017
We are Annette Gardner and Claire Brindis, both at the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies at the University of California, San Francisco and authors of the recent book, Advocacy and Policy Change Evaluation: Theory and Practice.
There is a growing body of resources on linking theory to advocacy and policy change evaluation practice. However, APC evaluators are surfacing knowledge that can contribute to the scholarship on public policy and influence. Based on our review of political science and public policy arenas, we would like to nudge the conversation to the next level, suggesting some topics where APC evaluators can ‘give back’ to the scholarship.
New Voices and Forms of Participation: APC evaluators have not shied away from identifying new voices or recognizing existing voices whose influence has gone unnoticed, such as ‘bellwethers.’ Moreover, advocates are leveraging new forms of communication, such as text messaging. Evaluators are on the front lines and are learning about new advocacy strategies and tactics in real time.
Assessing Advocacy Effectiveness: Evaluators can provide information on advocacy tactics and their influence, such as findings from policymaker surveys that inquire about perceptions of specific advocacy tactics. Second, a perennial research question on influence is: Is it ‘Who you know’ or ‘What you know’? Or both? Given their vantage point, evaluators can characterize the roles and relationships of advocates and decision-makers who work together to craft and/or implement policy.
Other areas of inquiry include:
Taking the Policy Stage Model to the Next Level: Evaluators are documenting whether specific tactics wax and wane during the policy cycle. Given limited resources, is it better to engage in targeted advocacy during one stage of the policymaking process? Evaluators are focusing on a specific stage and can determine its relative importance to other stages.
Advancing Contextual Analysis: Evaluators are well positioned to characterize complicated policy arenas. Focusing on contextual factors using interviews and observations can advance understanding why specific advocacy tactics are/aren’t successful.
Measuring Civil Society and Civic Renewal: Evaluators that focus on grassroots, community-based advocacy campaigns have a front-row seat to the effectiveness and impacts of these initiatives and their potential for strengthening civil society.
APC evaluators are well positioned to contribute to the knowledge base of successful and not so successful forms of influence and their outcomes. Publications such as the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Policy Studies Journal, and Public Policy and Administration are waiting to hear from you!
Rad Resources: ORS Impact’s 2016 paper, Beyond the Win: Pathways for Policy Implementation describes linking designs and theories of change to scholarship on policy change. For a refresher on the mechanics of public policy and politics, check out Michael Kraft and Scott Furlong’s Public Policy: Politics, Analysis, and Alternatives.
The American Evaluation Association is celebrating APC TIG Week with our colleagues in the Advocacy and Policy Change Topical Interest Group. The contributions all this week to aea365 come from our AP TIG members. Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this aea365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the aea365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an aea365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to aea365@eval.org. aea365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators.
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WHEREIN A CERTAIN GENTLEMAN BECOMES PARTICULAR IN HIS ATTENTIONS TO A CERTAIN LADY; AND MORE COMING EVENTS THAN ONE, CAST THEIR SHADOWS BEFORE
The family were within two or three days of their departure from Mrs Todgers’s, and the commercial gentlemen were to a man despondent and not to be comforted, because of the approaching separation, when Bailey junior, at the jocund time of noon, presented himself before Miss Charity Pecksniff, then sitting with her sister in the banquet chamber, hemming six new pocket–handkerchiefs for Mr Jinkins; and having expressed a hope, preliminary and pious, that he might be blest, gave her in his pleasant way to understand that a visitor attended to pay his respects to her, and was at that moment waiting in the drawing–room. Perhaps this last announcement showed in a more striking point of view than many lengthened speeches could have done, the trustfulness and faith of Bailey’s nature; since he had, in fact, last seen the visitor on the door–mat, where, after signifying to him that he would do well to go upstairs, he had left him to the guidance of his own sagacity. Hence it was at least an even chance that the visitor was then wandering on the roof of the house, or vainly seeking to extricate himself from the maze of bedrooms; Todgers’s being precisely that kind of establishment in which an unpiloted stranger is pretty sure to find himself in some place where he least expects and least desires to be.
‘A gentleman for me!’ cried Charity, pausing in her work; ‘my gracious, Bailey!’
‘Ah!’ said Bailey. ‘It IS my gracious, an’t it? Wouldn’t I be gracious neither, not if I wos him!’
The remark was rendered somewhat obscure in itself, by reason (as the reader may have observed) of a redundancy of negatives; but accompanied by action expressive of a faithful couple walking arm–in–arm towards a parochial church, mutually exchanging looks of love, it clearly signified this youth’s conviction that the caller’s purpose was of an amorous tendency. Miss Charity affected to reprove so great a liberty; but she could not help smiling. He was a strange boy, to be sure. There was always some ground of probability and likelihood mingled with his absurd behaviour. That was the best of it!
‘But I don’t know any gentlemen, Bailey,’ said Miss Pecksniff. ‘I think you must have made a mistake.’
Mr Bailey smiled at the extreme wildness of such a supposition, and regarded the young ladies with unimpaired affability.
‘My dear Merry,’ said Charity, ‘who CAN it be? Isn’t it odd? I have a great mind not to go to him really. So very strange, you know!’
The younger sister plainly considered that this appeal had its origin in the pride of being called upon and asked for; and that it was intended as an assertion of superiority, and a retaliation upon her for having captured the commercial gentlemen. Therefore, she replied, with great affection and politeness, that it was, no doubt, very strange indeed; and that she was totally at a loss to conceive what the ridiculous person unknown could mean by it.
‘Quite impossible to divine!’ said Charity, with some sharpness, ‘though still, at the same time, you needn’t be angry, my dear.’
‘Thank you,’ retorted Merry, singing at her needle. ‘I am quite aware of that, my love.’
‘I am afraid your head is turned, you silly thing,’ said Cherry.
‘Do you know, my dear,’ said Merry, with engaging candour, ‘that I have been afraid of that, myself, all along! So much incense and nonsense, and all the rest of it, is enough to turn a stronger head than mine. What a relief it must be to you, my dear, to be so very comfortable in that respect, and not to be worried by those odious men! How do you do it, Cherry?’
This artless inquiry might have led to turbulent results, but for the strong emotions of delight evinced by Bailey junior, whose relish in the turn the conversation had lately taken was so acute, that it impelled and forced him to the instantaneous performance of a dancing step, extremely difficult in its nature, and only to be achieved in a moment of ecstasy, which is commonly called The Frog’s Hornpipe. A manifestation so lively, brought to their immediate recollection the great virtuous precept, ‘Keep up appearances whatever you do,’ in which they had been educated. They forbore at once, and jointly signified to Mr Bailey that if he should presume to practice that figure any more in their presence, they would instantly acquaint Mrs Todgers with the fact, and would demand his condign punishment, at the hands of that lady. The young gentleman having expressed the bitterness of his contrition by affecting to wipe away scalding tears with his apron, and afterwards feigning to wring a vast amount of water from that garment, held the door open while Miss Charity passed out; and so that damsel went in state upstairs to receive her mysterious adorer.
By some strange occurrence of favourable circumstances he had found out the drawing–room, and was sitting there alone.
‘Ah, cousin!’ he said. ‘Here I am, you see. You thought I was lost, I’ll be bound. Well! how do you find yourself by this time?’
Miss Charity replied that she was quite well, and gave Mr Jonas Chuzzlewit her hand.
‘That’s right,’ said Mr Jonas, ‘and you’ve got over the fatigues of the journey have you? I say. How’s the other one?’
‘My sister is very well, I believe,’ returned the young lady. ‘I have not heard her complain of any indisposition, sir. Perhaps you would like to see her, and ask her yourself?’
‘No, no cousin!’ said Mr Jonas, sitting down beside her on the window–seat. ‘Don’t be in a hurry. There’s no occasion for that, you know. What a cruel girl you are!’
‘It’s impossible for YOU to know,’ said Cherry, ‘whether I am or not.’
‘Well, perhaps it is,’ said Mr Jonas. ‘I say — Did you think I was lost? You haven’t told me that.’
‘I didn’t think at all about it,’ answered Cherry.
‘Didn’t you though?’ said Jonas, pondering upon this strange reply. ‘Did the other one?’
‘I am sure it’s impossible for me to say what my sister may, or may not have thought on such a subject,’ cried Cherry. ‘She never said anything to me about it, one way or other.’
‘Didn’t she laugh about it?’ inquired Jonas.
‘No. She didn’t even laugh about it,’ answered Charity.
‘She’s a terrible one to laugh, an’t she?’ said Jonas, lowering his voice.
‘She is very lively,’ said Cherry.
‘Liveliness is a pleasant thing — when it don’t lead to spending money. An’t it?’ asked Mr Jonas.
‘Very much so, indeed,’ said Cherry, with a demureness of manner that gave a very disinterested character to her assent.
‘Such liveliness as yours I mean, you know,’ observed Mr Jonas, as he nudged her with his elbow. ‘I should have come to see you before, but I didn’t know where you was. How quick you hurried off, that morning!’
‘I was amenable to my papa’s directions,’ said Miss Charity.
‘I wish he had given me his direction,’ returned her cousin, ‘and then I should have found you out before. Why, I shouldn’t have found you even now, if I hadn’t met him in the street this morning. What a sleek, sly chap he is! Just like a tomcat, an’t he?’
‘I must trouble you to have the goodness to speak more respectfully of my papa, Mr Jonas,’ said Charity. ‘I can’t allow such a tone as that, even in jest.’
‘Ecod, you may say what you like of MY father, then, and so I give you leave,’ said Jonas. ‘I think it’s liquid aggravation that circulates through his veins, and not regular blood. How old should you think my father was, cousin?’
‘Old, no doubt,’ replied Miss Charity; ‘but a fine old gentleman.’
‘A fine old gentleman!’ repeated Jonas, giving the crown of his hat an angry knock. ‘Ah! It’s time he was thinking of being drawn out a little finer too. Why, he’s eighty!’
‘Is he, indeed?’ said the young lady.
‘And ecod,’ cried Jonas, ‘now he’s gone so far without giving in, I don’t see much to prevent his being ninety; no, nor even a hundred. Why, a man with any feeling ought to be ashamed of being eighty, let alone more. Where’s his religion, I should like to know, when he goes flying in the face of the Bible like that? Threescore–and–ten’s the mark, and no man with a conscience, and a proper sense of what’s expected of him, has any business to live longer.’
Is any one surprised at Mr Jonas making such a reference to such a book for such a purpose? Does any one doubt the old saw, that the Devil (being a layman) quotes Scripture for his own ends? If he will take the trouble to look about him, he may find a greater number of confirmations of the fact in the occurrences of any single day, than the steam–gun can discharge balls in a minute.
‘But there’s enough of my father,’ said Jonas; ‘it’s of no use to go putting one’s self out of the way by talking about HIM. I called to ask you to come and take a walk, cousin, and see some of the sights; and to come to our house afterwards, and have a bit of something. Pecksniff will most likely look in in the evening, he says, and bring you home. See, here’s his writing; I made him put it down this morning when he told me he shouldn’t be back before I came here; in case you wouldn’t believe me. There’s nothing like proof, is there? Ha, ha! I say — you’ll bring the other one, you know!’
Miss Charity cast her eyes upon her father’s autograph, which merely said — ‘Go, my children, with your cousin. Let there be union among us when it is possible;’ and after enough of hesitation to impart a proper value to her consent, withdrew to prepare her sister and herself for the excursion. She soon returned, accompanied by Miss Mercy, who was by no means pleased to leave the brilliant triumphs of Todgers’s for the society of Mr Jonas and his respected father.
‘Aha!’ cried Jonas. ‘There you are, are you?’
‘Yes, fright,’ said Mercy, ‘here I am; and I would much rather be anywhere else, I assure you.’
‘You don’t mean that,’ cried Mr Jonas. ‘You can’t, you know. It isn’t possible.’
‘You can have what opinion you like, fright,’ retorted Mercy. ‘I am content to keep mine; and mine is that you are a very unpleasant, odious, disagreeable person.’ Here she laughed heartily, and seemed to enjoy herself very much.
‘Oh, you’re a sharp gal!’ said Mr Jonas. ‘She’s a regular teaser, an’t she, cousin?’
Miss Charity replied in effect, that she was unable to say what the habits and propensities of a regular teaser might be; and that even if she possessed such information, it would ill become her to admit the existence of any creature with such an unceremonious name in her family; far less in the person of a beloved sister; ‘whatever,’ added Cherry with an angry glance, ‘whatever her real nature may be.’
‘Well, my dear,’ said Merry, ‘the only observation I have to make is, that if we don’t go out at once, I shall certainly take my bonnet off again, and stay at home.’
This threat had the desired effect of preventing any farther altercation, for Mr Jonas immediately proposed an adjournment, and the same being carried unanimously, they departed from the house straightway. On the doorstep, Mr Jonas gave an arm to each cousin; which act of gallantry being observed by Bailey junior, from the garret window, was by him saluted with a loud and violent fit of coughing, to which paroxysm he was still the victim when they turned the corner.
Mr Jonas inquired in the first instance if they were good walkers and being answered, ‘Yes,’ submitted their pedestrian powers to a pretty severe test; for he showed them as many sights, in the way of bridges, churches, streets, outsides of theatres, and other free spectacles, in that one forenoon, as most people see in a twelvemonth. It was observable in this gentleman, that he had an insurmountable distaste to the insides of buildings, and that he was perfectly acquainted with the merits of all shows, in respect of which there was any charge for admission, which it seemed were every one detestable, and of the very lowest grade of merit. He was so thoroughly possessed with this opinion, that when Miss Charity happened to mention the circumstance of their having been twice or thrice to the theatre with Mr Jinkins and party, he inquired, as a matter of course, ‘where the orders came from?’ and being told that Mr Jinkins and party paid, was beyond description entertained, observing that ‘they must be nice flats, certainly;’ and often in the course of the walk, bursting out again into a perfect convulsion of laughter at the surpassing silliness of those gentlemen, and (doubtless) at his own superior wisdom.
When they had been out for some hours and were thoroughly fatigued, it being by that time twilight, Mr Jonas intimated that he would show them one of the best pieces of fun with which he was acquainted. This joke was of a practical kind, and its humour lay in taking a hackney–coach to the extreme limits of possibility for a shilling. Happily it brought them to the place where Mr Jonas dwelt, or the young ladies might have rather missed the point and cream of the jest.
The old–established firm of Anthony Chuzzlewit and Son, Manchester Warehousemen, and so forth, had its place of business in a very narrow street somewhere behind the Post Office; where every house was in the brightest summer morning very gloomy; and where light porters watered the pavement, each before his own employer’s premises, in fantastic patterns, in the dog–days; and where spruce gentlemen with their hands in the pockets of symmetrical trousers, were always to be seen in warm weather, contemplating their undeniable boots in dusty warehouse doorways; which appeared to be the hardest work they did, except now and then carrying pens behind their ears. A dim, dirty, smoky, tumble–down, rotten old house it was, as anybody would desire to see; but there the firm of Anthony Chuzzlewit and Son transacted all their business and their pleasure too, such as it was; for neither the young man nor the old had any other residence, or any care or thought beyond its narrow limits.
Business, as may be readily supposed, was the main thing in this establishment; insomuch indeed that it shouldered comfort out of doors, and jostled the domestic arrangements at every turn. Thus in the miserable bedrooms there were files of moth–eaten letters hanging up against the walls; and linen rollers, and fragments of old patterns, and odds and ends of spoiled goods, strewed upon the ground; while the meagre bedsteads, washing–stands, and scraps of carpet, were huddled away into corners as objects of secondary consideration, not to be thought of but as disagreeable necessities, furnishing no profit, and intruding on the one affair of life. The single sitting–room was on the same principle, a chaos of boxes and old papers, and had more counting–house stools in it than chairs; not to mention a great monster of a desk straddling over the middle of the floor, and an iron safe sunk into the wall above the fireplace. The solitary little table for purposes of refection and social enjoyment, bore as fair a proportion to the desk and other business furniture, as the graces and harmless relaxations of life had ever done, in the persons of the old man and his son, to their pursuit of wealth. It was meanly laid out now for dinner; and in a chair before the fire sat Anthony himself, who rose to greet his son and his fair cousins as they entered.
An ancient proverb warns us that we should not expect to find old heads upon young shoulders; to which it may be added that we seldom meet with that unnatural combination, but we feel a strong desire to knock them off; merely from an inherent love we have of seeing things in their right places. It is not improbable that many men, in no wise choleric by nature, felt this impulse rising up within them, when they first made the acquaintance of Mr Jonas; but if they had known him more intimately in his own house, and had sat with him at his own board, it would assuredly have been paramount to all other considerations.
‘Well, ghost!’ said Mr Jonas, dutifully addressing his parent by that title. ‘Is dinner nearly ready?’
‘I should think it was,’ rejoined the old man.
‘What’s the good of that?’ rejoined the son. ‘I should think it was. I want to know.’
‘Ah! I don’t know for certain,’ said Anthony.
‘You don’t know for certain,’ rejoined his son in a lower tone. ‘No. You don’t know anything for certain, YOU don’t. Give me your candle here. I want it for the gals.’
Anthony handed him a battered old office candlestick, with which Mr Jonas preceded the young ladies to the nearest bedroom, where he left them to take off their shawls and bonnets; and returning, occupied himself in opening a bottle of wine, sharpening the carving–knife, and muttering compliments to his father, until they and the dinner appeared together. The repast consisted of a hot leg of mutton with greens and potatoes; and the dishes having been set upon the table by a slipshod old woman, they were left to enjoy it after their own manner.
‘Bachelor’s Hall, you know, cousin,’ said Mr Jonas to Charity. ‘I say — the other one will be having a laugh at this when she gets home, won’t she? Here; you sit on the right side of me, and I’ll have her upon the left. Other one, will you come here?’
‘You’re such a fright,’ replied Mercy, ‘that I know I shall have no appetite if I sit so near you; but I suppose I must.’
‘An’t she lively?’ whispered Mr Jonas to the elder sister, with his favourite elbow emphasis.
‘Oh I really don’t know!’ replied Miss Pecksniff, tartly. ‘I am tired of being asked such ridiculous questions.’
‘What’s that precious old father of mine about now?’ said Mr Jonas, seeing that his parent was travelling up and down the room instead of taking his seat at table. ‘What are you looking for?’
‘I’ve lost my glasses, Jonas,’ said old Anthony.
‘Sit down without your glasses, can’t you?’ returned his son. ‘You don’t eat or drink out of ’em, I think; and where’s that sleepy–headed old Chuffey got to! Now, stupid. Oh! you know your name, do you?’
It would seem that he didn’t, for he didn’t come until the father called. As he spoke, the door of a small glass office, which was partitioned off from the rest of the room, was slowly opened, and a little blear–eyed, weazen–faced, ancient man came creeping out. He was of a remote fashion, and dusty, like the rest of the furniture; he was dressed in a decayed suit of black; with breeches garnished at the knees with rusty wisps of ribbon, the very paupers of shoestrings; on the lower portion of his spindle legs were dingy worsted stockings of the same colour. He looked as if he had been put away and forgotten half a century before, and somebody had just found him in a lumber–closet.
Such as he was, he came slowly creeping on towards the table, until at last he crept into the vacant chair, from which, as his dim faculties became conscious of the presence of strangers, and those strangers ladies, he rose again, apparently intending to make a bow. But he sat down once more without having made it, and breathing on his shrivelled hands to warm them, remained with his poor blue nose immovable above his plate, looking at nothing, with eyes that saw nothing, and a face that meant nothing. Take him in that state, and he was an embodiment of nothing. Nothing else.
‘Our clerk,’ said Mr Jonas, as host and master of the ceremonies: ‘Old Chuffey.’
‘Is he deaf?’ inquired one of the young ladies.
‘No, I don’t know that he is. He an’t deaf, is he, father?’
‘I never heard him say he was,’ replied the old man.
‘Blind?’ inquired the young ladies.
‘N — no. I never understood that he was at all blind,’ said Jonas, carelessly. ‘You don’t consider him so, do you, father?’
‘Certainly not,’ replied Anthony.
‘What is he, then?’
‘Why, I’ll tell you what he is,’ said Mr Jonas, apart to the young ladies, ‘he’s precious old, for one thing; and I an’t best pleased with him for that, for I think my father must have caught it of him. He’s a strange old chap, for another,’ he added in a louder voice, ‘and don’t understand any one hardly, but HIM!’ He pointed to his honoured parent with the carving–fork, in order that they might know whom he meant.
‘How very strange!’ cried the sisters.
‘Why, you see,’ said Mr Jonas, ‘he’s been addling his old brains with figures and book–keeping all his life; and twenty years ago or so he went and took a fever. All the time he was out of his head (which was three weeks) he never left off casting up; and he got to so many million at last that I don’t believe he’s ever been quite right since. We don’t do much business now though, and he an’t a bad clerk.’
‘A very good one,’ said Anthony.
‘Well! He an’t a dear one at all events,’ observed Jonas; ‘and he earns his salt, which is enough for our look–out. I was telling you that he hardly understands any one except my father; he always understands him, though, and wakes up quite wonderful. He’s been used to his ways so long, you see! Why, I’ve seen him play whist, with my father for a partner; and a good rubber too; when he had no more notion what sort of people he was playing against, than you have.’
‘Has he no appetite?’ asked Merry.
‘Oh, yes,’ said Jonas, plying his own knife and fork very fast. ‘He eats — when he’s helped. But he don’t care whether he waits a minute or an hour, as long as father’s here; so when I’m at all sharp set, as I am to–day, I come to him after I’ve taken the edge off my own hunger, you know. Now, Chuffey, stupid, are you ready?’
Chuffey remained immovable.
‘Always a perverse old file, he was,’ said Mr Jonas, coolly helping himself to another slice. ‘Ask him, father.’
‘Are you ready for your dinner, Chuffey?’ asked the old man
‘Yes, yes,’ said Chuffey, lighting up into a sentient human creature at the first sound of the voice, so that it was at once a curious and quite a moving sight to see him. ‘Yes, yes. Quite ready, Mr Chuzzlewit. Quite ready, sir. All ready, all ready, all ready.’ With that he stopped, smilingly, and listened for some further address; but being spoken to no more, the light forsook his face by little and little, until he was nothing again.
‘He’ll be very disagreeable, mind,’ said Jonas, addressing his cousins as he handed the old man’s portion to his father. ‘He always chokes himself when it an’t broth. Look at him, now! Did you ever see a horse with such a wall–eyed expression as he’s got? If it hadn’t been for the joke of it I wouldn’t have let him come in to–day; but I thought he’d amuse you.’
The poor old subject of this humane speech was, happily for himself, as unconscious of its purport as of most other remarks that were made in his presence. But the mutton being tough, and his gums weak, he quickly verified the statement relative to his choking propensities, and underwent so much in his attempts to dine, that Mr Jonas was infinitely amused; protesting that he had seldom seen him better company in all his life, and that he was enough to make a man split his sides with laughing. Indeed, he went so far as to assure the sisters, that in this point of view he considered Chuffey superior to his own father; which, as he significantly added, was saying a great deal.
It was strange enough that Anthony Chuzzlewit, himself so old a man, should take a pleasure in these gibings of his estimable son at the expense of the poor shadow at their table. But he did, unquestionably; though not so much — to do him justice — with reference to their ancient clerk, as in exultation at the sharpness of Jonas. For the same reason that young man’s coarse allusions, even to himself, filled him with a stealthy glee; causing him to rub his hands and chuckle covertly, as if he said in his sleeve, ‘I taught him. I trained him. This is the heir of my bringing–up. Sly, cunning, and covetous, he’ll not squander my money. I worked for this; I hoped for this; it has been the great end and aim of my life.’
What a noble end and aim it was to contemplate in the attainment truly! But there be some who manufacture idols after the fashion of themselves, and fail to worship them when they are made; charging their deformity on outraged nature. Anthony was better than these at any rate.
Chuffey boggled over his plate so long, that Mr Jones, losing patience, took it from him at last with his own hands, and requested his father to signify to that venerable person that he had better ‘peg away at his bread;’ which Anthony did.
‘Aye, aye!’ cried the old man, brightening up as before, when this was communicated to him in the same voice, ‘quite right, quite right. He’s your own son, Mr Chuzzlewit! Bless him for a sharp lad! Bless him, bless him!’
Mr Jonas considered this so particularly childish (perhaps with some reason), that he only laughed the more, and told his cousins that he was afraid one of these fine days, Chuffey would be the death of him. The cloth was then removed, and the bottle of wine set upon the table, from which Mr Jonas filled the young ladies’ glasses, calling on them not to spare it, as they might be certain there was plenty more where that came from. But he added with some haste after this sally that it was only his joke, and they wouldn’t suppose him to be in earnest, he was sure.
‘I shall drink,’ said Anthony, ‘to Pecksniff. Your father, my dears. A clever man, Pecksniff. A wary man! A hypocrite, though, eh? A hypocrite, girls, eh? Ha, ha, ha! Well, so he is. Now, among friends, he is. I don’t think the worse of him for that, unless it is that he overdoes it. You may overdo anything, my darlings. You may overdo even hypocrisy. Ask Jonas!’
‘You can’t overdo taking care of yourself,’ observed that hopeful gentleman with his mouth full.
‘Do you hear that, my dears?’ cried Anthony, quite enraptured. ‘Wisdom, wisdom! A good exception, Jonas. No. It’s not easy to overdo that.’
‘Except,’ whispered Mr Jonas to his favourite cousin, ‘except when one lives too long. Ha, ha! Tell the other one that — I say!’
‘Good gracious me!’ said Cherry, in a petulant manner. ‘You can tell her yourself, if you wish, can’t you?’
‘She seems to make such game of one,’ replied Mr Jonas.
‘Then why need you trouble yourself about her?’ said Charity. ‘I am sure she doesn’t trouble herself much about you.’
‘Don’t she though?’ asked Jonas.
‘Good gracious me, need I tell you that she don’t?’ returned the young lady.
Mr Jonas made no verbal rejoinder, but he glanced at Mercy with an odd expression in his face; and said THAT wouldn’t break his heart, she might depend upon it. Then he looked on Charity with even greater favour than before, and besought her, as his polite manner was, to ‘come a little closer.’
‘There’s another thing that’s not easily overdone, father,’ remarked Jonas, after a short silence.
‘What’s that?’ asked the father; grinning already in anticipation.
‘A bargain,’ said the son. ‘Here’s the rule for bargains — “Do other men, for they would do you.” That’s the true business precept. All others are counterfeits.’
The delighted father applauded this sentiment to the echo; and was so much tickled by it, that he was at the pains of imparting the same to his ancient clerk, who rubbed his hands, nodded his palsied head, winked his watery eyes, and cried in his whistling tones, ‘Good! good! Your own son, Mr Chuzzlewit’ with every feeble demonstration of delight that he was capable of making. But this old man’s enthusiasm had the redeeming quality of being felt in sympathy with the only creature to whom he was linked by ties of long association, and by his present helplessness. And if there had been anybody there, who cared to think about it, some dregs of a better nature unawakened, might perhaps have been descried through that very medium, melancholy though it was, yet lingering at the bottom of the worn–out cask called Chuffey.
As matters stood, nobody thought or said anything upon the subject; so Chuffey fell back into a dark corner on one side of the fireplace, where he always spent his evenings, and was neither seen nor heard again that night; save once, when a cup of tea was given him, in which he was seen to soak his bread mechanically. There was no reason to suppose that he went to sleep at these seasons, or that he heard, or saw, or felt, or thought. He remained, as it were, frozen up — if any term expressive of such a vigorous process can be applied to him — until he was again thawed for the moment by a word or touch from Anthony.
Miss Charity made tea by desire of Mr Jonas, and felt and looked so like the lady of the house that she was in the prettiest confusion imaginable; the more so from Mr Jonas sitting close beside her, and whispering a variety of admiring expressions in her ear. Miss Mercy, for her part, felt the entertainment of the evening to be so distinctly and exclusively theirs, that she silently deplored the commercial gentlemen — at that moment, no doubt, wearying for her return — and yawned over yesterday’s newspaper. As to Anthony, he went to sleep outright, so Jonas and Cherry had a clear stage to themselves as long as they chose to keep possession of it.
When the tea–tray was taken away, as it was at last, Mr Jonas produced a dirty pack of cards, and entertained the sisters with divers small feats of dexterity: whereof the main purpose of every one was, that you were to decoy somebody into laying a wager with you that you couldn’t do it; and were then immediately to win and pocket his money. Mr Jonas informed them that these accomplishments were in high vogue in the most intellectual circles, and that large amounts were constantly changing hands on such hazards. And it may be remarked that he fully believed this; for there is a simplicity of cunning no less than a simplicity of innocence; and in all matters where a lively faith in knavery and meanness was required as the ground–work of belief, Mr Jonas was one of the most credulous of men. His ignorance, which was stupendous, may be taken into account, if the reader pleases, separately.
This fine young man had all the inclination to be a profligate of the first water, and only lacked the one good trait in the common catalogue of debauched vices — open–handedness — to be a notable vagabond. But there his griping and penurious habits stepped in; and as one poison will sometimes neutralise another, when wholesome remedies would not avail, so he was restrained by a bad passion from quaffing his full measure of evil, when virtue might have sought to hold him back in vain.
By the time he had unfolded all the peddling schemes he knew upon the cards, it was growing late in the evening; and Mr Pecksniff not making his appearance, the young ladies expressed a wish to return home. But this, Mr Jonas, in his gallantry, would by no means allow, until they had partaken of some bread and cheese and porter; and even then he was excessively unwilling to allow them to depart; often beseeching Miss Charity to come a little closer, or to stop a little longer, and preferring many other complimentary petitions of that nature in his own hospitable and earnest way. When all his efforts to detain them were fruitless, he put on his hat and greatcoat preparatory to escorting them to Todgers’s; remarking that he knew they would rather walk thither than ride; and that for his part he was quite of their opinion.
‘Good night,’ said Anthony. ‘Good night; remember me to — ha, ha, ha! — to Pecksniff. Take care of your cousin, my dears; beware of Jonas; he’s a dangerous fellow. Don’t quarrel for him, in any case!’
‘Oh, the creature!’ cried Mercy. ‘The idea of quarrelling for HIM! You may take him, Cherry, my love, all to yourself. I make you a present of my share.’
‘What! I’m a sour grape, am I, cousin?’ said Jonas.
Miss Charity was more entertained by this repartee than one would have supposed likely, considering its advanced age and simple character. But in her sisterly affection she took Mr Jonas to task for leaning so very hard upon a broken reed, and said that he must not be so cruel to poor Merry any more, or she (Charity) would positively be obliged to hate him. Mercy, who really had her share of good humour, only retorted with a laugh; and they walked home in consequence without any angry passages of words upon the way. Mr Jonas being in the middle, and having a cousin on each arm, sometimes squeezed the wrong one; so tightly too, as to cause her not a little inconvenience; but as he talked to Charity in whispers the whole time, and paid her great attention, no doubt this was an accidental circumstance. When they arrived at Todgers’s, and the door was opened, Mercy broke hastily from them, and ran upstairs; but Charity and Jonas lingered on the steps talking together for more than five minutes; so, as Mrs Todgers observed next morning, to a third party, ‘It was pretty clear what was going on THERE, and she was glad of it, for it really was high time that Miss Pecksniff thought of settling.’
And now the day was coming on, when that bright vision which had burst on Todgers’s so suddenly, and made a sunshine in the shady breast of Jinkins, was to be seen no more; when it was to be packed, like a brown paper parcel, or a fish–basket, or an oyster barrel or a fat gentleman, or any other dull reality of life, in a stagecoach and carried down into the country.
‘Never, my dear Miss Pecksniffs,’ said Mrs Todgers, when they retired to rest on the last night of their stay, ‘never have I seen an establishment so perfectly broken–hearted as mine is at this present moment of time. I don’t believe the gentlemen will be the gentlemen they were, or anything like it — no, not for weeks to come. You have a great deal to answer for, both of you.’
They modestly disclaimed any wilful agency in this disastrous state of things, and regretted it very much.
‘Your pious pa, too,’ said Mrs Todgers. ‘There’s a loss! My dear Miss Pecksniffs, your pa is a perfect missionary of peace and love.’
Entertaining an uncertainty as to the particular kind of love supposed to be comprised in Mr Pecksniff’s mission, the young ladies received the compliment rather coldly.
‘If I dared,’ said Mrs Todgers, perceiving this, ‘to violate a confidence which has been reposed in me, and to tell you why I must beg of you to leave the little door between your room and mine open tonight, I think you would be interested. But I mustn’t do it, for I promised Mr Jinkins faithfully, that I would be as silent as the tomb.’
‘Dear Mrs Todgers! What can you mean?’
‘Why, then, my sweet Miss Pecksniffs,’ said the lady of the house; ‘my own loves, if you will allow me the privilege of taking that freedom on the eve of our separation, Mr Jinkins and the gentlemen have made up a little musical party among themselves, and DO intend, in the dead of this night, to perform a serenade upon the stairs outside the door. I could have wished, I own,’ said Mrs Todgers, with her usual foresight, ‘that it had been fixed to take place an hour or two earlier; because when gentlemen sit up late they drink, and when they drink they’re not so musical, perhaps, as when they don’t. But this is the arrangement; and I know you will be gratified, my dear Miss Pecksniffs, by such a mark of their attention.’
The young ladies were at first so much excited by the news, that they vowed they couldn’t think of going to bed until the serenade was over. But half an hour of cool waiting so altered their opinion that they not only went to bed, but fell asleep; and were, moreover, not ecstatically charmed to be awakened some time afterwards by certain dulcet strains breaking in upon the silent watches of the night.
It was very affecting — very. Nothing more dismal could have been desired by the most fastidious taste. The gentleman of a vocal turn was head mute, or chief mourner; Jinkins took the bass; and the rest took anything they could get. The youngest gentleman blew his melancholy into a flute. He didn’t blow much out of it, but that was all the better. If the two Miss Pecksniffs and Mrs Todgers had perished by spontaneous combustion, and the serenade had been in honour of their ashes, it would have been impossible to surpass the unutterable despair expressed in that one chorus, ‘Go where glory waits thee!’ It was a requiem, a dirge, a moan, a howl, a wail, a lament, an abstract of everything that is sorrowful and hideous in sound. The flute of the youngest gentleman was wild and fitful. It came and went in gusts, like the wind. For a long time together he seemed to have left off, and when it was quite settled by Mrs Todgers and the young ladies that, overcome by his feelings, he had retired in tears, he unexpectedly turned up again at the very top of the tune, gasping for breath. He was a tremendous performer. There was no knowing where to have him; and exactly when you thought he was doing nothing at all, then was he doing the very thing that ought to astonish you most.
There were several of these concerted pieces; perhaps two or three too many, though that, as Mrs Todgers said, was a fault on the right side. But even then, even at that solemn moment, when the thrilling sounds may be presumed to have penetrated into the very depths of his nature, if he had any depths, Jinkins couldn’t leave the youngest gentleman alone. He asked him distinctly, before the second song began — as a personal favour too, mark the villain in that — not to play. Yes; he said so; not to play. The breathing of the youngest gentleman was heard through the key–hole of the door. He DIDN’T play. What vent was a flute for the passions swelling up within his breast? A trombone would have been a world too mild.
The serenade approached its close. Its crowning interest was at hand. The gentleman of a literary turn had written a song on the departure of the ladies, and adapted it to an old tune. They all joined, except the youngest gentleman in company, who, for the reasons aforesaid, maintained a fearful silence. The song (which was of a classical nature) invoked the oracle of Apollo, and demanded to know what would become of Todgers’s when CHARITY and MERCY were banished from its walls. The oracle delivered no opinion particularly worth remembering, according to the not infrequent practice of oracles from the earliest ages down to the present time. In the absence of enlightenment on that subject, the strain deserted it, and went on to show that the Miss Pecksniffs were nearly related to Rule Britannia, and that if Great Britain hadn’t been an island, there could have been no Miss Pecksniffs. And being now on a nautical tack, it closed with this verse:
‘All hail to the vessel of Pecksniff the sire!
And favouring breezes to fan;
While Tritons flock round it, and proudly admire
The architect, artist, and man!’
As they presented this beautiful picture to the imagination, the gentlemen gradually withdrew to bed to give the music the effect of distance; and so it died away, and Todgers’s was left to its repose.
Mr Bailey reserved his vocal offering until the morning, when he put his head into the room as the young ladies were kneeling before their trunks, packing up, and treated them to an imitation of the voice of a young dog in trying circumstances; when that animal is supposed by persons of a lively fancy, to relieve his feelings by calling for pen and ink.
‘Well, young ladies,’ said the youth, ‘so you’re a–going home, are you, worse luck?’
‘Yes, Bailey, we’re going home,’ returned Mercy.
‘An’t you a–going to leave none of ’em a lock of your hair?’ inquired the youth. ‘It’s real, an’t it?’
They laughed at this, and told him of course it was.
‘Oh, is it of course, though?’ said Bailey. ‘I know better than that. Hers an’t. Why, I see it hanging up once, on that nail by the winder. Besides, I have gone behind her at dinner–time and pulled it; and she never know’d. I say, young ladies, I’m a–going to leave. I an’t a–going to stand being called names by her, no longer.’
Miss Mercy inquired what his plans for the future might be; in reply to whom Mr Bailey intimated that he thought of going either into top–boots, or into the army.
‘Into the army!’ cried the young ladies, with a laugh.
‘Ah!’ said Bailey, ‘why not? There’s a many drummers in the Tower. I’m acquainted with ’em. Don’t their country set a valley on ’em, mind you! Not at all!’
‘You’ll be shot, I see,’ observed Mercy.
‘Well!’ cried Mr Bailey, ‘wot if I am? There’s something gamey in it, young ladies, an’t there? I’d sooner be hit with a cannon–ball than a rolling–pin, and she’s always a–catching up something of that sort, and throwing it at me, when the gentlemans’ appetites is good. Wot,’ said Mr Bailey, stung by the recollection of his wrongs, ‘wot, if they DO consume the per–vishuns. It an’t MY fault, is it?’
‘Surely no one says it is,’ said Mercy.
‘Don’t they though?’ retorted the youth. ‘No. Yes. Ah! oh! No one mayn’t say it is! but some one knows it is. But I an’t a–going to have every rise in prices wisited on me. I an’t a–going to be killed because the markets is dear. I won’t stop. And therefore,’ added Mr Bailey, relenting into a smile, ‘wotever you mean to give me, you’d better give me all at once, becos if ever you come back agin, I shan’t be here; and as to the other boy, HE won’t deserve nothing, I know.’
The young ladies, on behalf of Mr Pecksniff and themselves, acted on this thoughtful advice; and in consideration of their private friendship, presented Mr Bailey with a gratuity so liberal that he could hardly do enough to show his gratitude; which found but an imperfect vent, during the remainder of the day, in divers secret slaps upon his pocket, and other such facetious pantomime. Nor was it confined to these ebullitions; for besides crushing a bandbox, with a bonnet in it, he seriously damaged Mr Pecksniff’s luggage, by ardently hauling it down from the top of the house; and in short evinced, by every means in his power, a lively sense of the favours he had received from that gentleman and his family.
Mr Pecksniff and Mr Jinkins came home to dinner arm–in–arm; for the latter gentleman had made half–holiday on purpose; thus gaining an immense advantage over the youngest gentleman and the rest, whose time, as it perversely chanced, was all bespoke, until the evening. The bottle of wine was Mr Pecksniff’s treat, and they were very sociable indeed; though full of lamentations on the necessity of parting. While they were in the midst of their enjoyment, old Anthony and his son were announced; much to the surprise of Mr Pecksniff, and greatly to the discomfiture of Jinkins.
‘Come to say good–bye, you see,’ said Anthony, in a low voice, to Mr Pecksniff, as they took their seats apart at the table, while the rest conversed among themselves. ‘Where’s the use of a division between you and me? We are the two halves of a pair of scissors, when apart, Pecksniff; but together we are something. Eh?’
‘Unanimity, my good sir,’ rejoined Mr Pecksniff, ‘is always delightful.’
‘I don’t know about that,’ said the old man, ‘for there are some people I would rather differ from than agree with. But you know my opinion of you.’
Mr Pecksniff, still having ‘hypocrite’ in his mind, only replied by a motion of his head, which was something between an affirmative bow, and a negative shake.
‘Complimentary,’ said Anthony. ‘Complimentary, upon my word. It was an involuntary tribute to your abilities, even at the time; and it was not a time to suggest compliments either. But we agreed in the coach, you know, that we quite understood each other.’
‘Oh, quite!’ assented Mr Pecksniff, in a manner which implied that he himself was misunderstood most cruelly, but would not complain.
Anthony glanced at his son as he sat beside Miss Charity, and then at Mr Pecksniff, and then at his son again, very many times. It happened that Mr Pecksniff’s glances took a similar direction; but when he became aware of it, he first cast down his eyes, and then closed them; as if he were determined that the old man should read nothing there.
‘Jonas is a shrewd lad,’ said the old man.
‘He appears,’ rejoined Mr Pecksniff in his most candid manner, ‘to be very shrewd.’
‘And careful,’ said the old man.
‘And careful, I have no doubt,’ returned Mr Pecksniff.
‘Look ye!’ said Anthony in his ear. ‘I think he is sweet upon you daughter.’
‘Tut, my good sir,’ said Mr Pecksniff, with his eyes still closed; ‘young people — young people — a kind of cousins, too — no more sweetness than is in that, sir.’
‘Why, there is very little sweetness in that, according to our experience,’ returned Anthony. ‘Isn’t there a trifle more here?’
‘Impossible to say,’ rejoined Mr Pecksniff. ‘Quite impossible! You surprise me.’
‘Yes, I know that,’ said the old man, drily. ‘It may last; I mean the sweetness, not the surprise; and it may die off. Supposing it should last, perhaps (you having feathered your nest pretty well, and I having done the same), we might have a mutual interest in the matter.’
Mr Pecksniff, smiling gently, was about to speak, but Anthony stopped him.
‘I know what you are going to say. It’s quite unnecessary. You have never thought of this for a moment; and in a point so nearly affecting the happiness of your dear child, you couldn’t, as a tender father, express an opinion; and so forth. Yes, quite right. And like you! But it seems to me, my dear Pecksniff,’ added Anthony, laying his hand upon his sleeve, ‘that if you and I kept up the joke of pretending not to see this, one of us might possibly be placed in a position of disadvantage; and as I am very unwilling to be that party myself, you will excuse my taking the liberty of putting the matter beyond a doubt thus early; and having it distinctly understood, as it is now, that we do see it, and do know it. Thank you for your attention. We are now upon an equal footing; which is agreeable to us both, I am sure.’
He rose as he spoke; and giving Mr Pecksniff a nod of intelligence, moved away from him to where the young people were sitting; leaving that good man somewhat puzzled and discomfited by such very plain dealing, and not quite free from a sense of having been foiled in the exercise of his familiar weapons.
But the night–coach had a punctual character, and it was time to join it at the office; which was so near at hand that they had already sent their luggage and arranged to walk. Thither the whole party repaired, therefore, after no more delay than sufficed for the equipment of the Miss Pecksniffs and Mrs Todgers. They found the coach already at its starting–place, and the horses in; there, too, were a large majority of the commercial gentlemen, including the youngest, who was visibly agitated, and in a state of deep mental dejection.
Nothing could equal the distress of Mrs Todgers in parting from the young ladies, except the strong emotions with which she bade adieu to Mr Pecksniff. Never surely was a pocket–handkerchief taken in and out of a flat reticule so often as Mrs Todgers’s was, as she stood upon the pavement by the coach–door supported on either side by a commercial gentleman; and by the sight of the coach–lamps caught such brief snatches and glimpses of the good man’s face, as the constant interposition of Mr Jinkins allowed. For Jinkins, to the last the youngest gentleman’s rock a–head in life, stood upon the coachstep talking to the ladies. Upon the other step was Mr Jonas, who maintained that position in right of his cousinship; whereas the youngest gentleman, who had been first upon the ground, was deep in the booking–office among the black and red placards, and the portraits of fast coaches, where he was ignominiously harassed by porters, and had to contend and strive perpetually with heavy baggage. This false position, combined with his nervous excitement, brought about the very consummation and catastrophe of his miseries; for when in the moment of parting he aimed a flower, a hothouse flower that had cost money, at the fair hand of Mercy, it reached, instead, the coachman on the box, who thanked him kindly, and stuck it in his buttonhole.
They were off now; and Todgers’s was alone again. The two young ladies, leaning back in their separate corners, resigned themselves to their own regretful thoughts. But Mr Pecksniff, dismissing all ephemeral considerations of social pleasure and enjoyment, concentrated his meditations on the one great virtuous purpose before him, of casting out that ingrate and deceiver, whose presence yet troubled his domestic hearth, and was a sacrilege upon the altars of his household gods.
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Women in Love
by D. H. Lawrence
In the morning Gerald woke late. He had slept heavily. Pussum was still asleep, sleeping childishly and pathetically. There was something small and curled up and defenceless about her, that roused an unsatisfied flame of passion in the young man's blood, a devouring avid pity. He looked at her again. But it would be too cruel to wake her. He subdued himself, and went away.
Hearing voices coming from the sitting-room, Halliday talking to Libidnikov, he went to the door and glanced in. He had on a silk wrap of a beautiful bluish colour, with an amethyst hem.
To his surprise he saw the two young men by the fire, stark naked. Halliday looked up, rather pleased.
'Good-morning,' he said. 'Oh—did you want towels?' And stark naked he went out into the hall, striding a strange, white figure between the unliving furniture. He came back with the towels, and took his former position, crouching seated before the fire on the fender.
'Don't you love to feel the fire on your skin?' he said.
'It IS rather pleasant,' said Gerald.
'How perfectly splendid it must be to be in a climate where one could do without clothing altogether,' said Halliday.
'Yes,' said Gerald, 'if there weren't so many things that sting and bite.'
'That's a disadvantage,' murmured Maxim.
Gerald looked at him, and with a slight revulsion saw the human animal, golden skinned and bare, somehow humiliating. Halliday was different. He had a rather heavy, slack, broken beauty, white and firm. He was like a Christ in a Pieta. The animal was not there at all, only the heavy, broken beauty. And Gerald realised how Halliday's eyes were beautiful too, so blue and warm and confused, broken also in their expression. The fireglow fell on his heavy, rather bowed shoulders, he sat slackly crouched on the fender, his face was uplifted, weak, perhaps slightly disintegrate, and yet with a moving beauty of its own.
'Of course,' said Maxim, 'you've been in hot countries where the people go about naked.'
'Oh really!' exclaimed Halliday. 'Where?'
'South America—Amazon,' said Gerald.
'Oh but how perfectly splendid! It's one of the things I want most to do—to live from day to day without EVER putting on any sort of clothing whatever. If I could do that, I should feel I had lived.'
'But why?' said Gerald. 'I can't see that it makes so much difference.'
'Oh, I think it would be perfectly splendid. I'm sure life would be entirely another thing—entirely different, and perfectly wonderful.'
'But why?' asked Gerald. 'Why should it?'
'Oh—one would FEEL things instead of merely looking at them. I should feel the air move against me, and feel the things I touched, instead of having only to look at them. I'm sure life is all wrong because it has become much too visual—we can neither hear nor feel nor understand, we can only see. I'm sure that is entirely wrong.'
'Yes, that is true, that is true,' said the Russian.
Gerald glanced at him, and saw him, his suave, golden coloured body with the black hair growing fine and freely, like tendrils, and his limbs like smooth plant-stems. He was so healthy and well-made, why did he make one ashamed, why did one feel repelled? Why should Gerald even dislike it, why did it seem to him to detract from his own dignity. Was that all a human being amounted to? So uninspired! thought Gerald.
Birkin suddenly appeared in the doorway, in white pyjamas and wet hair, and a towel over his arm. He was aloof and white, and somehow evanescent.
'There's the bath-room now, if you want it,' he said generally, and was going away again, when Gerald called:
'I say, Rupert!'
'What?' The single white figure appeared again, a presence in the room.
'What do you think of that figure there? I want to know,' Gerald asked.
Birkin, white and strangely ghostly, went over to the carved figure of the negro woman in labour. Her nude, protuberant body crouched in a strange, clutching posture, her hands gripping the ends of the band, above her breast.
'It is art,' said Birkin.
'Very beautiful, it's very beautiful,' said the Russian.
They all drew near to look. Gerald looked at the group of men, the Russian golden and like a water-plant, Halliday tall and heavily, brokenly beautiful, Birkin very white and indefinite, not to be assigned, as he looked closely at the carven woman. Strangely elated, Gerald also lifted his eyes to the face of the wooden figure. And his heart contracted.
He saw vividly with his spirit the grey, forward-stretching face of the negro woman, African and tense, abstracted in utter physical stress. It was a terrible face, void, peaked, abstracted almost into meaninglessness by the weight of sensation beneath. He saw the Pussum in it. As in a dream, he knew her.
'Why is it art?' Gerald asked, shocked, resentful.
'It conveys a complete truth,' said Birkin. 'It contains the whole truth of that state, whatever you feel about it.'
'But you can't call it HIGH art,' said Gerald.
'High! There are centuries and hundreds of centuries of development in a straight line, behind that carving; it is an awful pitch of culture, of a definite sort.'
'What culture?' Gerald asked, in opposition. He hated the sheer African thing.
'Pure culture in sensation, culture in the physical consciousness, really ultimate PHYSICAL consciousness, mindless, utterly sensual. It is so sensual as to be final, supreme.'
But Gerald resented it. He wanted to keep certain illusions, certain ideas like clothing.
'You like the wrong things, Rupert,' he said, 'things against yourself.'
'Oh, I know, this isn't everything,' Birkin replied, moving away.
When Gerald went back to his room from the bath, he also carried his clothes. He was so conventional at home, that when he was really away, and on the loose, as now, he enjoyed nothing so much as full outrageousness. So he strode with his blue silk wrap over his arm and felt defiant.
The Pussum lay in her bed, motionless, her round, dark eyes like black, unhappy pools. He could only see the black, bottomless pools of her eyes. Perhaps she suffered. The sensation of her inchoate suffering roused the old sharp flame in him, a mordant pity, a passion almost of cruelty.
'You are awake now,' he said to her.
'What time is it?' came her muted voice.
She seemed to flow back, almost like liquid, from his approach, to sink helplessly away from him. Her inchoate look of a violated slave, whose fulfilment lies in her further and further violation, made his nerves quiver with acutely desirable sensation. After all, his was the only will, she was the passive substance of his will. He tingled with the subtle, biting sensation. And then he knew, he must go away from her, there must be pure separation between them.
It was a quiet and ordinary breakfast, the four men all looking very clean and bathed. Gerald and the Russian were both correct and COMME IL FAUT in appearance and manner, Birkin was gaunt and sick, and looked a failure in his attempt to be a properly dressed man, like Gerald and Maxim. Halliday wore tweeds and a green flannel shirt, and a rag of a tie, which was just right for him. The Hindu brought in a great deal of soft toast, and looked exactly the same as he had looked the night before, statically the same.
At the end of the breakfast the Pussum appeared, in a purple silk wrap with a shimmering sash. She had recovered herself somewhat, but was mute and lifeless still. It was a torment to her when anybody spoke to her. Her face was like a small, fine mask, sinister too, masked with unwilling suffering. It was almost midday. Gerald rose and went away to his business, glad to get out. But he had not finished. He was coming back again at evening, they were all dining together, and he had booked seats for the party, excepting Birkin, at a music-hall.
At night they came back to the flat very late again, again flushed with drink. Again the man-servant—who invariably disappeared between the hours of ten and twelve at night—came in silently and inscrutably with tea, bending in a slow, strange, leopard-like fashion to put the tray softly on the table. His face was immutable, aristocratic-looking, tinged slightly with grey under the skin; he was young and good-looking. But Birkin felt a slight sickness, looking at him, and feeling the slight greyness as an ash or a corruption, in the aristocratic inscrutability of expression a nauseating, bestial stupidity.
Again they talked cordially and rousedly together. But already a certain friability was coming over the party, Birkin was mad with irritation, Halliday was turning in an insane hatred against Gerald, the Pussum was becoming hard and cold, like a flint knife, and Halliday was laying himself out to her. And her intention, ultimately, was to capture Halliday, to have complete power over him.
In the morning they all stalked and lounged about again. But Gerald could feel a strange hostility to himself, in the air. It roused his obstinacy, and he stood up against it. He hung on for two more days. The result was a nasty and insane scene with Halliday on the fourth evening. Halliday turned with absurd animosity upon Gerald, in the cafe. There was a row. Gerald was on the point of knocking-in Halliday's face; when he was filled with sudden disgust and indifference, and he went away, leaving Halliday in a foolish state of gloating triumph, the Pussum hard and established, and Maxim standing clear. Birkin was absent, he had gone out of town again.
Gerald was piqued because he had left without giving the Pussum money. It was true, she did not care whether he gave her money or not, and he knew it. But she would have been glad of ten pounds, and he would have been VERY glad to give them to her. Now he felt in a false position. He went away chewing his lips to get at the ends of his short clipped moustache. He knew the Pussum was merely glad to be rid of him. She had got her Halliday whom she wanted. She wanted him completely in her power. Then she would marry him. She wanted to marry him. She had set her will on marrying Halliday. She never wanted to hear of Gerald again; unless, perhaps, she were in difficulty; because after all, Gerald was what she called a man, and these others, Halliday, Libidnikov, Birkin, the whole Bohemian set, they were only half men. But it was half men she could deal with. She felt sure of herself with them. The real men, like Gerald, put her in her place too much.
Still, she respected Gerald, she really respected him. She had managed to get his address, so that she could appeal to him in time of distress. She knew he wanted to give her money. She would perhaps write to him on that inevitable rainy day.
Return to the Women in Love Summary Return to the D. H. Lawrence Library
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2018/19 UEFA Champions League, Group Stage
AS Monaco AS Monaco MON
Borussia Dortmund Borussia Dortmund BVB
Raphaël Guerreiro (15', 88')
Borussia Dortmund beat Monaco to finish ahead of Atletico Madrid
An under-strength Borussia Dortmund deepened AS Monaco's season-long misery on Tuesday with a 2-0 away victory that ensured they finished top of Champions League Group A ahead of Atletico Madrid.
The victory took Dortmund on to 13 points and meant they won the group thanks to a better head-to-head record against the Spaniards, who drew 0-0 at Club Bruges.
Raphael Guerreiro got both goals for the Germans, the first when he tapped in following a fine counter-attack with a quarter of an hour gone and the second two minutes from time when he curled a shot into the top corner from around 10 metres out.
It was another fine performance by Dortmund, who even without several of their rested regulars extended their season's record to 17 wins, four draws and just one defeat in all competitions.
Monaco, who were destined to finish bottom of the group even before the game, suffered their 14th European match without a win and ended the group in last place with just one point, five points behind Bruges.
UEFA Champions League Standings
1 Borussia Dortmund 6 +8 13
2 Atletico Madrid 6 +3 13
3 Club Brugge 6 +1 6
4 AS Monaco 6 -12 1
UEFA Champions League News
Rummenigge: Strength of the EPL is the reason for Bayern's UCL demise
Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge believes that the clubs dominance in the Bundesliga, along with the competitiveness of the Premier League, is affecting Bayern's Champions League performance.
Bayern have 'a mountain of work to do' this transfer window
The FC crew discuss Bayern Munich's underwhelming lack of transfer activity this summer following the departures of several key players.
Liverpool defeat still lingers for Bayern's Manuel Neuer
Manuel Neuer reflects on Bayern Munich's 2018-19 Champions League exit vs. Liverpool in an exclusive interview with ESPN.
Liverpool won't have spending splurge - Klopp
Jurgen Klopp said the club "will see what we do" in terms of summer spending but added it wouldn't be the "biggest transfer window of all-time."
Neymar appeal over 3-match UCL ban rejected
UEFA have rejected Paris Saint-Germain's appeal over Neymar's three-match ban for "insulting officials" after the 3-1 defeat to Manchester United.
Suarez: Liverpool loss worst moment of my life
Barcelona's Luis Suarez said the shock Champions League loss at Liverpool hurt as much as being sent home from the World Cup for biting an opponent.
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Malay language / Malaysia / Sexuality
Some notes on sluttiness in Jalang
23 May, 2011 Angry Malay WomanLeave a comment
The best part about being a researcher in film and media is the joy of discovering half-forgotten ‘gems’, like the Malaysian film called Jalang (2009). Jalang (Malay for slut, whore, wayward butterfly, you get the idea) is the ground-breaking cinematic masterpiece by Nazir Jamaluddin about a high-flying young woman Maria who apparently sleeps her way to getting business deals and eventually gets her fatal comeuppance for her indiscreet love for sex.
Just so audiences don’t get their moral wires mixed up, the film begins with a handy prologue about the loathsomeness of the jalang and that good Muslims should steer clear away from them. But it’s likely that most people won’t come across the jalang, because they’re usually killed off, on screen and sadly sometimes off screen as well. Since our film of interest aims to be didactic in character, let’s see one can be learned from Maria’s slutty ways:
Flashy cars, stylish clothes; the material perks of a jalang are pretty good.
Sluts are successful businesswomen who drive expensive cars with their top down on a bright sunny day in Malaysia.
Sluts have Mariah Carey-inspired butterfly tattoos
That's the business meeting etiquette out the window
Sluts are touchy feely and affectionate to a point of excess with every male sleaze-bag in the boardroom during a business meeting.
Sluts care a lot about other women, especially if other women are their struggling younger sisters.
Sluts are made into sex objects to be passed around between ugly, middle-aged men.
Sluts are fine as non-committal sex partners, but are an unthinkable no-no’s as daughter-in-laws, especially if they’ve slept with you.
Sluts are despised by other women who want to tie them up and blow their slutty bodies into a million slutty pieces.
As if being mad isn't enough, there is also the unflattering tank top to contend with
Sluts turn men into psychotic and violent stalkers.
Sluts also make men bad at lying about their extra-marital affairs.
Sluts somehow deserve to be sexually harassed at work because of their exceedingly relaxed office etiquette with their male employers.
Sluts can be desirable to nice men but they must repent, cover up and start praying again.
Sluts are actually not entitled to a fresh start in life. When they’re honest about their sexual past they will be shamed for it. Worse, they will be beaten for their honesty.
An obligatory visit to the village as part of one's soul-searching expedition
Sluts remove their butterfly tattoos, wear the baju kurung, and experience life in the village in an attempt to ‘cleanse’ their body and spirit.
Sluts are made to be subjected to violent assault by men
Sluts die a horrible death in front of a mosque, Mastika-style.
Lesson: It doesn’t matter what you wear, what your sexual history is, how pure and golden your heart is, or your sincerity to “change your ways”, if you’ve had plenty of enjoyable pre-marital sex you will be punished for it. Above all, you are a slut or jalang in spite of all the above.
You will be punished even more when you have a desire to get married to a man. Sexual morality dictates that many men will hate to marry women who have had an illustrious history of relationships, because men will insist on being the first and the only one who’s been to a woman’s sweet spot. Being the second or the fifty-third man isn’t going to cut it.
As a woman in a male-dominated environment, one is expected to kow-tow to the sexist assumption that a woman is successful because she uses her sexual capital – her body, not her talent or intelligence. The success a woman enjoys in a high-powered job is linked to her moral inadequacies; when Maria falls for the man who accepts her for who she is Maria gives up her job to be “a woman in love” i.e. a woman who would rather be dependent on a man.
Most damning of all, there is no way for a woman to be free from shame and insult no matter what she says and does. Meanwhile, men can get away unscathed from whatever sexual improprieties while women suffer, are silenced, and chastised. Worse, men often get away with committing sexual assault scot-free.
Why is a discussion on this film even necessary when we can all predict the brutal end that awaits Maria? First, a Malay film-maker must be audacious enough to make a film about a so-called jalang to want to send some kind of message on how story about a jalang should be told. That message as we all now learn is unfair and irredeemably simplistic.
Second, being a jalang is supposedly the lowest of the low for Malay women. Without an examination what jalang means, the clouded nature of the insult can have power over all Malay women. When we rethink and re-examine our assumptions about what makes a jalang, particularly when we see how a jalang is represented for us, we will discover many loopholes that mitigate and even subvert what jalang means.
For instance, Jalang could be read as a story about a kind-hearted and caring woman who has sexual agency, but then is played out by evil men who abuse her good nature, talent, and relaxed attitudes to sex. Reading the film this way does not mitigate against how her character is punished in the end, but proposes that being a jalang is not a ticket to earthly damnation and that the problem are the men in the film.
I strongly believe that a continuous reassessment on what a jalang means, how much a woman is entitled to her sexuality, and the expression of jalang-ness that is free from violence, abuse, and shame can subvert and neutralise the toxic power of gendered insults and the laws of sexual morality. Perhaps this is one of the many ways we can reclaim the liberated, considerate, business savvy, and talented jalang.
film, Sexism
Two steps forward, one step back: On Dalam Botol, Malaysia’s first ‘gay’ film
What Malaysians talk about when we talk about pornography
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XNA Game Studio 3.1 out, Community Games are now Indie Games
XNA Game Studio 3.1 has been released, and with it Xbox LIVE Community Games …
Emil Protalinski - Jun 12, 2009 7:05 pm UTC
XNA Game Studio is for hobbyists, academics, and independent game developers interested in creating video games for Windows, Xbox 360, and the Zune by using optimized cross-platform gaming libraries based on the .NET Framework in the C# programming language. Version 3.1 of XNA has now been released on the Microsoft Download Center: Microsoft XNA Game Studio 3.1 (73.2 MB) and Microsoft XNA Framework Redistributable 3.1 (7.3 MB). As noted by the readme, make sure to uninstall XNA Game Studio 3.0 before installing 3.1.
Before you start reading the changelog below, there's one thing worth noting. In direct response to developer feedback, the launch of XNA Game Studio 3.1 begins the process of renaming Xbox LIVE Community Games to Xbox LIVE Indie Games. In late July, when Microsoft updates XNA Creators Club Online, the name change will become apparent on the consumer side.
Avatar Support: Render and animate Avatars to use in your game to represent gamers and other characters within your game.
Xbox LIVE Party Support: Enabling gamers to communicate, even when each gamer is not playing the same game in the same multiplayer session. LIVE Party supports up to an eight-way group voice chat for gamers and keeps gamers connected before, during, and after a gameplay session, persisting across title switches.
Video Playback: XNA Game Studio now supports the ability to play back video that can be used for such purposes as opening splash and logo scenes, cut scenes, or in-game video displays. This set of XNA Framework APIs supports the following features:
Full screen video playback
Video playback to simple textures in game
Control of playback such as pause/resume and stop
Retrieve properties of the video, such as playback time, size, and frame rate
Determine the type and usage of the audio track, such as if it has music, dialog, or music and dialog
Play back multiple video streams at the same time
Audio API: 3.1 has a new usage pattern of SoundEffect.Play. Sound instances created by Play calls are disposed automatically when playback ends, and SoundEffect. Play returns a Boolean to indicate success or failure
Content Pipeline Enhancements: improvements making it much easier to add custom types (custom attributes for run-time of an object and run-time type version of an object, and the ability to determine if deserialization into an existing object is possible)
XACT3 Support: includes support for XACT3 with new features including the ability to enable a filter on every track, and support for the xWMA compression format
Visual Studio Changes: XNA Game Studio 3.1 supports both 3.0 and 3.1 projects, and it includes support for upgrading projects from 3.0 to 3.1
Believe it or not, that's the short version of what's new. If you want the full details, check out XNA Game Studio 3.1: What's new?. If you're interested in submitting or upgrading your existing Xbox LIVE Community Game using XNA Game Studio 3.1, you'll want to read Convert 3.0 Projects Games to XNA Game Studio 3.1. Finally, the last link I'm going to throw at you is for reporting bugs or feature suggestions.
Now go create something awesome.
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An Unnecessary Constitution
This entry was posted on May 1, 2013 by Jayson, in Current Events, Jayson and tagged Azhar, Constitution, Egypt, Free Egyptians Party, Freedom and Justice Party, Ragy Soliman. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment
The word in Arabic, al-dostour, means ‘the constitution’
From my recent article on Arab West Report:
The new Egyptian constitution was unnecessary from the start, says Ragy Sulayman of the Free Egyptians Party (FEP). The 1971 constitution, with added amendments, would have served just fine.
Sulayman is the founding lawyer who brought the liberal FEP into existence following the January 25 revolution. A member of the party’s political office, he also heads its legal and constitutional committees. Though the FEP declined participation in writing the constitution in protest of the lack of sufficient women and Coptic representation, they actively opposed the final draft. Rather than delving into the problems of content, Sulayman preferred to describe how the process was flawed from the beginning.
The basic problem is that though nearly all segments of society agreed on the need for a new constitution following the success of the revolution, there was no unified justification for why. This lack of consensus would come to polarize the political scene, made worse by the initial decisions of the suddenly ruling military council.
His main critique of the text of the constitution is interesting, for he does not take aim at its increased religious language but its virtual replication of the old system:
Once formed, however, the Constituent Assembly proved uncreative and unprepared to write a new constitution. First of all, they failed to conduct any social studies to determine the problems of the Egyptian people and take them into account. But second of all, the new draft largely patterned itself off the 1971 constitution, often using the exact same wording. The only significant divergence, which Sulayman admits as substantial, is the transformation from a presidential system of government to a parliamentary.
Even the religious aspects of the constitution do not represent a radical change in parliamentary procedure. Watching the Muslim Brotherhood’s majority Freedom and Justice Party deal with recent legislation concerning Islamic bonds, it is clear they intended the Azhar to play only a consultative role when the Supreme Constitutional Court is brought a case. Sulayman agrees with this interpretation, actually, though the Azhar has insisted on prior review. But parliamentary procedures under the old system also called for sharia-compliant legislation, with a designated committee to seek the opinion of the Azhar on relevant draft laws. Even the controversial Article 219, defining the principles of sharia, does not significantly alter the system.
This convinces Sulayman the increased religious language of the constitution was mainly a campaign tool – coupled with efforts to convince the population of a yes vote for ‘stability’ – to ratify the document by referendum. A rushed process hammered through a flawed constitution to a population misled by propaganda. The Egyptian people were denied a chance to achieve a national charter worthy of their aspirations.
Elsewhere Sulayman takes note of a significant divergence from the old system, in which a mixed presidential-parliamentary system replaces the former presidential.
Overall his critique seems fair, but if the 1971 constitution would have been fine, why does he criticize the new draft patterning off of it? Especially if he approves (seemingly) of the new governing relationship between president and parliament?
I suppose it is due to the hodge-podge nature in which everything was done, but please click here for the full article on Arab West Report and decide for yourself.
« Friday Prayers for Egypt: Upper Egypt
Coptic Palm Sunday Street Parade Axed to Keep the Peace »
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Home » World News » Canada » 🍁 CDN Petition: PM Trudeau – Stop Sale Of Armoured Vehicles To Saudi Arabia
🍁 CDN Petition: PM Trudeau – Stop Sale Of Armoured Vehicles To Saudi Arabia
By Alistair Reign, April 19, 2016. Extended version of the online petition.
Read this little angel’s story, click here.
This petition was started by myself, Alistair Reign, and I am calling on all of my readers, from every country, to add your voice to this important campaign, asking Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau to stop Canada from contributing to Saudi’s war crimes on the Yemeni civilians; where women and children remain the majority killed by airstrikes and sniper shells.
This article is an expanded version of the online petition, to the benefit that I could add photos and additional information – but you must click on the link below to sign petition on the Change website.
Go sign this Petition ⛔ Stop the sale of military equipment to Saudi Arabia.
The Honourable MP Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada has lent her support to our petition: Read Her letter in the News section.
The petition reads as follows.
Cluster bombs dropped on a village in Yemen, with the “Made in the USA” serial number still on them 2016. (Photo: Sorce)
The Liberal government continued to defend Canada’s $15-billion sale of “light-armoured” vehicles to Saudi Arabia as “a matter of principle,” just as a new report highlighting the U.S government’s concerns with widespread human rights violations in Saudi Arabia was released.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. “The principle at play here is that Canada’s word needs to mean something in the international community.“
I agree Prime Minister, it is important to stand by our word, but with all due respect Sir – that is exactly why we must stop the sale of any military equipment to Saudi Arabia;
in order to stand by our word as a member of the United Nations to uphold the UN Charter’s Rules of War – and that is the promise we need to keep to regain respect from the international community – not selling military equipment to Saudis for cash.
Prime Minister, Your Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, I have been a great supporter of your campaign, and so proud of your new policy of opening Canada’s doors and minds.
Please do not tarnish our new found pride in our country – as humanitarians. Our word as a nation will not be left in doubt – that agreement was made by the previous government, and the Saudi’s blatant crimes against humanity, including the slaughtering of women and children in Yemen warrants a reconsideration.
Internationally banned US-made cluster bombs used in a crowded market in Sana’a, Yemen, killing many January 6,2016. (Photo: Source).
What will be left in doubt is our word as diplomatic members of society, and defender of the United Nations Charter of Rights – which includes rules of war.
What will be left in doubt is “our word” as diplomatic members of society, and defenders of the UN Charter of Rights – which includes rules of war.
Please Sir, stand up to your word you gave to your own people 🍁 Canadians, and do not make us, as a country, participant in Saudi war crimes with the sale of armoured military vehicles to aid in their inhumane genocide of the Yemenis.
Father and son were injured in the airstrike explosions filmed in the video above 2016. (Photo: Your Ability).
The video and photo are of a father and son who were injured in the bombing caught on camera by the “Your Ability” staff, who filmed this footage from the front of their own building (Which has been converted into an orphanage since the attack on Yemen last March 2015), in Sana’a in February 2016).
Respectfully Your Honourable Prime Minister Sir, there is no such thing as a harmless “light-armoured” military vehicle that cannot kill.
The slow, agonizing death of starvation – an infant receives critical hospital care in a nourishing department in Sana’a, Yemen 2016. (Photo: Your Ability).
Your Right Honourable Prime Minister Trudeau, I ask you to please read the following two reports linked at the bottom. I have written several articles on the dire humanitarian crisis in Yemen – that is unnecessarily exasperated by Saudi Arabia’s blockade on any supplies or medical aid.
I receive my statistics, interviews, video and photos direct from the doctors and humanitarian workers inside Yemen; who incidentally are desperately trying to save the children who the Saudis are trying to kill.
That blockade on humanitarian aid alone should convince you, Prime Minister Trudeau Sir, that Saudi Arabia is not abiding the rules of war.
“The ongoing violence in Yemen has left nearly 10 million children facing threats of malnutrition and disease, lack of education,” the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) representative to the country warned in January 2016, calling for unhindered humanitarian access to all those in need and an end to the conflict.*
*Report One: Yemeni Children – Victimized By War, Exploitation. Disease.
I have been told from several sources in Yemen that a child as young as five-years-old will be sent out alone on an arduous search for gas and water, putting them at risk and vulnerable to many obstacles and crimes against children – including abductions, abuse, exploitation, and even burning of the child’s body 2015.
“The silence of the world is killing the children in Yemen,” said Mohammed Alharthy, CEO and Vice-President of the Yemen organisation, Your Ability For Development.**
**Report Two: Yemen – Who Is Protecting The Orphans?
No amount of money is worth the continued suffering of the Yemeni people. If you took the time to read this, please add your voice and sign the petition.
This petition will be delivered to:
Prime Minister of Canada/Premier ministre du Canada
Minister of National Defence
Harjit Singh Sajjan
This page is a mirror of the online petition, however I am able to add photos and additional information here – but you must click on the link above to sign petition on the Change website.
🔝
Blogs, media and journalists are welcome to reblog this page in full or part. I only ask that you keep the links to the petition page on Change.org, and send me a quick message in the comment box below with a link to where it’s posted. Thank you.
Canada's Role In War
Human Rights Violation
King Salman Al-Saud
Petitions on Change
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Saudi Arabia-led Coalition
Testimonies of War Crimes in Yemen
Unlawful Airstrikes
Weapons Supplier Sales
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ALL-CARE ER® (oxycodone hydrochloride and naltrexone hydrochloride) Extended-Release Capsules, for oral use, CII is a combination opioid agonist/opioid antagonist product indicated for the management of pain severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock, long-term opioid treatment and for which alternative treatment options are inadequate.
LIMITATIONS OF USE:
Because of the risks of addiction, abuse, and misuse with opioids, even at recommended doses, and because of the greater risks of overdose and death with extended-release opioid formulations, reserve ALL-CARE ER for use in patients for whom alternative treatment options (e.g., non-opioid analgesics or immediate-release opioids) are ineffective, not tolerated, or would be otherwise inadequate to provide sufficient management of pain
ALL-CARE ER is not indicated as an as-needed (prn) analgesic
WARNING: ADDICTION, ABUSE, and MISUSE; LIFE-THREATENING RESPIRATORY DEPRESSION; ACCIDENTAL INGESTION; NEONATAL OPIOID WITHDRAWAL SYNDROME; and CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 INTERACTION.
Addiction, Abuse, and Misuse: ALL-CARE ER exposes patients and other users to the risks of opioid addiction, abuse, and misuse, which can lead to overdose and death. Assess each patient’s risk prior to prescribing ALL-CARE ER, and monitor all patients regularly for the development of these behaviors or conditions.
Life-Threatening Respiratory Depression: Serious, life-threatening, or fatal respiratory depression may occur with use of ALL-CARE ER. Monitor for respiratory depression, especially during initiation of ALL-CARE ER or following a dose increase. Instruct patients to swallow ALL-CARE ER capsules whole or to sprinkle the contents of the capsule on applesauce and swallow immediately without chewing. Crushing, chewing, or dissolving ALL-CARE ER can cause rapid release and absorption of a potentially fatal dose of oxycodone.
Accidental Ingestion: Accidental ingestion of even one dose of ALL-CARE ER, especially by children, can result in respiratory depression and death due to an overdose of oxycodone.
Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome: Prolonged use of ALL-CARE ER (oxycodone hydrochloride and naltrexone hydrochloride) Extended-Release capsules, for oral use, CII during pregnancy can result in neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome, which may be life-threatening if not recognized and treated, and requires management according to protocols developed by neonatology experts. If opioid use is required for a prolonged period in a pregnant woman, advise the patient of the risk of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome and ensure that appropriate treatment will be available.
Cytochrome P450 3A4 Interaction: The concomitant use of ALL-CARE ER with all cytochrome P450 3A4 inhibitors may result in an increase in oxycodone plasma concentrations, which could increase or prolong adverse drug effects and may cause potentially fatal respiratory depression. In addition, discontinuation of a concomitantly used cytochrome P450 3A4 inducer may result in an increase in oxycodone plasma concentrations. Monitor patients receiving ALL-CARE ER and any CYP3A4 inhibitor or inducer.
ALL-CARE ER is contraindicated in patients with:
Significant respiratory depression
Acute or severe bronchial asthma in an unmonitored setting or in the absence of resuscitative equipment
Known or suspected gastrointestinal obstruction, including paralytic ileus
Hypersensitivity (e.g., anaphylaxis) to oxycodone or naltrexone or any other components of the ALL-CARE ER formulation
WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS:
Addiction, Abuse, and Misuse: ALL-CARE ER contains oxycodone, a Schedule II controlled substance. As an opioid, ALL-CARE ER exposes users to the risks of addiction, abuse, and misuse. As modified-release products such as ALL-CARE ER deliver the opioid over an extended period of time, there is a greater risk for overdose and death due to the larger amount of oxycodone present.
Although the risk of addiction in any individual is unknown, it can occur in patients appropriately prescribed ALL-CARE ER and in those who obtain the drug illicitly. Addiction can occur at recommended doses and if the drug is misused or abused.
Assess each patient’s risk for opioid addiction, abuse, or misuse prior to prescribing ALL-CARE ER, and monitor all patients receiving ALL-CARE ER for the development of these behaviors or conditions. Risks are increased in patients with a personal or family history of substance abuse (including drug or alcohol addiction or abuse) or mental illness (e.g., major depression). The potential for these risks should not, however, prevent the prescribing of ALL-CARE ER for the proper management of pain in any given patient. Patients at increased risk may be prescribed modified-release opioid formulations such as ALL-CARE ER, but use in such patients necessitates intensive counseling about the risks and proper use of ALL-CARE ER along with intensive monitoring for signs of addiction, abuse, and misuse.
Abuse or misuse of ALL-CARE ER by cutting, breaking, chewing, crushing, or dissolving the pellets in ALL-CARE ER and then swallowing, snorting, or injecting will result in the uncontrolled delivery of the oxycodone and can result in overdose and death. Misuse or abuse of ALL-CARE ER by these methods may also release sufficient naltrexone to precipitate withdrawal in opioid-dependent individuals.
Opioids are sought by drug abusers and people with addiction disorders and are subject to criminal diversion. Consider these risks when prescribing or dispensing ALL-CARE ER. Strategies to reduce these risks include prescribing the drug in the smallest appropriate quantity and advising the patient on the proper disposal of unused drug. Contact the local state professional licensing board or state-controlled substances authority for information on how to prevent and detect abuse or diversion of this product.
Life-Threatening Respiratory Depression: Serious, life-threatening, or fatal respiratory depression has been reported with the use of modified-release opioids, even when used as recommended. Respiratory depression from opioid use, if not immediately recognized and treated, may lead to respiratory arrest and death. Management of respiratory depression may include close observation, supportive measures, and use of opioid antagonists, depending on the patient’s clinical status. Carbon dioxide (CO2) retention from opioid-induced respiratory depression can exacerbate the sedating effects of opioids.
While serious, life-threatening, or fatal respiratory depression can occur at any time during the use of ALL-CARE ER, the risk is greatest during the initiation of therapy or following a dose increase. Monitor patients closely for respiratory depression when initiating therapy with ALL-CARE ER and following dose increases.
Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome: Prolonged use of ALL-CARE ER during pregnancy can result in withdrawal in the neonate. Neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome, unlike opioid withdrawal syndrome in adults, may be life threatening if not recognized and treated, and requires management according to protocols developed by neonatology experts. Observe newborns for signs of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome and manage accordingly. Advise pregnant women using opioids for a prolonged period of the risk of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome and ensure that appropriate treatment will be available.
Risks of Concomitant Use or Discontinuation of Cytochrome P450 3A4 Inhibitors and Inducers: Concomitant use of ALL-CARE ER with a CYP3A4 inhibitor, such as macrolide antibiotics (e.g., erythromycin), azole-antifungal agents (e.g., ketoconazole), and protease inhibitors (e.g., ritonavir), may increase plasma concentrations of oxycodone and prolong opioid adverse reactions, which may cause potentially fatal respiratory depression, particularly when an inhibitor is added after a stable dose of ALL-CARE ER is achieved. Similarly, discontinuation of a CYP3A4 inducer, such as rifampin, carbamazepine, and phenytoin, in ALL-CARE ER-treated patients may increase oxycodone plasma concentrations and prolong opioid adverse reactions. When using ALL-CARE ER with CYP3A4 inhibitors or discontinuing CYP3A4 inducers in ALL-CARE ER-treated patients, monitor patients closely at frequent intervals and consider dosage reduction of ALL-CARE ER until stable drug effects are achieved.
Concomitant use of ALL-CARE ER with CYP3A4 inducers or discontinuation of a CYP3A4 inhibitor could decrease oxycodone plasma concentrations, decrease opioid efficacy, or possibly lead to a withdrawal syndrome in a patient who had developed physical dependence to oxycodone. When using ALL-CARE ER with CYP3A4 inducers or discontinuing CYP3A4 inhibitors, monitor patients closely at frequent intervals and consider increasing the opioid dosage if needed to maintain adequate analgesia or if symptoms of opioid withdrawal occur.
Risks Due to Interactions With Central Nervous System Depressants: Hypotension, profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma, and death may result if ALL-CARE ER is used concomitantly with alcohol or other central nervous system (CNS) depressants (e.g., benzodiazepines and other sedatives/hypnotics, anxiolytics, tranquilizers, muscle relaxants, general anesthetics, antipsychotics, and other opioids).
When considering the use of ALL-CARE ER in a patient taking a CNS depressant, assess the duration of use of the CNS depressant and the patient’s response, including the degree of tolerance that has developed to CNS depression. Additionally, evaluate the patient’s use of alcohol or illicit drugs that cause CNS depression. If the decision to begin ALL-CARE ER is made, start with a lower dosage of ALL-CARE ER, monitor patients for signs of respiratory depression, sedation, and hypotension, and consider using a lower dose of the concomitant CNS depressant.
Use in Elderly, Cachectic, and Debilitated Patients: Life-threatening respiratory depression is more likely to occur in elderly, cachectic, or debilitated patients as they may have altered pharmacokinetics or altered clearance compared to younger, healthier patients. Monitor such patients closely, particularly when initiating and titrating ALL-CARE ER and when ALL-CARE ER is given concomitantly with other drugs that depress respiration. Alternatively, consider the use of non-opioid analgesics in these patients.
Use in Patients with Chronic Pulmonary Disease: ALL-CARE ER-treated patients with significant chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or cor pulmonale, and those with a substantially decreased respiratory reserve, hypoxia, hypercapnia, or pre-existing respiratory depression are at increased risk of decreased respiratory drive, including apnea, even at recommended dosages of ALL-CARE ER.
Adrenal Insufficiency: Cases of adrenal insufficiency have been reported with opioid use, more often following greater than one month of use. Presentation of adrenal insufficiency may include non-specific symptoms and signs, including nausea, vomiting, anorexia, fatigue, weakness, dizziness, and low blood pressure. If adrenal insufficiency is suspected, confirm the diagnosis with diagnostic testing as soon as possible. If adrenal insufficiency is diagnosed, treat with physiologic replacement doses of corticosteroids. Wean the patient off of the opioid to allow adrenal function to recover and continue corticosteroid treatment until adrenal function recovers. Other opioids may be tried, as some cases reported use of a different opioid without recurrence of adrenal insufficiency. The information available does not identify any particular opioid as being more likely to be associated with adrenal insufficiency.
Hypotensive Effect: ALL-CARE ER may cause severe hypotension, including orthostatic hypotension and syncope, in ambulatory patients. There is an increased risk in patients whose ability to maintain blood pressure has already been compromised by a reduced blood volume or concurrent administration of certain CNS depressant drugs (i.e., phenothiazines or general anesthetics). Monitor these patients for signs of hypotension after initiating or titrating the dose of ALL-CARE ER. In patients with circulatory shock, ALL-CARE ER may cause vasodilation that can further reduce cardiac output and blood pressure. Avoid the use of ALL-CARE ER in patients with circulatory shock.
Use in Patients With Head Injury or Increased Intracranial Pressure: In patients who may be susceptible to the intracranial effects of CO2 retention (e.g., those with evidence of increased intracranial pressure or brain tumors), ALL-CARE ER may reduce respiratory drive, and the resultant CO2 retention can further increase intracranial pressure. Monitor such patients for signs of sedation and respiratory depression, particularly when initiating therapy with ALL-CARE ER.
Opioids may also obscure the clinical course in a patient with a head injury. Avoid the use of ALL-CARE ER in patients with impaired consciousness or coma.
Use in Patients With Gastrointestinal Conditions: ALL-CARE ER is contraindicated in patients with paralytic ileus. Avoid the use of ALL-CARE ER in patients with other GI obstructions. The oxycodone in ALL-CARE ER may cause spasm of the sphincter of Oddi. Monitor patients with biliary tract disease, including acute pancreatitis, for worsening symptoms. Opioids may cause increases in serum amylase.
Use in Patients With Convulsive or Seizure Disorders: The oxycodone in ALL-CARE ER may aggravate convulsions in patients with convulsive disorders, and may induce or aggravate seizures in some clinical settings. Monitor patients with a history of seizure disorders for worsened seizure control during ALL-CARE ER therapy.
Avoidance of Withdrawal: Avoid the use of mixed agonist/antagonist (i.e., pentazocine, nalbuphine, and butorphanol) or partial agonist (buprenorphine) analgesics in patients who have received or are receiving a course of therapy with a full opioid agonist analgesic, including ALL-CARE ER. In these patients, mixed agonist/antagonist and partial agonist analgesics may reduce the analgesic effect and/or may precipitate withdrawal symptoms.
Consuming ALL-CARE ER that has been altered by crushing, chewing, or dissolving the pellets can release sufficient naltrexone to precipitate withdrawal in opioid-dependent individuals. Symptoms of withdrawal usually appear within 5 minutes of ingestion of naltrexone and can last for up to 48 hours. Mental status changes can include restlessness, lacrimation, rhinorrhea, yawning, perspiration, chills, myalgia, and mydriasis. Significant fluid losses from vomiting and diarrhea can require intravenous fluid administration.
When discontinuing ALL-CARE ER, gradually taper the dose. Do not abruptly discontinue ALL-CARE ER.
Driving and Operating Machinery: ALL-CARE ER may impair the mental or physical abilities needed to perform potentially hazardous activities, such as driving a car or operating machinery. Warn patients not to drive or operate dangerous machinery unless they are tolerant to the effects of ALL-CARE ER and know how they will react to the medication.
Laboratory Tests and Monitoring: Naltrexone does not interfere with thin-layer, gas-liquid, and high-pressure liquid chromatographic methods, which may be used for the separation and detection of morphine, methadone, oxycodone, or quinine in the urine. Naltrexone may or may not interfere with enzymatic methods for the detection of opioids depending on the sensitivity and specificity of the test. Consult the test manufacturer for details.
Not every urine drug test for “opioids” or “opiates” detects oxycodone reliably, especially those designed for in-office use. Further, many laboratories will report urine drug concentrations below a specified “cut-off” value as “negative.” Therefore, if urine testing for oxycodone is considered in the clinical management of an individual patient, ensure that the sensitivity and specificity of the assay is appropriate, and consider the limitations of the testing used when interpreting results.
ADVERSE REACTIONS: Most common adverse reactions with ALL-CARE ER therapy were: nausea, constipation, vomiting, somnolence, headache, and dizziness.
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Kenya: Elders form team to lobby for Lapsset jobs on behalf of youths
Posted on 10 May 2019 10 May 2019 Author All African Youth PlatformCategories Kenya, NewsTags Africa News, Africa Youths, Kenyan News, Kenyan Newspaper, Kenyan Youths, Lamu Town
By The-star.co.ke (CHETI PRAXIDES)
Lamu Council of Elders has formed a special team to plead for jobs at the Lapsset project on behalf of local youths.
The move follows the nearing of completion of works at the first berth at the port site. The berth will be complete by the end next month. The other two berths will be completed by next year.
Locals have been agitating for jobs, saying they should be given first priority in employment opportunities once operations start.
The elders’ special committee will meet the Lapsset board and lobby for jobs for local youths. They want the job opportunities announced to the youths before the vacancies are advertised.
The Lapsset board has already announced the first cargo ship will dock at the port by November to usher in the start of the shipping component of the project.
The Lappset project plan includes a 32-berth port, transportation hubs for rail, highway and international airports in Lamu, Isiolo and Lodwar, an oil pipeline from South Sudan, Uganda and Ethiopia to Lamu, an oil refinery and three resort cities in Isiolo, Lamu and Turkana.
Speaking in Lamu town on Thursday, the council of elders led by chairman Sharif Kambaa said the community wasn’t pleased with the manner in which local youths have been marginalised in terms of employment at the port.
He said it was unfair that most of those employed at the Lapsset were from outside Lamu yet locals were languishing in poverty and joblessness.
They said residents had high hopes in Lapsset and were looking at the project to provide employment.
“We know the ships will begin coming in once the berth is completed. As such, there will be more employment opportunities. Our youth have missed out for long and that’s why we are sending a special delegation to plead for the jobs on their behalf. It’s only deserving that they are given first priority,” Kambaa said.
The elders criticised the Lapsset board for failing to involve them in decisions and matters concerning the port. “We are the elders of this land and our opinion and contribution must be sought. They need our blessings when they will be opening the first berth and we look forward to working with the board in future,” Kambaa said.
Deputy chairman Mohamed Mbwana said the elders were considering legal redress if the marginalisation in terms of employment persists.
“Former president Mwai Kibaki made a pledge that we’ll be given first priority. Why are people trying to change that. We will go to court if we have to,” Mbwana said.
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Non-Specialist Psychosocial Interventions for Children and Adolescents with Intellectual Disability or Lower-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Systematic Review
Brian Reichow, Chiara Servili, M. Taghi Yasamy, Corrado Barbui, et al
http://www.mendeley.com/research/nonspecialist-psychosocial-interventions-children-adolescents-intellectual-disability-lowerfunctioni-14
CiteULike06 Apr 11:26 UTC
{"title"=>"Non-Specialist Psychosocial Interventions for Children and Adolescents with Intellectual Disability or Lower-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Systematic Review", "type"=>"generic", "authors"=>[{"first_name"=>"Brian", "last_name"=>"Reichow", "scopus_author_id"=>"20434809100"}, {"first_name"=>"Chiara", "last_name"=>"Servili", "scopus_author_id"=>"36618157200"}, {"first_name"=>"M. Taghi", "last_name"=>"Yasamy", "scopus_author_id"=>"6508357128"}, {"first_name"=>"Corrado", "last_name"=>"Barbui", "scopus_author_id"=>"36886312000"}, {"first_name"=>"Shekhar", "last_name"=>"Saxena", "scopus_author_id"=>"35430382900"}], "year"=>2013, "source"=>"PLoS Medicine", "identifiers"=>{"pmid"=>"24358029", "doi"=>"10.1371/journal.pmed.1001572", "sgr"=>"84892896812", "isbn"=>"4201200264", "scopus"=>"2-s2.0-84892896812", "issn"=>"15491676", "pui"=>"372180334"}, "id"=>"af686ae4-935f-3e78-a124-ed3b2e4fd3c1", "abstract"=>"BACKGROUND: The development of effective treatments for use by non-specialists is listed among the top research priorities for improving the lives of people with mental illness worldwide. The purpose of this review is to appraise which interventions for children with intellectual disabilities or lower-functioning autism spectrum disorders delivered by non-specialist care providers in community settings produce benefits when compared to either a no-treatment control group or treatment-as-usual comparator.\\n\\nMETHODS AND FINDINGS: We systematically searched electronic databases through 24 June 2013 to locate prospective controlled studies of psychosocial interventions delivered by non-specialist providers to children with intellectual disabilities or lower-functioning autism spectrum disorders. We screened 234 full papers, of which 34 articles describing 29 studies involving 1,305 participants were included. A majority of the studies included children exclusively with a diagnosis of lower-functioning autism spectrum disorders (15 of 29, 52%). Fifteen of twenty-nine studies (52%) were randomized controlled trials and just under half of all effect sizes (29 of 59, 49%) were greater than 0.50, of which 18 (62%) were statistically significant. For behavior analytic interventions, the best outcomes were shown for development and daily skills; cognitive rehabilitation, training, and support interventions were found to be most effective for improving developmental outcomes, and parent training interventions to be most effective for improving developmental, behavioral, and family outcomes. We also conducted additional subgroup analyses using harvest plots. Limitations include the studies' potential for performance bias and that few were conducted in lower- and middle-income countries.\\n\\nCONCLUSIONS: The findings of this review support the delivery of psychosocial interventions by non-specialist providers to children who have intellectual disabilities or lower-functioning autism spectrum disorders. Given the scarcity of specialists in many low-resource settings, including many lower- and middle-income countries, these findings may provide guidance for scale-up efforts for improving outcomes for children with developmental disorders or lower-functioning autism spectrum disorders.\\n\\nPROTOCOL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42012002641", "link"=>"http://www.mendeley.com/research/nonspecialist-psychosocial-interventions-children-adolescents-intellectual-disability-lowerfunctioni-14", "reader_count"=>95, "reader_count_by_academic_status"=>{"Unspecified"=>2, "Professor > Associate Professor"=>3, "Researcher"=>15, "Student > Doctoral Student"=>7, "Student > Ph. D. Student"=>12, "Student > Postgraduate"=>8, "Other"=>11, "Student > Master"=>26, "Student > Bachelor"=>5, "Lecturer"=>4, "Lecturer > Senior Lecturer"=>1, "Professor"=>1}, "reader_count_by_user_role"=>{"Unspecified"=>2, "Professor > Associate Professor"=>3, "Researcher"=>15, "Student > Doctoral Student"=>7, "Student > Ph. D. Student"=>12, "Student > Postgraduate"=>8, "Other"=>11, "Student > Master"=>26, "Student > Bachelor"=>5, "Lecturer"=>4, "Lecturer > Senior Lecturer"=>1, "Professor"=>1}, "reader_count_by_subject_area"=>{"Unspecified"=>5, "Agricultural and Biological Sciences"=>4, "Arts and Humanities"=>3, "Chemistry"=>1, "Computer Science"=>1, "Environmental Science"=>1, "Nursing and Health Professions"=>5, "Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology"=>2, "Medicine and Dentistry"=>24, "Neuroscience"=>5, "Psychology"=>33, "Social Sciences"=>10, "Linguistics"=>1}, "reader_count_by_subdiscipline"=>{"Medicine and Dentistry"=>{"Medicine and Dentistry"=>24}, "Social Sciences"=>{"Social Sciences"=>10}, "Psychology"=>{"Psychology"=>33}, "Unspecified"=>{"Unspecified"=>5}, "Environmental Science"=>{"Environmental Science"=>1}, "Arts and Humanities"=>{"Arts and Humanities"=>3}, "Chemistry"=>{"Chemistry"=>1}, "Neuroscience"=>{"Neuroscience"=>5}, "Agricultural and Biological Sciences"=>{"Agricultural and Biological Sciences"=>4}, "Computer Science"=>{"Computer Science"=>1}, "Nursing and Health Professions"=>{"Nursing and Health Professions"=>5}, "Linguistics"=>{"Linguistics"=>1}, "Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology"=>{"Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology"=>2}}, "reader_count_by_country"=>{"United States"=>1, "Japan"=>1, "Mexico"=>1, "South Africa"=>2, "France"=>1}, "group_count"=>9}
http://doi.org/10.1017/gmh.2014.7
http://doi.org/10.4102/ajod.v7i0.437
http://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12627
http://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-04032-x
http://doi.org/10.1155/2015/892301
http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2016.12.004
http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001573
http://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2018.04.005
http://doi.org/10.1017/gmh.2017.13
http://doi.org/10.1002/bin.1388
http://doi.org/10.1002/aur.1978
http://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2014-005799
Europe PMC Citations 629 Jan 07:15 UTC
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Facebook 1127 Jul 13:02 UTC
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Research Blogging30 Apr 19:34 UTC
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Figshare 61802 Apr 20:09 UTC
{"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/1319513"], "description"=>"<p>No behavior analytic intervention studies were conducted in LMICs (LMIC status per World Bank).</p><p>ASD, autism spectrum disorder; ID, intellectual disability; M, mean; SD, standard deviation.</p>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["Global health", "Mental health", "psychiatry", "psychology", "therapies", "Public health", "Child health", "behavior", "Clinical psychology", "hours", "analytic"], "article_id"=>880382, "categories"=>["Medicine", "Sociology"], "users"=>["Brian Reichow", "Chiara Servili", "M. Taghi Yasamy", "Corrado Barbui", "Shekhar Saxena"], "doi"=>"https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001572.t002", "stats"=>{"downloads"=>0, "page_views"=>9, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/_Intervention_description_intervention_density_and_total_hours_of_intervention_for_behavior_analytic_intervention_studies_/880382", "title"=>"Intervention description, intervention density, and total hours of intervention for behavior analytic intervention studies.", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>3, "published_date"=>"2013-12-17 03:27:28"}
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{"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/1319512"], "description"=>"<p><sup>a</sup> LMIC status according to the World Bank.</p><p>ASD, autism spectrum disorder; ID, intellectual disability; OT, occupational therapist; SLP, speech and language pathologist.</p>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["Global health", "Mental health", "psychiatry", "psychology", "therapies", "Public health", "Child health", "behavior", "Clinical psychology", "supervision", "included"], "article_id"=>880381, "categories"=>["Medicine", "Sociology"], "users"=>["Brian Reichow", "Chiara Servili", "M. Taghi Yasamy", "Corrado Barbui", "Shekhar Saxena"], "doi"=>"https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001572.t005", "stats"=>{"downloads"=>0, "page_views"=>10, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/_Intervention_agent_and_training_and_supervision_for_included_studies_/880381", "title"=>"Intervention agent and training and supervision for included studies.", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>3, "published_date"=>"2013-12-17 03:27:28"}
{"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/1319488"], "description"=>"<p>ASD, autism spectrum disorders; ES, effect size; QE, quasi-experimental study; RCT, randomized controlled trial.</p>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["Global health", "Mental health", "psychiatry", "psychology", "therapies", "Public health", "Child health", "behavior", "Clinical psychology", "matrix", "estimates", "analytic"], "article_id"=>880358, "categories"=>["Medicine", "Sociology"], "users"=>["Brian Reichow", "Chiara Servili", "M. Taghi Yasamy", "Corrado Barbui", "Shekhar Saxena"], "doi"=>"https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001572.g003", "stats"=>{"downloads"=>4, "page_views"=>29, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/_Harvest_plot_matrix_of_effect_size_estimates_by_outcome_category_for_behavior_analytic_studies_/880358", "title"=>"Harvest plot matrix of effect size estimates by outcome category for behavior analytic studies.", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>1, "published_date"=>"2013-12-17 03:27:28"}
{"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/1319503"], "description"=>"<p>ASD, autism spectrum disorders; ES, effect size; ID, intellectual disability; MIX, autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disability; QE, quasi-experimental study; RCT, randomized controlled trial.</p>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["Global health", "Mental health", "psychiatry", "psychology", "therapies", "Public health", "Child health", "behavior", "Clinical psychology", "matrix", "severity"], "article_id"=>880372, "categories"=>["Medicine", "Sociology"], "users"=>["Brian Reichow", "Chiara Servili", "M. Taghi Yasamy", "Corrado Barbui", "Shekhar Saxena"], "doi"=>"https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001572.g008", "stats"=>{"downloads"=>11, "page_views"=>131, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/_Harvest_plot_matrix_comparison_of_effects_by_severity_of_intellectual_disability_/880372", "title"=>"Harvest plot matrix comparison of effects by severity of intellectual disability.", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>1, "published_date"=>"2013-12-17 03:27:28"}
{"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/1319517"], "description"=>"<p><sup>a</sup> LMIC status according to the World Bank.</p><p><i>d</i>, Cohen's <i>d</i>; M, mean; QE, quasi-experimental study; RCT, randomized controlled trial.</p>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["Global health", "Mental health", "psychiatry", "psychology", "therapies", "Public health", "Child health", "behavior", "Clinical psychology", "sizes"], "article_id"=>880386, "categories"=>["Medicine", "Sociology"], "users"=>["Brian Reichow", "Chiara Servili", "M. Taghi Yasamy", "Corrado Barbui", "Shekhar Saxena"], "doi"=>"https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001572.t008", "stats"=>{"downloads"=>0, "page_views"=>4, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/_Research_design_results_and_effect_sizes_for_parent_training_intervention_studies_/880386", "title"=>"Research design, results, and effect sizes for parent training intervention studies.", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>3, "published_date"=>"2013-12-17 03:27:28"}
{"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/1319483"], "description"=>"<p>Review authors' judgments about each risk of bias item, presented as percentages across all included studies.</p>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["Global health", "Mental health", "psychiatry", "psychology", "therapies", "Public health", "Child health", "behavior", "Clinical psychology"], "article_id"=>880353, "categories"=>["Medicine", "Sociology"], "users"=>["Brian Reichow", "Chiara Servili", "M. Taghi Yasamy", "Corrado Barbui", "Shekhar Saxena"], "doi"=>"https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001572.g002", "stats"=>{"downloads"=>0, "page_views"=>10, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/_Risk_of_bias_graph_/880353", "title"=>"Risk of bias graph.", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>1, "published_date"=>"2013-12-17 03:27:28"}
{"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/1319499"], "description"=>"<p>ASD, autism spectrum disorders; ES, effect size; ID, intellectual disability; MIX, autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disability; QE, quasi-experimental study; RCT, randomized controlled trial.</p>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["Global health", "Mental health", "psychiatry", "psychology", "therapies", "Public health", "Child health", "behavior", "Clinical psychology", "matrix", "children"], "article_id"=>880368, "categories"=>["Medicine", "Sociology"], "users"=>["Brian Reichow", "Chiara Servili", "M. Taghi Yasamy", "Corrado Barbui", "Shekhar Saxena"], "doi"=>"https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001572.g006", "stats"=>{"downloads"=>2, "page_views"=>10, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/_Harvest_plot_matrix_comparison_of_effects_by_mean_age_of_participants_for_children_under_6_y_old_/880368", "title"=>"Harvest plot matrix comparison of effects by mean age of participants for children under 6 y old.", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>1, "published_date"=>"2013-12-17 03:27:28"}
{"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/1319479"], "description"=>"<p>Study inclusion decision tree (using PRISMA flow diagram <a href=\"http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001572#pmed.1001572-Moher1\" target=\"_blank\">[20]</a>).</p>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["Global health", "Mental health", "psychiatry", "psychology", "therapies", "Public health", "Child health", "behavior", "Clinical psychology", "inclusion", "prisma", "diagram"], "article_id"=>880349, "categories"=>["Medicine", "Sociology"], "users"=>["Brian Reichow", "Chiara Servili", "M. Taghi Yasamy", "Corrado Barbui", "Shekhar Saxena"], "doi"=>"https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001572.g001", "stats"=>{"downloads"=>6, "page_views"=>161, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/_Study_inclusion_decision_tree_using_PRISMA_flow_diagram_20_/880349", "title"=>"Study inclusion decision tree (using PRISMA flow diagram [20]).", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>1, "published_date"=>"2013-12-17 03:27:28"}
{"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/1319496"], "description"=>"<p>ASD, autism spectrum disorders; ES, effect size; ID, intellectual disability; MIX, autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disability; QE, quasi-experimental study; RCT, randomized controlled trial.</p>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["Global health", "Mental health", "psychiatry", "psychology", "therapies", "Public health", "Child health", "behavior", "Clinical psychology", "matrix", "estimates"], "article_id"=>880366, "categories"=>["Medicine", "Sociology"], "users"=>["Brian Reichow", "Chiara Servili", "M. Taghi Yasamy", "Corrado Barbui", "Shekhar Saxena"], "doi"=>"https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001572.g005", "stats"=>{"downloads"=>4, "page_views"=>26, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/_Harvest_plot_matrix_of_effect_size_estimates_by_outcome_category_for_parent_training_interventions_/880366", "title"=>"Harvest plot matrix of effect size estimates by outcome category for parent training interventions.", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>1, "published_date"=>"2013-12-17 03:27:28"}
{"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/1319494"], "description"=>"<p>ASD, autism spectrum disorders; ES, effect size; ID, intellectual disability; MIX, autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disability; QE, quasi-experimental study; RCT, randomized controlled trial.</p>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["Global health", "Mental health", "psychiatry", "psychology", "therapies", "Public health", "Child health", "behavior", "Clinical psychology", "matrix", "estimates"], "article_id"=>880363, "categories"=>["Medicine", "Sociology"], "users"=>["Brian Reichow", "Chiara Servili", "M. Taghi Yasamy", "Corrado Barbui", "Shekhar Saxena"], "doi"=>"https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001572.g004", "stats"=>{"downloads"=>1, "page_views"=>10, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/_Harvest_plot_matrix_of_effect_size_estimates_by_outcome_category_for_cognitive_rehabilitation_training_and_support_studies_/880363", "title"=>"Harvest plot matrix of effect size estimates by outcome category for cognitive rehabilitation, training, and support studies.", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>1, "published_date"=>"2013-12-17 03:27:28"}
{"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/1319511"], "description"=>"<p><sup>a</sup> LMIC status according to the World Bank.</p><p>ASD, autism spectrum disorder; ID, intellectual disability; T1, T2, treatment groups for studies with multiple treatments.</p>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["Global health", "Mental health", "psychiatry", "psychology", "therapies", "Public health", "Child health", "behavior", "Clinical psychology", "hours"], "article_id"=>880380, "categories"=>["Medicine", "Sociology"], "users"=>["Brian Reichow", "Chiara Servili", "M. Taghi Yasamy", "Corrado Barbui", "Shekhar Saxena"], "doi"=>"https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001572.t004", "stats"=>{"downloads"=>0, "page_views"=>4, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/_Intervention_description_intervention_density_and_total_hours_of_intervention_for_parent_training_intervention_studies_/880380", "title"=>"Intervention description, intervention density, and total hours of intervention for parent training intervention studies.", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>3, "published_date"=>"2013-12-17 03:27:28"}
{"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/1319507"], "description"=>"<p>ASD, autism spectrum disorders; ES, effect size; ID, intellectual disability; QE, quasi-experimental study; RCT, randomized controlled trial.</p>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["Global health", "Mental health", "psychiatry", "psychology", "therapies", "Public health", "Child health", "behavior", "Clinical psychology", "matrix"], "article_id"=>880377, "categories"=>["Medicine", "Sociology"], "users"=>["Brian Reichow", "Chiara Servili", "M. Taghi Yasamy", "Corrado Barbui", "Shekhar Saxena"], "doi"=>"https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001572.g010", "stats"=>{"downloads"=>4, "page_views"=>87, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/_Harvest_plot_matrix_comparison_of_effect_by_treatment_density_/880377", "title"=>"Harvest plot matrix comparison of effect by treatment density.", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>1, "published_date"=>"2013-12-17 03:27:28"}
{"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/1319525", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/1319526", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/1319527", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/1319529", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/1319530", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/1319531", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/1319532", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/1319533", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/1319534"], "description"=>"<div><p>Background</p><p>The development of effective treatments for use by non-specialists is listed among the top research priorities for improving the lives of people with mental illness worldwide. The purpose of this review is to appraise which interventions for children with intellectual disabilities or lower-functioning autism spectrum disorders delivered by non-specialist care providers in community settings produce benefits when compared to either a no-treatment control group or treatment-as-usual comparator.</p><p>Methods and Findings</p><p>We systematically searched electronic databases through 24 June 2013 to locate prospective controlled studies of psychosocial interventions delivered by non-specialist providers to children with intellectual disabilities or lower-functioning autism spectrum disorders. We screened 234 full papers, of which 34 articles describing 29 studies involving 1,305 participants were included. A majority of the studies included children exclusively with a diagnosis of lower-functioning autism spectrum disorders (15 of 29, 52%). Fifteen of twenty-nine studies (52%) were randomized controlled trials and just under half of all effect sizes (29 of 59, 49%) were greater than 0.50, of which 18 (62%) were statistically significant. For behavior analytic interventions, the best outcomes were shown for development and daily skills; cognitive rehabilitation, training, and support interventions were found to be most effective for improving developmental outcomes, and parent training interventions to be most effective for improving developmental, behavioral, and family outcomes. We also conducted additional subgroup analyses using harvest plots. Limitations include the studies' potential for performance bias and that few were conducted in lower- and middle-income countries. </p><p>Conclusions</p><p>The findings of this review support the delivery of psychosocial interventions by non-specialist providers to children who have intellectual disabilities or lower-functioning autism spectrum disorders. Given the scarcity of specialists in many low-resource settings, including many lower- and middle-income countries, these findings may provide guidance for scale-up efforts for improving outcomes for children with developmental disorders or lower-functioning autism spectrum disorders.</p><p>Protocol Registration</p><p>PROSPERO <a href=\"http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.asp?ID=CRD42012002641\" target=\"_blank\">CRD42012002641</a></p><p><i>Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary</i></p></div>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["Global health", "Mental health", "psychiatry", "psychology", "therapies", "Public health", "Child health", "behavior", "Clinical psychology", "psychosocial", "interventions", "children", "adolescents", "lower-functioning", "autism", "systematic"], "article_id"=>880394, "categories"=>["Medicine", "Sociology"], "users"=>["Brian Reichow", "Chiara Servili", "M. Taghi Yasamy", "Corrado Barbui", "Shekhar Saxena"], "doi"=>["https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001572.s001", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001572.s002", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001572.s003", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001572.s004", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001572.s005", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001572.s006", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001572.s007", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001572.s008", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001572.s009"], "stats"=>{"downloads"=>40, "page_views"=>13, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/_Non_Specialist_Psychosocial_Interventions_for_Children_and_Adolescents_with_Intellectual_Disability_or_Lower_Functioning_Autism_Spectrum_Disorders_A_Systematic_Review_/880394", "title"=>"Non-Specialist Psychosocial Interventions for Children and Adolescents with Intellectual Disability or Lower-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Systematic Review", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>4, "published_date"=>"2013-12-17 03:27:28"}
{"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/1319505"], "description"=>"<p>ASD, autism spectrum disorders; ES, effect size; ID, intellectual disability; MIX, autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disability; QE, quasi-experimental study; RCT, randomized controlled trial.</p>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["Global health", "Mental health", "psychiatry", "psychology", "therapies", "Public health", "Child health", "behavior", "Clinical psychology", "matrix"], "article_id"=>880374, "categories"=>["Medicine", "Sociology"], "users"=>["Brian Reichow", "Chiara Servili", "M. Taghi Yasamy", "Corrado Barbui", "Shekhar Saxena"], "doi"=>"https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001572.g009", "stats"=>{"downloads"=>0, "page_views"=>6, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/_Harvest_plot_matrix_comparison_of_effects_by_intervention_setting_/880374", "title"=>"Harvest plot matrix comparison of effects by intervention setting.", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>1, "published_date"=>"2013-12-17 03:27:28"}
{"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/1319516"], "description"=>"<p>DQ calculated as mean mental age/mean chronological age × 100.</p><p><sup>a</sup> Total number of children in study (<i>n</i>) and the number of children in the treatment (T) and control (C) groups.</p><p><sup>b</sup> IQ estimate based on our interpretation of participant characteristics.</p><p><sup>c</sup> LMIC status according to the World Bank.</p><p><sup>d</sup> This study contained three treatment groups and one control group (<i>n</i> = 10).</p><p><sup>e</sup> This study contained two treatment groups and one control group (<i>n</i> = 24).</p><p>ASD, autism spectrum disorder; ID, intellectual disability; n/a, not available; SD, standard deviation.</p>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["Global health", "Mental health", "psychiatry", "psychology", "therapies", "Public health", "Child health", "behavior", "Clinical psychology", "studies"], "article_id"=>880385, "categories"=>["Medicine", "Sociology"], "users"=>["Brian Reichow", "Chiara Servili", "M. Taghi Yasamy", "Corrado Barbui", "Shekhar Saxena"], "doi"=>"https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001572.t001", "stats"=>{"downloads"=>0, "page_views"=>8, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/_Included_studies_and_participant_characteristics_/880385", "title"=>"Included studies and participant characteristics.", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>3, "published_date"=>"2013-12-17 03:27:28"}
{"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/1319501"], "description"=>"<p>ASD, autism spectrum disorders; ES, effect size; ID, intellectual disability; MIX, autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disability; QE, quasi-experimental study; RCT, randomized controlled trial.</p>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["Global health", "Mental health", "psychiatry", "psychology", "therapies", "Public health", "Child health", "behavior", "Clinical psychology", "matrix", "children"], "article_id"=>880370, "categories"=>["Medicine", "Sociology"], "users"=>["Brian Reichow", "Chiara Servili", "M. Taghi Yasamy", "Corrado Barbui", "Shekhar Saxena"], "doi"=>"https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001572.g007", "stats"=>{"downloads"=>0, "page_views"=>7, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/_Harvest_plot_matrix_comparison_of_effects_by_mean_age_of_participants_for_children_6_y_and_older_/880370", "title"=>"Harvest plot matrix comparison of effects by mean age of participants for children 6 y and older.", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>1, "published_date"=>"2013-12-17 03:27:28"}
{"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/1319514"], "description"=>"<p><sup>a</sup> LMIC status according to the World Bank.</p><p>ASD, autism spectrum disorder; ID, intellectual disability; T1, T2, T3, treatment groups for studies with multiple treatments; TEACCH, Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children.</p>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["Global health", "Mental health", "psychiatry", "psychology", "therapies", "Public health", "Child health", "behavior", "Clinical psychology", "hours"], "article_id"=>880383, "categories"=>["Medicine", "Sociology"], "users"=>["Brian Reichow", "Chiara Servili", "M. Taghi Yasamy", "Corrado Barbui", "Shekhar Saxena"], "doi"=>"https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001572.t003", "stats"=>{"downloads"=>0, "page_views"=>4, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/_Intervention_description_intervention_density_and_total_hours_of_intervention_for_cognitive_rehabilitation_training_and_support_intervention_studies_/880383", "title"=>"Intervention description, intervention density, and total hours of intervention for cognitive rehabilitation, training, and support intervention studies.", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>3, "published_date"=>"2013-12-17 03:27:28"}
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Relative Metric 6011419 Apr 16:29 UTC
{"start_date"=>"2013-01-01T00:00:00Z", "end_date"=>"2013-12-31T00:00:00Z", "subject_areas"=>[{"subject_area"=>"/Biology and life sciences", "average_usage"=>[269, 466, 588, 697, 800, 896, 988, 1076, 1165, 1254, 1340, 1417]}, {"subject_area"=>"/Biology and life sciences/Behavior", "average_usage"=>[306, 490, 611, 718, 817, 916, 999, 1091, 1185, 1258, 1341, 1412, 1476]}, {"subject_area"=>"/People and places", "average_usage"=>[270, 456, 573, 676, 773, 867, 955, 1037, 1120, 1205, 1286, 1363, 1436]}, {"subject_area"=>"/Social sciences", "average_usage"=>[289, 475, 593, 703, 805, 902, 990, 1078, 1158, 1250, 1336, 1417, 1482]}, {"subject_area"=>"/Social sciences/Psychology", "average_usage"=>[294, 460, 580, 683, 777, 868, 957, 1044, 1124, 1202, 1276, 1356, 1422]}]}
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0036.json.gz/line947
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__label__cc
| 0.730847
| 0.269153
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Sydney Childcare Educator Allegedly Sits On Child For Being Disruptive
Image by StockSnap from Pixabay
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In an early childhood centre, in Sydney's south-west, an educator has been photographed allegedly appearing to sit on a preschool child after he was being disruptive during group time.
The Parent of the child happened to see the photo as it appeared on the services daily journal app and was shocked to see her child pinned to the corner of the couch by the Educator.
After contacting the Director about the image, the service allegedly denied that the Educator was, in fact, sitting on the child and that he was just sitting next to her.
"Why is her back towards him, it seems like he is being forced to sit there. This isn’t acceptable. Who sits a child like that and turns their back towards them?". The Parent had asked about the photo.
The Director had told the Parent that her child was not listening to the story that was being read and had been talking, so the Educator moved him onto the couch next to her.
After taking a much closer look at the story being read to the children in the preschool room, the Parent was not surprised that her child wasn't interested as it was a basic book on shapes and colours.
“I thought 'hang on this book is not suitable for their ages. If they are trying to get their attention by reading something like that it’s just not going to work. “Whether he was playing up or not, I just think what she did was the wrong approach. the Parent commented.
The Parent had made a decision to remove her son from service, which he had been attending for two years after the director failed to take any action about the incident.
The Director had indicated that the staff member would receive a warning, but the family had already lost confidence in the centre and made an official complaint about the incident to the NSW childcare services regulator, the Early Childhood Education and Care Directorate.
A spokesperson for the NSW Department of Education, which oversees the directorate, confirmed to nine.com.au that it had received the complaint and would be investigating it, as it does all incidents.
The centre has since removed the photos from their journal app.
As told by: McPherson, Emily "Sydney Childcare Worker Appears To Sit On Boy During Storytime", Sydney NineNews, 21 June 2019
NineNewsMSN
Published in Childcare News
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cc/2019-30/en_middle_0036.json.gz/line950
|
__label__wiki
| 0.90927
| 0.90927
|
Menemsha Films
In this riveting historical drama, 10 political activists (including Nelson Mandela and his inner circle of Black and Jewish supporters) face a possible death sentence for conspiracy to commit sabotage after they are arrested by the apartheid South African government during a raid in the town of Rivonia during the summer of 1963. Bram Fischer, a sympathetic lawyer, risks his career and freedom to defend these men.
Gold Award winner at the 2017 Mill Valley Film Festival. Winner of Best Film at the UK Jewish Film Festival.
Antoinette Louw, Peter Paul Muller, Sello Motloung
Afrikaans, English
Global Studies & Languages > African Studies
No God, No Master 96 mins When a series of package bombs show up on the doorsteps of prominent politicians and businessmen in the summer of 1919, U.S. Bureau of Investigation…
No God, No Master
1945 92 mins On a summer day in 1945, an Orthodox man and his grown son return to a village in Hungary while the villagers prepare for the…
Resistance 92 mins This World War II drama stars Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon, Masters of Sex), and features two Game of Thrones stars, Iwan Rheon and Tom Wlaschiha. In…
The Impossible Spy 90 mins Based on the true story of Elie Cohen, Israel's national hero, whose daring mission took him from Argentina to Damascus where he successfully entered the…
The Impossible Spy
The Exception 108 mins Nothing is as it seems in this riveting World War II thriller as a wary soldier (Jai Courtney) goes to investigate a mysterious German monarch…
The Testament 95 mins Yoel, an international expert in Holocaust research, has spent over fifteen years diligently studying the Nazi's methods of annihilating Jews in Austria and Hungary. In…
The Invisibles - Die Unsichtbaren 111 mins While Nazi propaganda minister Josef Goebbels infamously declared Berlin "free of Jews" in 1943, 1,700 Jewish Berliners managed to survive in the Nazi capital. Claus…
The Invisibles - Die Unsichtbaren
Jail Caesar
Sabriya
Part of the Series: Africa Dreaming
So Be It
Sophia's Homecoming
The Gaze of the Stars
Names Live Nowhere
ArtMattan Films
Tasuma, the Fighter
Haramuya
The Desert Ark
Cape Verde My Love
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cc/2019-30/en_middle_0036.json.gz/line951
|
__label__wiki
| 0.816857
| 0.816857
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Georges Achille-Fould
1865 — Asnières-sur-Seine, France | 1951 — Brussels, Belgium
Georges Achille-Fould, Postcard of the painting Chauffeuse de tram, 1918, © Ville de Paris, Bibliothèque Marguerite Durand
√ Painting √ Figurative art √ History √ Portrait √ Europe √ France √ 1890s √ 1900s √ 1910s √ 1920s √ 1930s √ 1940s
Women Artists In Paris : 1850-1900, Denver Art Museum, Denver, 22 October 2017 – 15 January 2018 ; Speed Art Museum, Louiseville, 17 February – 13 May 2018 ; Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, 6 June – 3 September 2018
→ Musée Roybet Fould
French painter.
Georges Achille-Fould and her sister Consuelo, both painters, were adopted by Gheorghe Bibescu, who bequeathed to them the Chateau de Bécon, which today houses the Roybet Fould Museum, where numerous works by Consuelo and Fernand Roybet, her tutor, are displayed, alongside many works attributed to Achille-Fould, who signed simply “Achille-Fould”.
When she started exhibiting her works at the Salon in 1885, Achille-Fould said to have been a student of Léon Comerre, laureate of the Prix de Rome in 1875 who had presented at the Salon in 1883 a portrait of the young Achille-Fould in Japanese attire. The master passed on to his student a taste for portraiture and mise en scène. In later Salons, she would still say she had been a student of Comerre, but would also add the name of a second master, Antoine Vollon, considered one of the representatives of realism.
The artist’s loyalty to the Salon did not wane throughout her career. She received numerous awards there, an honourable mention in 1894 for a portrait and a 3rd class medal in 1895, followed by the only 2nd class medal granted to a woman in 1897. These awards resulted in her being declared “Hors Concours”, meaning that her works would be admitted to the Salon without having to pass through the jury first. She also received a bronze medal at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1900.
Whilst remaining devoted to the official Salon, where she exhibited up until 1949 – she was a Permanent member of the Society of French Artists –Achille-Fould was very much involved in the Union des Femmes Peintres et Sculpteurs (Union of Women Painters and Sculptors), founded in 1881 by sculptor Hélène Bertaux, which organised its own Salons. Women remained her favourite subjects. She carried out numerous portraits such as the one dedicated to Rosa Bonheur (Rosa Bonheur dans son atelier, 1893), and also allegories – Madame Satan (1904), La Charmeuse (1913) – bringing together mysticism and the language of flowers. She took her inspiration from literature, history and the theatre.
Joëlle Bolloch
Translated from French by Lisa Cizo.
© 2017 American Federation of Arts, originally published in Women Artists in Paris, 1850-1900 by the American Federation of Arts in association with Yale University Press
Georges Achille-Fould, Rosa Bonheur dans son atelier, 1893, oil on canvas, 91 x 124 cm, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux
George Achille-Fould, Portrait de Mademoiselle L., date unknown, oil on canvas, © Photo: André Morin, Courbevoie, Musée Roybet Fould
Georges Achille-Fould, Moderne bacchante, unknown date, oil on canvas, 55 x 46 cm, private collection
George Achille-Fould, Portrait de La Chauffeuse de tramway, 1918, oil on canvas, © Photo: Yann Rossignol, Courbevoie, Musée Roybet Fould
Georges Achille-Fould, Madame Satan, 1904, oil on canvas, 215 x 115 cm, © Musée Antoine-Lecuyer, Saint-Quentin Aisne
Georges Achille-Fould, Portrait d’actrice, oil on canvas, 190.5 cm x 87.6 cm, private collection
1862 — 1946 | Finland
Helene Schjerfbeck
1861 — Finland | 1919 — Italy
1876 — 1907 | Germany
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(Little) Bibliography for Aviation
ACE Working Group on Complexity. 2006. “Report on Complexity Metrics for ANSP Benchmarking Analysis,” April. http://www.eurocontrol.int/sites/default/files/publication/files/complexity-report.pdf.
Airbus. 1998. Getting to Grips with the Cost Index. Getting Grips with 2. Airbus. https://goo.gl/llIzE6.
———. 2002. Getting to Grips with Aircraft Performance. Getting Grips with. Airbus. http://www.skybrary.aero/bookshelf/content/bookDetails.php?bookId=2263.
———. 2004. Getting to Grips with Fuel Economy. Getting Grips with 4. Airbus. http://goo.gl/OoDNYC.
Canarslanlar, A.O., Usanmaz O., Turgut E.T., Cavcar M., Dogeroglu T., Yay O.D., and Armutlu K. 2014. “The Measurements of Turkish Airspace ATM Efficiency Based on Actual Flight Data,” November. Poster. http://www.sesarinnovationdays.eu/sites/default/files/SID%202014%20poster%20Measuring%20Turkish%20Airspace%20Efficiency.pdf.
Cappelleras, Laura. 2015a. “Additional ASMA Time Performance Indicator Document.” 00-06. Eurocontrol/PRU. http://ansperformance.eu/methodology/unimpeded-asma-time/.
———. 2015b. “Additional Taxi-Out Time Performance Indicator Document.” 00-04. Eurocontrol/PRU. http://ansperformance.eu/methodology/unimpeded-asma-time/.
Commission, Performance Review. 2019. “Composite Risk Index (CRI) - Methodology.” EUROCONTROL. https://anspeformance.eu/library/composite_risk_index_methodology.pdf.
De Neufville, R., and A.R. Odoni. 2003. Airport Systems: Planning, Design, and Management. Aviation Week Books. McGraw-Hill.
De Wandeler, Yves. 2011. “Planning for Delay: Influence of Flight Scheduling on Airline Punctuality.” Eurocontrol/CODA. https://www.eurocontrol.int/publications/planning-delay-influence-flight-scheduling-airline-punctuality.
Department of Transport Studies. 2011. “European Airline Delay Cost Reference Values.” ver 3.2. London, UK: University of Westminster. http://www.eurocontrol.int/sites/default/files/publication/files/european-airline-delay-cost-reference-values-final-report-v3.2.pdf.
Eurocontrol. 2010a. “Data Specification for Air Carriers (EC Reg 691/2010, Annex IV).” Eurocontrol. http://www.eurocontrol.int/sites/default/files/content/documents/official-documents/regulatory-documents/ir691-air-carrier-data-specification-v3-15feb2011.pdf.
———. 2010b. “Data Specification for Airport Operators (EC Reg 691/2010, Annex IV).” Eurocontrol. http://www.eurocontrol.int/sites/default/files/content/documents/official-documents/regulatory-documents/ir691-airport-data-specification-v3-15feb2011.pdf.
———. 2011a. Base of Aircraft Data (BADA). 3rd ed. Brussels, Belgium: Eurocontrol/Research and SESAR. https://www.eurocontrol.int/services/bada.
———. 2011b. “IR691 - Data Collection Process.” Eurocontrol. https://www.eurocontrol.int/articles/ir691-data-collection-process.
EUROCONTROL, and FAA. 2016. “2015 Comparison of Air Traffic Management-Related Operational Performance: U.S./Europe.” Performance Review Unit. http://www.eurocontrol.int/sites/default/files/content/documents/single-sky/pru/publications/other/us-eu-comparison-2015.pdf.
EUROCONTROL/PRC. 2016. “Review of Civil Military Coordination and Cooperation Arrangements.” Eurocontrol/PRC. http://www.eurocontrol.int/sites/default/files/content/documents/single-sky/pru/publications/other/Review-of-Civil-Military-cooperation-and-coordination-DEC-2016.pdf.
European Commission. 2011. “‘Better Airports’ Package Launched.” Press Release, December. http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-11-1484_en.htm.
Guastalla, Guglielmo. 2014. “Performance Indicator – Horizontal Flight Efficiency.” 01-00. Eurocontrol/PRU. http://ansperformance.eu/methodology/horizontal-flight-efficiency-pi/.
———. 2015. “Worldwide Slot Guidelines,” August. IATA. http://www.iata.org/policy/slots/Pages/slot-guidelines.aspx.
ICAO. 2005. Global Air Traffic Management Operational Concept. Vol. Doc 9854. Montreal, Canada: ICAO. http://www.icao.int/Meetings/anconf12/Document%20Archive/9854_cons_en[1].pdf.
———. 2006. Doc 8168. Aircraft Operations. Fifth. Doc 8168 OPS/611. ICAO. http://www.aptrac.co.za/file/icao_8168_5th_ed..pdf.
———. 2007. Air Traffic Management. Doc 4444 ATM/501. ICAO. https://www.bazl.admin.ch/bazl/it/home/professionale/organizzazione-e-informazioni-di-base/basi-legali-e-direttive/allegati-della-convenzione-dell-organizzazione-dell-aviazione-ci/manuali-relativi-allannesso-14-dell-oaci.html.
———. 2011. Doc 9829. Guidance on the Balanced Approach to Aircraft Noise Management. Second. Doc 9829 AN/451. ICAO. https://www.bazl.admin.ch/bazl/it/home/professionale/organizzazione-e-informazioni-di-base/basi-legali-e-direttive/allegati-della-convenzione-dell-organizzazione-dell-aviazione-ci/manuali-relativi-allannesso-14-dell-oaci.html.
———. 2013. Aviation System Block Updates - the Framework for Global Harmonization. ICAO. http://www.icao.int/sustainability/Documents/ASBU.en.Mar.%202013.pdf.
Jetzki, Martina. 2009. “The Propagation of Air Transport Delays in Europe.” Aachen, Germany: Department of Airport and Air Transportation Research, RWTH Aachen University. http://www.eurocontrol.int/sites/default/files/content/documents/official-documents/facts-and-figures/coda-reports/propagation-delays-2009.pdf.
Koelman, Hartmut, Rainer Koelle, Kamala Shetty, and John Gulding. n.d. “Comparison of ATFM Practices and Performance in the U.S. and Europe (2015-2018),” 22. http://ansperformance.eu/library/ICNS2019_pre_print_comparison_of_ATFM_practices_US_EUR_2015_2018.pdf.
Larsson, Peter. 2011. “CCD Versus CDA,” May. Scandinavian Airlines System. http://ansperformance.eu/library/CCDvsCDA.pdf.
Lexicon, Eurocontrol ATM. 2014. “User Preferred Route.” Eurocontrol; Eurocontrol ATM Lexicon. http://www.eurocontrol.int/lexicon/lexicon/en/index.php/User_Preferred_Route.
National Air Traffic Services. 2014. “Reporting of Environmental Performance - 3Di.” http://www.nats.aero/environment/3di/.
Nero, Giovanni, ed. 2012. EUROCONTROL Specification for Economic Information Disclosure. 3.0 ed. EUROCONTROL. http://www.eurocontrol.int/documents/economic-information-disclosure-specification.
on behalf of the European Commission, EUROCONTROL/PRU. 2016. “U.S. – Europe Comparison of ANS Cost-Efficiency Trends (2006-2014).” Performance Review Unit. http://publish.eurocontrol.int/sites/default/files/content/documents/single-sky/pru/publications/other/2006-2014-US-Europe-comparison-ANS-cost-efficiency-trends.pdf.
Pavlovic, Goran. 2016. “Borealis HFE Analysis,” June. Eurocontrol/PRU; Leaflet. http://ansperformance.eu/library/borealis-fra-leaflet.pdf.
Peeters, S., H. Koelman, R. Koelle, R. Galaviz-Schomisch, J. Gulding, and M. Meekma. 2016. “Towards a Common Analysis of Vertical Flight Efficiency.” In 2016 Integrated Communications Navigation and Surveillance (ICNS), 7A2–1–7A2–11. Herndon, VA, USA: IEEE. doi:10.1109/ICNSURV.2016.7486368.
Peeters, Sam. 2013. “Adaptation of Continuous Descent and Climb Operational Techniques at Brussels Airport Aiming at Cost Efficiency.” Belgium: Vrije Universiteit Brussel. http://ansperformance.eu/library/sam-thesis.pdf.
———. 2016. “Vertical Flight Efficiency During Climb and Descent,” April. Performance Review Unit; Leaflet. http://ansperformance.eu/library/cco-cdo-leaflet.pdf.
Peeters, Sam, and Guglielmo Guastalla. 2017a. “Analysis of En-Route Vertical Flight Efficiency.” 00-04. Eurocontrol/PRU. http://ansperformance.eu/library/en-route-vertical-flight-efficiency_consultation.pdf.
———. 2017b. “Analysis of Vertical Flight Efficiency During Climb and Descent.” 00-04. Eurocontrol/PRU. http://ansperformance.eu/library/vertical-flight-efficiency-during-climb-and-descent_consultation.pdf.
Performance Review Body. 2015. “Dashboard Rp1.” http://www.eurocontrol.int/prudata/dashboard/eur_view_2014.html.
———. 2016. “Dashboard Rp2.” http://www.eurocontrol.int/prudata/dashboard/rp2_2015.html.
Performance Review Commission. 2007. “Terms of Reference & Rules of Procedure,” November. https://www.eurocontrol.int/sites/default/files/article//content/documents/single-sky/pru/about-us/prc-tor.pdf.
———. 2008. “Vertical Flight Efficiency.” http://ansperformance.eu/library/vertical-flight-efficiency-tn.pdf.
Performance Review Unit. 2009. “ATM Airport Performance (ATMAP) Framework.” 1. Performance Review Commission.
———. 2013. “ATM Cost Effectiveness (ACE) Reports.” Report. Eurocontrol/PRU. http://www.eurocontrol.int/prb/publications#field-tabs-tab-1.
———. 2016a. “ATM Cost-Effectiveness (ACE) 2014 Benchmarking Report with 2015-2019 Outlook.” Report. Eurocontrol/PRU. http://www.eurocontrol.int/sites/default/files/content/documents/single-sky/pru/publications/ace/ACE-2014-Benchmarking-Report.pdf.
———. 2016b. “Performance Review Report (PRR) 2015.” Report. Eurocontrol/PRU. http://www.eurocontrol.int/sites/default/files/content/documents/single-sky/pru/publications/other/PRR-2015.pdf.
———. 2017. “ATM Cost-Effectiveness (ACE) 2015 Benchmarking Report with 2016-2020 Outlook.” Report. Eurocontrol/PRU. http://www.eurocontrol.int/sites/default/files/publication/files/final-ace-2015-benchmarking-report.pdf.
Performance Review Unit, and ATMAP MET Working Group. 2011. “Algorithm to Describe Weather Conditions at European Airports.” Technical Note version 2.3. Brussels, Belgium: Eurocontrol/PRU. http://www.eurocontrol.int/sites/default/files/publication/files/algorithm-met-technical-note.pdf.
Proceedings of the 2016 Integrated Communication, Navigation and Surveillance Conference (ICNS). 2016. Herndon, VA, USA: IEEE.
Schinwald, C., and M. Hornung. 2014. “Methodical Approach to Determining the Capacity Utilisation of Airports: The Development of the European Air Traffic System Between 2008 and 2012,” November. Deutscher Luft- und Raumfahrtkongress 2014, Augsburg. http://www.dglr.de/publikationen/2014/340138.pdf.
STATFOR. 2016. “EUROCONTROL Seven-Year Forecast – February 2016.” 15/12/17-52. EUROCONTROL. http://www.eurocontrol.int/sites/default/files/content/documents/official-documents/forecasts/seven-year-flights-service-units-forecast-2016-2022-Feb2016.pdf.
Transport Studies Group. 2004. “Evaluating the True Cost to Airlines of One Minute of Airborne or Ground Delay.” London, UK: University of Westminster. http://www.eurocontrol.int/sites/default/files/field_tabs/content/documents/single-sky/pru/publications/other/cost-of-delay.pdf.
University of Westminster. 2015. “The Cost of Passenger Delay to Airlines in Europe.” 2nd ed. London, UK.
Wikipedia. 2015. “IATA Delay Codes.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IATA_delay_codes.
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District #4 Calendar
ACGL Calendar
Map to Lodge
About Freemasonry
History of Freemasonry
ACGL Website
How to become a Mason
American Canadian Grand Lodge
ACGL
Welcome to the Website of Solomon Lodge No. 822 Ludwigsburg.
This year 2017 marks the 300th anniversary of our great fraternity.
Our lodge is a member lodge of the American Canadian Grand Lodge which is under the jurisdiction of the United Grand Lodges of Germany. Our lodge as well as all recognized freemasonic Lodges welcome all men who believe in a Supreme Being without regard to caste, creed, color or belief. You will meet here men belonging to different professions, nationalities and origins. As a fraternal association dedicated to making good men better, Freemasonry respects the religious beliefs of all its members.
Freemasonry has no theology and does not teach any method of salvation. How a man chooses to practice his personal religious beliefs is left entirely up to him, but Freemasonry recognizes the strong bond which unites all people under One Creator.
Because of our strong bond of Brotherly Love, Masons provide Relief to help those who are in need. This includes the notion of charity, and Masons provide much assistance to worthy charities, but it also means offering a helping hand, in other ways, to people that need assistance.
As Masons, we are committed to being honest and truthful with other people. The Masonic Fraternity teaches a man to be faithful to his responsibilities to God, his Country, his fellow man, his family and himself. The Masonic principle of Truth also teaches a man to search for wisdom and understanding. For only in this way can he grow and become a better person. The pursuit of knowledge is at the very heart of our purpose.
Our lodge contributes to many different charities in the neighborhood of Stuttgart and also towards the education of deserving children as part of our Masonic obligation.
We invite you to explore this website for information pertaining to Freemasonry.
If you feel interested in Freemasonry kindly contact our Lodge via the Contact menu.
The Worshipful Master
Solomon Lodge No. 822
Address: Asperger Strasse 37, 71634 Ludwigsburg
Copyright © Solomon Lodge no. 822 All Rights Reserved
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Asharq Al-awsat English https://aawsat.com/english Middle-east and International News and Opinion from Asharq Al-awsat Newspaper http://feedly.com/icon.svg
International and Arab News
What Can Soleimani Conclude from the 3 Summits?
Monday, 3 June, 2019 - 07:30
Ghassan Charbel
Ghassan Charbel is the editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper
It is likely that senior Iranian officials watch Al-Arabiya television at their offices, just to “know their enemy.” They must have watched the extraordinary developments. The three successive summits that were held in Makkah during the final ten days of Ramadan. Two emergency summits: One Gulf, one Arab, followed by a regular Islamic summit.
The symbolism of the venue is not lost on the viewer and its importance to Muslims. The occasion is also not lost on the viewers given the major crisis in the region where economic and political pressures collide with military measures that were provoked by attacks. Examination of the rockets used in the assaults reveals who manufactured them, even though they were fired by proxies.
It is natural for the series of summits to capture the attention of the Supreme Leader and commander of the Quds Force. The Iranian behavior was the primary reason why the two emergency summits were held. The behavior also cast its heavy shadow on the third summit. Perhaps the very fact that the three summits were held sends a clear message that the current crisis in the Gulf cannot be simply described as an American-Iranian standoff because the problem first started with and still centers on the deterioration of relations between Iran and its neighbors. This does not negate the importance of the Iranian-American dispute, but it is not the only problem in the crisis. Tehran has always sought to imply that its problem with the Gulf states was a result of its dispute with the “Great Satan.” This is not true, however, because for four decades Iran has committed itself to exporting the revolution and meddling in the affairs of others, thereby obstructing all opportunities to normalize relations with the Gulf states, starting with Saudi Arabia.
It is natural for General Qassem Soleimani to watch the images from Makkah. The Gulf Cooperation Council, which was formed in the early 1980s in wake of the Iraqi-Iranian war, is still holding on to its unity, despite attempts to undermine it and some internal crises. What set this summit apart was its clear and open accusation and stance because the situation can no longer support generalities and vague positions. Even though it was normal for the GCC summit to condemn the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and sabotage off the UAE territorial waters, the message to Iran was very frank and clear.
Its communique held Iran responsible for the policy of destabilizing the region, arming militias and stoking sectarian conflicts. It demanded the international community to assume its responsibilities towards Iran’s regional behavior and nuclear and ballistic ambitions. The summit clearly announced its support for the American strategy on Iran and at the same time the gatherers underscored the unity of the GCC member states in confronting Tehran’s threats. This was in line with the opening remarks by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, who stressed the importance of taking a deterrent and firm stance to confront Iran’s destabilizing actions.
Soleimani watched as Arab leaders flocked to the summit hall. Iran’s infiltration of four Arab countries has not altered the overwhelming majority of Arab stances. Yemen was present through its internationally-recognized legitimate government. Lebanon was represented by its Prime Minister Saad Hariri. Syria was absent. Iraq was represented by its President Barham Salih, whose reservations on the summit communique was not unusual given the balance of power in his country.
The Arab summit was no less clear than the Gulf one. It underlined the solidarity of Arab countries against Iran’s direct and indirect meddling in their internal affairs. It called on the international community to take a firm stance against Iran’s violation of its stability of its neighbors and threat to energy supplies and marine navigation, both directly or through its proxies. It stressed Saudi Arabia’s right to defend its territories according to the United Nations charter and voiced its support to the measures it takes to counter violations through internationally recognized means.
The two summits were followed with the Makkah declaration at the Islamic summit that condemned the terrorist attacks against Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Another issue caught Soleimani’s attention: Saudi Arabia and the gatherers’ commitments to recognized means in dealing with the Palestinian cause. The most significant of which was their announcement that any just peace must preserve the identity of Jerusalem and the Palestinian right to establish their own independent state according to the Arab peace initiative. This is very significant, especially in wake of all the talk about he so-called “deal of the century” that is being promoted by the Trump administration.
What can Soleimani conclude by watching the Makkah summits? Can he conclude that his country really needs a long-term truce with the “Great Satan” in order for it to take in the gains it made in the region, especially after the developments in Yemen revealed Saudi Arabia’s insistence against giving into the policy of proxies? Will this lead to a conclusion to achieve what has been whispered among diplomatic circles that Tehran will inform the Japanese prime minister, who will visit it later this month, that it was ready to show some flexibility in the nuclear and ballistic files in order to end the biting sanctions? It was reported that this message would be delivered to the participants at the G20 summit that will be hosted by Osaka at the end of June.
Will Soleimani stop at the Makkah summits’ demonstration of Saudi Arabia’s weight in the Gulf, Arab and Islamic worlds? This political and economic weight on the regional and international scenes will only grow with the policy of reform and openness driven by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Will Soleimani be convinced that Saudi Arabia enjoys geographic clout that cannot be ignored and that the solution lies in extending a hand to it and easing the revolutionary rhetoric in favor of improving neighborly ties? Will he remember that Iran signed a truce with Barack Obama and neglected its neighbors, then to realize that the American president changed and Washington’s policy would not have shifted so much had it enjoyed normal relations with its neighbors?
The Iranian revolution turned 40 and the Iranians need to reflect on themselves. Iran cannot endlessly continue to be the source of tensions near oil wells and strategic straits. The three summits reflected the participants’ longing for a moment to catch their breath in order to dedicate themselves to development and join the scientific and technological revolutions that have become an integral part of daily life. It is likely that the Iranian people do not want to endlessly live on the hot plate.
Read More for Ghassan Charbel
‘I Am Searching for Assad’s Real Friend’ Mao’s Mausoleum in Huawei’s Hands Osaka And The World’s Board of Directors The General of Economic Sanctions Rhetoric of Stability and Rhetoric of Fire Tehran and the Japanese Visitor Practices, Interventions and the ‘Inevitable Curse’ The US, Saudi Arabia, Iran and the Major Revolt
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Foreign Language Notary Guide
Tags:apostille, Arabic, Chinese, Colorado, embassy, foreign language, French, German, Google Translate, interpreter, Italian, Korean, notario, notary, notary guide, Portuguese, reasonable care, Russian, SOS, Spanish, translator, Vietnamese
April 16, 2015 Foreign Language, Notary Law Jerry Lucas
A foreign language notary guide is a tool to help notarize a document written in a foreign language, or for a signer who speaks a foreign language. If the notary does not speak the foreign language, this helps to bridge the language barrier. It is similar to a phrase book used by a tourist when traveling in a foreign country.
In Colorado, the notary may not use a human as a translator or interpreter. This is because the notary would not know if the translator is being honest. The notary must communicate directly with the signer.
Technology now provides some tools to assist with foreign language documents. Google Translate is free software that can translate a document in about 90 foreign languages. It is available at https://translate.google.com/ or can be downloaded as a phone application.
You can cut and paste text from a foreign language document, upload a document file, or enter a website address for translation. That may be useful to translate a foreign embassy website.
It helps the notary to use reasonable care to confirm the title and purpose of the document. The translated document is not notarized, so the translation does not need to be 100% accurate. The original document in the foreign language is notarized.
The notary certificate can be in a foreign language, if the notary speaks that language. If the document is going to a foreign country, and needs an apostille certificate attached by the Colorado Secretary of State (SOS), then the notary certificate must be in English.
Top 20 Foreign Languages
The top 20 most widely spoken languages in the United States, in 2011 and 2016 surveys, [Census Bureau, American Community Survey, Detailed Languages Spoken at Home by English-Speaking Ability for the Population 5 Years and Over] are:
1. English only, 232, 230 million
2. Spanish, 38, 40.5 million Spanish Language Notary Guide
3. Chinese, 2.9, 3.4 million Chinese Language Notary Guide
4. Tagalog, 1.6, 1.7 million (Filipino) Filipino Tagalog Language Notary Guide
5. Vietnamese, 1.4, 1.5 million Vietnamese Language Notary Guide
6. Arabic, 0.952, 1.2 million Arabic Language Notary Guide
7. French, 1.3, 1.2 million French Language Notary Guide
8. Korean, 1.14, 1.1 million Korean Language Notary Guide
9. Russian, 0.906, 0.91 million Russian Language Notary
10. German, 1.08, 0.91 million German Language Notary Guide
11. Haitian Creole 754, 860 thousand Haitian Creole Language Notary Guide
12. Hindi, 649, 810 thousand
13. Portuguese, 674, 770 thousand Portuguese Language Notary Guide
14. Italian, 724, 580 thousand Italian Language Notary Guide
15. Polish, 608, 540 thousand
16. Urdu, 374, 470 thousand
17. Japanese, 436, 460 thousand
18. Persian, 408, 440 thousand
19. Gujarati, 358, 410 thousand
20. Telugu, tbd, 370 thousand
21. Bengali, tbd, 320 thousand
23. Greek 305, 290 thousand
28. Hebrew 216, 230 thousand
32. Navajo 169, 160 thousand
If the signer does not speak good English, a foreign language notary guide that includes common notary questions and sentences may be a useful tool. Below are some suggestions. The notary may include others as needed for the situation, and then use Google Translate to generate a numbered list. The notary can then point to the line number to select a phrase or question. The signer could type an answer in Google Translate and then translate it into English.
(copy and paste into Google Translate, translate into desired language)
1. Hello. My name is [John]. I am a Notary.
2. I do not speak your language.
3. What is your name?
4. Please print your [name] on this paper.
5. May I please see your identification?
6. What type of document is this?
7. Please print the document title on this paper.
8. Have you read this document?
9. Please fill in this blank space.
10. Do you understand the purpose of this document?
11. Are you signing this document voluntarily?
12. Do you acknowledge that this is your signature?
13. Do you swear or affirm that these statements are true and correct?
14. Please sign your name here.
15. My fee is [number] dollars.
18. I do not understand.
19. I do not know.
20. Please repeat.
21. Please speak slowly.
23. Nice to meet you.
24. Here is my business card.
25. Have a nice day.
26. Good bye.
27. Here is the name and phone number of a notary that speaks your language.
28. I am not a notario publico.
29. I am not an attorney.
30. I do not give legal advice.
31. I am not a civil law notary.
The notary should write the title and description of the document in the notary journal. For example, a Power of Attorney in Spanish is called a Carta de Poder. The number of pages should be shown. Ask the signer to fill in any blank spaces before notarizing.
It is best to use the date format: July 4, 2015, rather than 7/4/15 (mm-dd-yy). In many foreign countries, the date is in dd-mm-yy format, so 7/4/15 would be 7 Apr 2015.
A foreign language notary guide can be a useful tool for a notary to accommodate a foreign language speaker.
Disclaimer: This information is not legal advice. For legal advice, contact a licensed, competent attorney.
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Digital accessories brand ‘FINGERS’ launched
June 14, 2019 Rupesh Prabhu Android Phone News and Reviews
Introduces 6 unique products first-time in India and 3 first- time in the world
Editorial highlights:
1. Company promoted by Mr. Sandeep Parasrampuria, a veteran in the IT products space
2. Launches 40+ avant-garde products with 6 being first in India and 3 of them being world’s first!
3. Aims to be India’s No. 1 digital accessory brand with revenues targeted to reach over INR 500 crores in the next three years
Dynamic Conglomerate, a company founded by IT veterans committed to providing a host of innovative IT, lifestyle and telecom accessories today announced the launch of its maiden consumer electronics brand, ‘FINGERS’.
With innovation and quality focus at the core, FINGERS as a brand is setting out to make itself synonymous with a new language of technology by launching 40+ products in the IT and Mobile Accessories space with 6 being firsts in India and 3 of them being world’s first! Wired and Wireless Headphones, earphones and portable speakers will be few of major categories out of 10+ categories that FINGERS will begin its foray with.
Speaking at the launch, Mr. Sandeep S Parasrampuria, Founder and CEO of Dynamic Conglomerate said, “FINGERS will bring a new wave of innovation to the digital accessories space in India. Easy to use, latest in technology and keeping up with trends world-wide will drive us to present a range that should be exciting as well as meeting the needs of Indian consumers. We endeavor to create benchmarks for performance in our range of products. With 6 first timers in India and out of that 3 being first in the World gives us a beginning we are happy to have.”
He added, “Over the next 6 months we plan to introduce another 50+ new products and expand our network across 250+ cities in India and then move internationally. With the Indian mobile accessories market slated to grow at a CAGR of over 10% till 2023, it is beyond doubt that FINGERS is set to be at the fingertips of many Indians millennials and will become the No.1 Indian brand within few years in most of the product categories that we venture into. Our aim will be to capture at least 10 percent of India’s branded accessories market within next 3 years.”
The products being launched for the 1st time in the world and India include, FINGERS Resonance, which is the World’s 1st Bluetooth in-ear headphone with 3D Resonance technology, size-defying bass and a playback time of 15 hours. This technology will let you #FeelTheRealBass just as if you have sub-woofers in your ears. A completely new experience for music enthusiasts, movie lovers and phone gamers!
Next in line is the FINGERS Chic BT5 with flattering looks, which is India’s first fast-charging Bluetooth in-ear headphone that provides an astonishing playback of 2 hours in just 5 minutes of charge time. Interestingly on full charge, it provides a mammoth over 9 hours of playback/talk-time.
FINGERS Sugar-n-Spice will have the distinction of being the World’s first Bluetooth on-ear headphone with contrasting ear-cups that offer an exemplary visual look to match your style and feel. It is not only a full function headset with Bluetooth®, FM, MicroSD and Aux but also provides high level of sound quality with bass tuned to Indian ears.
For those looking for a compact companion and who loves to talk non-stop, Comfy MusiTalk is the India’s first Mono Bluetooth headset offering unprecedented 13 hours of talk-time. It also comes with an interesting rotating design making it wearable on either ear.
Also, on offer is Sound-N-Touch Glow M3Mobile Cable. Sound-N-Touch Glow M3 is the World’s first Mobile cable to glow at the sense of sound or touch while also supporting fast charging.
Finally, the sixth in the list of first timers is FINGERS Knockout which is touted to be India’s toughest portable speaker. Drop, Shock, Knock – Music will still rocks! It is not only the toughest but is also bundled with wireless Mic for karaoke nights or to host a party. It has 9 pre-recorded tracks including Happy Birthday and Anniversary tunes. It also lets you record 140 seconds and playback. It is a full function party speaker with FM, USB and Aux. In case you want to double the fun, FINGERS Knockoutsupports TWS (True Wireless Stereo) to enable you to connect 2 of them together. Now partying will be different experience!
Talking about the new brand name FINGERS, Mr. Parasrampuria added, “We brainstormed a lot on the brand philosophy before finalizing‘FINGERS’ as our brand name. People today consume digital technology with their fingers by touching, feeling, carrying and playing with their gadgets. Fingers today are the main connect between technology and the human mind. We are sure, you make gestures with your fingers, consciously or subconsciously for showing direction, expressing love, etc. Fingers communicate a lot – It’s a language!
And to establish FINGERS synonymous with “A New Language of Technology” is our endeavour. We believe technology should be innovative and speak in a way that inspires consumers. What better a brand name than the very medium through which we consume digital experiences, hence the name FINGERS.”
The launch team at Dynamic Conglomerate with over 450 years of combined experience in digitalaccessories and peripherals are set to take theIndian consumers to the next level in a way theyfeel, play and experience technology. All this while staying true to their belief in being MAD(i.e. Making A Difference) and bringing about anew language of technology. It would be safe to assume that with such an exuberant start, FINGERS is on track to become the No.1 Indian brand within few years in most of the product categories it will venture into.
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Current Immunology Reviews
Volume 15, 2 Issues, 2019
Current Immunology Reviews, Volume 3
Current Immunology Reviews, Volume 3, 2007, Issue number 4
Current Immunology Reviews, Volume 3, 2007, Issue number 1 - Free Issue
Cecil Czerkinsky
Institut de Pharmacologie Moleculaire et Cellulaire
UMR 7275 CNRS-INSERM-UNISA
Valbonne, 06560
Biography of Cecil Czerkinsky
Dr. Czerkinsky is currently Research Director at the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, a research organization spearheaded by the French National Research Council (CNRS), the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) and the University of Nice at Sophia Antipolis (France). He previously served as Deputy Director General and Head of R&D at the International Vaccine Institute (Seoul, South Korea) and as Professor at Seoul National University, Korea University, and Göteborg University (Sweden). He has authored more than 180 scientific publications and is an inventor of more than 20 patents in the field of immunology and vaccine science.
⇨ Journal Home⇨ Editorial Policies⇨ Editorial Board⇨ Board Recruitment Workflow⇨ Join Editorial Board⇨ Indexing Information⇨ Announcements⇨ Endorsements⇨ Authors' Comments⇨ Special Offers
Current Immunology Reviews Journal was launched in 2005. Dr. Cecil Czerkinsky serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the journal.
Immune Response to Parasitic Infections: Immunity to Helminths and Novel Therapeutic Approaches
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Current Protein & Peptide Science
230th of 298 in
Current Protein & Peptide Science, Volume 12 - Number 3
Editorial [Hot Topic: Expanding Knowledge on Protein Misfolding: Unravelling the Molecular Basis of Neurodegeneration (Guest Editor: Rosana Chehin)]
, 12(3): 165
Rosana Chehin
The Key Role of Membranes in Amyloid Formation from a Biophysical Perspective
, 12(3): 166 - 180
Clarisa M. Torres-Bugeau, Claudio D. Borsarelli, Carlos J. Minahk and Rosana N. ChehIn
A Conventional and 2DCOS Infrared Approach to the Kinetics of Protein Misfolding
Igor de la Arada, Nagore Andraka, Marcos Garcia Pacios and Jose Luis R. Arrondo
Structures Behind the Amyloid Aggregation of α-Synuclein: An NMR based Approach
Maria L. Orcellet and Claudio O. Fernandez
Small Molecule Fluorescent Probes for the Detection of Amyloid Self-Assembly In Vitro and In Vivo
Carlos W. Bertoncini and M. Soledad Celej
Multiscale Molecular Dynamics of Protein Aggregation
Cesar L. Avila, Nils J. D. Drechsel, Raul Alcantara and Jordi Villa-Freixa
Aggregation State and Neurotoxic Properties of Alzheimer β-Amyloid Peptide
Amany Mohamed, Leonardo Cortez and Elena Posse de Chaves
Glycosaminoglycans, Protein Aggregation and Neurodegeneration
Dulce Papy-Garcia, Morin Christophe, Huynh Minh Bao, Sineriz Fernando, Sissoeff Ludmilla, Sepulveda Diaz Julia Elisa and Raisman-Vozari Rita
Ben M. Dunn
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology University of Florida
College of Medicine, P.O. Box 100245, Gainesville
Florida, FL 32610-0245
Biography of Ben M. Dunn
Distinguished Professor Ben M. Dunn received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1971 and did postdoctoral work at the National Institutes of Health from 1971-1974. He joined the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 1974 and moved through the ranks to his current title. He served as President of the American Peptide Society from 2011-2013 and was President of the International Proteolysis Society. He is the Editor-in-Chief of two Bentham journals, Protein and Peptide Letters, for research reports and mini-reviews, and Current Protein and Peptide Science, which publishes exclusively review papers.
Current protein and Peptide Science was introduced in 2000 with the assistance of Dr. Ben M. Dunn, who is the current Editor-in-Chief serving since 2000.
Advances in Protein and Peptide Sciences
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Small Great Things – Jodi Picoult
With richly layered characters and a gripping moral dilemma that will lead readers to question everything they know about privilege, power, and race, Small Great Things is the stunning new page-turner from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult.
“[Picoult] offers a thought-provoking examination of racism in America today, both overt and subtle. Her many readers will find much to discuss in the pages of this topical, moving book.”—Booklist (starred review)
Ruth Jefferson is a labor and delivery nurse at a Connecticut hospital with more than twenty years’ experience. During her shift, Ruth begins a routine checkup on a newborn, only to be told a few minutes later that she’s been reassigned to another patient. The parents are white supremacists and don’t want Ruth, who is African American, to touch their child. The hospital complies with their request, but the next day, the baby goes into cardiac distress while Ruth is alone in the nursery. Does she obey orders or does she intervene?
Ruth hesitates before performing CPR and, as a result, is charged with a serious crime. Kennedy McQuarrie, a white public defender, takes her case but gives unexpected advice: Kennedy insists that mentioning race in the courtroom is not a winning strategy. Conflicted by Kennedy’s counsel, Ruth tries to keep life as normal as possible for her family—especially her teenage son—as the case becomes a media sensation. As the trial moves forward, Ruth and Kennedy must gain each other’s trust, and come to see that what they’ve been taught their whole lives about others—and themselves—might be wrong.
With incredible empathy, intelligence, and candor, Jodi Picoult tackles race, privilege, prejudice, justice, and compassion—and doesn’t offer easy answers. Small Great Things is a remarkable achievement from a writer at the top of her game.
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Many Colors: Cultural Intelligence for a Changing Church
Author: Soong-Chan Rah
The United States is currently undergoing the most rapid demographic shift in its history. By 2050, white Americans will no longer comprise a majority of the population. Instead, they'll be the largest minority group in a country made up entirely of minorities, followed by Hispanic Americans, African Americans, and Asian Americans. Past shifts in America's demographics always reshaped the county's religious landscape. This shift will be no different.
Soong-Chan Rah's book is intended to equip evangelicals for ministry and outreach in our changing nation. Borrowing from the business concept of "cultural intelligence," he explores how God's people can become more multiculturally adept. From discussions about cultural and racial histories, to reviews of case-study churches and Christian groups that are succeeding in bridging ethnic divides, Rah provides a practical and hopeful guidebook for Christians wanting to minister more effectively in diverse settings.
Without guilt trips or browbeating, the book will spur individuals, churches, and parachurch ministries toward more effectively bearing witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Good News for people of every racial and cultural background. Its message is positive; its potential impact, transformative.
Features: Bibliography
Physical Info: 208 pages
Pub Date: September 01, 2010
Rev. Dr. Soong-Chan Rah is Milton B. Engebretson Associate Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, IL and the author of The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the Church from Western Cultural Captivity.
Rah is formerly the founding Senior Pastor of the Cambridge Community Fellowship Church (CCFC), a multi-ethnic, urban ministry-focused church committed to living out the values of racial reconciliation and social justice in the urban context. Soong-Chan was a plenary speaker at the 2003 Urbana Student Missions Conference, the 2005 Summer Institute for Asian American Ministry and Theology, the 2006 Congress on Urban Ministry, the 2007 ECC Midwinter Conference, the 2007 Urban Youth Workers Institute Conference and the 2008 and 2009 CCDA National Conference.
- Religion | Christian Ministry | Pastoral Resources
- Religion | Christian Life | General
LC Subjects:
-Christianity -Church work with minorities
-Multiculturalism -Religious aspects
-United States
- Religious Orientation | Christian
Dewey: 259.08901
LC Call Number: BV4468
9780802450487 Paperback 0802450482 $ 10.95
Soong-Chan Rah's book is intended to equip evangelicals for ministry and outreach in our changing nation. Borrowing from the business concept of "cultural intelligence," he explores how God's people can become more multiculturally adept.
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Tagged / illness
Photo of the Week: All My Meeples
BU research, Featured sgardener
All My Meeples
Our next Photo of the Week is Alexandra Alberda‘s photo of her drawing of people engaging with Graphic Medicine comics at a museum exhibition. This weekly series features photo entries taken by our academics, students and professional staff for our annual Research Photography Competition, which gives a glimpse into some of the fantastic research undertaken across the BU community.
Alexandra’s work takes Medical Humanities and Graphic Medicine into non-clinical and public settings where health related works are being engaged with presently. Her research furthers Medical Humanities’ engagement with public perceptions of health by expanding the critical vocabulary available to scholars through Comics Studies and curatorial practice. The space of the museum holds a social identity as upholding and defining culture and has a history of exhibiting works that relate to healthcare and the “ill” other/body. How do these bodies and the experiences they illustrate reach our own interpretations of illness, flesh bodies, and lived experiences? Alexandra’s PhD research focuses on these experiences as they are tied to exhibitions and museums, which creates three groups of ‘people’ to the research.
The first group (green) are the people that exist in the museum: viewers, artists, curators, and other museum staff. The second group (pink) are the people represented in the exhibition artwork: both fictional and non-fiction characters in the case of memoirs. Her research focuses on the relationships and engagement that happens between the first and second groups. The third group (orange) involves the relationships between my supervisors, and their expertise, and Alexandra. These relationships will translate into her professional practices and research skills.
Alexandra Alberda is a PhD researcher in the Faculty of Media and Communication at Bournemouth University. Her supervisors are Dr. Sam Goodman, Dr. Julia Round and Professor Michael Wilmore. She received her MA in Art History minoring in Sculptural Painting/Studio Art at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and BA in English and Art minoring in Honours, Art History and Writing at Briar Cliff University.
Find out more about the role that comics can play in the study and delivery of healthcare on the Graphic Medicine website here.
– @ZandraAlberda
Tags: comics graphic medicine Health illness photo of the week potw public perceptions research photography competition research photography competition 2018 rpc
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STONE COLD MILLER: Stephen Takes Charge As Kirstjen Gets The Boot
White House adviser Stephen Miller is finally taking charge of the Trump administration’s immigration priorities as Kirstjen Nielsen, General John Kelly’s former aide, resigned from the top post at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Border hawk Kris Kobach is seen as a leading contender to replace Nielsen as Miller consolidates his grip on the border crisis. But Kobach could also be relegated to an invented “border czar” role with unclear duties. The United States is currently under invasion, with George Soros money financing the invading caravan organizers. Ken Cuccinelli, an avowed NeverTrumper during Trump’s political rise, is also inexplicably being discussed as a candidate for a top border-related position.
A handful of DHS bureaucrats are following Nielsen out the door, as well as the director of the Secret Service, whom Trump personally ordered gone.
“Replacing the USSS director signals that immigration hardliner Stephen Miller is gaining more leverage in the White House,” the Daily Mail reports.
Good. Miller is not only a poetic speechwriter for President Trump, but also one of the few Trump administration officials who exist mostly outside of the incompetent bureaucracy displayed by the large majority of the American government.
Will the administration begin to catch up to Miller on the defining issue of our time: the globalist Left’s plan to break our country with mass immigration and constant invasion of the homeland?
BLP reported Sunday:
Chief of staff Mick Mulvaney laid out a three-point plan for the border crisis on “Fox News Sunday,” which surprisingly pushed him on the urgency of the situation at the U.S.-Mexico line.
President Donald Trump declared a national emergency for the Wall and vetoed Congress’ objection to it, so Wall-building is commencing on the border and should increase rapidly.
But Mulvaney’s plan still relies on Mexico, Central American countries, and Congress.
Mulvaney said that:
Mexico must “continue” apprehending migrants, which they only just started doing as a result of Trump tariff threats.
The Central American “Northern Triangle” caravan countries need to help (as if that’s going to happen, and the pulling off their foreign “aid” funds is still officially a “threat” from the White House).
Congress needs to change the immigration laws.
Immigration laws can be changed by executive order, and the ones that require Congress give President Trump all the more momentum in his re-election campaign, in which Republicans also hope to take back the House under Trump on the ticket.
Mulvaney is a good tea party political strategist for President Trump, who serves McDonald’s in the White House, but his job is not to stand in the way of the President using his broad executive authority as Commander in Chief to secure our people.
With Soros money funding the caravan organizers, this is nothing short of an invasion.
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Mike Trout, Angels Officially Agree to Record-Setting 12-Year, $430M Contract
Tyler Conway@jtylerconwayTwitter LogoFeatured ColumnistMarch 21, 2019
Kelvin Kuo/Associated Press
The Los Angeles Angels and outfielder Mike Trout have come to terms on a 12-year, $430 million contract extension that's the richest in both Major League Baseball and sports history, the Angels announced Wednesday night.
Angels owner Arte Moreno released a statement on the deal, per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand:
Mark Feinsand @Feinsand
Here are Angels’ statements from Arte Moreno and Mike Trout: https://t.co/O7iOHxiadU
The 27-year-old eclipsed the contract Bryce Harper signed earlier this offseason by $100 million. Harper agreed to a 13-year, $330 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Trout is now locked in with the Angels through the 2030 season.
Already one of the greatest players in modern baseball history, Trout has been named an All-Star seven times and won two MVPs—though many would contend he deserved one or two more.
Since Trout's first full MLB season, he has put up 64.9 wins above replacement, per FanGraphs. No other hitter has more than 47.3 WAR (Buster Posey).
Among position players, Trout's career already sits at No. 80 in the history of baseball, per the WAR metric. He'll pass the likes of Tony Gwynn, Manny Ramirez and Derek Jeter, among others, and likely climb into the top 40 this season—provided he continues performing at his 2018 level.
"It's well-deserved," Albert Pujols told reporters of his teammate. "I don't think there's anybody in baseball besides him that deserves that [contract]. Trout is the best, and the numbers speak for itself."
"I got mine in my time, and [I'm] just really excited, really pumped up for him and his family, for his mom and dad ... just real exciting," he continued. "To sign and be here hopefully for the rest of his career is gonna be pretty special, too."
Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images
Trout has done all this and still kept a low national profile, something that's been a source of consternation around baseball. ESPN did not rank him among the world's 100 most famous athletes in its 2018 rankings.
As MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, Harper deserves more recognition:
"It's hard for me not to imagine that him not being recognized in that fashion is part and parcel of how we as an industry promote. I believe there are opportunities to move our game and our players back into the forefront of the conversation and to do so in such a way that benefits the industry as a whole.
"Mike is doing things that our game has rarely seen. It would be fantastic if more people knew about it."
Harper (No. 99) was the only baseball player on the World Fame 100 list. Trout may not be the most well-known name in baseball, but now he's the highest-paid in its history.
Price Says Eckersley Feud Is 'Trash' After Remarks
Scott Polacek
Sam Miller
via ESPN.com
Exclusive Mariano x B/R Collab
Cop the Mariano Rivera x B/R World Tour collaboration ahead of his HOF weekend 🛒
B/R SHOP
via B/R SHOP
3 Prospect Call-Ups Who Can Swing Pennant Races
via The Ringer
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NEXT | Overwatch teases possible new hero on Twitter
Shaman > WoWFeb 26, 2015 8:00 pm CT
Totem Talk: So what’s wrong with Enhancement?
By Eliot Lefebvre
I like Enhancement a whole lot, as you probably noticed from the fact that my first column about the spec was filled with enthusiastic gushing. After a decade of play and a stunning number of shifts in design philosophy, it remains one of my absolute favorite parts of the game. The fact that I can then combine that with one of my other favorite parts of the game, draenei, is like icing on pie.
That doesn’t mean that the spec doesn’t have some pretty big issues, and they’re obvious to anyone who’s paying attention to how Enhancement plays. It’s obvious to me, and my days of serious progression raiding are long past. And while I’d like to talk about the changes brought to the spec with 6.1, well, there’s not much on that front; Echo of the Elements is being changed in a meaningful way, but for the most part the spec’s three biggest issues remain unchanged.
Yes, the Enhancement problems come down to three basic issues: too much emphasis on area damage, not enough meaningful and impactful cooldowns, and too many buttons to rotate through normally. As cool as the spec is, we wind up feeling unwieldy and tuned for a role we didn’t really ask for.
Good at AoE
On the one hand, being good at something seems like it should be a flat-out good thing. But as Mages the world over discovered for several expansions, being good at AoE comes at the cost of your single-target damage, and single-target damage is always going to matter more. Boss fights are single-target affairs, and while being able to spread around lots of damage during trash fights makes them go a little bit fast, that’s not the difference between a clear and a wipe.
From an absolutely objective standpoint, it makes sense that you should only get one or the other. If your spec or class is great at wiping out huge groups, it should suffer on single-target fights. The problem is that as much logical sense as that makes, there has never been a time when that superiority at AoE damage has actually translated to greater efficiency on any content that matters. All it means is that we’re really great at wiping out large groups of enemies that could be wiped out with equal ease and slightly less speed just by burning one down after the other.
All the damage that Enhancement can pump out is keenly tied to spreading Flame Shock, busting out Fire Nova, and otherwise spreading out for big numbers. On single targets, we’re just not as good. Which is not to our credit or our benefit, especially as it feels very much akin to the old spellpower main-hand weapons we’d swing around back in the day: a design element we fell into rather than one we were given intentionally.
Lack of meaningful cooldowns
A lot of the Enhancement playstyle is based entirely around managing a complex interplay of random events, which leads to a sense that the spec is sort of frantic. We have way too much random chance going on, which is why I’m entirely in favor of the change to Echo of the Elements. Instead of randomly getting strings of free Stormstrikes over and over, I can actually manage my use of three core abilities based on having multiple charges! Intelligent choices instead of hammering on buttons as fast as they light up like the most demented version of Whack-A-Mole possible.
The flip side to Enhancement’s huge number of buttons that need to be juggled for play, though, is that we don’t have any cooldowns that feel meaty and distinct to the spec. Feral Spirits is there, but it doesn’t actually affect our individual damage, it just provides another damage source that we’re technically responsible for. None of our totems provide any sort of meaningful DPS effect outside of our old stalwart Searing Totem; Fire Elemental/Storm Elemental are solid DPS boosts, but much like Feral Spirits it doesn’t really feel like something under our direct control even with Primal Elementalist.
No, the big events for Enhancement are based entirely around random procs, chiefly Maelstrom Weapon (although Improved Flame Shock adds in another element), or around passive effects that stack up over time. The net result is that since so few of our cooldowns other than Heroism have a direct and meaningful impact on our personal damage, they just get rolled out as they come up instead of being held back for anything. It reduces the aspect of making interesting choices.
The other side of the problem that the previous point leads to is that playing Enhancement is just plain cumbersome. Instead of having meaningful cooldowns to use when we really need to burn something to the ground, we have a whole lot of abilities to constantly flit between over and over. The redesigned Flurry just contributes to that feel, making our cooldowns shorter, our attacks faster, and our various individual sources of damage almost entirely invisible.
As much as I like the breadth of the Enhancement toolkit, the fact that we run around with a bloated rotation that has far too many moving parts is not a part of that. Our lack of meaningful cooldowns ties into the same issue. Tightening up the sheer breadth of abilities we use for damage would go a long way toward making the class feel less frantic, but it also would mean pruning some of the hybrid nature of the class — you know, one of the elements that I very specifically praised last week.
Blizzard has acknowledged that Shaman sort of has too many damage sources and too much stuff on short cooldowns without meaningful impact. There’s no real choice about when to use Unleash Elements or such; it’s “throw out as soon as you can” for pretty much everything. What’s problematic is that we’re left with so many abilities to rotate around, applying Flame Shock and then tossing Frost Shocks, firing Lightning Bolt as soon as we can, using up our melee strikes… it’s functional, but it’s sure as hell not as elegant as many other rotations.
So what could be done?
Oddly, I feel like all of these issues funnel into the exact same location insofar as all three come down to having too many buttons that do too little and reduce intelligent choice. By spamming out Flame Shock, Lava Lash, and Fire Nova, we wind up making for a very effective AoE class that can’t do as much single-target damage… and there are some obvious fixes right there that would allow for intelligent decisions about when to AoE vs. when to do single-target damage, which would greatly improve our overall utility.
It’s ironic that more wasn’t done about the issue going into the expansion, since one of the big changes made in Warlords was ostensibly to reduce button bloat. Instead, Enhancement remained more or less exactly where it was already, when trimming down button bloat would actually do a lot to make the class balance better and feel more fun to play. We also suffer from the hybrid issue mentioned in my first column – since so many of the crucial abilities for Enhancement show up for other specs, re-tuning the abilities we have affects other specs as well.
How could we trim, in a quick-and-dirty fashion? I think we could probably put Lava Lash and Stormstrike onto the same cooldown a la Crusader Strike/Hammer of the Righteous; let Stormstrike refresh the duration on the Flame Shock debuff so that you effectively create two separate modes for Enhancement’s melee abilities. Buff the damage slightly, but don’t let Enhancement juggle the two constantly. Our Unleash could also use tweaks to de-emphasize Fire Nova – we’re wielding a lot of different sorts of spell damage, having our next fire spell and only that be enhanced gives us the choice between two spells and one of them only occasionally must be re-applied.
These are, I must note, mostly back-of-the-envelope knee-jerk possibilities. I can see an argument being made for preserving the rapid feel of Enhancement, even as I think it loses some of the impact of back in the day. Enhancement has always been about flurries of blows and sudden crescendos of damage, but our current state of design is a bit far from the glory days of watching Windfury suddenly go off in a sudden and unexpected burst of damage.
But we’re still solid
Despite the issues that Enhancement does have right now, I honestly don’t feel like the spec is all that bad. Were I pushing hard on Mythic raiding, I might feel differently, but I’m also of the mind that pushing forward on Mythic raiding or the equivalent is always going to come down to whatever’s in the top 10%. The rest of the time, you make do with what you have.
I don’t want to pretend that there are no issues with the class, because there most certainly are. I largely agree with the assessment that Blizzard doesn’t know what to do with the spec, precisely, because it feels like the changes being made are a bit too timid, and we’ve gotten more buttons to hit but fewer meaningful choices despite that. I want more of my little totem forts back, more group utility in exchange for already not hitting the top of single-target damage, and less reliance on luck.
But hey, Enhancement has always been an odd spec, from its first incarnation as sort of maybe possibly an off tank to its current state. Play it for long enough and you come to expect that it’ll be weird; that’s part of the fun.
It’s the price you pay for still being the coolest shaman spec around, I suppose.
Filed Under: Balance, Enhancement, Issues, Shaman, Totem Talk, World Of Warcraft, WoW
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Henry Cavill reportedly no longer playing Superman at DC
Tom Butler
Yahoo Movies UK September 12, 2018
This film publicity image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Henry Cavill as Superman in “Man of Steel.” (AP Photo/Warner Bros. Pictures, Clay Enos, File)
Henry Cavill is Superman no more.
The 35-year-old Brit is reportedly leaving the role of Superman after talks with Warner Bros. and DC broke down. Hollywood Reporter says Cavill is hanging up his cape after “contract talks between Cavill’s WME reps and Warners broke down” over a proposed cameo appearance in 2019’s DC superhero movie Shazam!.
Cavill and Warner Bros. are yet to respond to the report.
Dany Garcia, whose company The Garcia Companies manages Cavill, disputes the news saying fans can expect an official update from Warner Bros. today.
Be peaceful, the cape is still in his closet. @wbpictures has been and continues to be our partners as they evolve the DC Universe. Anticipate a WB statement later today.
— Dany Garcia (@DanyGarciaCo) September 12, 2018
The Hollywood Reporter story suggests Warner Bros. had hoped to recruit Cavill, who first played the Kryptonian in 2013’s Man of Steel, for a small part in the Zacahary Levi-fronted film but talks broke down over “scheduling conflicts”. Cavill recently signed up for Netflix’s big budget, 8-part adaptation of The Witcher making him unavailable to play Superman.
The report adds that, as a Man of Steel sequel is years away from production, the studio would prefer to reboot, thus closing the door on Cavill’s return. Another report on Deadline suggests the studio is considering Black Panther and Creed star Michael B Jordan as the next Superman.
The studios focus is said to be turning to a new Supergirl movie, which would be set years before Man of Steel.
“Superman is like James Bond, and after a certain run you have to look at new actors,” their studio source is reported to have commented.
Actors Jason Momoa, from left, Ezra Miller, Gal Gadot, Ben Affleck, Ray Fisher and Henry Cavill pose for a selfie photograph at a photo call to promote the film ‘Justice League’, in London, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2017. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)
Cavill has played Superman in three DC films: 2013’s Man of Steel, 2015’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and 2017’s Justice League. The report suggests that Warner Bros. will use Cavill’s exit, plus the increasingly likely departure of Ben Affleck as Batman to “reset” the DC franchise.
“There’s a recognition that some parts of the previous movies didn’t work,” says a studio insider.
Cavill recently spoke to Yahoo Movies UK about his dreams for a Man of Steel sequel, saying that he hoped the filmmakers would look to Brian Azzarello’s For Tomorrow comic title for inspiration.
“There’s a lot of weight to it,” he explained. “I don’t know if it’s the exact one I’d make a movie out of but I’d definitely take tones from it. You really get an insight into Superman’s mind. He talks to a priest a lot and you see him trying to save the world in literally the most magnificent of ways.
“He’s doing his utmost to save humanity and create a perfect place for everyone to live but then realises that he can’t, but it’s beautiful that he tried. He’s so naive in some aspects of it but he’s using all the power that he possibly can to create a utopia and within all this stuff is a lot of darkness, a lot of sadness in him.”
There’ll be a lot a sadness here if Cavill truly has quit the role. His departure is sure to cast a cloud over the promotion of DC’s next film Aquaman, which hits cinemas later this year.
Watch this space for updates.
Cavill sorry for ‘flirting’ comments
Cavill wows in original Superman suit
Cavill not sure about Synder cut of Justice League
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Canadian medic wounded in Gaza shares his story of courage and determination at Toronto event
Dr. Tarek Loubani, a Palestinian Canadian doctor, was shot in both legs last May by an Israeli sniper in Gaza. He was one of 1700 wounded on that day alone. He talked about what he saw and felt at a recent lecture organized in Toronto by Canadian Friends of Sabeel. Learn more…
“Shooting someone on purpose is an intimate act”, Dr. Tarek Loubani told a capacity crowd at Victoria College in Toronto. “The sniper has to follow you carefully, before pulling the trigger.”
Loubani says 19 other identified medical personnel were also shot by Israeli snipers that day. He does not know whether medics were targeted as a deliberate act of Israeli policy, but notes that during the six weeks of protests up to that point NO medical personnel had been shot. “Certainly, the high number of wounded medical personnel is troubling”, Loubani admitted.
“I don’t frighten easily” Loubani told the crowd, “but something about this day really gave me a dread.”
He was in Gaza to provide medical services to Palestinian demonstrators protesting their 12 year incarceration in what the Norwegian Refugee Council and others have called an “open air prison”.
Loubani runs the Glia Project, an organization which seeks to provide medical supplies to impoverished areas. Glia has created designs for 3D-printable stethoscopes and other medical instruments. He was supervising field tests of a 3D-printed tourniquet when he was shot.
Loubani’s wounding led Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to issue a rare criticism of Israel’s action. “We are appalled that Dr. Tarek Loubani, a Canadian citizen, is among the wounded – along with so many unarmed people, including civilians, members of the media, first responders, and children,” said Trudeau.
Loubani was the featured speaker at this year’s James Graff Memorial Lecture in Toronto. Graff had been a professor at the University of Toronto who made bringing attention to the plight of the Palestinian people a key activity. The lecture is an annual event organized by Canadian Friends of Sabeel (CFOS).
His half hour presentation (plus another hour of Q&A) is now available on Youtube.
Loubani became well known to Canadians when he was interviewed by CBC after his wounding. He is respected not only for his courage under fire, but also for his careful and understated manner, which adds to the credibility and authenticity of his reporting.
Canada Talks Israel Palestine (CTIP) aims to promote a serious discussion in Canada about the complicated and emotional Israel/Palestine issue. This requires a good knowledge about historical facts. If we have our facts wrong, please help us. We encourage brief comments (under 100 words) from serious readers. To learn more about what we do, contact us at chair.ctip@gmail.com.
Posted in Canadian Politics, Churches, Discrimination, gaza, Israel, occupation, Palestinians, Refugees, Uncategorized on December 16, 2018 by Peter Larson. 4 Comments
← Will Canada demand labelling of Israeli settlement products? – a CTIP guest column
“Thank you for enabling me to come and see Israel/Palestine”, Canadian indigenous leader →
Dr. David Lorge Parnas says:
Lets get him to Ottawa to speak and meet MPs
QCPal says:
Reblogged this on QCpal.
Jake. says:
Every Friday after murdering Peaceful demonstrators and shooting thousands mostly in the knee with Dum Dum bullets, which shatters the area bones and necessitates amputations, Israel “justified” it saying that they were afraid Of “thousands of terrorists attempting to enter Israel and kill many”. If that was the case why put sharp shooters and not the army to shoot at the front rows.Of course there was no running toward the border, not any weapons fired, not even a knife. As we saw on dozens of videos, there were men, women and children scattered on a huge flat area, talking, praying, singing, eating or just sitting on the ground. The sharp shooters singled out individuals among the demonstrators, seeing the faces of the targeted ones with telescope mounted rifles.Dr. Lubani was 300 meters from the border. The Israeli criminal defense minister said that they knew where every bullet ended up. So why did they kill about 200 people and wounded about 15,000. There’s one explanation. By using utmost brutality they wanted to put an end to the peaceful demonstrations, being afraid that it might spread to other places like West Bank and than Israel won’t be able to tell the world that all Palestinians are terrorists, keep Gaza sealed and steal more land in W.B. Also eliminating any empathy toward the Palestinians from people around the world and criticism of Israel. They repeated this king of ideology many times like in Jenin, south Lebanon, murdering ten activists in international waters sailing toward Gaza with medical supply and of course three times massacres in Gaza before.
Israel is a criminal state with total disregard to any non Jew. How many years and how many daily atrocities we need to witness, in order to call Israel for what it is and raise our voices.
GEORGE JACOBY says:
The uncritical pro Israel lobby in Canada Bnaibrith and Cija: tried to undermine and defame Dr. Loubani; did not have one word of caution or sympathy for the 000s of dead and wounded Palestinians,; defended without qualification the murderous, excessive Israeli tactics and demanded that PM Trudeau withdraw his mild critical remarks which Bnai Brith Pres said were an insult to Cdn Jews which these orgs claim to represent. IJV excepting.
The Can govt has said and done nothing since about violence except condemning the ahootings of Israelis. Most recently Govt PM Trudeau and For minister Freeland condemned the deaths of Iaraelis including the 2 IDF soldiers and unborn baby of Canadian parents living in the illegal Jewish settlements in occupied territories under very questionable status. (Have enquired about the legal and consular status of Cdn citizens living in settlements and have had no response – pribably too hot a potato for Govt o respond to).
Hopefully Dr Loubani’s visit might jar the Govt to actually forcing progress towards a soln, 1 state or 2 which is supposedly Canada’s policy. You can be certain that the Israel lobby will be stalking and undermining any sense of a fair and balanced Canadian policy on Israel Palestine.. (Bnai brith Canada has blocked me from their twitter feed, probably for reminding them Too often that the international consensus of a 2 state soln with minority protection in both Israel and Palestine is the only to end the 70 years of violent conflict and pokitical rhetoric, as well as preserve a Jewish majority & democratic & hrights respecting Israel in which you would think the lobby would be interested
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Tag Archives: undeclared
6 sex supplements contain hidden drugs, FDA warns
The Food and Drug Administration is cracking down on sex supplements again, warning the public on Monday about six products that were found to contain hidden drugs. The names of the tainted products are: Reload, Get It Up, Super Cheetah, Cave Diver, Nights to Remember and X Zen Platinum. All of the products are marketed for sexual enhancement, and sold on various websites and in some retail stores, the FDA said. All of the products were found to contain the drug sildenafil (sold under the brand name Viagra), and one was found to contain tadalafil (brand name Cialis). Sildenafil and tadalafil are prescription drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction. Sex supplements are not allowed to contain prescription drugs, and the drugs are not included on the products' labels. Undeclared drugs in supplements are dangerous because consumers ingest these drugs without being told about their risks. Sildenafil and tadalafil can cause adverse reactions, including dangerously low blood pressure, if taken along with other prescription drugs that contain nitrates, the FDA says. (Some drugs prescribed to treat chest pain and heart disease contain nitrates.) Consumers who take the products listed in today's warnings should stop using them immediately, and throw them away, the FDA says. Last month, the FDA recalled two sex supplements, called Vicerex and Black Ant, because the products contained sildenafil and tadalafil. Earlier this year, the FDA warned consumers that several other sexual enhancement supplements contained undeclared drugs. Because the FDA is unable to test and identify all tainted sexual enhancement products, consumers should exercise caution before buying any products in this category, the agency said. Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/10/6-sex-supplements-contain-hidden-drugs-fda-warns/
Category: Cancer Cancer News Tags: agency, brand, copyright, material, products, remember, sildenafil, undeclared, year
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Tag Archives: nadia
Programming Highlights; June 17, 2010
At 1 PM The Ageless Sisters listen intently as psychologist Diana Kirschner—who’s been featured on the Today show and Oprah—chats about her latest book, Love in 50 Days: The Essential Guide to Finding Your Own True Love.
At 5 PM The Afternoon Indie Artist Spotlight Show host Deron Pitts chills with singer-songwriter Amber Ojeda, who’s been named “Best of the Best on the Internet” by Kick Radio’s Global Top 40, and whose tunes have been featured on the Style Network series Dress My Nest.
At 73o PM Alan Roger Currie of Upfront & Straightforward— which focuses on socially-active and progressive singles—gives it up for, well, his badd old self as he celebrates three fun-filled years on the world’s greatest online radio network, BlogTalkRadio. Way to go, AC!
At 8 PM Artists on Demand gets busy with Jonathan Jackson, who plays Lucky Spencer on General Hospital, but prefers to focus on his musical talents. So the singer-guitarist and his band, Enation, will be here to chat about their latest album, Live from the Northwest.
At 8 PM 123 Film!’s Sam Heer cues Hollywood music supervisor Maureen Crowe (above with Fergie), whom Clive Davis tapped as his vice president of soundtracks, and who’s also worked for Disney, MGM and Fox, while overseeing the scores of hits like Chicago and The Perfect Storm.
At 9:30 PM Resiliency Radio hosts Rick Allen and Lauren Monroe hang with Dancing with Myself singer Billy Idol and Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen. The rockers reveal how they’ve survived in the face of drug overdoses, motorcycle wrecks, amputation and other adversities
At 10 PM NDB Media host Roger Noriega finds—for a second time—Andrea Gabriel, who played Nadia on ABC’s recently-wrapped Lost. The chestnut-haired stunner will discuss why she believes her character wasn’t in fact Sayid’s love connection.
P.S. Don’t forget to take a moment to tell Oprah, “We want Chenese!”
This entry was posted in Books and tagged ABC, ageless sisters, alan roger currie, amber ojeda, Andrea Gabriel, artists on demand, billy idol, blog talk radio, BlogTalkRadio, BTR, chicago, Clive Davis, daily features, Daily Highlights, dancing with myself, def leppard, Deron Pitts, diana kirschner, Disney, enation, featured, featured shows, fergie, FOX, General Hospital, jonathon jackson, lauren monroe, live from the northwest, Lost, love in 50 days, lucky spencer, maureen crowe, mgm, nadia, NDB Media, Oprah, Programming Highlights, resiliency radio, rick allen, Roger Noriega, sayid, straightforward, the afternoon indie artist spotlight show, the perfect storm, today show, upfront on June 17, 2010 by .
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Dems bring terrorism into county judge race
By Liz Peterson on October 31, 2008 at 4:51 PM
This Halloween, the Harris County Democratic Party is looking to scare voters with a new YouTube video that paints Republican County Judge Ed Emmett as a callous lobbyist who sees terrorism as a boon for business.
We’ve covered the long-simmering dispute over whether Emmett is, was or ever has been a lobbyist, so we’ll skip right to the good stuff: Is he a cheerleader for Al Qaeda?
The ad cites an April 2003 report by Traffic World, a weekly transportation industry trade magazine, in which Emmett was quoted as saying “terrorism is one of the best things to happen to the liner industry in some time.”
“What kind of person sees terrorism as good for business? A lobbyist.” the video’s narrator ominously states.
Yikes. That quote sounds pretty damaging, right?
But here’s the whole quote, which, by the way, Traffic World attributed to its sister publication, The Journal of Commerce: “Don’t take this the wrong way, but terrorism is one of the best things to happen to the liner industry in some time. Security is giving us an opportunity to transition a major industry from an ‘old’ industry into a new, high-tech industry.”
Emmett said Friday he stands by that quote and still believes modernizing the industry was a good result from a bad situation.
He scoffed at what he called the “newest low” for the Democratic Party and said it’s “silly” that they keep calling him a lobbyist.
“(Democrat David) Mincberg decided to launder his campaign money and then use it for totally false attacks and he has nothing to say about himself as to why he should be county judge and he just spreads a bunch of these lies,” Emmett said, referring to an apparent chain of donations we reported about earlier this week.
“I’m just glad the election’s Tuesday and I’ll be rid of him after that,” he said.
Liz Peterson
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The Pour Fool: What to Drink from the World and NW
21st Amendment Brewing Monk’s Blood and Bitter American: Belgian and British, American Style!
By The Pour Fool on April 27, 2012 at 7:39 AM
Steve Body aka The Pour Fool
Shaun O’Sullivan & Nico Freccia…Don’t know those names? You should, if you’re any kind of craft beer lover or even just a fan of American skill, creativity, and ingenuity. For those not familiar with Shaun and Nico, let me be the lucky SOB who gets to introduce you because – trust me on this – one day you’ll remember you read it here and you’ll think kindly of me. Which, given my grimy and well-worn Karma, I’ll probably need.
Shaun and Nico started a little project called 21st Amendment Brewing, located in the formerly-sketchy Embarcadero neighborhood of San Francisco, where they now find themselves homies to the new San Francisco Giants AT&T Park and a whole little world of Renewed Interest, much of which they caused. From the beginning, 21A has turned heads with a roster of slickly-twisted ales that don’t play by any sort of rules but also don’t get so freaky-far Out There that mere mortals can’t drink and appreciate them. Two of them are the subject of this here edition of the Fool and they’re two of the craftiest craft beers I’ve ever tasted that didn’t say “Dogfish”, “Port Brewing”, or “Great Divide” on the package.
Monk’s Blood is to most American Belgian-Style wannabes what a Maserati is to a skateboard. My complaint with American brewers trying to reinterpret almost any style of Belgian ale past a basic Golden is that they seem unable to push themselves away from either the sugar bowl or the spice rack. Some of the giants of American artisan brewing have spawned some of the worst examples of this cultural disconnect and, as always, no names will be mentioned. But let’s just say that what makes Belgian ales so wildly popular and what makes them arguably the highest accomplishments of the brewer’s art is conspicuously absent from a lot of US editions: restraint…the fine art of Knowing When to Quit.
Shaun O'Sullivan and Nico Freccia
Knowing When to Quit: I first preached this sermon about a 21st Amendment ale; their collaboration with Eugene, Oregon’s Ninkasi Brewing – the heart-stopping “Allies Win The War”. “Allies”, in case you’ve been under imprisoned in the Gulag for the past eight months, is a dark ale infused with fresh California dates; an ale which could have been an epic disaster of a beer if not for the remarkable judgment of 21A’s Shaun Sullivan and Ninkasi’s Jamie Floyd, who nudged the stuff up to a certain fine balance and then backed off – something most brewers would not have done. The result was one of The Fool’s three Best of the Northwest for 2011, a gorgeous, rich, satisfying, intensely flavorful, and crazy-creative brew that remains my favorite thing to put in a glass and simply enjoy, here seven months along.
Monk’s Blood sits firmly in that same continuum. A subtle, silken, complex, vibrant, wildly-creative reinterpretation of a Belgian Dark Ale that simply uses the style as a jumping-off point, in exactly the same way John Coltrane used “My Favorite Things” as the rock-solid foundation from which to embroider and extrapolate. Belgian Darks rarely achieve this immediacy of flavor and textural seamlessness and many even show off-notes that can be a big part of their appeal but which are completely absent here. The example that springs to mind is the Gulden Draak Black, a beer which I like a lot but which expresses a frank note of something charred which is startling and attention-grabbing. No such shenanigans here. The big flavors start with a core of rum-soaked cherries, molasses, raspberry jam, and stewed plums and then add a low-key, flattering stratum of subdued spices. The content is nothing especially new – nutmeg, cinnamon, coriander, cardamom, orange rind – but the presentation is. They’re present but not trying to steal the show. This ale is one of the finest examples I’ve ever tasted of balancing the elements. One uber-famous West Coast faux-Belgian that sells like mad tastes like a spice cake that’s been run through a blender with some cut-rate barleywine. Monk’s is a genuinely great dark ale that’s enhanced, augmented, gilded with touches of its additions. The actual sweetness stops well short of 99% of all American Belgians but is quite present and pleasing, never cloying or syrupy.
Photo by Shyzaboy (from Flickr)
Monk’s Blood is taking a year’s hiatus in 2013, which frankly just makes me nervous but, hey, I don’t run the brewery. I’m sure they have their reasons but if, for some strange reason, it should not come back, the country is going to be down one of its most flavorful nods to the European brewing traditions and I’ll probably whine fecklessly until my family starts leaving the room when I come in.
I owe Shaun and Nico an apology, here. I forgot Bitter American! What can I say? I’m aging badly and every morning I wake up and can still dress myself is another proud milestone. But the fact is that I simply whiffed on what has become one of my favorite go-to warm-weather beverages (which may explain why I forgot, as Seattle rarely reaches a thermometer reading that qualifies as “warm-weather”) and our camping beverage without peer. For our 2011 camping trips, Bitter American was the bottom-layer of every one of the year’s coolers and I’ve found nothing seriously likely to unseat it for 2012. Bitter American, in keeping with the “slickly-twisted” thing, is a lean ‘n’ mean, jacked-up version of a traditional English bitter that’s stunningly flavorful and interesting for a beer that’s seriously light enough to be your regular summer or “session” choice.
This 2012 edition is virtually the same ale as 2011, which is to say that it’s near flawless. The gorgeous hops profile just flat-out sings, laying a lovely floral/citrus bitterness atop a toasty, substantial seam of mellow malts. This is the sort of thing we’ve seen a million times, here in the PacNorwest, in under-realized beers like Red Hook ESB. Here, it’s done to perfection, again using the traditional style as a reference point and reinterpreting the classic British Bitters in a way that’s totally American and mindful of our greater interest in enhanced hops. Make no mistake about this: if you like traditional ESBs, you’re gonna find a whole new level of enjoyment with this dazzling can o’ deliciousness. SEEK THIS OUT, folks. I’m stockpiling for summer and you’re going to cheat yourself out of a whole lot of flavor and enjoyment if you don’t at least try this amazing ale.
Steve Body
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Home > australia > cricket > ponting > Are Australians Sore Losers?
Are Australians Sore Losers?
By Ayush Trivedi 12:02 australia, cricket, ponting
There were thousands of different news articles touching on thousands more topics at the end of the last Ashes series. One that did catch my attention was a Ricky Ponting's complaint about the umpiring during the series. Ponting reserved his views on why the series was lost for his Ashes diary (read commercial publication), in which he apportioned all blame to one man and one ball.
According to Ponting, one ball during the second test match was all it took to bring down the mighty Australians. It was bowled by Brett Lee (sure, he's a decent bowler) to the one of the best batsmen in the English line-up, errr, Simon Jones. Billy Bowden's decision to award the batsmen the benefit of the doubt on that occasion earned him Ponting's ire and the infamous tag of the man who lost Australia The Ashes.
That Ponting is a hot-headed clod is of not news to us here at The Match Referee (TMR). However, we are quite disappointed that the usually irreverent and colourful Billy Bowden has chosen to shut up shop (so to speak) due to Ricky Ponting's ludicrous comments. For Ponting to blame the loss of a series on one ball and one man, that too an umpire, shows his lack of cricketing intellect. Maybe that is why he is such a poor captain.
Supporters of teams touring the Antipodean isles over the last 15-20 years have become accustomed to having to endure many an unpleasant and incorrect decision against their team. Although the Australians have generally been a class above the rest during this time, I am convinced that their superiority at home owes no small gratitude to those umpires (Australian or otherwise) who have generously helped their cause time and time again.
Visiting team and their supporters have been labeled sore losers for complaining about umpiring decisions, no matter how advantageous they may have been to the Australians during the course of a series (one Michael Holding article a few years ago comes to mind). I ask you this, have comments, like Ponting's above, led you to believe that Australian cricketers are a pack of wingeing brats/sore losers or is it a classic case of the winning side making its own luck while the losing side cries foul play?
I have my thoughts on the issue, however, I would like to know what you think.
NiSh said...
what can you possibly say in their defence? no matter how the score goes- the losing side would always point fongers- their opponents, coaches, referee... it's always been like that sadly enough- what do you say about this?
I said...
And u call urself the match referee? Your racism, prejudice and resentment against the Aussies - and indeed the white man race - is kinda cute.
The Enigma said...
@ Nish: Absolutely. It is held, thus, that this phenomenon of complaining after losing a series does not only afflict non-Australian teams in world cricket.
@ I: I make no secret of the fact that I think the behaviour of the Australian team has been appalling in many situations over the last decade and a half. This has cast an unfortunate pall over their excellent skills and performances.
They are, undoubtedly, the most superior team in world cricket at present. I have never begrudged them this. The fact that I criticise them and openly support other teams does not make me "racist".
Your resentment of everything third world and your apparent lack of appreciation and prejudice against the region's dynamics (even though you have been born and brought up there) is more akin to one who's comments could be deemed racist and a little whiny.
As far as resentment for the "white man race". Thats a new one. You'll just have to get to know me a little better.
Just as an aside, I support the Kiwis in every game (where India is not competing) and I'm supporting the Poms during The Ashes. "Racist", did you call me?
Hi Enigma,
I absolutely agree with your thought process here: Aussies are the best team in terms of talent, determination and execution go. But thats where it end. They in fact dont even qualify as "sportspersons" according to me.
Want examples? Ricky Ponting, Glenn McGrath, Darrell Hair, what the heck..even their PM (Mr. Howard) AND their general cricket-watching public. Read more about it here http://kiransfinallyblogging.blogspot.com/2006/03/run-riot-at-wanderers.html if you are interested.
@I:, whoever that is, what has been written above is the general opinion of Indians as a whole. you are effectively calling Indians as "racist".
Perhaps you have forgotten (or are blissfully unaware) of all the racist treatment meted out to all the Asian teams in Aus..as well as the Virender Shewag "over-appealing" debacle, when Shaun pollock was given a clean chit in SA about 7-8 yrs back.
You have probably also chosen to conveniently ignore the innumerable cases where Aussies or English players have walked scot-free even after showing dissent to umpires or resorting to sledgeing to the point where its unacceptable.
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Details for: Digital outcasts :
Digital outcasts : moving technology forward without leaving people behind / Kel Smith.
By: Smith, Kel.
Material type: TextSeries: Elsevier ScienceDirect eBooks.Publisher: Waltham, MA : Morgan Kaufmann, c2013Description: 1 online resource.ISBN: 9780124047051 (electronic bk.); 012404705X (electronic bk.); 9780124047136; 0124047130.Subject(s): Assistive computer technology | Computers and people with disabilitiesGenre/Form: Electronic books.Additional physical formats: Print version:: Digital outcasts.DDC classification: 617/.033 Online resources: Click here to view this ebook.
Who are digital outcasts? -- Interpreting ability -- Why accessibility alone isn't enough -- Accessibility and the real world -- Defining inclusive innovation -- Playing for health -- Virtual reality, universal life -- Inclusive design is the new green -- Designing for tomorrow's digital outcasts -- The future is already here.
Summary: The blind person who tries to make an online purchase. The young girl who cannot speak due to a cognitive disability. The man confined to his home due to permanent injury. The single mother with a long-term illness who struggles to feed her family. With one in seven people worldwide currently living with a disability, the term "outcast" covers numerous scenarios. Digital outcasts rely on technology for everyday services that many people take for granted. However, poorly designed products risk alienating this important (and growing) population. Through a "grass roots" approach to innovation, digital outcasts are gradually taking action to transform their lives and communities. This emerging trend provides exciting learning opportunities for all of us. Citing real-world case studies from healthcare to social science, this book examines the emerging legal and cultural impact of inclusive design. Gain a better understanding of how people with disabilities use technology Discover pitfalls and approaches to help you stay current in your UX practices Anticipate a future in which ambient benefit can be achieved for people of all abilities and backgrounds.
Online HV1569.5 .S65 2013 (Browse shelf) https://ezproxy.uttyler.edu/login?url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/book/9780124047051 Available ocn835600879
The blind person who tries to make an online purchase. The young girl who cannot speak due to a cognitive disability. The man confined to his home due to permanent injury. The single mother with a long-term illness who struggles to feed her family. With one in seven people worldwide currently living with a disability, the term "outcast" covers numerous scenarios. Digital outcasts rely on technology for everyday services that many people take for granted. However, poorly designed products risk alienating this important (and growing) population. Through a "grass roots" approach to innovation, digital outcasts are gradually taking action to transform their lives and communities. This emerging trend provides exciting learning opportunities for all of us. Citing real-world case studies from healthcare to social science, this book examines the emerging legal and cultural impact of inclusive design. Gain a better understanding of how people with disabilities use technology Discover pitfalls and approaches to help you stay current in your UX practices Anticipate a future in which ambient benefit can be achieved for people of all abilities and backgrounds.
Description based on title page of PDF version (ScienceDirect; viewed on April 4, 2013).
Author notes provided by Syndetics
Kel Smith (Principal, Anikto LLC) is a longtime speaker, author, and practitioner on digital accessibility.
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The Black Angels New album Indigo Meadow released April 1st
New album Indigo Meadow released April 1st
Provocative new track ‘Don’t Play With Guns’ streaming now
Blue Horizon recording group The Black Angels have announced the upcoming release of their eagerly anticipated new album. Indigo Meadow will arrive in UK stores and online on April 1st.
Indigo Meadow is heralded by the high-powered ‘Don’t Play With Guns.’ Penned just days before last year’s mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado, the song is streaming now exclusively via The Black Angels’ newly relented www.theblackangels.com. In addition, the ‘Don’t Play With Guns’ companion video clip can be viewed at the band’s’ visionary YouTube channel, The Black Angels TV, located at: http://youtu.be/RoNB1NW2u0A.
“Our music has always tried to shed light on issues that may be hard to deal with or confront,” says singer/multi-instrumentalist Alex Maas. “If people think they can ignore the issues they are wrong. Don’t play with guns, don’t touch a hot stove, don’t give your child a poisonous snake, don’t turn the cheek when artists are willing to discuss these issues.
“In ‘Don’t Play With Guns’ the antagonist is a female who has the power of persuasion over a man,” he continues. “Substitute the female antagonist with a Nation, substitute the manipulated man with yourself. Heed the warning: Don’t Play With Guns.”
The Black Angels’ most revelatory collection thus far, Indigo Meadow marks the Austin, Texas-based band’s fourth full-length release, following 2010’s acclaimed Phosphene Dream. Once again The Black Angels prove themselves the undisputed avatars of contemporary psychedelic rock, simultaneously exalting the genre’s kaleidoscopic past as they thrust it further into the future. Now a four-piece – ably supported behind the board by producer/mixer John Congleton (David Byrne & St. Vincent, Explosions In The Sky, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah) – the band have brought new focus to their wide-ranging songcraft, the righteous riffs and dogmatic drones gaining increased power as they fuel a more expansive emotional terrain. The ominous organ grooves and carpet-bombing beats surely resonate with blood and fire, but songs like ‘Love Me Forever’ and the deep blue title track also see a little light entering the Black Angels’ notorious heart of darkness. A 21st century trip as transcendent as any in the canon, Indigo Meadow masterfully affirms the Black Angels’ full-throttle commitment to the psychedelic ethos of creativity, community and boundless experimentation.
Founded in 2004, The Black Angels have been at the spearhead of the post-millennial psychedelic movement, picking up the mantle of their hometown’s long lysergic history and reinvigorating it with progressive political commentary and unrestrained creativity and ambition. Long hailed for their monumental live sets, The Black Angels will celebrate the arrival of Indigo Meadow with a major North American tour, set to get underway April 4th at Athens, GA’s Georgia Theatre and then continue a May 26th date at San Antonio, TX’s appropriately named White Rabbit. Support comes from a stellar line-up of lysergically like-minded artists, including Allah-Las, Elephant Stone, Hanni El Khatib, and Wall of Death).
Further, The Black Angels will once again have a headline role at their own annual Austin Psych Fest, set for April 26th – 28th. Early Bird Weekend Passes are on sale now – please see www.austinpsychfest.com for details.
As it enters its sixth year, Austin Psych Fest has proven the locus for today’s incredibly wide-ranging psychedelic scene, as expansive and revolutionary and exhilarating now as at any moment since its 1960s zenith. APF has quickly become no less an institution as the Newport Folk Festival or the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, inspiring – as it was itself inspired – numerous other like-minded gatherings in such far-flung locales as Liverpool, Santiago, and Cape Town. Like ever before, psychedelia’s countless creative tendrils lead back to Austin, where in 1966, the 13th Floor Elevators were praised for their “psychedelic rock,” forever marking the city as the forward-thinking sound-and-vision’s official birthplace.
The Black Angels: Christian Bland – guitar, drone machine/organ * Alex Maas – vocals, bass, organ/drone machine * Stephanie Bailey – drums, percussion * Kyle Hunt – keyboards, percussion, bass, guitar.
www.theblackangels.com
www.facebook.com/theblackangels.tx | www.twitter.com/_theblackangels
GUY ANDREWS ANNOUNCE TOUR DATES / SHARES NEW DJ MIX
Sean O’Neill streams new track ‘Carried In The Wind’ + announces new EP
DYVR reveals new single ‘Viridian’!
Lord Huron Announces Rough Trade West Instore Performance
Minus The Bear unveil new animated video
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Griz: Experience with Remote Visualization over an Optical Grid
by Luc RENAMBOT, Tom Van, Tom VAN DER SCHAAF, Henri E. BAL, Desmond GERMANS, Hans J.W. SPOELDER , 2002
"... This paper describes the experiments of remote rendering over an intercontinental optical network during the iGrid2002 conference in Amsterdam from September 23 to September 26. A rendering cluster in Chicago was used to generate images which were displayed in real-time on a l-tile visualization set ..."
Abstract - Cited by 8 (1 self) - Add to MetaCart
This paper describes the experiments of remote rendering over an intercontinental optical network during the iGrid2002 conference in Amsterdam from September 23 to September 26. A rendering cluster in Chicago was used to generate images which were displayed in real-time on a l-tile visualization
Determining Optical Flow
by Berthold K. P. Horn, Brian G. Schunck - ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE , 1981
"... Optical flow cannot be computed locally, since only one independent measurement is available from the image sequence at a point, while the flow velocity has two components. A second constraint is needed. A method for finding the optical flow pattern is presented which assumes that the apparent veloc ..."
Optical flow cannot be computed locally, since only one independent measurement is available from the image sequence at a point, while the flow velocity has two components. A second constraint is needed. A method for finding the optical flow pattern is presented which assumes that the apparent
OPTICS: Ordering Points To Identify the Clustering Structure
by Mihael Ankerst, Markus M. Breunig, Hans-peter Kriegel, Jörg Sander , 1999
"... Cluster analysis is a primary method for database mining. It is either used as a stand-alone tool to get insight into the distribution of a data set, e.g. to focus further analysis and data processing, or as a preprocessing step for other algorithms operating on the detected clusters. Almost all of ..."
.g. representative points, arbitrary shaped clusters), but also the intrinsic clustering structure. For medium sized data sets, the cluster-ordering can be represented graphically and for very large data sets, we introduce an appropriate visualization technique. Both are suitable for interactive exploration
High confidence visual recognition of persons by a test of statistical independence
by John G. Daugman - IEEE Trans. on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence , 1993
"... Abstruct- A method for rapid visual recognition of personal identity is described, based on the failure of a statistical test of independence. The most unique phenotypic feature visible in a person’s face is the detailed texture of each eye’s iris: An estimate of its statistical complexity in a samp ..."
Abstruct- A method for rapid visual recognition of personal identity is described, based on the failure of a statistical test of independence. The most unique phenotypic feature visible in a person’s face is the detailed texture of each eye’s iris: An estimate of its statistical complexity in a
Usability Analysis of Visual Programming Environments: a `cognitive dimensions' framework
by T. R. G. Green, M. Petre - JOURNAL OF VISUAL LANGUAGES AND COMPUTING , 1996
"... The cognitive dimensions framework is a broad-brush evaluation technique for interactive devices and for non-interactive notations. It sets out a small vocabulary of terms designed to capture the cognitively-relevant aspects of structure, and shows how they can be traded off against each other. T ..."
. The purpose of this paper is to propose the framework as an evaluation technique for visual programming environments. We apply it to two commercially-available dataflow languages (with further examples from other systems) and conclude that it is effective and insightful; other HCI-based evaluation
A saliency-based search mechanism for overt and covert shifts of visual attention
by Laurent Itti, Christof Koch , 2000
The Data Grid: Towards an Architecture for the Distributed Management and Analysis of Large Scientific Datasets
by Ann Chervenak , Ian Foster, Carl Kesselman, Charles Salisbury, Steven Tuecke - JOURNAL OF NETWORK AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS , 1999
"... In an increasing number of scientific disciplines, large data collections are emerging as important community resources. In this paper, we introduce design principles for a data management architecture called the Data Grid. We describe two basic services that we believe are fundamental to the des ..."
In an increasing number of scientific disciplines, large data collections are emerging as important community resources. In this paper, we introduce design principles for a data management architecture called the Data Grid. We describe two basic services that we believe are fundamental
Histograms of Oriented Gradients for Human Detection
by Navneet Dalal, Bill Triggs - In CVPR , 2005
"... We study the question of feature sets for robust visual object recognition, adopting linear SVM based human detection as a test case. After reviewing existing edge and gradient based descriptors, we show experimentally that grids of Histograms of Oriented Gradient (HOG) descriptors significantly out ..."
We study the question of feature sets for robust visual object recognition, adopting linear SVM based human detection as a test case. After reviewing existing edge and gradient based descriptors, we show experimentally that grids of Histograms of Oriented Gradient (HOG) descriptors significantly
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<< 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 >>
ELPHABA IN THE BATHROOM by Michael Korte
Be More Wicked! Before Elphaba was Dancing Through Life... she was in The Bathroom at the Ozdust Ballroom.
Linked From YouTube
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Gavin Creel sings "A Quiet Thing" from FLORA THE RED MENACE by MCC Theater
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Gavin Creel, Andy Karl & Jason Tam sing "Gotta Get a Gimmick" from GYPSY by MCC Theater
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Orfeh & Andy Karl sing "Feed Me (Git It!)" from LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS by MCC Theater
Krystina Alabado, Taylor Louderman, Kate Rockwell & Barrett Wilbert Weed sing JERSEY BOYS MEDLEY by MCC Theater
Jennifer Nettles & Karen Olivo sing "All The Wasted Time" from PARADE by MCC Theater
Kelli O'Hara sings "All I Care About" from CHICAGO by MCC Theater
Eva Noblezada sings "Go The Distance" from HERCULES by MCC Theater
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At the opening night of WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME the cast and guests fill in blanks to create their own wacky version of the Constitution's preamble.
Broadway Cast of BE MORE CHILL Performs 'Two Player Game' on GMA by Broadway History
Be More Chill took Good Morning America's Strahan and Sarah by storm with a performance of 'Two Player Game'!
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The Cher Show star Stephanie J. Block headed to The View to perform one of the star's signature 80's hits, "I Found Someone"! Check out her rockin' performance below!
NYTW Gala 2019: "Knock on Wood" Performance by New York Theatre Workshop
Nathaly Lopez, Alice Ripley, and Daphne Rubin-Vega perform "Knock on Wood" at New York Theatre Workshop's 40th Anniversary Gala on February 11, 2019.
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Amber Gray performed "Our Lady of the Underground" from HADESTOWN at New York Theater Workshop's 40th Anniversary Gala on February 11, 2019.
A Walkthrough of THE ROBERT W. WILSON MCC THEATER SPACE by MCC Theater
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THE KING AND I - Through Time and History by Rodgers & Hammerstein
Narrated by Laurence Maslon. Happy 68th Anniversary to Rodgers & Hammerstein's THE KING AND I!
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<< NEWER | OLDER >>
An Onslaught of Closing Notices by Mo Brady
by Mo Brady Next month, five new Broadway musicals will close. Most of them are musicals with large ensembles: The Prom…
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Tickets Are Now on Sale for Adam Rapp's The Sound Inside Starring Mary-Louise Parker by Broadway.com
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TBT: Kelli O'Hara Opens SOUTH PACIFIC On Broadway!
This Sunday, Tony Award winner Kelli O'Hara and the cast of Roundabout Theatre Company's Kiss Me, Kate take their final bow at Studio 54. To celebrate the show's run that's been too darn hot…
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Richard Kind Joins Kiss Me, Kate as Second Man, Reunites with Mad About You Co-Star John Pankow by Andy Lefkowitz
Roundabout Theatre Company's Tony-nominated revival of Kiss Me, Kate has welcomed Tony-nominated actor Richard Kind to the production for the final week and a half of its run at Studio 54. …
Richard Kind Steps into Kiss Me, Kate as Second Man, Reunites with Mad About You Co-Star John Pankow by Andy Lefkowitz
Mary-Louise Parker Returns to Broadway in The Sound Inside by Mark A. Robinson For Broadway Direct
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Mary-Louise Parker to Star in Adam Rapp's Broadway-Debut Play The Sound Inside by Andy Lefkowitz
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Mary-Louise Parker returning to Broadway in new play by Adam Rapp by Ruth Kinane
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Mary-Louise Parker to star in ‘The Sound Inside’ on Broadway by Caitlin Huston
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KISS ME KATE Offers $49 Tickets To All Kates May 16 by BroadwayWorld
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“It Made Me Feel Like I’d Arrived.” by Mo Brady
by Kenny Francoeur Justin Prescott (Photo by Jacob Smith Studios) …
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Go Inside Roundabout’s Benefit Reading of Twentieth Century With Alec Baldwin and Anne Heche by Marc J. Franklin
The stars of 2004 Broadway revival reunited for a one-night-only performance April 29 at Studio 54.
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Kiss Me, Kate!'s Corbin Bleu, James T. Lane & More Perform 'Too Darn Hot' on Today by Andy Lefkowitz
Today's a big day for Broadway. In addition to this morning's announcement of the 2019 Tony Award nominations, NBC's Today hosted another performance as part of its Broadway Week celebrati…
When Nureyev Became Nureyev by Artsjournal
A new biopic tries to pinpoint it. Nureyev’s glamour and celebrity — he was a regular at Studio 54, where he hobnobbed with the likes of Liza Minnelli and Truman Capote — gave ballet a…
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BWW TV: How Did KISS ME, KATE Change for 2019? The Company Tells All! by Richard Ridge
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BWW TV: Watch New Highlights of Will Chase & Corbin Bleu in KISS ME, KATE by BroadwayWorld TV
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Kiss Me Kate **** by Barry Gordin
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Too Darn Hot - From Rehearsal Studio to Studio 54 by Roundabout Theatre Company
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“Kiss Me, Kate” by The Roundabout Theatre Company at Studio 54 Theatre by Richard Seff
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M-14 mines
Mine Ban
DVB broadcast report on mine use in Myanmar/Burma
DVB, Non-discriminatory warfare, 2 April 2011 Video focuses on the status of Myanmar/Burma compared to other countries in the world according to the findings in the Landmine & Cluster Munition Monitor report 2010 by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL). Includes interviews with the Prosthetics Department of Mae Tao Read more…
By bmban, 8 years 8 years ago
Film on former military war victim made available for free download
Burma Soldier, LeBrocquy Fraser Productions, Nic Dunlop, Director New film focusing on Myo Myint, a former soldier in the Burmese Army who lost several parts of his body when a shell landed next to him in a mine field. URL for trailer to the film: http://www.imdb.com/video/wab/vi3607233049/ Film website: http://www.burmasoldier.com/ Burmese Read more…
Irrawaddy: Interview with ethnic landmine engineer
Irrawaddy, Life’s a Blast in the Karen Jungle, Saw Yan Naing, 18 March 2011 Interview with Kay Poe, a landmine engineer with the Karen National Liberation Army. URL: http://www.irrawaddy.org/highlight.php?art_id=20963
By burmamineban, 8 years 8 years ago
new book includes witness testimony of prison porters
Irrawaddy, A Porter’s Tale, 16 March 2011 Excerpt of the story of Aye Maung from the book “Nowhere to be Home: Narratives from Survivors of Burma’s Military Regime.” Aye Maung was a prisoner who was forced to porter in a Tat Ma Daw column and witnessed other porters become mine Read more…
ICBL
Mizzima interview with the ICBL
Mizzima News, Land mine use in Burma Thursday, 10 March 2011 Q&A with Yeshua Moser-Puangsuwan from the International Campaign to Ban Landmines regarding the movement’s engagement with Myanmar/Burma and the status of the landmine crisis there. URL: http://www.mizzima.com/edop/interview/4993-land-mine-use-in-burma.html
Free Burma Rangers report forced labor mine sweeping
FBR REPORT: Burma Army Kills Two Men and Submits Hundreds to Forced Labor as it Increases Activity in Toungoo District Toungoo District, Karen State, Burma, The Free Burma Rangers (FBR) have stated that the Burma Army ordered villagers to drive their own trucks on the road to check for landmines. Read more…
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Norwood Park Wedding Photography | Steven & Louise
I’m a recommended Norwood Park photographer so it was great to head back to one of my favourite wedding venues in Nottinghamshire for Steven & Louise’s wonderfully informal spring wedding last year.
The day was memorable for the totally chilled out girls & boys prep, a wedding card from Sir Bobby Charlton, some incredible & very emotive speeches, and Steven’s dancing to Vanilla Ice’s ‘Ice, Ice Baby’ which topped off my coverage perfectly. As per usual, I’ll let the images tell the story of their day interspersed with some words written by Steven & Louise themselves. Enjoy!
Our Venue.
“We got married in Norwood Park, Southwell, Nottinghamshire. The venue appealed to us because it was a beautiful looking venue, with accommodation, place of marriage and reception all in one place, so logistically it made sense. We wanted informal surroundings but somewhere which was still special.”
The Theme.
“We are not religious so we didn’t want anything too formal. We wanted it to be relaxed and also we wanted us & our guests to have a good time, so we wanted nice food & drink, calm surroundings and a good venue to have a good party with our nearest & dearest.”
Our Photographer.
“We found Ian through looking at photographers in the East Midlands via the internet. Ian’s website stood out because of the way he photographed. He was very natural, he didn’t do lots of formal group shots and blended into the background. He did everything we asked but also he didn’t direct us too much which is what we wanted. When we met Ian at his house this stood out to us in that he had the same values as us. We wanted to enjoy the day and not be taken away from our friends and family. The photos were as good as I expected, we were really pleased with the results. He captured the emotion of the day and told a story from start to finish.”
Other Vendors.
“We didn’t spend a lot of time on the thrills, so creative stationery and flowers etc wasn’t that important to us. Most of our money was spent on good food and the venue itself which is what people remember. The most creative thing we had was probably the cake and fortunately, we had a good friend who did this for us as a wedding gift.”
Music: Mango Acoustic Duo
DJ: Bradgate Entertainments
Simone and Anna – St. Johns, Washingborough and Petwood Hotel, Woodhall Spa Carriage Hall Wedding Photography | Craig & Annalisa Exton Park Wedding Photography, Steven & Sarah
Rothley Court Wedding Photography | Chloe and Paul
My Image of the Year Competition 2015
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in: Hot Russian Brides
New Yorkers Shared Stories of Their Deal Breakers at the Moth to our Event
Storytellers relayed hilarious and heart-wrenching narratives to a crowd that is sold-out.
Fashion faux pas. Threesomes. Acid trips. All had been subjects of discussion during the Moth occasion “DEAL BREAKERS: An OkCupid StorySLAM” final Thursday at Housing Functions Bookstore Cafe in ny.
The Moth, an organization that is non-profit hosts real time activities throughout the nation, aims to market the art of storytelling, and also to honor and commemorate the variety and commonality of peoples experience. Within our very very own means, OkCupid does the— that is same users to generally share their tales so that you can form authentic connections with individuals from all walks of life. Therefore the partnership turned into a fruitful one whenever we teamed up together with them week that is last.
Kate Tellers, the host of this kicked things off with a salute to the storytellers who were about to bare all evening. “There’s a significant number of vulnerability expected to produce a truly effective profile that is dating and that matches therefore well by what we do only at The Moth,” Tellers believed to the audience. “The method to interact with individuals will be expose a version really of yourself — to fairly share part of yourself that is really true, individual and quite often frightening to talk about with other individuals. That eventually fosters the very best connections.”
Tellers additionally explained the guidelines of StorySLAMs; in these open-mic tournaments, anybody wanting to inform a 5-minute tale on the topic in front of you can do therefore if they’re among the 10 whose title is arbitrarily chosen. After every participant finishes, their tale is judged on a scale of 1–10 by three teams.
One judging group, which dubbed themselves “94%,” was an OkCupid couple — Emily and Chris. Emily heard bout the big event via A okcupid e-mail, and stated that after these people were expected become judges upon arrival, nobody knew that they had met through the site.
“once I asked ‘Why us?’ they replied, “I don’t understand, as you appear good,” Emily stated in a job interview following the occasion. “We knew that the big event had been sponsored by OkCupid, and because that’s exactly just exactly how and where we came across, we advised we phone ourselves our Match %.”
After Tellers’ introduction, the speakers began. Ten individuals told their stories, each interpreting the thought of “deal breakers” differently — from a narrative of a boyfriend who feared durations to a merchant account of a odd outing at A russian bathhouse. The judge’s favorite, but, belonged https://rose-brides.com/russian-brides to Tom, A moth that is first-time attendee described a fantasy date gone awry.
The following week after days of passing a handsome gentleman who worked at an Italian restaurant, said gentleman and Tom finally broke the ice and decided to go on a date to see the prestigious New York Gay Men’s Chorus Christmas Concert at Carnegie Hall.
What exactly went incorrect? their date turned up for supper prior to the show in, well, attire Tom just couldn’t handle.
“He moved in, in which he had been using leather-based chaps, a fabric vest, a fabric coat, and a baseball cap…made of fabric,” Tom sa >Carnegie Hall for a Christmas time concert!” His date saw no problem. Tom saw a faux that is major — as well as the manifestation of just one of their deal breakers.
He couldn’t see him again — a decision he still thinks about today although they attended the concert (both in their respective outfits), Tom said.
“What i am going to always remember could be the message he left the following day on my answering machine which said: ‘Are you sure you don’t wish to see me personally once again?’” he said. “I never responded him back…nevertheless now whenever I think right back on it…I have actually 2nd ideas.”
Whenever asked why he decided this story that is particular Tom said he felt it absolutely was the essential compelling option for the main topics deal breakers.
“My experience that I found amusing and sometimes destructive, but never held any correlation to,” he said with him began as a storybook romantic event that spiraled into a very specific cultural slice of the gay community.
Beyond telling their very own tale, Tom stated he enjoyed the function because people who talked permitted on their own become susceptible. “To convey that information to a team of unknown people takes courage. Likewise, to generally share various other people’s stories regarding how they handle situations…is I think, cathartic. for us,”
To get more info on The Moth, click the link. To get more about Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, just click here.
3 Items To Keep In Mind Whenever Dating Outside Your Battle July 9, 2019
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Man drowns in Putnam County lake after off-road vehicle goes through ice, into water
Posted 3:10 pm, February 2, 2019, by CBS4 Web and Aaron Cantrell, Updated at 11:36PM, February 2, 2019
PUTNAM COUNTY, Ind. – A man drowned in Putnam County’s Heritage Lake after the off-road vehicle (ORV) he was riding went through a layer of ice and into the water.
Conservation Officer Lt. Angela Goldman says Brett Crowder, 48, of Coatsville was pronounced dead at the scene after his body was pulled from the lake at about 6 p.m. Saturday.
"Divers were able to locate Crowder in approximately 30 feet of water," Goldman said.
Another ORV also went through the ice, but authorities say the driver of that vehicle was able to get out of the water and was treated for minor injuries.
Goldman says it’s not uncommon to ride ORVs on frozen bodies of water, but it’s considered safe when the ice is about 5 to 6 inches thick. She said it appears the ice on the lake was approximately 2 inches thick.
"Warmer temperatures forecasted for the state this week will make for unsafe ice in many locations," Goldman said.
First responders from across central Indiana responded to the scene to help with the water rescue. None of the officers were injured during the recovery.
They were hoping for a better outcome. Lt. Goldman says it was difficult breaking the news to his family.
"We do what we do to provide closure to the family in situations like this," Goldman said. "It is never easy. It is never easy to the family that their loved one had drowned."
She wants people to remember that no ice is safe ice.
View Gallery (2 images)
Warmer winters mean less ice and more ice safety
High water levels prompt closures at Lake Monroe
Family rescued from Parke County creek after ORV is swept away by floodwater
Off-road vehicle crash near Greencastle kills Indianapolis man
UPDATE: DNR releases name of Indianapolis man who drowned in Lake Monroe
Two injured after ORV accident in Greenwood; alcohol may have been involved
2-year-old boy’s drowning sparks “Turn Around, Don’t Drown” warning
3 women injured, 1 critically, after ORV accident in Blackford County, DNR says
DNR: Multiple people injured in Morgan County ATV accident
Vehicle strikes INDOT truck on shoulder of I-70 in Putnam County, injuring 6
National & World News Weather
Gulf Coast continues to brace as Barry keeps drenching
13-year-old life-lined to Riley Hospital after off-road vehicle accident in Richmond
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Bridging the Gap: Rebuilding Citizen Trust in Media ›
Bridging the Gap: Rebuilding Citizen Trust in Media
By Anya Schiffrin
At a time when trust in media and institutions has fallen in many parts of the world, journalists and scholars struggle to find ways to rebuild boost their credibility. Academic research on these subjects is inconclusive. It’s not clear to what extent trust in media depends on journalism practices or the prior beliefs of audiences. It’s also not clear how much difference local efforts can make in situations where there is little trust in government or politics more generally. As political scientists have written, it’s not clear whether “specific” trust can become “diffuse” trust. Further complicating the search for solutions is the fact that no two countries are the same. It’s very much like the famous Tolstoy quote about unhappy families each being different in their own way. In the US, Democrats trust the mainstream media and Republicans don’t. In Sweden there is enormous trust in state-owned television and radio but not in the Balkans.
Our new report, Bridging the Gap: Rebuilding Citizen Trust in Media profiles organizations in Europe, Latin America and Africa that are trying to build trust in the media. The report was commissioned by the Open Society Foundation’s Program on Independent Journalism and supported with a Dean’s Grant from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. We surveyed 17 media organizations that are working in their communities to come up with immediate fixes for this big problems of how to build credibility. They are on the frontlines—in polarized societies where media has traditionally been very partisan—and although the organizations' founders may think globally they are acting locally. Some believe that media credibility depends on engagement with readers. Others place more emphasis on journalism practices, including ethical standards or newsgathering practices. But all the organizations are in frequent communication with their audiences, mostly using mobile technology.
Our interviewees included the nonprofit Center for Independent Journalism in Hungary, Južne Vesti and Krik in Serbia, Krautreporter and Correctiv in Germany, Bristol Cable in the UK, Ground Up in South Africa, Chequeado in Argentina and Raseef22 which provides news for audiences across the Arabic speaking world. Our report includes profiles of 15 organizations, a summary of our main survey findings, annotated bibliographies of efforts to promote media literacy and combat disinformation and a series of sidebars written by Center for Media, Data and Society (CMDS) advisory board member Ellen Hume examining past US debates about media objectivity and explaining how the situation has eroded so dramatically.
Explains Hume: “By the time the Internet destroyed the media monopolies, liberating captive audiences to choose their own favorite news streams, there was little interest left in nonpartisanship. Objectivity was the opposite of the current media culture of native advertising and targeted communication using captured data and selection algorithms. Popularity has become the most important professional measurement, overwhelming the earlier emphasis on expertise and verification. There is less incentive now to ask unpopular questions or research obscure topics that will not get advertisers clicks on the Internet. A challenge today is: How do you identify those who are trying to serve the public interest as relatively unbiased investigators? How do you make their methodology transparent and accountable, so that the public’s trust is earned? How do you get the public to recognize the difference between this kind of news and the propaganda that is overwhelming the Internet? “
The outlets we surveyed may well have lasting impact in their communities because they are training a new generation of journalists, opening up the kinds of subjects being covered and often getting national attention for their reporting. Whether their work can be scaled and whether it would be effective at scale is unclear. As Sheila Coronel, director of the Stabile Center for Investigative Reporting at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism notes:
It takes so little effort and so few resources to manufacture fake news and disinformation. It is so cheap to make fake news and the return on investment can be significant. Engagement efforts by independent journalists, on the other hand, are expensive and time-consuming because they require investment in research, reporting, verification as well as publication, presentation and dissemination.
But as Claire Wardle and Hossein Derakhshan noted in their recent report for the Council of Europe, Information Disorder: Towards an interdisciplinary framework for research and policy making, part of the effort to build trust and credibility for mainstream media and fight disinformation campaigns, will involve creating a culture of truth. In their way, the organizations we profiled in Bridging the Gap are doing this and so they may contribute to larger efforts to ensure that informed debate and evidence-based discussion continues to have an effect on societies.
Some key survey findings from Bridging the Gap include:
Although the groups we surveyed are concerned by the broader phenomena of falling trust in media and media credibility, they are also, by necessity, focused on immediate fixes important to their organizations and readerships. Some believe that media credibility depends on engagement with readers. Some place more emphasis on journalism practices, including audience engagement, ethical standards and newsgathering practices.
The outlets we profiled use digital technology to communicate with audiences. Some also involve their readers in sourcing and sometimes verifying information. Some conduct focus groups and online surveys. Responding to comments online is part of their engagement efforts.
Their audiences are most likely to receive information on mobile phones, followed by laptops, print newspapers and radio. Stories are also seen when picked up by other sites and newspapers and shared widely though social media.
Comments are made online and are also submitted over email. Half of the outlets say they respond to comments online.
Some outlets and organizations make personal contact with their audiences. They go into the community, offer trainings and invite readers to contribute to their reporting. Some of our interviewees respond to trolls, but most say that they ignore them.
Most of the outlets hope to expand their geographic reach, coverage and activities, but few are financially self-sufficient or have the resources to do so.
The editors we spoke to say that their readers appreciate investigative reporting as well as stories that touch on their daily lives.
There seems to be a tradeoff between audience size and the quality of content produced. Some groups with large followings (Hivisasa and 263Chat) promote headlines and short snippets rather than carrying out deep investigative reporting. (This finding may be due to our small sample and not signify a broader trend. Raseef22 is one notable exception.)
Several groups said their audience is different from what their founders had originally expected. The reach of the outlets we surveyed is generally not as diverse as they had hoped. Their audiences tend to be educated and urban and, in some cases, include large diaspora communities.
The outlets largely cater to niche audiences, but they have broader reach through their online presence and national reach when their stories are picked up by legacy media or other outlets. Sometimes they are able to get on the national agenda (Bristol Cable and GroundUp among others).
Many of the organizations do not systematically measure their impact. Some monitor traffic, and one produces an “impact report.”
The groups likely provide tangible benefits in the long term because they are seeding the ground for future efforts and offering valuable work experience for the next generation of journalists in their countries.
As we saw in Publishing for Peanuts (our 2015 report on media startups for Open Society Foundations’ Program on Independent Journalism), the organizations we profiled believe that delivering accurate information is a way of gaining credibility in a world of diminishing trust. The organizations maintain that they demonstrate their trustworthiness by providing accurate, objective stories and adhering to strict standards.
Many organizations reported that further efforts are necessary to build trust with readers. Six of the sites said they reveal their funding sources and four discuss their ownership. Five show audiences how their newsrooms work. Fifteen of the organizations surveyed answer “yes” to the question “do people who know your organization trust it?” Nine say that their readers trust their outlet more than other outlets.
Ten of the organizations explain their story selection process to their readers and eight give them a voice in editorial or business decisions. Twelve said they have “used their readers’ knowledge or expertise when producing a story.”
When asked to choose which statement they agreed with the most, six picked the following sentence: “The key to a journalist’s credibility has always been telling the truth and that has not changed in the digital era.” Six agreed with the statement that “In the digital era, the key to a journalist’s credibility has changed. You have to tell the truth but you also need to actively convince your readers and society-at-large that you are trustworthy. To achieve this, you need to develop new ways of relating to the public.”
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Home NS Sentinel N/S Sentinel News North Brunswick Junior Police Academy cadets learn about healthy behaviors
North Brunswick Junior Police Academy cadets learn about healthy behaviors
JENNIFER AMATO, Managing Editor
Two cadets in the North Brunswick Junior Police Academy program hold planks during a physical drill on July 17.JENNIFER AMATO/STAFF
Cadets stand in proper formation during the North Brunswick Junior Police Academy on July 17.JENNIFER AMATO/STAFF
The North Brunswick Junior Police Academy Class of 2018.PHOTO COURTESY OF LINDA WARHAFTIG
NORTH BRUNSWICK – Cynthia Baumgartner wanted to go have pizza with Hana Kang and her boyfriend.
Excited, she asked her boyfriend, Christopher Fernandez, if they could go.
Shutting her down, he said he wanted her to stay in her room and make him a meal. Using a threatening tone of voice, he told her to stop asking, stating, “Remember what happened last time.”
She backed down in a quiet voice, repeating, “OK, OK, OK.”
This role-playing scenario of unhealthy teenage relationships was for the benefit of the cadets of the North Brunswick Junior Police Academy.
Baumgartner is the supervisor of the North Brunswick Police Department Records Bureau, as well as part of the North Brunswick Domestic Violence Response Team (DVRT). She requested the assistance of Fernandez and Kang, officers in the department, for the scenario to demonstrate the escalation of domestic violence.
“There are more officers killed on domestic violence calls than any other call, so it’s something they take very personally and very carefully,” Baumgartner said.
Baumgartner said abuse comes in the forms of verbal, emotional, physical, economic, sexual and psychological.
“Those kinds of behaviors are meant to have control over you … and make you do what the abuser wants,” she said. “Bullying turns into domestic violence – power and control. I will have power and control over you.”
Baumgartner said one in four women will be abused in their lifetime, and one in five are subjected to teen violence. She said domestic violence laws pertain to adults over 18 who are married, dating, roommates, or have other familial relationships. She said 95 percent of abusers are men.
She said there are subtle forms of domestic violence, such as a boyfriend demanding his girlfriend meet him at a locker at a certain time, or she is not allowed to talk to other males, or she has to change what she is wearing. Or, even if one person does not physically touch the other, taking an action such as punching a wall could be a warning sign.
“It’s about control: you will do what I say,” she said.
Speaking directly to the middle school students in the room at North Brunswick Township High School, Baumgartner warned girls about taking inappropriate selfies and forwarding them.
“Don’t share pictures like that. Don’t take pictures you don’t want your parents to see,” she said.
She said girls are convinced their boyfriends would never hurt them, but then the boy could take a turn and say, “I’ll ruin you.” It has even led to teen suicide.
“Girls, don’t do it. If he cares about you, he’s not going to put you in a situation that’s going to hurt you,” she said.
She addressed cyber harassment and said victims should keep emails, voicemails and text messages as evidence, because domestic violence can be difficult to prove.
“It’s hard dating, it’s hard being a teen, it’s hard starting relationships, but it’s appropriate for girls and boys to know appropriate dating behavior,” she said.
She advised the students to stick up for their friends, to help any victim get help and to tell any abuser to stop.
“As the Junior Police Academy, you are getting this education to be mindful if you see this,” she said.
Baumgartner said the Domestic Violence Response Team is available confidentially 24 hours a day, seven days a week. She said there are legal guidelines pertaining to domestic violence, but help is still available for teenagers.
She even mentioned two students at the high school who had an abusive relationship, with the girl finally asking for a restraining order. Their classes had to be rescheduled so their paths would not cross. She said the girl was victimized by her friends who could not believe she took a legal route, but Baumgartner stressed the importance of speaking to a DVRT member, police officer, guidance counselor or parent if a dangerous situation should arise.
“Once an abusive relationship starts, it doesn’t stop,” she said. “Without intervention, counseling or anger management, the behavior doesn’t change.”
Pertaining to a question asked by a cadet, Baumgartner said cases can arise where the victim is lying; however, she said the police will do a full investigation. She noted lying is another type of controlling behavior.
She also addressed situations where an abuser will threaten to kill himself/herself should the partner leave. Baumgarter emphasized that “if the person decides to kill themself, it’s not on you, it’s their choice.”
Led by instructors John Hanrahan, Alex Obando, Fernandez and Kang, the students took part in various law enforcement-based activities from July 16-26, including motivational speeches, a drunk driving lecture, physical drills, a visit by the New Jersey State Police helicopter and a verbal Judo class.
“I learned a lot of respect for the things they do as officers. You need to be respectful at all times and think about your actions,” said Jared Tynes, an eighth-grader at Linwood Middle School who was inspired to join the academy because of his father, who is a corrections officer.
Pannun Raina, a ninth-grader at the high school, joined for the second year at the advice of his mother, who he said thought it would be a good way to stay active and learn discipline.
“I’ve learned our actions have consequences. And we shouldn’t be so focused on individual needs, but focus on the big picture and be a team player,” he said.
The cadets will participate in community activities throughout the year, such as memorial services, National Night Out and Police Week.
“Volunteering … stays with you for the entire year so you don’t forget it,” Pannun said.
Jared thanked the instructors, saying they offer “tough love.”
“They yell a lot, but in the classroom they are all really nice and are looking out for us,” he said.
Contact Jennifer Amato at jamato@newspapermediagroup.com.
North Brunswick Junior Police Academy
North Brunswick Police Department
North Brunswick Police Department Records Bureau
North Brunswick Township High School
South Brunswick police seek witnesses to fatal crash on Route 130
South Brunswick police break up drug sales targeting high school students
NBTHS students awarded by North Brunswick Woman’s Club for creative writing entries
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Carol Tenopir
Filters: Author is Tenopir, C.
Tenopir, C. (2008). Online Systems for Information Access and Retrieval. Library Trends.
Nicholas, D., Huntington P., Jamali H. R., Dobrowolski T., & Tenopir C. (2008). Viewing and Reading Behaviour in a Virtual Enviroment: The Full-Text Download and What Can Be Read Into It. Aslib Proceedings: New Information Perspectives. 60 (3),
Levine, K. J., Allard S., & Tenopir C. (2007). Communication in the 21st century workplace: A theory of communication nexus. National Communication Association.
Tenopir, C., King D. W., Clarke M. T., Na K., & Zhou X. (2007). Journal Reading Patterns and Preferences of Pediatricians. Journal of the Medical Library Association. 95(1), 56-63.
Tenopir, C., Baker G., Read E., Manoff M., McClanahan K., Nicholas D., et al. (2007). MaxData: A Project to Help Librarians Maximize E-Journals Usage Data. Serials Librarian. 53(9),
Levine, K. J., Kushniryk A., Allard S., Brummette J., & Tenopir C. (2007). Meetings and Multitasking: Keep busy or looking busy. National Communication Association.
Levine, K. J., Kushniryk A., Allard S., & Tenopir C. (2007). Multitasking in Organizational Meetings:A new component of the process variable. National Communication Association.
Tenopir, C., & King D. W. (2007). Perceptions of Value and Value Beyond Perceptions: Measuring the Quality and Value of Journal Article Readings. Serials. 20(3), 199-207.
Huntington, P., Nicholas D., Jamali H. R., & Tenopir C. (2006). Article Decay in the Digital Environment: An Analysis of Usage of OhioLINK by Date of Publication, Employing Deep Log Methods. Journal of the American Society of Information Science & Technology. 57, 1840-1851.
Tenopir, C. (2006). Being User Oriented: An International Distributed Essay Team of Master’s Students. Annual Meeting of the American Society of Information Science & Technology.
Dervin, B., Fisher K., Tenopir C., Dillon A., Normore L F., & Case D. O. (2006). Being user-oriented: convergences, divergences, and the potential for systematic dialogue between disciplines and between researchers, designers, and providers. Proceedings of the 69th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Austin, 2006. 2077-2088.
Tenopir, C. (2006). Building Bridges to Information Products and Services :. Information Services & Use. 26, 213-221.
Tenopir, C. (2006). Building Bridges to Information Products and Services. Miles Conrad Memorial Lecture, NFAIS Annual Meeting.
Tenopir, C. (2006). E Journals and Alternatives for Scholarly Communication: User’s Needs and Expectations. Ohio State Library Seminar.
Tenopir, C. (2006). Enhanced Searching Through Deep Indexing: Scientists’ Reaction. Charleston Conference.
Nicholas, D., Huntington P., Jamali H. R., & Tenopir C. (2006). Finding information in (very large) digital libraries: a deep log approach to determining differences in use according to method of access. Journal of Academic Librarianship. 32, 119-126.
Tenopir, C. (2006). The Future of the Journal. Mississippi Library Association, Annual Conference, ACRL Luncheon.
Tenopir, C. (2006). How Electronic Journals are Changing Scholarly Journal Use. FinELib Annual Conference.
Tenopir, C. (2006). How Electronic Journals Are Changing Scholarly Reading Patterns. CONCERT 2006 Annual Meeting.
Tenopir, C. (2006). The Impact of Scholarly Communication on LIS Education. Chinese Association of Library and Information Science Education.
Tenopir, C. (2006). Indexing of Tables and Figures: Scientists' Reaction. Library Fair & Forum 2006.
Baker, G., & Tenopir C. (2006). Managing the Unmanageable: Systematic Downloading of Electronic Resources by Library Users. Journal of Library Administration. 44, 11-24.
King, D. W., Tenopir C., & Clark M. (2006). Measuring Total Readings of Journal Articles. D-Lib Magazine. 12, Available at: http://www.dlib.org/dlib/october06/king/10king.html.
Allard, S., Levine K. J., Tenopir C., & Urs S. (2006). Naturalistic observation for understanding users: How technology professionals use and communicate information. ASIS&T.
Tenopir, C. (2006). Not for profit Scholarly Societies and Open Access Journal Publishing. ALISE.
Nicholas, D., Huntington P., Jamali H. R., & Tenopir C. (2006). OhioLINK – ten years on: what deep log analysis tells us about the impact of Big Deals. Journal of Documentation. 62, 482-508.
Tenopir, C., Baker G., Robinson W. C., & Grogg J. E. (2006). Renovating This Old House: Database Marketplace 2006. Library Journal. 131, 32-36.
Tenopir, C., Baker G., & Nicholas D. (2006). Scatter and Decay: E-Journal Usage Patterns. Charleston Conference.
Tenopir, C. (2006). User Behaviour in a Digital Age. Swedish Library Association annual Library Days.
Tenopir, C. (2006). User’s Perceptions of Libraries. Michigan Library Consortium meeting.
Levine, K. J., Kushniryk A., Allard S., Tenopir C., & Asbury M. E. (2006). What happens when work-groups meet?: An analysis of meetings in high-tech organizations. National Communication Association.
Tenopir, C. (2005). Communication Patterns of Engineers. Transportation Research Board.
Tenopir, C. (2005). Data, Data Everywhere: Making Sense of the Sea of User Data. 24th Annual Charleston Conference.
Tenopir, C., Baker G., & Robinson W. C. (2005). Database Marketplace 2005: Shopping for Information. Library Journal. 130, 34-48.
Tenopir, C. (2005). EJournals and Print: How Usage Patterns are Changing. NJ SLA.
Tenopir, C. (2005). How Electronic Journals are Changing Reading Patterns, and Collecting Usage Data on Electronic Journal Collections (A Study of Methods and Motivations). Association of Christian Librarians.
Tenopir, C. (2005). Journal Reading in Universities: Comparing the U.S. and Australia. The Fiesole Collection Development Retreat Series.
Tenopir, C., King D. W., Boyce P., Grayson M., & Paulson K-L. (2005). Relying on Electronic Journals: Reading Patterns of Astronomers. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology (JASIST). 56, 786-802.
Tenopir, C. (2005). The Role of Publishing in the Research Process. Joint Information Services Committee (JISC) Meeting.
Tenopir, C. (2005). Surveys of Scientists and Engineers: Ensuring Reliable Research and Evidence for Good Practice. ASIST Annual meeting.
Tenopir, C. (2005). What Does Data Usage Tell Us?. Professional Society Publishers/American Association of Publishers (PSP-AAP).
Tenopir, C. (2005). What Scientists Really Need. American Association for the Advancement of Science Meeting (AAAS).
Tenopir, C. (2005). What We Know About User Behavior. Search Engines Conference.
Nichols, D., Huntington P., Russell B., Watkinson A., Jamali H. R., & Tenopir C. (2004). The Big Deal: Ten Years On. Learned Publishing. 18, 251-257.
Tenopir, C., & King D. W. (2004). Communication Patterns of Engineers.
Tenopir, C. (2004). Communication Patterns of Engineers. Special Libraries Association, Annual Meeting.
Tenopir, C., Baker G., & Robinson W. C. (2004). Database Marketplace 2004: The Information Playground. Library Journal. 129, 38-49.
Tenopir, C. (2004). Development of Collections: The Impact of Electronic Resources. Meeting of Quebec university librarians, e développment des collections à l’ère du numérique.
Tenopir, C. (2004). Discovering the Magic: Faculty and Student Use of Electronic Journals. NASIG Regional Conference.
Tenopir, C. (2004). Electronic Journal. (Bainbridge, W. S., Ed.).Berkshire Encyclopedia of Human Computer Interaction. 202-205.
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Angry Americans
TxGrandpa2
Re: Angry Americans
@Richva wrote:
Now, the world should leave leave them alone in restaurants? Hardly.
So you believe it is ok to accost someone in public who you disagree politically with? Even in front of their family? How would you like to be out with friends and family and have someone create a disturbance everywhere you go, just because of whom your employer is?
And you wonder why there is animosity towards liberals who have no regard for other's civil rights. Yes, there is much posted here about an individual's civil rights, yet liberals have no regard for public official's personal civil rights. Hypocritical.
@gruffstuff wrote:
If no threats were made and the public officials were not attacked then no laws were broken, if laws were broken we can be sure to hear about it.
Trying to silence criticism with stuff like this is not a call for civility, it's a demand for servility.
That's rich after the politics of Republicans for the last forty years.
If some Kluxer uses the dreaded "N" word, everyone goes nuts and the lefties on these boards try to associate his act with every Republican, Fox news, and Limbaugh.
Any thoughts on the "no law broken theory".
Former president George W. Bush coined the phrase "casual cruelties" to describe Trump's approach to others. Trump continues to denigrate his staff, Congress, and American citizens through his Tweets and at his rallies. Some of the more famous episodes are his referring to Jeff Sessions as "Elmer Fudd" and mocking the shaking of a reporter with MS. All this was done with the support of his staff.
gordyfl
Stephen Miller Trashed Pricey Sushi After Bartender Gave Him the Finger
White House senior adviser Stephen Miller was so outraged when a bartender gave him both middle fingers that he dumped $80 worth of sushi in the trash, according to a report published Monday.
Miller, 32, was picking up a takeout order from a restaurant near his City Center apartment in Washington, DC, when the barman followed him out into the street and shouted, “Stephen!” before making the rude gesture and cursing him out.
The incident made Miller feel a little raw — so he immediately threw out his pricey meal, he later told co-workers, according to the Washington Post report.
Miller, who is the architect of President Trump’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy, also appeared on “wanted” posters someone placed on lampposts surrounding his apartment building.
In June, he was called a “fascist” by a patron at a Mexican restaurant.
https://nypost.com/2018/07/09/stephen-miller-trashed-pricey-sushi-after-bartender-gave-him-the-finge...
angeleyes64
@gordyfl
I think many Americans are just tired of all the crap and lies that are spued from so many in Washington, esp. The Donald so they feel that is their way of getting back.
Some may not deserve it like the lady on the plane, but officials are fair game I guess because they support The Donald. Many feel they support his lies, and what they feel is the damage he is causing our Country.
Those in the Government need to have a thick skin and should know that when in the Government, they are always going to have someone on the opposite side who dislike them enough to scream and yell. This yr it has been a lot more, with " The Donald being the leader of the pack!! "
He screams and shouts nasty names and insults all the time, so he and his get it back.
Then it's a bad thing. !! The Bully in the playground just can't always win, but he keeps trying.
Live For Today, No One is Guaranteed a TOMORROW !
Who mentioned about laws being broken? And what about the right of these public officials to enjoy being out with their families? Has it become that a person's private life is not sacred? Of course liberals have to resort to mayhem, violence when they don't get their way. They're more like spoiled kids who resort to throwing a hissy fit when they don't get their way.
And you accuse the Republicans?
Conservatives are compared to Nazis, Hitler and their followers...but these actions is comparible to the riots of the 1920s and 1930s.
jimc91
It begs to be asked...
Do we want "Angry Americans" running the country?
I don't...
VIMTSTL
gruffstuff
@gordyfl wrote:
Sarah Huckabee Sanders was ousted from a restaurant in Virginia.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was jeered as she dined at Mexican restaurant in Washington, D.C.
business to defend the woman.
No matter what we think of government officials in their public capacity I believe it's going too far to harass them in their private lives. Reminiscent of our being harassed at the port when when we returned from Vietnam ...we just wanted to go home.
A woman confronted EPA head Scott Pruitt in a restaurant in D.C. while she was holding her baby.
"We deserve to have somebody at the EPA who actually does protect our environment, someone who believes in climate change and takes it seriously for the benefit of all us, including our children," she said. "I would urge you to resign before your scandals push you out." Pruitt didn't respond, and promptly got up and left with his security guards.
Protesters were video-recorded confronting Mitch McConnell as he left a restaurant.
One of the protesters in the video can be heard saying “We know where you live,” which was called a “not-so-subtle threat right out of the Maxine Waters playbook.”
Rep. Maxine Waters has never called for violence, but has urged the public to peacefully and publicly confront members of the Trump administration. Since encouraging protests, she has received several threats and been forced to cancel appearances.
A woman saw Steve Bannon in a Virginia book store. She took the opportunity to call him a “piece of trash.”
Nick Cooke, the owner of the book store, called the police.
In a tweet following the incident, Philippe Reines, a former top aide to Hillary Clinton, shared the contact information of the Virginia bookstore. She posted the address, phone number and email of the bookstore, which is available on the store’s website, appearing to urge his followers to contact the business to defend the woman.
A woman harassing a Trump supporter on a plane (video)...
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Bucs sweep doubleheader over Savannah State
Charleston So.
Savannah St.
Charleston So. (23-17) 0 0 2 0 3 0 0 5 8 1
Savannah St. (8-16) 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 4 6
Charleston So. (24-17) 0 2 4 1 1 0 1 9 10 2
Savannah St. (8-17) 1 0 2 2 2 0 1 8 13 2
2B: Mallory Kasinger
HR: Nina Del Rio
3B: ECCLES, Shelby
2B: Annie Bakenhus
HR: Caitlyn Emberson
2B: HUMES, Elizabeth; CYRUS, Kelsey 2
HR: JONES, Cortni
SAVANNAH, Ga. - Charleston Southern took both ends of the doubleheader at Savannah State on Thursday afternoon as the Buccaneers survived a late Tigers' rally to complete the season sweep over SSU. The Bucs took the opener, 5-1, and then recorded the final out at the plate in the 9-8 doubleheader finale.
Nina Del Rio and Caitlyn Emberson both homered to help pace the Bucs (24-17) to the win over the Tigers. Annie Bakenhus and Mallory Kasinger also added extra-base hits to help CSU's offense defeat Savannah State (8-17) for the third time in the month.
Holly Clark (7-5) and Emily Visnic (2-3) both recorded wins in the circle for CSU, while Alyssa Heinrich recorded her second save of the season after going the final 2.2 innings in relief in the second game of the doubleheader.
Game One: Charleston Southern 5, Savannah State 1
Charleston Southern plated two runs in the third and three more in the fifth as the Buccaneers topped Savannah State in the first game of the doubleheader at the Lady Tiger Softball Field.
CSU took advantage of six Savannah State errors in the contest and Nina Del Rio connected on the game-capping two-run home run in the top of the fifth to power the Bucs to the win. Taylor Gleason added a pair of singles to highlight CSU's offense in the game.
After a pair of scoreless frames to open the game, CSU struck for two in the top of the third. Destini Ewing drew a leadoff walk and advanced to third on Madison Koger's error. Annie Bakenhus followed with a sacrifice fly to left field bringing home Ewing to put the Bucs ahead 1-0. Three batters later, Koger crossed the plate on a wild pitch to double the Bucs' lead.
Nina Del Rio's two-run shot in the fifth highlighted a trio of runs scored in the frame as CSU took the 5-0 lead. Mallory Kasinger scored the first run in the inning as the sophomore crossed the plate on the centerfielder's error on Sarah Brown's connection. Del Rio followed with a two-run shot down the left field line for her sixth home run of the season.
SSU plated its lone run in the bottom of the fifth as Shelby Eccles scored on an error by the CSU first baseman.
Alyssa Heinrich surrendered just a one-out single in the bottom of the seventh inning in retiring six of the last seven batters to close out the contest.
Holly Clark went the first five innings allowing three hits and a run while striking out three in her seventh win of the season. Faith Dickerson (0-7) suffered the loss after allowing six hits and five runs (one earned) over 5.0 innings.
Game Two: Charleston Southern 9, Savannah State 8
Sarah Brown relayed the throw home to nab Kameryn Baker at the plate to end the game and secure Charleston Southern's sweep over Savannah State.
CSU held the 9-7 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh when Savannah State started their comeback. Kelsey Cyrus led off the inning against Alyssa Heinrich (S, 2) with a double down the left field line. Baker added a single down the line one out later to put two runners on. Eccles' grounder put both runners in scoring position with two outs. Brianna Harris brought home Cyrus with an infield single, but Brown threw out Baker at the plate as she attempted to score the game-tying run.
Heinrich went the final 2.2 innings in relief allowing three hits and a run scored while striking out one in her second save of the season. Emily Visnic took her second collegiate win of the season after allowing seven hits and five runs (three earned) over the first four innings.
Tanisha Williams (2-2) suffered the loss after allowing seven runs while walking six over the first four innings. Hannah Deckle went the final three innings in the circle for the Tigers.
Jade Gandara, Laina Holmgren, and Annie Bakenhus had two hits apiece in the contest with Holmgren and Bakenhus both driving in a pair of RBI in the win.
Savannah State put the first run across the plate in the bottom of the first inning as Eccles scored on Harris' groundout to third.
The Bucs responded with two runs in the top of the second to take the lead. Bakenhus provided the big hit in the frame as she followed up Destini Ewing and Meghan Gagliano's back-to-back two-out walks with a two-run double to centerfield putting CSU ahead 2-1.
Four more runs came across the plate in the top of the third inning with Holmgren's pinch-hit two-run single key to CSU's scoring in the frame. Ewing drew a leadoff walk to score Kasinger for the first run. Holmgren followed with a base hit to left field scoring Summer Moore and Sarah Brown to put CSU ahead 5-1. Ewing scored on a wild pitch for the final run in the inning.
Shayna Byers and Elizabeth Humes connected on a run-scoring single and an RBI double in the bottom of the inning to cut the CSU lead to 5-3.
Emberson's solo home run led off CSU's top of the fourth inning, while Madison Koger scored on an errant throw on her stolen base attempt in the fifth inning to add to CSU's lead.
The Tigers scored runs in the bottom half of the fourth and fifth frames with Baker, Harris, Cortni Jones, and Eccles all driving in runs.
CSU took the 9-7 lead in the top of the seventh to score the all-important insurance run. The Bucs pulled off the two-out double steal with Holmgren swiping second and Taylor Gleason scoring on the play to stake CSU to the two-run advantage.
Savannah State's rally fell short at the plate in the seventh as the Bucs closed out the win.
Caitlyn Emberson ran her team-best on-base streak to 20 games following the sweep over the Tigers. Emberson was hit by a pair of pitches in the first game, while her fifth home run of the season extended the streak in the final game of the day.
Emily Visnic recorded her second win of the season after making just the second start of her collegiate career in the final game of the doubleheader. Visnic's first start came on February 17 against N.C. Central, while her first win came in her last appearance against Presbyterian on March 31.
Nina Del Rio homered for the first time since March 4 against Toledo with her two-run shot in the first game. It was her sixth home run of the season.
CSU's four stolen bases over the course of the doubleheader give the Bucs 86 steals for the season. The Bucs are six stolen bases away from tying the single-season mark of 92 set in 1993 with 15 games still to play in the 2018 regular season.
CSU has stolen at least one base in each of the last 10 games and has homered in eight of the last nine. The Bucs entered the week as the only team in the NCAA Division I to sit among the top 15 in both home runs and stolen bases per game.
Charleston Southern returns to Big South play this weekend with a three-game series at Gardner-Webb starting on Saturday afternoon. First pitch in the doubleheader is set for 2 p.m. at Brinkley Stadium with the contest to be streamed live via ESPN3.
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Archive for charnett moffett
Atlanta Jazz Festival 2015: Final Thoughts
Posted in Atlanta Jazz Festival 2015 with tags arturo o'farrill, atlanta jazz festival, banda magda, charnett moffett, diane schuur, dida pelled, jeff tain watts, julie dexter, kathleen bertrand, mad satta, otis brown iii, rhonda thomas, stanley jordan, terry harper, tony hightower on June 5, 2015 by curtjazz
Diane Schuur takes the stage (Photo by John Davenport)
Some final thoughts on this year’s Atlanta Jazz Festival…
Some very strong performances this year and I love the infusion of more of the younger generation of jazz artists. Continuing this pattern bodes well for the AJF’s future.
The frustrating part is (and always will be) the fact that it is impossible to catch all of the great groups on the three stages. This year I stuck mostly to the Main Stage to keep from fighting the huge crowds. I managed to catch a few terrific sets at the International Stage but I know that I missed so much more…
Top Performances that I saw:
Four Women (Kathleen Bertrand, Julie Dexter, Terry Harper and the show stealing Rhonda Thomas) a tribute to Nina Simone – Wow…Oh Wow!!! These ladies and the support provided by their musical director Russell Gunn were simply amazing. And the fact that Ms. Simone’s sister was in the audience made it even better.
Otis Brown III – Brother Brown mixed the sacred and the secular into an all-encompassing groove. Big up for the horns – Marquis Hill on trumpet and John Ellis on tenor!
Banda Magda – The charismatic vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Magda Giannikou and company had the International Stage audience captivated. Hope to catch them again soon.
Diane Schuur – The lady is still as marvelous and classy as ever. And it she was joined by first-class talents including Ben Wolfe on bass and Don Braden on the saxes.
Nettwork Trio – Charnett Moffett on bass, Stanley Jordan on guitar and Jeff “Tain” Watts on drums…no fanfare, no glitz, just three of the best in the business, showing us how it’s done.
The performances that I most regret missing:
Dida Pelled – Curse you ATL Memorial Day weekend traffic!!! I arrived at the park just after she finished.
Arturo O’Farrill – The crowd had grown so big that it was almost impossible to move to The International Stage by Sunday evening. I should have tried anyway!
Mad Satta – Just because I knew from jump that I was going to miss this great young neo-soul group doesn’t make me feel any better about it.
Tony Hightower – This vocalist has a bright future, I’m just sorry that I couldn’t get to the Locals Stage to catch a piece of it.
Big thumbs up for:
Karen Hatchett; the AJF’s Awesome PR Director and the wonderful team of volunteers at the Media Tent. Y’all always make John and I feel welcome. Because of all of you, AJF is (and always will be) a first class jazz festival.
The beautiful people of Atlanta who come to the AJF every year. I stood at the top of the meadow at one point and looked out over the crowd that was about 85% African-American and I just saw people, enjoying the music and each other. All of the nasty narratives that some nameless cable news outlets peddle about us was nowhere in sight. Sorry that y’all couldn’t find room for the AJF on your “Factor”.
The lady in one of the tents with the great looking Red Velvet cake. Ma’am, that cake looked so good, that I almost lied and said that I was part of your family, so could get a slice!
Working side by side with my son. Watching as he comes into his own is one of the greatest experiences ever.
BlueSatch, I’m sorry that I couldn’t find you, bro. Next year for sure!
That’s all for 2015. We’ll see you all in the same place next Memorial Day Weekend…
Atlanta Jazz Festival 2015: Through the eyes of “Jazzy John”
Posted in Atlanta Jazz Festival 2015 with tags atlanta jazz festival, ben wolfe, charnett moffett, derrick hodge, diane schuur, don braden, four women, jazz photography, jeff tain watts, john davenport, kathleen bertrand, marcus strickland, russell gunn, stanley jordan on May 26, 2015 by curtjazz
The 38th Atlanta Jazz Festival has come and gone leaving many great sounds and sights, for those of us who were there, to cherish. This year my teenage son John, known usually in these posts as “Jazzy John”, joined me on photographer’s row for the first time. I gave him a few lessons on etiquette and respect in dealing with the older, seasoned, ladies and gentlemen who were also in front of the stage and then I let him do his thing, while I shot some video footage.
As I looked at some of his results, I was impressed with his natural eye and very proud of the work he did as he shot alongside of those three and even four times his age.
Diane Schuur
I will finish my edits and post my full report on AJF38 in a few days but in the meantime, please indulge a doting father as I present John Davenport’s perspective on some of the memorable moments from the 2015 Atlanta Jazz Festival.
Stanley Jordan and Charnett Moffett
Jeff “Tain” Watts
The Fabulous Divas of the “Four Women” Tribute with Nina Simone’s sister (R)
Derrick Hodge
Don Braden and Ben Wolfe
Kathleen Bertrand and Russell Gunn
Marcus Strickland and Twi-Life
Atlanta Jazz Festival 2015 Preview: Sunday on the Main Stage – “The Center Holds”
Posted in Atlanta Jazz Festival 2015 with tags atlanta jazz festival, Atlanta Jazz Festival Main Stage, charnett moffett, diane schuur, four women, jeff tain watts, julie dexter, kathleen bertrand, Kurt Rosenwinkel Pharoah Sanders, Nina Simone, pharoah sanders, rhonda thomas, stanley jordan, terry harper on May 20, 2015 by curtjazz
Over the last few years the Atlanta Jazz Festival has developed a pattern in its Main Stage lineup scheduling – on Saturday, the younger, less traditional artists are given the spotlight, with a chance to build an audience for their (and by extension, jazz’s) future. But Sundays remain for the more familiar names. The respected veterans who represent the jazz mainstream, the “Center” if you will. In 2014, pianist Ahmad Jamal and vocalist Freddy Cole were the Sunday headliners. This year, it’s two veterans of similar stature, saxophonist Pharoah Sanders and vocalist Diane Schuur, who are the big draws. But before they take the stage on Sunday night, we will hear from two intriguing groups – a super group trio of jazz heavyweights and a quartet of ATL’s finest jazz divas in a promising tribute to one of the all time greats.
1:00 PM – Navy Band Southeast V.I.P. Protocol Combo
Early arrivals on this final day will be treated to a quartet of swinging Navy men who will play a variety of standards and instrumentals, to get the day started in a classy way.
3:00 PM – Four Women: A Tribute to Nina Simone Featuring Kathleen Bertrand, Julie Dexter, Rhonda Thomas and Terry Harper
“Four Women” is the title of one the great Nina Simone’s most compelling and enduring compositions; a celebration of all shades, shapes, sizes, pains and ultimately, the unquenchable spirit of Black womanhood. Over the last few years, many great female vocalists have taken on the song as a centerpiece of a tribute to the incomparable “High Priestess of Soul”. This year, AJF38 has its own Four Women, who happen to be about the best jazz vocalists that the city can offer – Kathleen Bertrand, Julie Dexter, Rhonda Thomas and Terry Harper.
Ms. Bertrand is a AJF veteran and one of the stars of Atlanta area jazz, having appeared as a headliner during the 2012 Festival and with Roy Ayers that same year. She has released a number of recommended albums, including Katharsis, which features the AJF’s unofficial anthem “Jazz in Piedmont Park”. The British born Julie Dexter has been an Atlanta resident since 1999. She has a broad and devoted fan base around the globe and moves easily between the jazz and R&B worlds. Ms. Dexter is also a past AJF artist. My family still talks of her impressive Main Stage set with Russell Gunn in 2012. Though I missed the 2013 AJF, I’ve heard that Ms. Dexter’s set that year was also a highlight.
New York native Rhonda Thomas was a new name to me, until she was announced as part of this group. My research led me to her duet album with guitarist Michael Coppola Guess Who I Saw Today. Her range, and vocal versatility made me an instant fan. Anyone who can perform the under-appreciated modern classic “Miss Celie’s Blues” the way Ms. Thomas does, is alright with me. Terry Harper is also new to me but her family certainly isn’t. The vocalist is married to trumpeter/educator Danny Harper, whose younger brothers Phillip and Winard, formed The Harper Brothers, one of the best of the “Young Lion” groups of the 90’s. Terry, Danny and the rest of their family are also the hosts of The Harper Family Jam Session, each Thursday night at Atlanta’s Best Jazz Spot, Churchill Grounds.
These four ladies are proven talents. I’m expecting that somewhere, Ms. Simone will be smiling.
5:00 PM – Nettwork Trio: Charnett Moffett, Stanley Jordan, and Jeff “Tain” Watts
Stanley Jordan on guitar; Jeff “Tain” Watts on drums; Charnett Moffett on bass. For cats like me, who cut their teeth on jazz during the 80’s/90’s renaissance, each of those cats is an icon, by himself. Now the three of them have come together to form a trio called Nettwork. The potential is mind-blowing.
Jordan, you may recall, was one of the first artists signed to the newly revived Blue Note records in the ’80s. He set the jazz (and rock) world on fire with his amazing “touch” technique that allowed him to sound like multiple guitarists playing at once. Even thirty years later, his creativity is still astounding. Moffett, the son of drummer Charles Moffett was another wunderkind who hit the scene around the same time, also with astounding ability that garnered him legions of fans and work on over 200 recordings. And Watts, known to many as the drummer on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, first came to fame for his work with Wynton and Branford Marsalis on their early work and he remains one of the best drummers alive on the planet. Why these cats had never thought of coming together before now, is a mystery. And with their various commitments, I get the feeling that their time working together now, will likely be brief. I glad that I’ll have the chance to catch them live.
7:00 PM – Diane Schuur
Diane Schuur first came to prominence around the same time as Moffett, Jordan and Watts. Discovered by Stan Getz, Ms. Schuur is one of those vocalists whose style is so singular that you know it’s her within the first few words of a song. Her career has now spanned over three decades, with two Grammy wins and many more nominations. She’s wailed in front of the Basie Band, sang the blues with B.B. King and on a recent album The Gathering, she displays some impressive Country chops. I’ve been a fan of Ms. Schuur’s since her first album Deedles in 1984 and it has been wonderful watch her grow from a young woman with impressive, if undisciplined pipes, into the mature and affecting song stylist that she is today.
At AJF38 you can expect to hear Ms. Schuur sing selections from her catalog of over 20 albums, including her latest, I Remember You (With Love To Stan and Frank). The album is a heartfelt tribute to two of Schuur’s most important mentors, Getz and Frank Sinatra. We’ll also likely hear tunes that were made famous by Ms. Schuur’s biggest vocal influence, Dinah Washington. Regardless of the set list, it’s a great chance to hear one of jazz’s best living vocalists, practice her craft.
9:00 PM – Pharoah Sanders Quartet featuring Kurt Rosenwinkel
Pharoah Sanders is one of jazz’s handful of living iconic figures, a man who learned his craft literally beside John Coltrane, as the second tenor sax in Trane’s last groups. He also created one of the most unforgettable “free jazz” records of the of the late 60’s in “The Creator Has a Master Plan” (from his album Karma). In more recent times, he worked with rock oriented producers such as Bill Laswell, who have added another dimension to his sound and introduced Mr. Sanders to a new audience. Sanders sound has also mellowed a bit recently as he has begun to embrace the ballads and the melodic playing of his mentor Coltrane’s earlier years; yet Sanders has managed to maintain the some of the gritty intensity that has always been his trademark.
Joining Pharoah Sanders will be Kurt Rosenwinkel, a fine guitarist with a fluid, yet edgy style that should provide a great compliment to Sanders’ big toned tenor. Together, I expect that they will create music that will push a few boundaries in order to keep things interesting. They may play ballads at times but they won’t be gentle. It should be an engaging set that will end AJF38 on a high note.
You can hear the music of these and many other AJF38 Artists from 5 PM – 7 PM daily on our Curt’s Cafe Noir, our streaming 24/7 jazz radio station. Click HERE to listen now.
For more information on the 2015 Atlanta Jazz Festival visit their website at http://atlantafestivals.com
Atlanta Jazz Festival 2015 – All That Jazz and it’s FREE
Posted in Atlanta Jazz Festival 2015 with tags alfredo rodriguez, arturo o'farrill, atlanta, atlanta jazz festival, banda magda, charnett moffett, derrick hodge, diane schuur, dida, emrah kotan, jazz festival, jeff sparks, jeff tain watts, julie dexter, kathleen bertrand, kenosha kid, mad satta, marcus strickland, mastery jazz, Memorial Day weekend, Nina Simone, otis brown iii, pharoah sanders, rad trads, rhonda thomas, stanley jordan, terry harper, thudercat, tony hightower, wolfpack atl on April 10, 2015 by curtjazz
They’ve been doing it for almost 40 years with no sign of slowing down…It’s friends, family, food, fun and most important (for me, at least) JAZZ. The biggest and best free jazz festival in the Southeast, The 38th Atlanta jazz Festival will take over Piedmont Park once again this Memorial Day Weekend, Friday May 22 – Sunday, May 24. The full lineup was announced yesterday. I am impressed that once again, in a world that readily slaps the name “jazz festival” on virtually any multi-day musical event that features adult oriented black artists, the producers of AJF38 have booked a lineup that is varied but true to the music’s origins.
This year we will hear from a classic jazz legend, in Pharoah Sanders; a contemporary legend in the form of vocalist Diane Schuur, plus, in a not to be missed Saturday night lineup, sponsored by Blue Note Records, we will hear from three of that venerable label’s young keepers of the flame: Marcus Strickland, Otis Brown III and Derrick Hodge. There will also be a couple of supergroups; one a quartet of Atlanta finest female jazz vocalists (Kathleen Bertrand, Julie Dexter, Rhonda Thomas and Terry Harper), in tribute to Nina Simone; the other a trio of cats who are all leaders in their own right and who will surely be nothing short of combustible together: Jeff “Tain” Watts on drums, Stanley Jordan on guitar and Charnett Moffett on bass.
The International Stage will as always, be the hippest spot at the AJF; as the sounds of jazz will be mixed with the rhythms of Cuba, Brazil, Greece, Israel and other cool spots from around the globe. Headliners will be the pianist and Quincy Jones protegé Alfredo Rodriguez and the multiple Grammy winning son of Afro-Cuban music royalty, Arturo O’Farrill and his Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra .
Back again in 2015 will be one of AJF 2014’s best ideas – The Locals Stage. Featuring the artists who work in and around the Atlanta area most of the year, getting a chance to show a wider audience what they can do. Wolfpack ATL, Tony Hightower and Jeff Sparks will be among the hometown favorites hitting that stage.
Of course as we get closer to May 23, we’ll start with our usual preview reports and video clips. You’ll also hear the music of many of the artists in special AJF38 segments on Curt’s Cafe Noir.
I’ve got a lot a musical dilemmas to settle between now and then, because as much as I’ve tried to do it, I’ve determined that I can’t be in two (or three) places at one. Hope to see you there come Memorial Day Weekend.
Visit the AJF 2015 Website for more info: http://atlantafestivals.com/
Atlanta Jazz Festival 2015 – The Complete Schedule
Main Stage:
7:00 pm Mad Satta
9:00 pm Thundercat
Local Stage:
12:30 pm Tri-Cities High School Jazz Band
2:30 pm Jessie Davis & the Nebraska Jones Experiment
4:30 pm Kenosha Kid
6:30 pm Wolfpack ATL
International Stage:
1:30 pm North Atlanta Center for the Arts Jazz Band
3:30 pm Dida
5:30 pm Banda Magda
7:30 pm Alfredo Rodriguez Trio
1:00 pm Contemporary Violinist Daniel D.
3:00 pm The Rad Trads
5:00 pm Marcus Strickland Twi-Life
7:00 pm Otis Brown III
9:00 pm Derrick Hodge
12:30 pm Joe Gransden and his Big Band
2:30 pm Mastery
4:30 pm Jeff Sparks
6:30 pm Tony Hightower
1:30 pm Fernanda Noronha
3:30 pm Strings from Haiti
5:30 pm Emrah Kotan
7:30 pm Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
1:00 pm Navy Band Southeast: VIP Protocol Combo
3:00 pm Four Women: A Tribute to Nina Simone – Featuring Kathleen Bertrand, Julie Dexter, Rhonda Thomas and Terry Harper
5:00 pm Nettwork Trio: Charnett Moffett, Stanley Jordan, and Jeff “Tain” Watts
7:00 pm Diane Schuur
9:00 pm Pharoah Sanders Quartet featuring Kurt Rosenwinkel
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Reps Speaker: First term members-elect announce preferred candidate
Home » Politics » Reps Speaker: First term members-elect announce preferred candidate
Wale Odunsi
Some members-elect of the House of Representatives under the Forum of First Term Members have adopted Femi Gbajabiamila (APC-Lagos) for the office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
NAN reports that Chairman of the group, Mr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who was elected to represent Akoko North-East/North-West Federal Constituency of Ondo, made the disclosure in Abuja on Saturday.
He said that the members of the forum were drawn from Action Alliance (AA), Action Democratic Party (ADP), All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), among others.
Tunji-Ojo described the aspirant as hardworking, intelligent, experienced, integrity personified and that they were not afraid to associate with him.
“We are going into the election with a united front; it will be a hurricane and we will deliver like the house has never seen before.
“We hear people want to monetise this election, anybody who offers us money shall be exposed, disgraced and jailed.
Responding, Gbajabiamila said that he had never seen such support and prayed God to bless the members.
“If you know me very well, you know my heart is with the new members. It has been a long journey, we are almost at the end.
“All these campaigns of calumny is normal. We are focused, God will fight for us,” he said.
According to Gbajabiamila, we have a lot we can say when it comes to dirty campaigns but we have said nothing.
He said that the team was at the finish line and that they had acquired the endorsement of the President and other political parties.
“We are going into the 9th assembly with a mindset to go and do what is good for the country.
“I am looking forward to a robust assembly; the 9th assembly we are going into is going to be full of reforms that will benefit everyone,” he added.
Related Topics:GbajabiamilaReps
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Reps okays appointments of 15 SAs by Buhari
Details of Buhari’s meeting with Lawan, Gbajabiamila emerge
Anambra APC calls for sack of Gbajabiamila’s aide
Former cult members occupying high places – Reps member
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NUJ raises alarm over rising cases of suicide in Nigeria
Home » News » NUJ raises alarm over rising cases of suicide in Nigeria
In its efforts to stem the rising cases of suicide in Plateau State and the country at large, especially among youths, the State Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) on Thursday organised a sensitisation seminar to curtail the tide.
The union also said the event is part of its Corporate Social Responsibility.
The , which was tagged “Suicide is Not an Option”, was organised in collaboration with the Federation of Female Lawyers (FIDA), Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), National Council of Women Society (NCWS) and the Plateau State Ministry of Women Affairs.
In his remarks, Chairman of Plateau NUJ, Comrade Paul Jatau, said the seminar was aimed at curbing the menace of suicide, which has become very common in the society.
Jatau said, “Suicide has become a menace in our society and as a union, we thought it wise to collaborate with other organisations and put this together.
“This is part of our Corporate Social Responsibility aimed at curbing the menace in the society.
“People need to be sensitised on the negative effect of suicide; young people must know that suicide is not an option.
“People don’t necessarily have to take their lives because they are passing through some difficulties,” he maintained.
The NUJ Chairman called on government at all levels to tackle poverty, unemployment and other social challenges that mostly push young persons to commit suicide.
He, however, called on parents to pay special attention to their families, adding that neglect by parents remain a key factor that contributes to the increasing cases of suicide, particularly among the youths.
“The government needs to put more effort in addressing poverty, unemployment and other pertinent social issues.
“But basically, parent must give attention to their families. Parent must show love and create more time for their families,” he advised.
In the same vein, the chairperson of FIDA in the state, Barr. Mary Izam, called on young people to desist from taking their lives, adding that the future of the country lies in their hands.
Izam maintained that, life is meant to be enjoyed; hence, shortening it is denying the society the privilege to benefit from God’s creation.
She called on young persons to reform their minds and change in attitude to stem the tide of the menace in the society.
Members of the NUJ, FIDA, NMA and others walked through some major streets in Jos creating awareness on the negative effect of suicide.
Related Topics:NigeriaNUJsuicide
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Watchdog Wants Republican Investigated For Bribery Remarks
A political watchdog group is calling for an investigation of Louisiana Republican Rep. Vance McAllister, after the congressman made statements suggesting he expected to receive campaign contributions in return for a vote.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) executive director Melanie Sloan said in a statement released Monday that McAllister “made the mistake of publicly voicing what others refuse to admit: members of Congress trade votes for campaign contributions every day.”
The group is requesting a criminal inquiry into McAllister’s statements by the Justice Department as well as a broader investigation of possible Congressional bribery by both the DOJ and the House Ethics Committee.
While speaking to a gathering of CPAs in Louisiana on June 5, McAllister said that he was approached by a colleague who said by voting against a piece of legislation concerning the Bureau of Land Management he could expect to receive a significant donation to his campaign.
“He told me, ‘Vote no and you will get a $1,200 check from the Heritage Foundation. If you vote yes, you will get a $1,000 check from some environmental impact group,’” McAllister said according to a report by The Oachita Citizen. After voting no on the bill, McAllister said he received no donation and inquired with the unnamed colleague, who said that he had received one.
McAllister, best known in recent months for being caught on camera kissing a staffer and then refusing to resign, has defended himself by claiming the remarks were taken out of context, and that he was simply trying to show the thrall that money holds over politics. He never cast a vote based on his anticipation of a particular donation, he said. (RELATED: Report: Congressman caught on video making out with staffer)
There is reason to believe McAllister: A $200 difference is a remarkably small amount of money to throw a vote over, and in any case, the Heritage Foundation is a think tank that does not actually donate to political campaigns. Its sister organization Heritage Action does get involved in campaigns through independent expenditures.
Sloan, however, told The Daily Caller News Foundation that she thinks McAllister really did expose illegal activity, and simply didn’t realize the behavior he was describing was illegal.
“I don’t think he got it when he said it,” Sloan said. She added that regardless of whether McAllister is guilty or not, she thought it would be remarkable for investigators not to at least look into his statements.
“If a member of Congress is getting up there, and talking about [bribery]…it seems to me it’s incumbent on the authorities to at least ask some questions,” she said. “Everybody is just making assumptions about what happened.”
CREW is officially nonpartisan and has in the past called for the resignation of Democrats such as Charlie Rangel and Anthony Weiner in New York. However, the group’s founders have liberal backgrounds (co-founder Norman Eisen worked on President Obama’s transition team) and its annual “CREW’s Most Corrupt” reports typically target about twice as many Republicans as Democrats, which has led to accusations that the group has a partisan bias in its advocacy.
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THE VOICE OF HARDCORE
TMF Hakkeeh
07 Sep TMF Hakkeeh
Posted at 14:27h in TMF Hakkeeh by Sietse van Daalen 0 Comments
Back in the days when mobile phones were exceptional and internet was a word you had only heard out of the mouth from nerds. Google Maps? Nah we used a paper map to navigate and you had get your hands on flyers to see where the next party’s would be. Another source for that information was TMF Hakkeeh, a lifestyle show for gabbers hosted by Drokz and me, Da Mouth of Madness.
Gabber Piet
The show started with a guy called Gabber Piet, a friend of DJ King Matthew at the time and he was an incredible plugger. A plugger is someone who works for a record label and whose task it is to get the music of the label played on the radio. His main task was to sell the music of acts like Critical Mass and 4 Tune Fairytales. At that time Duncan Stutterheim, the owner of ID&T had bought a club called Mystery World. Also known as The Fun Factory, The Hemkade and the North Sea Venue.
ID&T had 20 minutes of broadcast time during TMF Hakkeeh. Duncan decided that ten minutes would be used for the Mystery World, presented by Gabber Piet and the remaining ten minutes would be used for Thunderdome on Tour. They asked me to take care of that part. Eventually, Gabber Piet and ID&T got into an argument and before I knew it, I was presenting the whole show.
To be honest, I hated TMF. I hated the way they portrayed gabbers and how they commercialised the lifestyle I loved so much. But now I had a chance to shape the show in the way I thought it should be. Well, at least for those 20 minutes, because the other 40 minutes were still filled with commercial TMF shit. First of all, I wanted to do more interviews, so I started to interview DJ’s and live acts who were playing at the Thunderdome events.
That was the beginning of a whole different approach to the presentation of the show. At that time there was a show called ‘De Stoel’ (The Chair). A simple format where people were interviewed sitting on a simple chair. For me, this was the inspiration to start a new item in our show called ‘De Gabber Kruk’. We placed a barstool in the middle of a party and interviewed the gabbers who took place on it. This resulted in a lot of funny content and our ratings started to climb because everybody wanted to see their self or their friends on national television.
Drokz
I was doing the whole show alone, without a producer. Just me and a cameraman. That’s why I decided to invite Drokz, one of the most legendary characters of Thunderdome, to host the show with me. He was not only a friend but also a real gabber who understood gabbers as they were. So now there were two of us and TMF hated it like hell. Eventually, the show got the highest ratings in the history of TMF. Unfortunately, we couldn’t stop the commercial madness, so it was a matter of time before the whole scene collapsed.
So, by popular demand and for the sake of the preservation of hardcore history I will upload a new item of TMF Hakkeeh to my Youtube channel each Thursday, enjoy!
ID&T, TMF HAKKEEH
© 2018 Copyrights Da Mouth of Madness. All Rights Reserved.
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Dana Newsletter: October 2013
October 24, 2013 By Dana Foundation in Dana publications, News Tags: Dana news email blast, dana newsletter neuroscience Leave a comment
Below is the latest Dana email newsletter. You can sign up to receive this (and other Dana email alerts and/or print publications) by going here.
Lewy Body Dementia: The Under-Recognized But Common Foe
by James E. Galvin, M.D., M.P.H., and Meera Balasubramaniam,
After Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body dementia (LBD) is the most prevalent progressive dementia. Many of the symptoms of
Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and LBD overlap, making LBD difficult to diagnose. Underdiagnosis is just part of the reason why LBD is not better known to the public and health-care providers, and why funding for research lags far behind that for almost every other cognitive disorder. From Cerebrum, our online magazine of ideas.
Speaking in Tongues: Glossalalia and Stress Reduction
Recent neurobiological research has shown that glossolalia may be a more directed activity than previously believed, and may play a direct role in defusing stress reactions.
Does Depression Change the Way People Perceive the World?
A series of small studies suggests low mood may affect a range of senses.
Being Mindful about Novel Brain Research
We’ve heard a lot lately about brain-to-machine communication, and now there are first steps toward brain-to-brain communication. How do we prevent news of incremental discoveries from transporting our imaginations way too far?
What is ‘Healthy’ Cognitive Aging?
Even without a disease such as Alzheimer’s, the aging brain does show signs of wear. Researchers look to the molecular
level to see if they can slow the ‘normal’ progress.
Why Is Sleep So Important?
Many recent studies have demonstrated that sleep benefits all aspects of neural plasticity. Currently under investigation are
the underlying cellular mechanisms, which should explain why these benefits can only be obtained when the brain is off-line. One of our series of Reports on Progress.
Dana Alliance Member Thomas Südhof Shares Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2013 was awarded jointly to James Rothman, Randy Schekman and Dana Alliance member Thomas Südhof “for their discoveries of machinery regulating vesicle traffic, a major transport system in our cells.”
See also: Audio interview with Dr. Südhof on day of announcement (The Guardian; 8:30 min)
« How the Brain Reacts to Taste
Design a Brain Experiment Competition Deadline: January 17 »
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Video of Our Properties
A Day of Horseshoe Crabs at Broad Cove Reserve
Curit
On the northwestern shore of Chebeague, accessed via North Road across from the historic cemetery and church.
Date Protected
Town of Chebeague (CCLT easement)
The property is accessed by a 50-foot wide right of way held by CCLT that runs from North Road across private property. In 2018, a walking path was cleared along this right of way to the town-owned land, ending in a loop that parallels the ravine and shore, affording tree-framed views out over the bay.
Conservation Purposes
To preserve and protect the property in perpetuity as an undeveloped natural and scenic resource for traditional low-impact outdoor recreation, education, nature observation and study by the general public; to preserve the health of the forest, shoreland, riparian habitats, and coastal shoreline ecosystem; and to guarantee the public’s access and enjoyment of the property.
Description & History
The Curit property was part of an original 118-acre homestead settled by Ambrose and Deborah Hamilton in 1761, and later one of 10 parcels granted to the Hamilton children in an 1819 subdivision. Changing hands over the years, this 14.5-acre parcel was purchased by Barton and Marjorie Curit in 1969, and subsequently acquired by the town of Cumberland in 2004. CCLT purchased a conservation easement on the western 8.2 acres, which included nearly 575 feet of shoreline. The property was transferred to the town of Chebeague Island when it seceded from Cumberland in 2007.
The conserved land is rolling and thickly wooded, with a ravine carving its way across the property and emptying its spring-fed perennial stream into Casco Bay over a small waterfall. The shoreline is characterized by high banks and a rock and sand beach, with scenic views up and down Casco Bay and across to the mainland and Cousins and Littlejohn Islands. The property is covered by an uneven-aged, mixed species hardwood and softwood forest. Tree species include white pine, red oak, balsam fir, red spruce, red maple, American beech, paper birch, and white ash. Understory shrubs and plants include Jack-in-the-pulpit, sarsaparilla, witch hazel, various types of ferns, and the invasive species Japanese barberry and Oriental bittersweet. White-tailed deer, wild turkeys, and red squirrels can often be seen in the woods. Bald eagles and Ospreys roost in and hunt from the tops of the shore line trees. There are productive clam flats along the shore.
BACK TO ALL PROPERTIES
Chebeague & Cumberland Land Trust, 371 Tuttle Road, #2, Cumberland, ME 04021, USA(207) 489-9538info@ccltmaine.org
© Chebeague & Cumberland Land Trust
Website photos by Penny Asherman, Leila Bisharat, Kevin Brusie, Sue Burgess, Caitlin Gerber, Karen Herold, Jonathan Labaree, James Mallar, Brian Marcaurelle, Jodi Federle, and Steve Thomas.
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Delivery Magazine brought to you by Motoring Matters Magazine Group
UTE Reviews
Van Reviews
UK-based online freight marketplace for removalists launches in Australia | TRANSPORT NEWS
DeliveryQuoteCompare (DQC), is a leading price comparison and bidding platform for shipping and courier services in the UK and has launched into the Australian marketplace via www.deliveryquotecompare.com.au. The website allows freight companies to bid on removal, shipping or courier jobs listed online by consumers looking for competitive pricing.
Several transport businesses have already registered on the website, ready to compete on hundreds of removal jobs expected to be posted in the next few weeks. Using the reverse auction format, the company offers a free, no obligation service to both consumers and transporters.
David East, Managing Director of DeliveryQuoteCompare, is confident that the company will mirror the success of its UK counterpart.
“DeliveryQuoteCompare offers a real value-added service to owner-operator transport companies, SMEs and man and van businesses. Our platform enables removalists and transporters to access consumers directly, save time on sales enquiries and increase revenue through backloading, which is a more profitable route for small businesses.”
“Since our inception in the UK in 2009, we’ve facilitated more than 300,000 transport jobs and are now ready to expand internationally. Following our launch in Australia, we’ll be rolling out our services in other international markets including Canada, South Africa and across Europe,” he said.
In addition to an added revenue stream, DeliveryQuoteCompare offers logistics start-ups and SMEs an online marketing platform and an avenue for future work. The company is rigorous in its registration process, working with only trusted transport providers to offer the most competitive quotes to customers. There are no incentives on registration, meaning the website offers an impartial service that is free from bias.
Once a transporter registers online, they go through a two-step verification process by DeliveryQuoteCompare. If accepted on the platform, they start receiving notifications on new jobs immediately via e-mail. When bids are accepted, customers pay a small booking fee to the website and proceed to pay the value of the quote directly to the transporter on completion of the delivery. The website doesn’t hold transporter payments or impose obligatory discounts.
Chris Mullett
Current Issue 84 June/July 2019
Want to know when Delivery Magazine hits the news stands?
Delivery Magazine
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HomeBooksHistory
Quebec 1759: The battle that won Canada
by Stuart Reid and Gerry Embleton
96 pages1 hour
What a scene!' wrote Horace Walpole. 'An army in the night dragging itself up a precipice by stumps of trees to assault a town and attack an enemy strongly entrenched and double in numbers!' In one short sharp exchange of fire Major-General James Wolfe's men tumbled the Marquis de Montcalm's French army into bloody ruin. Sir John Fortescue famously described it as the 'most perfect volley ever fired on a battlefield'. In this book Stuart Reid details how one of the British Army's consummate professionals literally beat the King's enemies before breakfast and in so doing decided the fate of a continent.
Publisher: Bloomsbury PublishingReleased: Feb 20, 2013ISBN: 9781472801678Format: book
Tracing battalions or regiments of the British Army during the Great War: Listen to an introduction to the various records at The National Archives that can be used to trace the experiences of individual Battalions or Regiments during The Great War.
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Evacuating the Loyalists: (Christine) During the American Revolution, not everyone living in the rebellious colonies wanted to separate from Great Britain. In this episode, find out how loyalists (those still devoted to King George III) coped with the war ending and the colonies a
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'Over the top: a foul a blurry foul' - the first football charge of the First World War: Our collection of First World War records is one of the largest in the world. It includes, among many other documents, service records, letters, diaries, maps and photographs. Part of Britain's folk memory of the First World War is of long lines of Tommi
For king and another country: Indian soldiers on the Western Front: Over a million Indian soldiers fought in the First World War, many travelling from remote villages in India to the muddy trenches of France and Flanders. In her book For King and Another Country, writer and journalist, Shrabani Basu, delves into archives
2005 Pamwe Chete! The Story of the Selous Scouts: "If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a...
1706 The Taiping Rebellion: The clang of gongs hung in the heavy air of an August day, 1860. Waving their yellow flags, the rebels in their red turbans and colourful garb marched closer and closer to Shanghai – until artillery erupted from the city walls and sent them...
1708 Napoleonic Infantry Tactics: Column, Line or Square is a very simplistic way to view Napoleonic era tactics. Troops were either deployed in Column to march, Line to fight or in the case of the infantry Square to defend against Cavalry. Sounds simple. But these were tactics drawn...
#173: Lt. Gen. George Flynn—Developing Trust With Your Team: When it comes to leadership, no one plays a more critical role than a military officer. The decisions they make can mean life or death. On this week’s episode, we’re featuring one of the best. Lt. Gen. George Flynn, USMC (Ret.) spent 38 years in the M
Battle of The Chesapeake: AMH 70: The Battle of the Chesapeake
228b -Patrick Brennan-The Battle of Secessionville: CWTR Ep. 228b - Part 2 - If Isaac Stevens hadn't been killed at Chantilly, he might have commanded the Army of the Potomac at Antietam. Find out more about Stevens and the other remarkable characters behind the Port Royal expedition of 1862 with Patrick Brennan, author of Secessionville: Assault on Charleston.
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31.1 Battle of Sluys 1340. Hundred Years War: One of the greatest naval battles of the European Middle Ages, the English victory at The Battle of Sluys, fought at the coast of Flanders, was crucial to starting The Hundred Years War www.historyeurope.net
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RECENTLY A FRIEND ASKED ME, WITH WHAT I thought was a hint of suspicion in his voice, why my writing was so “apolitical.” It’s not the first time it’s happened, but it always surprises me. I’ve written about military policy under both President Obama
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America's endless war quietly moves across the broken nations of the world. Every so often, U.S. soldiers die, as four Green Berets did several weeks ago in . . . Niger. And the news was more about the adequacy of presidential condolences to the fami
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Aliwal
Quebec 1759 - Stuart Reid
James Wolfe; this portrait by Joseph Highmore, which was probably painted to celebrate either his appointment as major in the 20th Foot or his promotion to lieutenant-colonel a year later, brilliantly captures his youthful self-confidence and also a certain dry humour. (National Archives of Canada C-003916)
Until the middle of the 18th century, the increasingly prosperous British colonies in North America were effectively confined to the eastern seaboard of the continent by the long Appalachian mountain chain. However, in the early 1750s an attempt by land speculators to move across the mountains and into the Ohio Valley brought the Virginian colonists into direct and disastrous conflict with their French neighbours. The twin French colonies of Canada and Louisiana were connected by a tenuous overland route down the Ohio and Mississippi valleys and the prospect of American settlers establishing themselves across it provoked an immediate response. When the American provincial troops, ineptly led by a young Virginian militia officer named George Washington, proved themselves quite incapable of fighting the French on anything approaching equal terms, British regulars were sent out for the first time under the unfortunate Major-General Edward Braddock. The French promptly responded by doing the same and what had begun as a boundary dispute initiated by land speculators rapidly escalated into a war to the death, in which British strategy aimed to seize the whole of French Canada.
At first sight rather fanciful, this is in fact a fairly accurate depiction of the siege of Louisburg. It was Wolfe who seized Lighthouse Point on the right of the picture and established batteries that fired directly into the town – a tactic he was to repeat at Quebec.
Edward Braddock, the ill-fated commander of the first British regulars to confront the French, is commonly dismissed as an ignorant martinet. In fact he took very considerable pains to prepare his army for service in the woods and, with a little more luck, might well have won the battle on the Monongahela, with incalculable consequences for the future course of the war.
Notwithstanding some serious setbacks, by the end of 1758 the British Army was some considerable way to achieving this aim. Badly outnumbered, the French were forced to abandon the strategically important Forks of the Ohio virtually without a fight. Although the main British offensive up the Hudson Valley under Major-General Abercromby had been stopped in its tracks at Ticonderoga at the foot of Lake George, the massive fortress of Louisburg at the mouth of the St Lawrence River was captured by Sir Jeffrey Amherst after a conventional European-style siege.
That winter Amherst went to New York to assume command of Abercromby’s defeated army and with it the post of Commander in Chief North America. His rather difficult subordinate James Wolfe sneaked off home with a view to obtaining a command in Europe. Instead, however, Wolfe found that plans were being laid in London for the final destruction of French Canada, and promptly put himself forward for the command of what promised to be the most important of three quite separate operations.
Back in the Americas, the bloodless capture of Fort Duquesne at the Forks of the Ohio and Colonel Bradstreet’s surprise seizure of Fort Frontenac during the previous summer was now to be followed up by an expedition against Fort Niagara under Colonel John Prideaux. Although the smallest of the three operations, it remained very important. Capture of the fort, lying at the mouth of the Niagara River, would not only completely seal off the overland route between Canada and Louisiana, preventing any retreat by the French Army in that direction, but it would also turn the flank of the defensive positions along the Upper New York frontier. It was here that Amherst, with a very substantial force of both regulars and provincials, aimed to succeed where Abercromby had failed, taking first Fort Carillon (Ticonderoga) and Fort St Frederic (Crown Point) and then pushing northwards to Montreal.
With the French Army occupied in dealing with these twin offensives, James Wolfe was to sail up the St Lawrence River and launch a direct assault on the capital of French Canada itself, the mighty fortress city of Quebec.
Ohio Land Company formed to exploit trans-Allegheny country.
July American expedition to Forks of the Ohio defeated by French at Great Meadows.
April British regulars sent to North America.
June Unsuccessful attempt to intercept corresponding French reinforcements at sea off Grand Banks results in war.
9 July Major-General Braddock defeated and killed at Monongahela.
11 May Marquis de Montcalm arrives in Canada with reinforcements.
9 August Lieutenant-Colonel Monro surrenders Fort William Henry to Montcalm. As the garrison marches out, Indian allies of the French massacre between 80 and 200 before Montcalm restores order.
27 July The British capture Louisburg.
8 July Abercrombie’s attempts to capture Fort Ticonderoga are repulsed.
27 August Colonel John Bradstreet captures Fort Frontenac at the entrance to the St Lawrence on Lake Ontario.
24 November Faced with the advance of Brigadier-General John Forbes’ expedition, the French blow up and abandon Fort Duquesne (present day Pittsburg).
27 June Expedition arrives at Ile d’Orléans, close to Quebec.
29 June Monckton’s brigade landed at Beaumont.
9 July Grenadier companies and Townshend’s brigade landed at Montmorency.
18 July Royal Navy penetrates the upper river.
25 July Having reoccupied Fort Oswego, Brigadier-General John Prideaux’s expedition captures Fort Niagara. Prideaux is killed during the siege.
26 July Amherst’s expedition captures Fort Ticonderoga.
31 July The battle of Montmorency.
Amherst’s expedition captures Fort St Frederick, which had been blown up by the French. He builds the new fort of Crown Point on the site.
8 August Murray ambushed at Pointe aux Trembles.
18 August Murray’s raid on Deschambault.
28 August Brigadiers’ planning conference recommends landing at Pointe aux Trembles.
2 September Montmorency camp evacuated as whole army moves upstream.
9 September Wolfe decides to land at Foulon.
13 September Battle on the Plains of Abraham. The French are defeated and both Wolfe and Montcalm killed.
18 September The city of Quebec surrenders to Townshend.
28 April The battle of St Foy.
9 May French siege of Quebec lifted.
OPPOSING COMMANDERS
BRITISH COMMANDERS
James Wolfe, the 32-year old Major-General commanding the British forces was by any standards a very professional soldier. The son, grandson and great grandson of professional soldiers, he had risen very quickly indeed through a combination of his own not inconsiderable talents, the assistance of an ‘Old Army’ mafia, and ultimately the patronage of the Duke of Cumberland. Commissioned a second lieutenant in the 1st Marines on 3 November 1741, he actually went to war as an ensign in the 12th Foot; by 1744 he was a captain in the 4th Foot and was serving on the staff in the following year. Promoted to major, he served as an aide-decamp to Henry Hawley at Culloden in 1746. On 5 January 1749, after some very complicated manoeuvring, he was appointed major of the 20th Foot and then as a result of determined string-pulling became its lieutenant-colonel a year later. In 1757 he took part in the abortive Rochefort expedition and, despite being thoroughly disgusted by the fumbling of his superiors, he afterwards remarked that ‘I am not sorry that I went … one may always pick up something useful from amongst the most fatal errors.’ He also emerged from the debacle with sufficient credit to win first a brevet promotion to full colonel and then, on 23 January 1758, an appointment as brigadier-general in North America for the expedition against Louisburg. Thus far he had had a ‘good war’, but there was no disguising his ruthlessness and naked ambition. First he attempted to hijack the Louisburg expeditionary force before its actual commander, Sir Jeffrey Amherst, arrived. He then engineered what was in effect a separate command during the siege and afterwards, in blatant defiance of orders, took himself home and engineered his appointment to command the Quebec expedition.
James Wolfe at Quebec after a famous sketch by his ADC Captain Hervey Smyth. This is a particularly important illustration depicting Wolfe in the usual plain red working dress preferred by most British officers in the field – rather than the expensive gold-laced ‘regimentals’ seen in so many portraits. The black band on his left arm was a personal mark of mourning for his father, who died shortly after Wolfe sailed for Canada. The original sketch quite clearly reveals him to be wearing black gaiters with the tops turned down to reveal a brown linen lining, rather than brown-topped jockey boots.
Notwithstanding some very real and unattractive flaws in his character, there is no doubt that Wolfe was the right man for the job. However, it was also his first independent command and, as is often the case, the unaccustomed responsibility sometimes had a paralysing effect on his decision-making. Furthermore, the ruthless way in which he habitually dealt with both superiors and rivals won him few real friends and ensured that relations with his colleagues would be far from
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Modeling of Electromagnetic Scattering from Ships
D. Y. NORTHAM
Advanced Techniques Branch Tactical Electronic Warfare Division
DTIC
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OCT 2 1.195
NAVAL RESEARCH LABORATORY Washington, D.C.
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1985 September 6
Previously published as a University of Maryland Ph.D. dissertation, 1983
17 COSATI CODES IS SUBJECT TERMS (Continue on reverse if necessary and identify by block number)
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Radar cross section Ship models Stochastic models
Distributed target models Glint
19 ABSTRACT (Continue on reverse if necessary .nd identify by block number)
-The purpose of this research is to develop a stochastic model of distributed radar targets, especially ships, that directly incorporate target structure and motion. The model was required to be especially useful as a tool in the stochastic simulation and analysis of tracking-radar signals over time intervals that are short relative to the time constants of the target motion. The model is based on the observation that distributed targets often appear to radars as being composed of several dominant scatterers. A concept (unit-scatterer) is introduced that quantifies this observation and that leads to a useful model of distributed targets. Based on this concept and assuming the presence of over-water multipath, analytical representations of radar cross section and glint are developed, and implications of the small time-interval requirement are investigated. Using these representations, a simulation is developed and used to investigate the stochastic properties of both radar cross section and glint for an example ship target. Simulation outputs are presented and analyzed to illustrate the implications of the model given variations in the significant parameters. (Continued)
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ABSTRACT (Cont.)
,.The model was developed to incorporate the major strengths of the existing deterministic and stochastic models: ability to account directly for target structure and motion, and ease of obtaining target-signature time series, respectively. The deterministic models, though precise, are extremely inefficient in generating these time series and require a great deal of information about target structure and motion. The stochastic models do not directly account for target structure and motion and rely heavily on target measurements The model
presented here efficiently generates target-signature time series given information about target ructure and motion. The existing deterministic and stochastic models can be viewed as limiting cases of this/ew model
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INTRODUCTION...........................................................................1I 1.1 The Scattering Problem................................................................1I 1.1.1 Scattering Models............................................................... 1.1.2 Fundamental Constraint........................................................ 1.1.3 Statement of the Problem...................................................... 1.2 Previous Work.......................................................................... 1.2.1 Random Models ................................................................ 1.2.2 Deterministic Models .......................................................... 1.2.3 Unified Scattering Models ..................................................... 1.2.4 Multipath Models ........................................................... 2. SUMMARY................................................................................ 2.1 Approach ............................................................................... 2.2 Outline ................................................................................. 3. THE UNIT-SCATTERER CONCEPT..................................................... 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 4. Scattering Matrix....................................................................... Definition............................................................................... Identification ........................................................................... Amplitude .............................................................................. Phase ..................................................................................
2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 6 7 7 8 9 13 19 20 21 22 22 24 24 24 25 28 28 29 29 29 31 34 34 34 37 38 38 40 44
MODEL OF THE RECEIVED SIGNAL................................................. 4.1 Scattered Field ......................................................................... 4.2 Radar System Model................................................................... 4.2.1 Front-End ...................................................................... 4.2.2 Error Detectors................................................................. 4.2.3 Feedback........................................................................ 4.3 Received Signals ....................................................................... 4.4 Sea-Surface Multipath Effects ........................................................
UNIT-SCAflTERER-MOTION MODELS ................................................ 5.1 Approaches to Linearization .......................................................... 5.2 Motion Equations Given the Driving Forces and Moments...................... 5.2.1 Definition of the Axis System ................................................ 5.2.2 Motion Equations for the Target's Center of Gravity...................... 5.2.3 Motion Equations for the Unit-Scatterer Locations ........................ 5.3 Motion Equations Given the Sea Spectrum......................................... 5.3.1 Assumptions.................................................................... Sea-Surface Model ............................................................. 5.3.3 Response Amplitude Operators ...............................................
-5.3.2
UNIT-SCAlTERER-MOTION SIMULATION .......................................... 6.1 Motion Model.......................................................................... 6.2 Model of the Spectrum................................................................ 6.3 Spectrum Algorithm in the Simulation...............................................
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RADAR CROSS SECTION................................................................ 7.1 Fundamental Representation ......................................................... 7.2 Useful Equations ...................................................................... 7.3 Statistics for an N-Source Target.................................................... 7.3.1 Mean and Correlation Functions ............................................. 7.3.2 Random-Phase Model ......................................................... 7.3.3 Range-Variation Effects .......................................................
47 4747 48 48 50 53 5 55 55 57 58 58 59 62 64 64 66 68 68 69 69 69 69 82 84 88 90 94 Ill
GLINT.................................................................................... 8.1 Definitions.............................................................................. 8.1.1 Phase-Front Gradient .......................................................... 8.1.2 Poynting-Vector Direction .................................................... 8.1.3 Axis Systems ................................................................... 8.2 Polarization Effects .................................................................... 8.3 Phase-Front Gradient ................................................................. 8.4 Poynting-Vector Direction ............................................................ 8.5 Multipath Effects ...................................................................... 8.5.1 Phase-Front Gradient .......................................................... 8.5.2 Poynting-Vector Direction ....................................................
SIMULATION RESULTS ................................................................. 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Simulation Parameters................................................................. Discussion.............................................................................. Multipath Effects ...................................................................... RCS................................................................................... Glint ..................................................................................
10. CONCLUSIONS AND FURTHER RESEARCH ........................................ APPENDIX A-An Example Simulation of Ship Motion.................................... APPENDIX B-An Estimate of Range Variation During a Short Time Period ........... APPENDIX C-Simulation Equations for RCS and Glint.................................... APPENDIX D-Simulation Description and Source-Code Listings ........................ REFERENCES ..................................................................................
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1. INTRODUCTION Scattering of electromagnetic (EM) energy has been a subject of interest to the scientific community since the nineteenth century. The first and most extensively studied scattering object has been the sphere. However, very few scattering problems have solutions that are known and exact although many problems have asymptotic solutions [Il. The problems that have been solved have been problems of scattering from simple geometric shapes [1,21. The modeling of complex targets is an extremely difficult, inexact task [3]; quoting from Ref. 4, "An exact solution to the scattering problem for a complex target is out of the question...." Most of the interest in EM scattering has come from the field of radar. Radars obtain information about targets by illuminating the target and then measuring the EM field scattered by the target and environment. Radars have been used for this purpose since World War II. Since then their performance capabilities have improved rapidly. Paralleling the improved radar performance has been an increasing need for better understanding of target scattering properties. This need has directed most of the scattering research since World War 11. Almost all targets of interest for military and civilian radars have physical dimensions much larger than the radar wave length (scattering in the optical region); that is, they are distributed targets. Clearly, any scattering model that is to be useful in radar applications must be limited in its ability to fully describe target scattering. Although EM scattering is the phenomenon which makes radars possible, by producing scattered fields for the radar to sense, it is well known that it is only necessary to understand two projections of these fields to predict the performance of most radar systems. These projections are radar cross section (RCS) and glint. RCS represents the apparent size of the target, and glint represents the apparent location, in angle, of the target, as sensed by the radar. Though generally analyzed as separate phenomena, it is well known that RCS and glint are different manifestations of the same target-induced effects. Most of the research on scattering since the development of radar has been directed to understanding RCS and glint rather than scattering per se. Distributed targets are typically modeled as a finite number of individual, point-source scatterers whose characteristics are determined by the target's structure. (We refer to such models as N-source models.) Both RCS and glint can be represented by using such models. The various N-source models that have arisen differ depending on how the individual scatterers are characterized. Generally, the scatterer characterizations that are made depend on the intended application of the target model. Building on these earlier N-source models, this report develops a new approach to modeling the scattering from ships. 1.1 The Scattering Problem Practical solutions to the modeling of distributed targets are approximations that range from extremely complex models that describe many aspects of scattering (and are difficult and/or expensive to use) to simple models that ignore many aspects (but are easy and/or inexpensive to use). Each model is developed subject to constraints imposed by application requirements. We remark that no
Manuscript approved January 14, 1985.
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D.Y. NORTHAM
model can completely describe all aspects of a physical phenomenon and very "crude" models are often the most useful; modeling a resistive element in an electric circuit by E-IR is often quite useful though such a model ignores known resistive element dependencies on temperature, power, frequency, etc., and hence is not useful in predicting failure modes, noise properties, etc., of the element. 1.1.1 Scattering Models The models that have been developed to represent complex target scattering can be described as being one of three types (or a combination thereof): deterministic, statistical, or stochastic. The simplest deterministic model is one where the target is represented as a fixed-position, point-source radiator with obtained by using the geometric theory of defraction or physical for simply shaped objectscomoften be constant RCS and no glint. Deterministic scattering solutions optics theory. The most can plex deterministic models represent the target as a collection of many, simply shaped objects for which scattering solutions exist. The scattered field of the target then becomes the superposition of the scattered fields of the simple objects, where effects such as shadowing, multiple reflections, etc., are appropriately accounted for. The statistical models are those in which only the first-order statistics of one or more aspects of the scattering, usually RCS, are modeled. These models are usually developed either from measurements of the target or by deriving the statistics from some broad assumption (e.g., that the target is composed of many independent scatterers of approximately equal scattering areas) regarding the target structure. The well-known Swerling models of RCS are examples of this type. The stochastic models are those that describe the scattered field as a stochastic process. Stochastic processes are useful because they not only specify first-order statistical properties but they also specify higher order fluctuation properties of the target including, at least, the second-order correlation properties (e.g., the correlation function). Correlation properties of the radar's receive signal must be known if an analysis of the tracking performance of the radar is to be made. The stochastic models used for target modeling are usually second-order stochastic models (i.e., they specify the first- and secondorder properties of the process) because to date, radars exploit only the first- and second-order properties of their receive signals and because second-order processes are well developed mathematically. Stochastic models usually are either extensions or combinations of deterministic and/or statistical models. An example of the extension approach is a model that converts the many scatterer deterministic model described above to a stochastic model by describing the target's range and orientation relative to the radar as stochastic processes and then solving the scattering problem as a function of time. An example of a combination model approach is a model that uses measurements that characterize not only the first-order statistics, but also the correlation properties of a target's scattering as a function of radar-target relative motion. The stochastic model is then a stochastic process that is defined to produce the measured statistics as a function of the measured parameters. We refer to such a model as an empirical stochastic model. We note that when the target being modeled is extremely large (e.g., Earth's surface illuminated by the radar, the moon, etc.) the approach of representing the surface as a stochastic process is often used. 1.1.2 Fundamental Constraint The fundamental constraint imposed in the development of the model presented here is that the model mub, be useful in the analysis and simulation of the pulse-by-pulse tracking performance of pulse radars. A major implication of this constraint is that the model must be capable of efficiently producing time-series representations of scattered radar-signals. Both empirical stochastic models and deterministic models using many simple scatterers can be applied under this constraint. However, each of these models has serious drawbacks for the desired application. The stochastic model, although very
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efficient for simulation purposes, is strongly dependent on actual measured data to provide the needed statistical information, and so extrapolation of such a model without supporting data is questionable. Further, this type of model is usually only weakly connected to the physical process (target-radar relative motion) that is causing the scattered-signal variations. The deterministic model has two major drawbacks. First, such a model requires an enormous amount of detailed information about the actual target to be modeled; the structure of that target's surface must be precisely known. Second, the simulation of such a model usually is extremly time consuming because many exact scattering solutions must be calculated to produce the required time series. In view of the above, tracking-radar studies and simulations would benefit from a model that is stochastic, that can be efficiently simulated, and that can be parametrized by the fundamental physical properties of target-radar relative motion and "significant" target structure. Such a model would not be as accurate as the deterministic model when the target structure and motion are precisely known, and it might not be as simple and efficient in simulation as the empirical stochastic model when extensive experimental data is available. However, it would incorporate the fundamental simulation efficiency of a stochastic model and much of the physical basis of the deterministic model. We will refer to this type of model as a phenomenological stochastic model. 1.1.3 Statement of the Problem The objective of this report is to develop a phenomenological stochastic model for the scattering of radar signals from distributed targets using an N-source formulation. The fundamental parameters on which the model is based are target motion and structure. We assume that the target's motion can be characterized as a stochastic process and that the target's approximate structure and dimensions are known. We further restrict the model by imposing several additional constraints on its applications. The model is intended for use in analyzing the performance of continuous tracking, monostatic, pulse radars that operate at microwave frequencies and track only in range, azimuth, and elevation. The targets of interest are assumed to be large with respect to the radar wavelength, structurally complex, in the radar antenna's far-field, and uniformly (plane wave) illuminated by the radar. Because of the importance of RCS and glint (and the existence of associated data bases), the model fidelity is to be inferred from the validity of the resulting RCS and glint representations. Validation of any model of scattering from complex targets must, of practical necessity, be statistical. That is, the model must produce a time series of data that can be tested for statistical accuracy relative to measured target data. For the reasons given in Sec. 1.1.1, we require that the model be accurate to second-order statistics; that is, the model must accurately represent the first-order probability density function, the power spectral density function (and equivalently, the autocorrelation function), and associated parameters over intervals where the process is piecewise-stationary. We do not require that the second-order probability density function be specified because that function is difficult to estimate practically and though it more completely specifies the process, it is less useful in characterizing signal time-correlation properties than is the power spectral density. The primary targets of concern in this report are surface ships. Relative to aircraft modeling, ship modeling has received limited attention in the literature. Ships are much more complex in structure than aircraft and scattering from them is complicated by sea surface multipath. However, the model developed is of a general nature and should be useful in problems where the assumptions made in its development hold. " 1.2 Previous Work Variations in RCS as a function of time (amplitude scintillation) were first observed during World War 11 (5]. The early models of amplitude scintillation were devcloped for application in the detection
DY. NORTHAM
of aircraft targets beginning with the work of Marcum [61 and Swerling [7,81. These models represent the target as a point source whose fluctuation statistics are chosen depending on the type of radar used and the measured or assumed fluctuation properties of the target. During the 1960s, numerous papers and books appeared describing various methods of N-source modeling of RCS. The August 1965 issue of the IEEE Proceedings [9] was devoted to radar reflectivity and is a good reference for the early RCS work. The glint phenomena were not observed until radar angle tracking capabilities improved in the late 1940s. The first models of glint appeared in Mead et al. [101, De Lano [111, and Howard [121 during the 1950s. Each was based on the N-sourct; concept. We focus our review on models that are based on the N-source concept because that is the concept on which the analysis of this report is based. 1.2.1 Random Models One method of modeling complex targets has been to represent the target as an N-source model with scatterers whose individual scattering properties are assumed to be random. When simple random properties are assumed, this type of model allows an analytical solution to be obtained for the target scattering. This -icthod was used by Muchmore [13,141 to describe the RCS of aircraft and reasonable spectral estimates, relative to measured data, were obtained. However, as pointed out by Peters and Weimer [15-17], this method has serious drawbacks when used to analyze radar tracking performance. This is because over short time and aspect intervals the individual scatterers do not behave independently. This random method was used, for arbitrary complex targets, and Mumford [191 to study glint statistics; by Mohanty [20], Gruner RCS statistics, and by Varshavchik 1241 and Borden 1251 to study Baras 126] used an N-source representation of the target to obtain equivalent-point-source model of glint. by De Lano [111, Gubonin [18], [21], and Mitchell [22,23] to study the combined RCS-glint problem. the fundamental parameters of an
Jakeman [27,28] and Jakeman and Pusey [29-321 have investigated using K-distributions [27] to describe the amplitude statistics of scattered radiation in a variety of experiments involving scattering from turbulent media (e.g., sea clutter and optical scintillation). This K-distribution model arises when it is assumed not only that the individual sources' amplitudes and phases are independent random variables but also that the number of sources is a random variable. .' 1.2.2 Deterministic Models The most common type of model of complex targets based on the N-source concept assumes that the target is composed of scatterers with simple geometric shape for which scattering solutions are known. The field scattered by the target is then the sum of the individual scattered fields for the given radar-target geometry. Physical optics theory, the geometric theory of diffraction, integral equation methods, and combinations thereof are used to obtain scattering solutions for the component scatterers. Discussions of these methods can be found in many papers and books; examples are Crispin and Siegel [331, Bechtel and Ross [341, Bowman et al. [351, Ruck et al. [361, Keller [37], and Oshiro et al. [38,39). Many examples of aircraft and missile modeling are contained in or referred to by the previous references. Examples of ship models using this approach are given by Toothman [401 and Radza and Stenger [411. We note that in modeling ships, thousands of scatterers are often required and usually up to twenty generic types of scatterers are used. Further, multipath effects on each scatterer and multiple scattering must be accounted for.
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The major studies of glint have been performed without assigning specific properties to the individual scattered fields. This approach has led to generic representations for glint. Howard [121 used this approach to show that glint was equivaiant to the slope of the phase front of the reflected field .'a the radar angular coordinate of interest. Lindsay 1421 expanded the concept of phase-front slope to phasefront gradient. He also showed the relationship between glint and Doppler scintillation. Dunn and Howard [431 showed that glint was equivalent to Poynting vector tilt and, independent [51 of Lindsay, showed the relationship between glint and Doppler scintillation. 1.2.3 Unified Scattering Models Very few attempts have been made to develop a unified RCS and glint model for the time-varying return from a complex target. The geometric models described above can be used to generate time series of data by moving the target randomly and solving for the scattered field as a function of time. Such a procedure is of course extremely time consuming even on a computer, especially for ships. Wright and Haddad [51 developed such a model for an airborne drone where the individual scatterers were represented as ellipsoids. Both RCS and two-dimensional glint were rodeled. The stochastic returns from several target aspects were obtained and analyzed, assuming appropriate random motion of the drone. Borden [251 developed a random model for the unified target return of an aircraft, assuming only one-dimensional glint. He modeled the target as N sources and then assigned statistical values to the individual scatterer amplitudes, phases, and Doppler frequencies. Varshavchik [241 investigated the relationship between the amplitude and phase characteristics of targets composed of an array of identical isotropic scatterers. He studied returns resulting from small angle-oscillations of the target in a fixed plane. 1.2.4 Multipath Models
Low grazing-angle, forward-scatter, over-water multipath has been studied extensively during the past quarter century. The most common representation of such scattering has been made in terms of equivalent-point-source models where the scattered field is viewed as being composed of two components: a "specular" (or "coherent") component that is deterministic, and a "diffuse" (or "incoherent") component that is random. Although it is well known that the specular component appears to a radar as coming from a point-source that is located at the geometric image of the transmitting point-source, the apparent point-source location(s) of the diffuse component(s) is not well understood. This lack of understanding has caused difficulty in analyzing the tracking errors induced by diffuse multipath [44,451. In a series of papers, Beard et al. [46-48] developed a second-order, statistical model of the scattered field. The model is based on empirical measurements and the fundamental parameters are diffuse and specular scattering-coefficients. Beard's model is valid in the sense of predicting the received power at microwave frequencies. It implicitly assumes that the diffuse scattering can be viewed as coming from a point-source located at the specular point. Northam [491 presents a second-order stochastic model, based on this work, that is useful for simulating multipath effects as a function of time. Beckmann and Spizzichino [501 theoretically predicted that the diffuse scattering arose primarily from surface areas near the transmitter and near the receiver. Barton [511 modified the diffuse coefficient that was derived by Beckmann and Spizzichino with a roughness factor and formulated the coefficient in terms of a bistatic scattering parameter for the surface. He showed that diffuse scattering arose from surface areas that vary as a function of geometry and surface structure. Mrstik and Smith [44] investigated the limitations caused by multipath on low-angle tracking using four different models of the poorly understood bistatic scattering parameter. Smith and Mrstik [451 investigated multipath-induced tracking errors in elevation scanning and menopulse radars by assuming that the diffuse tracking errors are small so that the diffuse power can be viewed as a noise-like interference superimposed on the direct-path signal. Baras [521 has summarized the various models from the perspective of stochastic modeling.
2. SUMMARY This report addresses the modeling of the effects of electromagnetic scattering from complex, distributed targets in a multipath environment. The basic objectives are to develop a scattering model that
is useful in analyzing and simulating the correlated processes of RCS and glint, and to develop the
equations of these processes appropriate to that model. The model is specifically intended to be useful for studying the tracking performance of pulse-radars. Ships are the major targets of interest. We are primarily concerned with representing scattering over short-time intervals. A digital simulation is developed, and some implications of results from that simulation are discussed. 2.1 Approach
Our approach is to use a (largely) deterministic model for the target scattering and a stochastic
-model
of the target's motion. Using the target's motion as input we obtain a stochastic representation of the received field. Over-water multipath effects are also modeled as stochastic processes. We model the target as a finite collection of point-source scatterers that represent the dominant scattering components of the target. These "unit-scatterers" are defined to allow a straightforward representation of the received field at the radar. Because the target is represented as a collection of point-source scatterers, we draw on existing models of RCS and glint that were developed assuming point-source scattering. A simulation of correlated RCS and glint is developed for use in studying the effects of model-parameter variations. 2.2 Outline The concept of unit-scatterer is introduced in Section 3, and an analytic representation of the concept is presented. Methods of identifying and measuring the target's component unit-scatterers are proposed and anticipated properties of the associated amplitudes and phases are discussed. In Section 4, the usual model of the received field from a collection of point-source scatterers is presented, and for completeness a model of a generic radar system is developed in the context of point-source scatterers. A point-source multipath model is then incorporated into the equation that represents the received field. The motion equations for the individual unit-scatterers of a ship are derived in Section 5. For coripleteness, two formulations of these equations are made, each assuming different inputs: the first assumes knowledge of the driving forces and moments that are applied to the ship; the second assumes a frequency-response model of the ship motion. Section 6 describes a ship-motion simulation that we developed as the stochastic input to the scattering simulation. It is based on the cataloged ship-motion data generated by the David Taylor Naval Ship Research and Development Center (DTNSRDC) using frequency-response models for the ship motions. In Section 7, equations for RCS are developed in terms of unit-scatterers based on the formulations of Section 4. Because tracking radars process data over short time-intervals, RCS variations over such intervals are analyzed, and the nonstationarity of the resulting processes is illustrated. In Section 8, two approaches to glint modeling are used to devel p correlated azimuth and evaluatior glint models for targets that are modeled by unit-scatterers. shown that one approach is more useful than the other, especially when point-source multipath effects are included. Section 9 presents the results of simulation studies. The effects of varying some of the model parameters are investigated.
S *. ... * .. , *1
3. THE UNIT-SCATTERER CONCEPT As described in Section 1, one of the most common approaches to modeling complex targets is to represent them as being comprised of a finite number of point-source scatterers. Using this approach, various scattering models have been developed. The differences in these models are due to the different ways in which the scatterers are characterized. We use this approach but attempt to minimize the number of scatterers and the statistical assumptions made regarding the parameters of those scatterers. Determining the characteristic parameters of a scatterer given the incident and scattered fields is referred to as an inverse scattering problem. Recent years have seen a rapid growth of interest in such problems in many areas of science, especially in optics and electromagnetics; however, for the EM inverse problem, "the prospects of expressing scattering characteristics of complex shapes successfully and simply are still inadequate" [531. 3.1 Scattering Matrix When an object is illuminated by a plane wave (implied by large radar-to-scatterer range), the scattered field, P , can be viewed as a linear transformation of the incident field, E'. The matrix representation of this transformation is called a scattering matrix [33]. Such matrices have the form
I[s. 1 exp
IS2 1 exp
S12 exp 012)
(Q*21)
(J00)" 22
(We note that due to phase being relative, the conservation of energy principle, and the reciprocity theorem, only five of the eight parameters of S need to be determined to completely specify S [541.) The scattered field representation is
i*
_:S.- sA.
The scattering matrix provides a significant characterization of radar targets; knowledge of it for a given set of radar parameters allows a complete characterization of the target's RCS for those parameters. Further, the scattering matrix for any polarization pair can be obtained from the matrix expressed in terms of any two arbitrary polarization vectors that are orthogonal [33]. As emphasized by Boerner [53] in his paper discussing the utilization of polarization in the EM inverse scattering problem, when measuring target scattering all components of the scattering matrix should be estimated or a loss of information will result. Given a radar with receiver polarization ,R , the RCS of the object can be defined to be [541 a
lim 4ffr 2 (3.3)
- lim 4arr
Slh' Iand
SE'' PR 12,
where r is the target-to-radar range. If the transmitter has the polarization h., then we can write E'
lim 41rr 2 (Shr R)2.
ji(V).
In general, polarizations are defined in terms of horizontal and vertical unit vectors, ,(H) Using these polarizations, we write the scattering matrix as S(VH) S(VV)]" S_S IS(HH) S(HV)
and (3.5 (35)
It follows from Eqs. (3.4) and (3.5) that there are four fundamental components that characterize the RCS of scattering objects; they are
'A
o-(lJ) = lim 4rr2IS(IJ)12,
1,J
H, V.
Therefore, the RCS of an object can be described by the matrix E -co(VH) o-(HV)1 aX. [o-(HH) o,(VY)l" (3.7)
The above concept of scattering can be extended to targets composed of individual scatterers for which scattering matrices are known. The procedure isto sum the components of the individual scattering matrices to yield a target scattering matrix; relative phasing and multiple scattering between the scatterers must, of course, be taken into account. The target RCS can then be determined from the resulting matrix. However, the complexity of this procedure, due to the relative phasing, has led to the use of two assumptions to simplify the problem. Because an average value of RCS isoften all that is required to be known about the target, itisoften assumed that the individual scatterers are phase independent. This allows a straightforward estimate of the RCS (cross products of independent phases cancel). Second, because most radars operate using only one polarization, it is often assumed that the three scattering components associated with the orthogonal polarization can be ignored. Both of these assumptions have proved quite useful for practical problems. 3.2 Definition It is well known that complex targets produce scattering that appears to result from several apparent "sources" ("dominant scatterers," "bright spots," "hot spots," and "flare spots") that are located at "scattering centers." The number, amplitude, and phase of these sources vary with target aspect and radar frequency, polarization, and resolution. Examples of this phenomenon for measured targets can be found in Refs. 55 through 59. These apparent sources result because scattering arises not from the target's entire surface but from points of discontinuity and specular points of that surface; cancellation of the field occurs along continuously varying surfaces of the target (341. Kell (601 refers to the portion of the target surface that is near a scattering-center and that produces the return associated with that scattering-center as the "cophased area." The scattering-centers are not necessarily due to specific geometric objects; they may arise from phasing between adjacent objects whose returns, when summed incoherently, would not be significant [341. This phenomenon may lead to scattering-centers that are not located on the target. In light of the above, we define a unit-scatterer (US) to be an apparent point-source scatterer as perceived by a radar. Clearly, the definition is radar dependent; such objects depend directly on radar frequency and pulse width. We characterize a US by a complex amplitude-matrix, X. Our definition of this matrix is analogous to that of the scattering matrix: I,) X1 [A, exp (Q0 A 12 exp (i"|'2) ! A 21 exp (621) A 22 exp (-22) (3.8a)2)2 where
-*
(lim 47rr 2IS, 1 2)1/2
(3.8b)
P "
* .-
. i ,
% "
" " " '
.'-'
The amplitudes and phases are functions of US orientation, and the phase is also a function of radar-US range. The amplitude functions, A, are the square roots of the associated component RCSs. The
phase functions, OV, are defined relative to some reference point on the radar-to-target sight line; this
allows coherent summing of the matrices that represent the target. For the standard polarizations, Eq. (3.8a) becomes ""
X- [Avg exp (Jv)Ay.exp~j vH exp (JOflf) A vv exp (J'Hv)1 X ""[~A exp (Q0vH) A~y exp Q4/ vy)
IAHH
The RCS of a US that is characterized by X becomes
2 r-gXhR 1
(3. 1Oa)
where ,T is the transmitter polarization and hR is the receiver polarization. For a target composed of N
USs,
a " kFX,b i.
(3.10b)
The significance of X is that the electric field at the receiver antenna and associated received signals can be written (see Section 4) in terms of a scattering function r (., .) which we define by
r (,b, PR)
1: X, k x
Although this approach to modeling scattering is not unique (similar formulations to obtain RCS and glint are implicit in other work), the definition of the unit-scatterer is new in that it is based on the fundamental scattering objects being large, complex, and not necessarily physically identifiable.
:5oBecause
of the complexity of USs comprising large targets, such as ships, it is likely that experimental methods or detailed simulation studies are necessary to accurately determine the Xj matrices. However, as is discussed in Sec. 3.4, relatively simple representations of the USs may yield good
approximations to the components of X.
3.3 Identification
Given the above definition of the US we now discuss methods of identifying the USs on complex targets. There are two basic approaches to US identification (and characterization): using analytic or - .experimental methods. We first consider several analytic methods. Kell [601 investigated bistatic RCS using the N-source formulation. In this and the next paragraph, we discuss that work as it relates to the monostatic problem. Using the Straton-Chu integral in the definition of RCS, he showed that a target's bistatic RCS could be written in the form If!
__'
(z)eJ2k
Os/dzr
k0 "/ X
is the wavenumber of the incident field, is the bistatic angle, and is the radar's wavelength.
. %~~~~~~~~~~~.....-........-.,,.,.......---.-.-........-.....--..-.-............-.........,....,................ .....
,...-.........:....-
Although Eq. (3.1) is an exact expression, the difficulty with using it is that 1(z) is rarely known precisely 1601. However, the analytic continuity of I(z) allows it to be divided into a sum of integrals over subregions of the target and "reasonable approximations" to 1(z) lead to contributions from these
-"
integrals only near the end points of each integral [60]. These contributions are then identified as the
scattering centers. He distinguishes between two types of scattering-centers: "simple centers," which result from direct illumination only, and "reflex centers," which result from multiple reflections. He
states that it is common for reflex scatterers to produce much larger RCS values than simple scatterers
Once the sources are identified, the target RCS can be written as a finite sum of those sources.
Kell shows that in terms of N sources, the bistatic RCS can be expressed as (assuming fixed polarizations) /-a-=ejo' with
(3.13a)"
2kor, cos P + 2
where r, is the distance between the ith and first sources' phase-centers, projected on the bistatic
axis, and
j, is the "residual phase contributions" of the ih center. Setting g = 0 yields the monostatic RCS. (We note that to derive the monostatic-bistatic equivalence theorem in Ref. 60. Kell assumes that the , do not vary over the range of 3 considered; we suggest that for USs arising from structurally complex objects, the f, may vary significantly as a function of the monostatic aspect angle.) When the magnetic field H on the surface of a perfectly conducting object is known and the field point is at a large distance from the body, the scattered magnetic field, HS, can be approximated by [611 Hs
(h x H) x e- "'dS ',
where h is the outward normal to the surface, k - 21r/k, is the unit vector from the origin to the field point, R is the distance from the origin to the field point, S' is the scattering object's surface, and 7' is the radius vector from the origin to the integration point on the surface. To solve Eq. (3.14) we must know H and S'. Although obtaining S' for a known object is straightforward, though perhaps tedious, determining H for an arbitrarily shaped object is in general not feasible. However, for objects that are relatively smooth (large radii of curvature relative to the radar's wavelength), it is well known that the Kirchhoff (physical optics) approximation (i.e., assume that the surface current '-nsity is -2h x FF where H' is the incident magnetic field) leads to an accurate description of the scattered field. Assuming an incident field of the form
)e - kr - '
where iis the polarization direction for the incident electric field E, "r7 the characteristic impedance is of free space, and E0 = E' the scattered electric field can be approximated by
E0 h x Q x Mx ;eli0?'dS'.
..... . . .. . , . ...... . . . . . . . . ...... . .-. . , . . o .... . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . -
If the surface can be separated into N independent (no multiple scattering) surfaces for which solutions to Eq. (3.16) can be obtained, then the object's scattered field can be described by the sum of N fields
(due to the N "elementary" scatterers). In general, N will be large and multiple scattering cannot be ignored so that the resulting scattering model will be very complicated (see e.g., Ref. 40). Scattering centers for complex objects will arise from one of two situations: the return from an elementary scatterer dominates (in magnitude) the return from most of the other elementary scatterers, or several elementary scatterers produce scattered fields that add in phase yielding a total field that dominates most of the other returns. However, if we cannot make the above separation but we can represent the (known) surface in cartesian coordinates by
z - f(x, y) so that . xi + yJ + f(x, y)k, (3.18) (3.17)
we can apply the method of stationary phase to the integral in Eq. (3.16) if we can find the points on the surface where
P"
= 0.
The method of stationary phase is an asymptotic expansion technique for evaluating integrals of the form (x) g Wzeix(z) dz, (3.20)
!.
where x is a large positive parameter and h (z) is a real function of the real variable z [621. The major contribution to the integral arises from the immediate vicinity of the end points, and at stationary points of h (z) (points where h'(z) - 0) and in the first approximation, the contribution of the stationary points is more important than the contribution of the end points [621. If z, i - 1, ... n are the points of stationary phase (i.e., where h(z) has extrema), then the integral Eq. (3.16) can be approximated by Nl W ,_ g(z)eY(Zd ixh(z)dz (3.21) l(x) J (.1
where the E, are small. The ith element of the summation is evaluated by expandii.. h(z) about z. The method applies to the integral Eq. (3.16) since for wavelengths of interest to us, 2k is large (on the order of 400). Kodis [631 investigated the scattering from a random, perfectly conducting irregular surface whose radii of curvature are continuous and large. Evaluating the scattered-field integral by using the method of stationary phase, he showed that to a first approximation the RCS of the surface is proportional to the average number of specular points which are illuminated. Although he assumed that there was no multiple scattering, implying that the principal radii of the surface have a lower bound that is much greater than the wavelength of the scattered radiation [631, his results also suggest that the scatteredfield integral can be approximated by a finite sum and that the method of stationary phase may prove useful in identifying scattering centers of objects that are relatively smooth. The method of stationary phase is of interest because it identifies scattering centers on the scattering object. When the method can be used we anticipate that the scattering centers identified by it will be USs of the object. The method may yield not only US locations but also analytic representations for those USs; by investigating the scattered field at these points, we may be able to develop analytic representations for USs resulting from "smooth surface" scattering. Examining the structure of ships we see that in general their surfaces are not smooth. In fact there are many flat surfaces connected at right
*. .
angles (zero radius of curvature). Therefore the method of stationary phase will not in general be useful for identifying USs on targets such as ships. However, the method may prove useful for targets, such as aircraft, whose surfaces are, in general, "smooth." Precise identification of the USs for a specific target will most likely require actual target measurements. Such measurements must be made by some type of high resolution radar. Possibilities include narrow pulse radar, pulse compression radar, synthetic aperture radar (SAR), and inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR). Such radars must measure, as a function of target aspect, the return signal from the target in cells that are small relative to the target's largest dimension. Although our studies will show that even large ship targets can be well represented at a given aspect by as few as six USs, we suggest a cell size at least as small as 1/10 to 1/20 of the target's largest dimension. The cell size cannot be too small because for studies of radars with less resolution than the measured data, the smaller scatterers can be grouped (summed coherently or incoherently) to produce USs appropriate for the desired resolution. High resolution data exists on many targets including ships but analysis of that data has not been done as part of this research; the effort required to obtain and analyze such data is beyond the scope of this report. High resolution radars identify scatterers in range and amplitude for the associated radar-to-target aspect. Figure 3.1 illustrates such a range profile for an aircraft model; for this aspect (nose-on) there are five dominant scatterers. By rotating the target or moving the radar, the amplitudes, relative phases, and position of the dominant scatterers can be determined as a function of aspect. Care must be taken to vary the aspect by increments small enough to yield accurate (smooth) representations of these parameters. Figure 3.2 illustrates scatterer data as a function of aspect for a simple target.
Fig. 3.1 - A high range-resolution radar's output (from Ref. 64)
-- *'.%.
RELATIVE AMPLITUDE
"ANGLE
I~~dagl 7
5RNE "-6--
RANGE Ift)
Fig. 3.2 - Amplitude-position data for a high range-resolution radar as a function of aspect (from Ref. 65)
Another method of identifying the USs is to use existing geometric-model simulations. (Various organizations, including the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), Georgia Institute of Technology, Technology Services Corporation, and Rockwell International, have developed such simulations.) This method involves running such a simulation for the target of interest and for the desired radar-target geometry. The resulting scattered field would then be examined to identify the major scatterers (say, those that contribute 95% of the total return) and then grouped as appropriate into USs. Similarly, SAR or ISAR simulations could also be used to determine the USs. Figure 3.3 is an illustration of the resulting SAR image from a simulation of a KC-135 aircraft for various SAR resolutions. The "blobs" in these images are candidate USs. A less accurate but very simple method of identifying some USs is to examine geometric images of the target (photographs, line drawings, blueprints, etc.). This method is useful because scattering from certain generic objects is known. For example, Table 3.1 lists the 22 objects used by Toothman [40] in a geometric type of simulation of ship scattering. An examination of the structure of ships shows that there often are obvious generic scatterers whose dimensions are such that they will dominate the scattering from the ship at specific aspect angles, For example, the broadside and stern aspects of the DD963 (Fig. 3.4) illustrate the presence of flat-plate scatterers in the superstructure. The aftquarter aspects indicate the presence of large corner reflectors and the two exhaust stacks should have reflections that are analogous to those from cylinders. Using these observations we can obtain a set of USs that, to first-order, approximate the actual USs for a given aspect. This is the method that we will use to obtain USs for the simulation (Section 9). In the next two sections we discuss in some detail the application of this method to obtain US amplitude and phase characterizations. 3.4 Amplitude The measurement and simulation procedures of the previous section yield amplitude information and can be used to determine the amplitude functions. The visual method, however, does not allow such an accurate determination except for obvious geometric objects. For analysis and simulation purposes we would like to obtain closed form expressions for the amplitude functions. Such expressions, 13
r I.. . ... --' . . .. .. . ; . '.'_.. . ... ; . : :. . ... : :: .
V--..
CROSS RANGE INFINITE RESOLUTION
2 FT RESOLUTION ON AIRCRAFT
4 FT RESOLUTION
FT RESOLUTION
Fig. 3.3 - Simulated SAR images for a KC-135 aircraft
for various resolutions (from Ref. 66)
I'I
r~I
!t
Table 3.1 - Generic Scattering Types Used by Toothman [40] Concave Edge Convex Edge Edge Caustic . Elliptic Disc Ellipsoid Hyperboloid Cylinder Elliptic Cone Inner Torus Outer Torus Elliptic Tip Rectangular Plate Paraboloid Ogive Point Concave Dihedral (2 reflections) Concave Trihedral (3 reflections) Straight Edge (convex dihedral) Convex Trihedral (3 plane tip) General Curved Surface Specular Cavities Antennas
if accurate, would allow the US model to be more useful in general; the model would not be dependent on detailed information about the target. Therefore, our goal in specifying the amplitudes is to obtain simple, visually identifiable, closed form expressions that are valid over short time-intervals. To achieve this we rely on optical scattering theories and RCS measurements of distributed targets to guide our choice of amplitude functions. It is well known that the spectrum of the RCS of a distributed target is band-limited and it is often characterized as being low-pass. This implies that a finite (though perhaps large) number of scatterers can be used to accurately approximate the RCS. It is also known that for most targets, due to radar-target relative motion, the target RCS is not a stationary process because the mean, variance, density type, and spectral properties all vary with aspect as indicated by Figs. 3.5, 3.6, and 3.7. The most obvious implication of this is that some of the target's component scatterers have amplitude patterns vary significantly with aspect. Visual examination of ship structures, for example, finds obvious flat plates, dihedrals, trihedrals, etc. The RCSs of such generic objects have been calculated theoretically and are well known. The flat plate RCS, for example, is strongly dependent on plate orientation; it varies dramatically near vertical incidence where a very large RCS relative to its physical size is generated [70]. Mitchell [231 has suggested that there are only four basic scattering mechanisms within a radar resolution cell. To describe these mechanisms, he defines four basic scattering elements; he claims that for simulation purposes, they describe all scattering effects. The basic elements are: 1. rough surface (diffuse scattering), 2. point source (sphere and dihedral corner), 3. flat plate (specular scattering), and
*that ."' " "
'"4.
line source (edge, dihedral corner, thin cylinder, and wire).
:......
.-.-.
Fig. 3.5
Measured RCS at 1O-cm wavelength of a B-26 aircraft as a function of aspect (from Ref. 68)
ASPECT ANGLE (d"g)
Measured RCS at 200 MHz for a scale model of a destroyer (from Ref. 69)
Isd 3 Fig aritin o th 20 50 21d lad0pretesoraauiayshpsafucin X-ad(rmRf68 f
aspec a) S BOnd) for
In view of this, we propose using a small set of generic functions to model the amplitude functions of the USs. This set may vary depending on the type of target being modeled. For example, ship models would tend to include flat sided scatterer types (plates, dihedrals, .ihedrals, etc.) whereas aircraft models would tend to include curved surface scatterer types (ogive, parabaloid, etc.). In the simulations (Section 9), we model the US amplitude functions using only three generic scattering types: sphere, flat plate, and corner reflector. These types were chosen because they represent, to first order, the most obvious scattering effects and they are consistent with the fundamental set proposed by Mitchell. The fidelity of the model by using only these types of scatterers must be
determined relative to measured data which we do not have access to for this report.
The sphere type was chosen to represent scattering that is specular but is also significant (in
amplitude) over a wide angle of illumination. We model the amplitude of such a scatterer as being proportional to the projected area of the object as viewed by the radar, as it is (in the optical limit) for a sphere [331. To represent scattering that is specular and highly directional, in analogy with the equation for the RCS of a flat plate near specular incidence we suggest the representation sin (21rb sin ) 1/2 ablsin*(2ra sin 0) 2 f2-- I A4 a 2ira sin 0 2n-b sin , (3.22) where a and b are the plate dimensions and 0 and 0 are azimuth and elevation angles between the plate and the radar-to-US sight line and a line perpendicular to the flat surface. We anticipate that this type of US will be realized by actual flat plates which for a ship appear primarily at the bow, stern, and broadside aspects. Unlike the sphere type of US, this type is frequency dependent. The corner-reflector type was chosen to represent frequency-dependent scattering that is nonspecular. This type of scattering results from multiple reflections [611. We model the associated amplitude by the ratio of the US's projected area to the radar wavelength. This is analogous to the equation for the maximum RCS of a corner reflector,
(max= -4ra
where a is the area of the reflector's aperture [611. 3.5 Phase For a point-source scatterer located at some position R relative to the radar, the phase of the scattered field at the radar results from the properties of and the range to the scatterer. For a sphere the phase varies as the range to the sphere's center varies but is constant with sphere orientation. However, for nonspherical objects, the phase depends not only on some location point for the object (say, its geometrical center) but also on the object's orientation. This is because as the object rotates, scattering from components of the object (edges, protrusions, etc.) vary as a function of aspect. This apparent point-source location of the object is called the object's scattering center. Aggregating several physical objects may create a US of substantial physical size relative to the radar wave length. As such a scatterer rotates, the scattering-center location may vary rapidly for the wave lengths of interest in this report (on the order of a few centimeters). Therefore, the US phases (the 0, in Eq. (3.8a)) are defined as the apparent location of the US's scattering center relative to some fixed point on the US, as a function of orientation. The scattering center will also depend on the type of ranging technique employed by the radar. For example, narrow pulse, leading-edge tracking will yield different apparent ranges for scattering 19
objects than will peak-signal techniques. However, in our development we do not attempt to explicitly include ranging-technique effects primarily because of the lack of existing data describing US phasevariations as a function of orientation. We suggest that there are two dominant physical causes (excluding multipath effects) of variations in the US phase for small changes in aspect angle. First, we expect the most significant phase variations to be caused by the motion of the surfaces that yield the USs; that is, the relative motion of the geometric center. Second, we expect that US rotation will also introduce phase variations. We expect two types of effects due to US rotation: low frequency and high frequency. The low-frequency effects should result from the objects that generate the US moving closer or farther away from the radar, thus producing a change of phase (due to earlier or later pulse arrivals). The high-frequency variations should result for USs which arise from the relative phasing of various objects. As the objects rotate, their relative phasing may change producing glint [Section 8], which is a high-frequency phenomenon [Section 9]. However, we expect this effect to be small because glint is inversely proportional to RCS and the existence of the US implies a large RCS. We will model the US phase by 9 41(R , 0
2LI + j3(9)
~(,t)
R 9 is the location of the geometric center relative to the radar, is the orientation of the US relative to the radar, is the radar's wavelength, /3(.
(w, )
represents the low-frequency orientation effects, and represents the high-frequency effects.
Because of the causal relationship between US motion and target motion, the f (w, ) process should be correlated, to some extent, with the target motion. The variance of f(o, t) most likely will be small relative to 2 7r, otherwise (, ) could be approximated by a phase process that is uniformly distributed over (0, 2 1r). This would yield a target RCS that is Rayleigh distributed (see Section 7) which is in general not true. This observation is consistent with our comments in the previous paragraph. Because of the lack of experimental data and the intractibility of US-phase analysis, we will not attempt to model or simulate the f (w, ) process by other than uniformly distributed, uncorrelated processes. The interval over which the processes are defined are specified, in a simulation input, as a percentage of the radar wavelength. Simulation results have indicated that if the random phase variations on a pulse-by-pulse basis exceed about 5% of the radar wavelength, then they become a significant cause of variations in the scattered field, which intuition suggests should not happen. Finally, we expect that for small changes in aspect angle, scattered-field variations are due primarily to phase variations rather than amplitude variations. 4. MODEL OF THE RECEIVED SIGNAL Although a radar measures the EM field at its antenna aperture, evaluation of a radar's performance :an be made knowing only a few projections of that field. The most useful projections are
""received
power (RCS) and the azimuth and elevation error signals (glint). The validity of any model of the scattered field that is to have practical applications must be measured relative to such projections. In this chapter we formulate the received signal resulting from scattering by an N-source target that is modeled by unit-scatterers. We develop representations for the received field and the associated azimuth and elevation error signals. The received field representation is used in later chapters. 4.1 Scattered Field Because we are modeling the target as a finite number of USs, the received electric field at the radar isthe linear superposition of the fields from each US. We are interested in representing only the pulse-to-pulse variations in the received signal, not intrapulse properties, so we assume that the received pulses are ideal in the sense that they are completely defined by an amplitude, phase, and pulse-width. Further, we assume that the target extent is small relative to the radar-to-target range and that the radar pulse width is large relative to target extent. This allows the assumption that the return pulses are time coincident. This time-coincident assumption would not be acceptable if we were analyzing range tracking errors or the structure of the received pulse's leading or trailing edge. Assuming uniform target-illumination (due to large radar-to-target range) and identical transmitter and receiver polarizations, the received field at the radar due to scattering by a point-source target is usually represented by an equation of the form E(Rk,WO, where isthe radar frequency, k3 -, g(.) F() a defines the location of the scatterer relative to the radar, defines the orientation of the scatterer relative to the radar, describes the antenna and propagation effects on the signal, describes the effects of multipath, isthe amplitude of the scattered field, and t) eJ F2(Ri)g(ki)a(Oi)eoi(kii) (4.1)
.j,(-,.) isthe phase angle of the scattered field.
Three transmit path effects are accounted for here: phases due to radar-to-scatterer path lengths, attenuation due to path losses, and variations in the illuminating signal due to multipath. The phases and are accounted for intA(., .) the loss effects ing(.). The multipath effects are discussed indetail in no Sec. 4.4, so for the remainder of this section we assume that F2 () = 1 (i.e., multipath effects). Summing the individual fields from an N-source target, the received field becomes
_N (Y,
."
E(t)
I-I
g()a, ,)e
The assumption of long range implies that g(Rd g(k), for all i, j (4.3)
so that we can approximate E(t) by
~~~E
(t) - g (R) ei'
' 9Ci(~jRi)
where A locates a fixed point on the target; for example, the target's center-of-gravity. the N sources of the target are USs, we see from Eq. (3.11) that
Assuming that
Swhere -R that
g(R)ei'-' r(hT, AR) - g(R)eP
,(
)3 PR
.)T
.bT and
PR _
define the polarization that is implicit in Eq. (4.1). If we make the usual assumption
R =
(1, 0 )T, then Eq. (4.5) becomes E(t) - g(i)e'
,A Il( ~i-i|. o)e
We next discuss the effect of the radar system on the scattered field. 4.2 Radar System Model Although our primary concern is target-scattering modeling and not radar-system modeling, practical validation of any scattering model will of necessity involve actual target measurements made by specific radars. Further, we are concerned with scattering models from the point of view of analyzing the effects of target scattering on tracking radars rather than that of predicting scattered electric fields. Therefore for completeness, we include a representation of tracking radars that can be used with the US-model formulation. * We view tracking radars as being composed of three basic functional units: a "front-end," error detectors, and feedback loops. Figure 4.1 is a block diagram of a generic amplitude-comparison, monopulse radar with each functional unit indicated. Such a radar is commonly used as a trackin" .A ar at microwave frequencies. Because this type of radar is widely used in practice, we limit our model of radars to this type. This limitation does not significantly restrict the results to be obtained because the primary influence on tracking performance is the fluctuation of the field scattered from the target. Further, phase-comparison monopulse has been shown to be functionally equivalent to amplitudecomparison monopulse [71], and other forms of tracking radars (e.g., sequential lobing, conical scan, etc.) differ primarily in the form of the front-end transformation and error detector implementations. In any event, the US concept is independent of specific radar implementations. 4.2.1 Front-End We first consider the effects of the radar front-end: the components that transform the input EM field (at the antenna's aperture) to a complex signal at some intermediate frequency (IF). This IF signal is then processed to obtain tracking information. Our approach is to model the components that convert the input field to an IF signal as a simple, memoryless transformation, which we represent by V() - H[E() (4.7) where V() is a voltage. In general, the front-end transformation, H(.), is very difficult to specify precisely because it includes the effects of the antenna, waveguide, hybrids, mixers, and IF amplifiers. Clearly, H() depends strongly on the specific radar implementation, particularly the antenna used. For the applications of interest here (where target-radar motion is causing the major fluctuations in the received signal), these devices can be accurately characterized by simple models: hybrids with input signals A and B as producing outputs A+B and/or A-B, mixers as transforming signals with spectra S(W) (w > 0) to signals with spectra S(a, - win) (wa w,. > 0) where w,, is the mixer frequency, and IF amplifiers as constant gain (or logarithmic) devices with feedback gain control. An overall power 22
I--" ------
FEEDBACK LOOP
-- -'1
FEBC
'..
~~HORNS JJ I
I F ED *' .L-------------------------...... HYBRI CANNELr _ MIE F-+-F..)I I IFon OI " . IAMPL " -cIFRC E- i MIXER : I -D1F-<XI t wo DFERN L -- m t a . AMPLIFIER,
LEca ANGLE DETECTOR ERROLF1R DETECTOR'IERROR T IOn VDO IU
IAGE
+ CHANNE.
!_A.TO P uEHSE-i SENSITIVE
I ;""
I- _CHNEL.mr~e
I _ AZIMj, ,UTH
--rI--DIFFERENCE-)CH SERVOS I 1 ENEC
MIXERI-I..
i IF ,
R,---
t I P-l IMU'..TH,HASEANGLE SENSITIVE I !ERO EECO DETECTORS ERRORI ERRO
FEEDBAKLO
FEEDBACK LOOP'.
Fig. 4.1 -- A two-coordinate (azimuth and elevation), amplitude-comparison,
monopulse tracking radar (adapted from Ref. 68)
loss, due mainly to the hybrids, and an overall phase shift, due mainly to physical lengths and the mixers, complete the description of the guided signals. The video signal is prneIuced by detectors (amplitude, phase, or sum-and-difference 1711) that transform the guided fields to voltages. The most complex aspect of H() is the transformation of an EM field across the antenna aperture to an EM field within an associated waveguide. This transformation is typically represented by the antenna amplitudegain pattern (to be referred to as the antenna pattern). . Since we assume that the scatterers are point-source radiators which are at long range, it will be sufficient (as has been the case in many other studies; for example, see Refs. 72 and 73) to model the front-end as the antenna pattern coupled with a complex gain factor and a frequency shift. Specifically, if the antenna amplitude-gain (complex in general) is given by G(8., 0,) where 0, and 3, represent azimuth and elevation angles relative to the radar boresight, then for a point-source target whose angular coordinates relative to the radar boresight are given by (,, P,), we model the front-end transformation as V(t) - HE()] - KG(6., #,)Eo(Pa,,
3,., t)
where K is complex and represents the nonantenna front-end gains and phase shift, and E0 (8., / 3e , t) is the value of the scattered electric field at the aperture location defined by 13 and 3,. The carrier frequency of V() is the frequency of E 0(8,i, ti lowered by the mixer frequency. ) I"Because we are assuming tracking, we are only interested in antenna characteristics near boresight, say + 3 dB about the main beam maximum. Therefore it may be useful to assume an ideal approximation for the antenna pattern that has a simple analytical form yet accurately represents typical antenna amplitude-gain characteristics in this restricted region: G(O, q0 - Go - k(O - 0o) 2 - k(q, - 0o)2 ,."
where 00 and *0 define the pattern maximum relative to a given radar axis (say, boresight) and Go and k are constants. However, we note that the long range assumption will often allow the antenna pattern to be modeled as a constant gain because of the resulting negligible separations of the unit-scatterers.
-,%
DY NORTHAM
4.2.2 Error Detectors The error detectors transform guided EM waves to video signals useful for determining antenna pointing (angle) errors. Rhodes [71] has shown that in monopulse radars there are only three distinct kinds of angle detection: amplitude, phase, and sum-and-difference. Because any monopulse error law can be described as a function of the difference-to-sum ratio (AlE) [741, we model the detectors as producing sum and difference signals which yield as output Alt. Assuming instantaneous automatic gain control (IAGC), the outputs of the phase-sensitive detectors of Fig. 4.1 are the real part of A/. due to the sum signal being fed back to the various IF amplifiers [711. 4.2.3 Feedback There are two feedback loops of interest: IF amplifier feedback and antenna servomechanism (servo) feedback. The amplifier feedback is simply a feedback of the sum signal to control the IF amplifier gains. Angle error signals that are output from the detectors are used to control the pointing direction of the antenna. This is done by feedback of these signals to servos that control the position of the antenna. Type II servos are usually employed for this purpose [681. We note that the long range assumption (implying small angular separations of the scatterers) will often allow the effects of the servos to be ignored. 4.3 Received Signals We now describe the received signal in terms of the scattered field. First we define, in earth- or radar-coordinates, the radar boresight direction IBs = (Ba, ) and the radar-to-ith scatterer sight line,
(Ba,,3e). The antenna gain associated with the ith scatterer is then given by G(g, GQ3, - IBs) = G(0. - /3, /, -3e)
IBs)
where (4.10)
With this definition each IF signal has the form (from Eqs. (4.8) and (4.5)) V()
g(R)e(
' -
m 't
KG,
-- ,s)[X,(,, I)[R.
*difference,
More specifically, there are three signals of interest: one sum and two difference signals. Each signal has an associated sum and difference pattern (Gy(), GA.(), and G4 (3)) and complex, frontend gains (Ky, Ko, and KA). Suppressing the first two terms of Eq. (4.11), the sum, azimuthand elevation-difference signals become ::V()= K . Va(t)
, 1( G
, - -8 s)brx,(k,, O,)[kR,
T -
(4.12a) and (4.12b)
(4.12c)
, G.(B
-ys)[TX,(R,,
O)hR,
Ve(t) - K
5" GAe,
8 s)iX,(R,,
The three antenna patterns are derived from Eq. (4.9) where we have assumed that each of the four radiators that comprise the antenna have identical patterns and that each is offset relative to the radar boresight. The sum pattern is represented by
''. 4
NRL REPORT 8887 4
(4.13a)
) , (8j, Pe, represents the associated radiator's offset relative to the radar boresight. The where difference patterns are represented by
GA, (A, ) - G( - A,)
G(A -
3) - G(/ -
2) - Gq -
and GAe(8i) - G( - 1) + G - 2) - G( 3)- G(/)
Equation (4.11) is our fundamental representation of the monopulse-radar received-signal due to N point-sources. Representations of this for radar-system have been used for analyses by others; the most common use assumes a mix of independent processes and aeterministic functions for one or several of the target parameters (e.g., Refs. 11, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25, 75, and 76). 4.4 Sea-Surface Multipath Effects If the target is a surface ship, then for small and moderate radar-to-ship grazing angles, seasurface multipath affects the received signals. These multipath effects alter both the signal illuminating the ship and the scattered field. As discussed in the introduction, the effects of multipath on the received power of a signal transmitted by a point source is well understood, but an apparent-point-source representation of the scattered field has only been determined for the specular component, However, because the 'diffuse scattering arises from scattering over a large area, there are at least several scatterers comprising the at any aspect, and because we are interested in only a representation of "average" seas (determined only by a sea-state parameter), we will model the diffuse vector's location point as the associated target's image-point. Although we will develop glint equations using this model, clearly it is not restrictive and the method applies for other diffuse models as well. To be consistent with the multipath models employed, we assume that the radar's antenna has a beamwidth wide enough to fully illuminate the first several Fresnel zones about the specular point (defined in Fig. 4.2). We note that this assumption will hold even for relatively narrow beams if the radar-to-target range is large. Because of our assumption of low grazing angles and the reasons stated above, we also ignore time delays associated with the multipath signals, noting that when analyzing range-tracking errors such delays should be accounted for.
RADAR POINT-SOURCE TARGET
S..ship
'*
h,
IMAGE-SOURCE LOCATION
Fig. 4.2 - Multipath geometry
p -. ' . " - - .'' . ','' . '' ' "" ' '-"-"
- "-"
. . .- . .
-' ." -"
. . - . - . . - .- .
Beard et al. [461 show that if the received field is D without multipath effects, then with multipath effects the received field becomes (4.14) - D+ R where the total received field, T, is the sum of the direct field, D, and a reflected field, R. The reflected field appears to the receiver to be transmitted from a point located at the transmitter image reflected about the plane of the sea surface (Fig. 4.2). The reflected field is modeled as the sum of two components, one that is deterministic and coherent, relative to the direct field, and one that is stochastic and incoherent,
+T..
The coherent and incoherent fields are also referred to as the specular and diffuse fields. For convenience Eq. (4.14) is usually normalized relative to the direct field D by (4.16a) FD, '-T defined by coefficient where F is a multipath Fwhere PC = pseJa, 1+ Pc + p/ (4.16b)
(4.16d)
PI pp + jPQ. The phase angle a is due to path length differences and sea-surface reflection characteristics. The inphase and quadrature terms, pp and pQ, are zero-mean Gaussian processes. Curves defining the variance of the p, process (assuming that pp and PQ have equal variances) are presented in Ref. 49. To account for the fact that the scattering coefficients Pc and P, depend on geometry we use the notation Fand for the ith US we abbreviate Eq. (4.16d) by F(k, -0), (4.16d)
F(R,,,).
(4.16e)
Because the sea surface, radar, and target effectively do not move during the time of pulse transmission and reception at the radar (for the problems of interest here), the transmit and receive modes are reciprocal. Therefore the transmit and receive multipath effects are identical except for the effects of the transmit and receive radiation patterns of the antenna and target. Because the ship is close to the scattering surface, the multipath image locations are close to their s) associated scatterer locations. Note that if the antenna pattern and geometry are such that G(, G(8s - -Bs) for all i and j,then the received signal can be approximated by
V()
-(-d~ g(R)e
-BS
m)KG(q
- -,s)
,F2 (R,, W,)/TX' (R,, W,)PR.
'-I...
-o
However, if the antenna effects on the direct vs the reflected signals are to be accounted for, we must view the reflected signal as arising from a source located below the surface of the sea. As is often done [491 we model the source-location of the reflected signal as the apparent location of the specular reflection (Fig. 4.2). To modify the equivalent-point-source multipath coefficient Eq. (4.16a) to become an N-source model (N - 2), we view the problem as follows (where for ciarity we assume that the propagation and scatterer reflection effects are accounted for in g(.) and X(-,.)). Assume that the incident field at the 26
*'
*~~-
o - , * * iq +. .-
% q ''-'-
r .
== - .
,oO.. C.
o." ',.
, ." .
e. . ,,
-. .
,. . . -" . .-
"=
.. - .
,=
scatterer has the form E - FEo where E is the direct field (no multipath). Then if we view the scatterer as transmitting the signal FEo, then the signal received at the radar will be F2 Eo. From the point of view of the radar, the received signal appears to have a direct component D = FEo and a reflected component R = pc + p,)FE0. Therefore we separate the two-way multipath coefficient F for the ith US into direct and reflected coefficients:
E,.
F 2E 0 - (I + Pc, + pl)Fo
FE 0 + (F - 1)FE 0 - D, + R . 1
Finally, we need the direction of propagation for Di and R,. If in a given coordinate system R, locates the ith scatterer and AR locates the receiver, then the direction of propagation for the ith direct signal is given by
RD,RR -
hR h,)
In Earth-axis, cartesian coordinates, RD" (RxR
Ryx - Ry,
where hR and hi are the heights of the radar and the ith source above Earth. Therefore the direction of propagation for the direct and reflected field components are
.and
RD,
IRD,
llr,-IRR,
where R, (R -R RR - Ry,, hR
+ hi).
With the separation of Eqs. (4.18) and (4.21), we see that by viewing the reflected fields as an addiional set of N scatterers, Eq. (4.11) becomes V()
- g(R)ej
w-(.m)'K
, IG(13,
B3s)F, + G(1,+
i,
)F,(F,
R 1))[X,hT.
Though we use this point-source model to account for the effects of multipath, USs result from surfaces that are distributed in space. When there is no multipath we can represent the scattered field from a US by Ike fS, 'o X X X e-2jki 7'dS'. (0.16) 21 .R ' 9 Using the point-source multipath model to represent the incident field, we represent the scattered field in the presence of multipath by 22TrR
x U x
e- 2Ik
dS '
........o.
** .
where F(') represents the complex multipath factor at the point 7'. If over S', F(-r) = F , 0 then we have the point-source representation described above:
fS- _ F2fs.
Although data collected by NRL and analyzed by the author indicate that F(r') can often be approximated by an azimuth-independent process over relatively large variations in azimuth, other data have shown [771 that F(7) rapidly decorrelates in elevation. Therefore for most USs, representing E4 by Eq. (4.26), with F0 = F(r7) where 77 is the ith US location, will not be valid. The difficulty raised here is, to our knowledge, an open question: can the target effects and the multipath effects be represented in Eq. (4.24) in a way that yields an equivalent-point-source model for the scattering? As stated above, the point-source multipath model is valid when the transmitting and receiving amplitude patterns (gain pattern for an antenna) are not narrow. This constraint will likely hold for the sphere type and corner-reflector type of US amplitude functions. For the highly specular flat-plate type a modification to the multipath effects may be required analogous to the antenna gain-pattern correction suggested in Ref. 49. Such a modification was not made in the simulation. Because multipath is but one parameter (though an important one) affecting the ship scattering and because the point-source model presented here is the only validated stochastic model of over-water multipath that we are aware of, we have used it in our simulation studies. In Section 9 we discuss results obtained using this modeling approach in the simulation. 5. UNIT-SCATTERER-MOTION MODELS In this section we develop equations of motion for an arbitrary US location because this motion determines the amplitude and phase variations in the received field. Our purpose is not ship-motion modeling per se but US-motion modeling for use in analyzing and simulating scattered fields. However, for completeness we investigate two basic approaches to ship-motion modeling. In Sec. 5.2 we formulate a motion model that assumes knowledge of the sea forces that cause ship motion. Then in Sec. 5.3, we discuss a frequency-response model that has been quite useful in ship-motion modeling given knowledge of the sea spectrum. The DTNSRDC has used the model to generate libraries of center-of-gravity-motion (cg-motion) spectra for various ships (e.g., Refs. 78 and 79). In later chapters we begin our analyses and simulations by assuming knowledge of these cg-motion spectra. Because these motions are zero-mean Gaussian, the associated spectra are all that is required to completely specify them as stochastic processes. Our reliance on the DTNSRDC spectra is not without its costs. Because of a strong desire to develop models that are intuitively appealing and easy to work with (assuming a minimal background in mathematics), the sea-surface model that has been developed by the oceanographic community is in a form that is nonstandard relative to the system-theoretic formulation. The differences are slight but confusing and can lead to errors if not correctly accounted for: the spectrum is defined for positive frequencies only and so that the integral of the spectrum is the energy in the sea surface (at a point on the surface). To minimize the Lonfusion that would result when the tabulated spectra are used in a simulation, we have chosen to follow the nonstandard, oceanographic spectrum-formulation. This allows us to directly use the tabulated (nonstandard) spectra. 5.1 Approaches to Linearization We use linear equations because they are widely used in the study of both ship and aircraft and are easy to work with. We are interested primarily in small deviations in the target's
*motion
motion from a nominal trajectory, and also in target motion modeling only over relatively short periods
of time (usually on the order of seconds to no more than several minutes). There are two basic
approaches used in developing linear equations of ship motion. The first approach is to transform Newton's six nonlinear force and moment equations from the target's cg axis-system to an axis system that is determined by target symmetry. The equations are then linearized in the symmetry axis-system. We call this the transform-first approach. The second approach is to assume linear, second-order dif-
ferential equations in the cg axis-system to describe the six forces and moments. The various coefficients are then estimated via calculations or measurements. We call this the linearize-first approach. The choice of approach usually depends on the ease of obtaining values for the equation coefficients
and the feasibility of measuring the modeled forces and moments for the target of interest. The transform-first approach to linearization is strongly dependent on target structure, especially symmetry. Using this approach, various sets of linear equations have been developed for ships and aircraft. The form of these equation sets varies depending on intended applications. The linearize-first approach begins with a set of linear, second-order differential equations for the ship's cg-motion. Therefore assuming rigid body motion, the equations of motion for an individual US have the same form regardless of target structure. We will use the linearize-first approach in developing ship motion models that are useful in ship scattering studies. 5.2 Motion Equations Given the Driving Forces and Moments We begin by deriving a set of motion equations for an arbitrary US location by assuming knowledge of linearized equations of motion for the target's cg and the driving forces and moments. We also assume that the target undergoes only rigid-body motion and that the six motions of the target
are uncoupled (i.e., u -
xi i
5.2.1 Definition of the Axis Systems ,.: We use two axis-systems in describing US motion: an Earth-axis system and a target-body axis system. Each system is right handed with z-axes that are positive upward (relative to Earth). The Earth-axis system is fixed relative to Earth's surface (assumed to be flat) with its origin
located at some fixed but arbitrary point relative to Earth's surface. The x -y axes-plane is
located parallel to the plane of Earth's surface and the z-axis is oriented positive upward. Vectors represented in Earth coordinates have no superscript. The target-body axis-system is fixed relative to the target with its origin at the target's cg. The x-axis is parallel to a longitudinal linie-of-symmetry for the target, positive forward. The y-axis is parallel to a transverse line-of-symmetry for the target. The z-axis is positive upward. Vectors represented in target-body coordinates are superscripted with B. Figure 5.1 illustrates these axis systems.
dL_
5.2.2 Motion Equations for the Target's Center of Gravity Following the notation in Ref. 80, the six equations of cg motion have the form
M M"
d2x,
F(, t), i-1... 6. (5.1)
XI_+ N, -- + Rix,-
.' ,?.' ,"," "i...,''
. .-- '
.. . -",
. ."-"- %" , ,, ."-" .
.''.' .'' .. " ...
"- " "".'-.
.- '- ' ..
. '..
'-L
"w_.W-. -_
%-a
,th US LOCATION , BODY y
The fundamemal axis systems and position vectors
R,,m 1Y
In Eq. (5.1) we use the notation F,(w, t) to describe each input force and moment. We assume that the F (o, t) are stochastic processes. For convenience we rewrite Eq. (5.1) as d2x, dx 1 + 2hi 1 + Pix,"= fi (ow, -i -,....6 (5.2) where 2hi represents a damping factor and vi represents a natural undamped frequency of oscillation of the target. Writing Eq. (5.2) in state-variable format we have x, where
A--= 1 -2h]
V-
A i5 + Bf
(5.3a)
(5. 30
,)T
(x,
(5.3d)
7i (0, fi)T T
We define the state of the target-motion system as the vector of position and velocity variables of the six motion equations:
= (x, X, .,, ./, z,
where x, y, and z are the linear coordinates, and 0, 0, and tp are the angular coordinates of the target's cg. Because the motions are assumed to be uncoupled, the state vector becomes (x, 1, y, v, z, w, ,(5.5) where u, v, w, p, q, and r are the usual variables of a six degrees-of-freedom model; that is, u, V, and w are the linear rates of change and p, q, and r are the angular rates of change. The system differential equations can now be written in the form Y - AF + Bf (5.6)
. . . .+
... . . .
where A is a 12 x 12 matrix with the form
A(5.7) A-A
A#A
with the Ai defined by Eq. (5.3b). The B matrix is the 12 x 6 matrix (from Eq. (5.3c))
0 ,.1 _., -,0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (5.8)
0" 0 0
The input vector is
f--
(f.,
,,f
f,
f#) r . T
For given hi and vi coefficients Eq. (5.6) can now be solved. The solution is (t)
4(t)D(O) +
0 0(t - r)B7(r)dr
where 0(t) is the 12x12 block diagonal matrix
0,), (5.11)
0(t)
0"(t
Each O4(t) in Eq. (5.11) is the 2 x 2 transition matrix associated with the appropriate A j from Eq. (5.3a). 5.2.3 Motion Equationsfor the Unit-ScattererLocations The location of the ith US (ith point) on the target (in Earth coordinates) is given by
W:(0) + f0' 7,(r)dr
Ry,, R.)T (5.12)
-(R,,
...-
where Vi(t) is the velocity of the ith point, and Ri (0) is the initial location of the ith point. Now Vi
(t) +(t)
where VP (t) is the linear velocity of the target's cg (V,(t) = (u, V, w)T), Z;(t) is the angular velocity of the target (a(t) = (p,q, r)T), and R 8 - (A' ',z,)T is the location of the ith point relative to the target cg in target-body coordinates (which, for rigid bodies, is constant) so that
ki(0 ) + fo'[V()
+ a (T) x ki(T)]dr.
Expanding the cross-product term we have SxWiB(ziq - yr)i + (xr - zjp)j (y)p+ Equation (5.14) can now be written inthe form RxiW R,(o) R-(() = RO+ Rz(0) R
xiq)k.
,fu + (zq - y,r)
+ (xr -zp) dr W+ (yip - xq)J 1 0 0 0 z, -y I 1 0 -zi 0 xI dr. 0 0 1 Y, -x, 0 q
R,(0) Ry (0) +
IRz,(0)+
By the decoupling assumption (Eqs. (5.4) and (5.5)), Eq. (5.16) becomes
() +
t1 0 0
Zi-Yj
1 0 -z; 0 x 0 1 yj - xi
. dr
k,(0) +f0 T td,
(5.17b) 2"(0)I (5.17c)
Wj (0)+ T,[3F(t)
where V is defined by Eq. (5.4) and 10 0 0 0 0 T,= 00 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 00 z, 0 -Y0 -z, 0 0 0 xi 0. Y 0-x 1 0 00 (5.18)
Substituting Eq. (5.10) into Eq. (5.17c) we have the position of the ith US as R(t)= Ri(O) + T I(t)'(O) + f@(t - r)B "
r7)dr - T(O) (5.19)
(0) + Ti 4, W - 4D(0)) + f
(t - T)Bf()d7j.
" - -' -" " " ' ' ' ' ' " ' .' -. "i. ' . " -
Next we wish to obtain the components of the impulse response matrix for the motion of the ith scatterer (in Earth coordinates). Relabeling (see Eq. (5.11)) the transition matrix as
0 (5.20) '04
@)5
061 where
l -,21
@b,22J5
Tio (t)
3,1222)
-Z- 0 4 , 11 Y104,11 -Z 1 4, 12 Y104,12 1
z,0s, 11
""-j'406,12
0 X006, 1 1
X1106,12
-X 1I 5,11
-Xjs5,12 0
-y6,11
so that the impulse response matrix becomes
T1 @B Finally we note that
'03,12 -Zi0
4 ,12
Z14 ,12 5 0
-XI05,
Yi06.12
X10 6 ,12
Y04,12
(.I
1I) 0
'01,12
(02,1 -1)
ZO We
0 P0
Tl(t -
,(0)]() -
0 0 -Z 1 (A 41 1 - 1)
-Zi 4,12
(3,11- ) 03,12 M104,11 - 1)
YX04,12
- 1)
-zM0,( 11 - 1)
-X.I-,2 0
q0 *o
z45, 2 1 -Yi(06,11"""_"-Y0 6,12
) X1(06,11 - 1)
('0,11 - 1)Xo + 01,12Uo + z(0 5,1 1 - 1)00 + z1dk5,12qo - .v(06, 11 - 1)00 - y106, 12ro , ('02,11 - I)Yo + 02,12Vo - z1( 4,11 - 1)0o - zk 4,' 2qo - x,(0 611 - 1)o + x 14 6,1 2ro 1
(3,11- 1)z 0 + '03.12 WO + YI(14,11
l)00 + Y464, 12 q 0 33
X1 (0 5, 1 1 -
1)O
xMAb5,12r 0 .
5.3 Motion Equations Given the Sea Spectrum Although ship-motion studies date back to Froude [81] and Krylov [821, it has only been within the last 30 years that ship motions in realistic seas have become predictable with some confidence [83]. The sea surface (waves) causes most of the nonmaneuvering ship motion and the major difficulty in modeling ship motion was the lack of an accurate model of this surface. The early sea-surface models were deterministic and therefore, because of the complexity of the surface, quite limited. In 1952, a stochastic model for the sea surface was introduced by Pierson [84]. Then in 1953, St. Denis and Pierson [80] introduced a ship motion model that coupled the stochastic sea-surface model with linear ship-motion equations to produce a method of describing ship motion that is still used today. The linearize-first model of this section is based on this method. 5.3.1 Assumptions There are four fundamental assumptions made by St. Denis and Pierson that allow the linearization of the ship motion equations. They are [80]: (1) The theory is restricted to vessels of the displacement type (e.g., this excludes planing and hydrofoil craft). (2) The Froude-Krylov hypothesis holds: the waves act on the ship but the ship does not act on the waves. (3) The theory is restricted to uncoupled motions, and the motions are assumed to be independent (e.g., this restricts the theory to vessels where the water-planes are quasi-symmetric fore and aft). (4) The motion response is assumed to be a linear function of the exciting, restoring, damping, and inertia forces (e.g., this restricts the theory to vessels that are wall sided). Given these assumptions, each of the six (decoupled) motions can be described by a linear equation of the form dt-dt 2
+ vx
-f(t). M
Of the six possible motions (referred to as roll, pitch, yaw, surge, sway, and heave), three are dominant contributors to the ship motion: heave, pitch, and roll. However, for generality we include all six motions in the solutions. 5.3.2 Sea Surface Model As stated previously, the Pierson sea-surface model is the basis for describing ship motion. This model describes the height of the surface (wave height) relative to its mean-level as a function of position and time. The model is a second-order, Gaussian stochastic process with a spectrum that is directional. The spectrum is the most important parameter of this model, and various models for it have been developed including those by Neumann [851, Bretschneider [86], and Pierson and Moskowitz [87]. In general, experimentally measured wave height spectra have the following major characteristics (w > 0): 0 The spectra are smooth. 0 There is a dominant frequency (single mode). 0 The spectral shape is "bandpass." 0 There is asymmetry to the spectra; there is more energy in the higher frequencies. 34
Figure 5.2 is an illustration of a spectrum exemplifying these characteristics. Next we present a description of the sea surface using the nonstandard, oceanographic approach.
TWO-PARAMETER BRETSCI4NEIDER WAVE SPECTRA SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT =10 ft
WAVE FREQUENCY, w~ (RADIANS/S) Fit. 5.2
-Sample
Bretschneider wave spectrum: To0 the modal wave is
period (from Ref. 78)
Given a process qW: that is stationary, an autocovariance R (7) and a spectrum F (w) for the process can be defined by the relations R (7) eaF W dw i" (5.26a)
F~w)
'9- f
S~w)
(7r) d.
Note that associating the 21r with the forward transform allows the variance to be defined as simply "the integral of the spectrum." The "spectrum" of the sea surface, S(oj), is defined for positive frequencies only by 2F(w). (5.27) Because wave height is a real process, Eqs. (5.26) are usually expressed as the real cosine transforms
and SWai
-f
cos wS(w)dai ~
cos w7rR (7) dr.
The Gaussian sea-surface is represented by the stochastic integral
f0mcos (w:+0W&))
21 + : 1
12S~w)da.
The integral in Eq. (5.29) is defined as a quadratic-mean limit of a sequence of random partial sums,
Lirti.
~coska
+ OGe2H1t) NS(w021+)(u
g+ 2 2
c 21 ),
02N+2U&2N
.r.-..35
where 0(wj) is a sequence of independent random variables that are uniformly distributed over (0, 27f). This integral was formally introduced by Levy [881 and was used in sea-surface modeling by Pierson [89] (and noise-current modeling by Rice [90]). It allows the intuitive interpretation that 71(t) is made up of an infinite number of randomly phased sinusoids with amplitudes that are determined by the sea spectrum. Most importantly, Eq. (5.28a) is useful for simulating samples of the process q(t) by making the approximation
W=
Also, samples of the solution of
d2x
cos [(wit + Oa()) Vi'~7Y,.7.
+ 2h
d2 can be simulated by
- 7)(t(5.31)
x(t) W where x(t) is the solution of Eq. (5.31) for
x,(t)
W W - cos [W it + .(wj)] 12SWM(o. This is the equation that we use in Section 6 to simulate the various ship-motion processes.
Although Eq. (5.29a) describes the vertical motion (force magnitude) of the sea at some location on the surface, it contains no information describing the "direction of propagation" (force direction) of the sinusoidal components. Though we do not require a two-dimensional representation in later chapters, for completeness we present a brief description of the one commonly used. This model also follows the nonstandard formulation. The directional effects are accounted for by a simple heuristic modification of the sea-surface spectrum. (Note that because of the nonstandard formulation, the directional sea-spectrum is not a spectral density in the sense of two-dimensional random fields [911 and that it must also be used with caution.) The directional sea-surface spectrum S(w, 0) where 0 represents an angle measured relative to a fixed direction, has been described [921, based on empirical measurements, by
2 j C 2
-62-e-2g
2 I1
S(w, 9)
+ (0.50 + 0.82 e -I/2g-4 ' .') cos 20
e 1/2g
+(0.32 0,
u)
cos 40),
< K 2
.. -.
. > ,.
-. - . . : ,:.. ...
..-. ,. ...
.. .... '- ',
-'. _''--..,
"*..
- . ,
= .-
NiRL RIPORT U187
-'
(The gravitational constant is g, and the mean wind speed is u.) Another model, used by Pierson, Neumann, and James [931, is
.. "
6G722-IU_ 2 COS29
_ V" < I .<
1.53 x I0 cm 2 s- 5 . Not only is Eq. (5.35) simpler than Eq. (5.34), where g - 980 cm/s 2, and C but it has been found to be a very good approximation for actual seas [92,94J where high-frequency components (frequencies greater than about 1 Hz) are not significant. The "spectral representation" of the sea surface at some point (x, y) as a function of S(wu, 9) is [89]
I/2 '
,i(x, y, t) -
-'-,/2 cos
(x Cos O + y sin 0) - wt + 0(G, O) /2S(&j, O)dnwdO.
.described
The usefulness of Eq. (5.36) is that it represents -q(t) as a summation of sinusoids of frequency &)and direction 9, traveling in the mean wind-direction (0 - 0), distributed in energy and direction as by Eq. (5.35). Figure 5.3 is a qualitative illustration of this interpretation.
MEAN WIND
MEAN WINDN CONTOURS
Fig. 5.3 - Qualitative description of the two-dimensional wave
spectrum (from Ref. 94)
5.3.3 Response Amplitude Operators As we saw in the previous subsection, the sea surface can be modeled as a Gaussian process so that different seas are described by specifying their associated "spectra." Building on this fundamental role for the spectrum, St. Denis and Pierson [801 developed a frequency response model of ship motions. The system response functions describing the interactions between the ship and sea are called response amplitude operators (RAOs). The RAOs are the frequency response of the various degrees of freedom of the ship to the wave motion. Given the wave-height directional spectrum, S(n, 0), and the ith degree-of-freedom (dof)/2RAO, R, (w, 0), rthe associated response spectrum is ,/2 rW 2 (5.37) f-/ 2 SI(ng 9)de - L.,/ 2 IRI(, 0)1S(0+, 0)d0, i - 1,... 6. "(W)37
L~
~~-
In terms of system theory, one can think of Ri(w, 0) as the frequency response of a system whose input is the stochastic wave motion along direction 0 and whose output is the ith dof ship motion. The total motion due to the sea is then computed by incoherent, linear superposition (Eq. (5.37)) of the contributions from each wave direction. Figure 5.4 illustrates this concept assuming a finite number N of wave directions.
JR, ". 9)12S 1) S w)
S (w, ON)
, R-
JR,6, O)l S
. N)
Fig. 5.4 - A linear system interpretation of a ship's response to a directional sea, Eq. (5.38)
When a ship moves in a directional sea, the response of the ship to the sea is a function of both ship speed and heading relative to the sea-wave direction. The RAOs are derived with reference to a system of coordinates fixed in space and oriented so that the x-axis is positive in the direction of the ship's heading. To account for the speed and direction effects, a transformation from the fixed coordinate system to the ship's coordinate system is introduced. This is simply a frequency transformation that maps w into the "frequency of encounter" we by [801
we W-
& g
V cos X
where V is the ship's speed (V > 0), X is the ship's heading (relative to the sea), and g is the gravitational constant. Equation (5.37) now becomes SS0)do
IR(oW,, 0)1 2S(Wv, O)dO,
i - 1,
6. UNIT-SCATTERER-MOTION SIMULATION Our goal in this chapter is to develop a simulation of the 6 dof motions for the US geometriccenters which are caused by sea surface motion and ship maneuvering. It is well known that seainduced motions can be accurately described as zero-mean Gaussian processes. The DTNSRDC has used the St. Denis-Pierson model of ship motion (described in Section 5) to generate, via simulations, libraries of ship-motion "spectra," which complete the specification of the processes. These "spectra" have been generated for various ships assuming various sea conditions and ship speeds. The method of RAOs described in Sec. 5.3.3 is used to generate the ship-motion "spectra" and time-domain realizations for the 6 dof motions of various locations on each ship. Some results of this work are presented in Refs. 78 and 79. Because we are interested in studying the ship motions per se and not in studying the physical processes by which these motions are generated, we base our motion model on the DTNSRDC
"spectra."
6.1 Motion Model Because we are assuming rigid body motion and that the sea-induced motions are small and uncoupled (assumptions consistent with the St. Denis-Pierson model), we only require knowledge of the cg motions and of the scatterer locations relative to the ship's cg. Given these, we use Eq. (5.17) to yield the position of the ith scatterer (relative to an Earth-coordinate system) as a function of time. We modify those equations here to be
Ri(t) - RJ,(0) + r,[3c,(t
,(0)1
TI-0 1 0-z
1 0 1 Y
z, -Yl xj 0 -x, 0J
where 3, (t) is the position vector (reduced state vector) of the ship's cg, and ,W is the position vec() tor of the ith scatterer, both in Earth coordinates. ML "
Equation (6.1) was derived assuming small uncoupled motions. For our studies we are interested in scattering from various aspect angles. These aspect angles result from apparent translations and/or rotations of the ship relative to the radar. For example, the ship may be located at some position Iw 0 and aspect angle #0 relative to the radar boresight axis (Fig. 6.1). These large aspect variations are due to our choice of radar-ship orientation and to ship maneuvering. Our approach to accounting for these effects is to specify the sea-induced motions in a local coordinate system and then transform that solution to an Earth-coordinate system located at the radar. This allows us to retain the linear uncoupled solution Eq. (6.1), rather than the general nonlinear solution (from Eq. (5.16)),
(t)=-
() + fo' wd.
Aspect angle due to radar-ship positioning
We start building the simulation by assuming knowledge of the sea-induced ship-cg motion, 2,(. This motion is given in local (ship) Earth-axis coordinates. This local system is defined by the ship-axis and the Earth-axis systems being coincident for g(t) - 6. We then locate the ship-axis system in space according to ship maneuvering and positioning by the translation
(t)W
, (0)+f 0 V(,r)dT
and the rotation cos cos0 cos qssin 0 sin4,- sin cos cos * sin 0 cos + sin sin sin cos 0 sin 0 sin 0 sin 4 + cos qcos sin* sin 0coso - cos* sin (6.4b) j cos 0 cos .- sin 0 cos 0 sin 6 where V, is the linear velocity of the ship's cg in Earth-coordinates, and q6, 0,and * here denote () ship-axis system orientation relative to the radar-site Earth-axis system, not components of a motion vector. The position of the ith scatterer now becomes .,W -
-E(t) =
( 0)+ T.
(0J + k~i
(6.5a) (6.5b)
= T(t)RiL(t) + RE(t)
where the superscript L denotes local Earth-coordinates and the superscript E denotes radar-site Earthcoordinates. We note that the sea-induced motion ,, (t)is, in general, a function of ship maneuvering. Ship rotations due to maneuvering (included in T(t)) are not accounted for in the DTNSRDC data, and it is well known that in hard turns, ships' responses to the sea are not the same as in straight-line motion. Therefore we restrict our studies to maneuvers characterized by straight-line motions with constant forward speeds and/or turning maneuvers in which we assume that the turns are small enough that their resulting motions are independent of the sea-induced motions. This allows us to use the solutions 3Fg(t) that are tabulated by DTNSRDC as a function of ship speed. Once we choose a ship speed (i.e., V,(t)) we then obtain the appropriate ,, () processes. Summarizing to this point: we begin our scatterer-motion model by assuming that the seainduced and maneuvering motions are independent except that V(t) determines the choice of cataloged motions Yg(t). We then solve Eq. (6.1) for sea-induced scatterer motions and then Eq. (6.5a) for maneuvering effects. Note that the sea-induced motions can be viewed as Gaussian perturbations of the maneuvering motion.
6.2 Model of the Spectrum
Equations (6.5) are our fundamental equations for calculating phase due to scatterer motion. They require three parameters for solution: ship position and orientation due to maneuvering, scatterer locations relative to the ship's cg, and ship's cg motion. Maneuvering is application-dependent and the scatterer locations are determined by target structure. The third parameter, KWc(t), is always a zeromean Gaussian process with spectra that are functions of ship type, ship speed, and sea conditions.
This section discusses the simulation of c (t).
We simulate g(t) by using the method discussed in Sec. 5.3. There it is shown that we can approximate a Gaussian process with arbitrary energy "spectrum" S(W) by Eq. (5.30),
71t W
_( cos (W + 0 (W)) 4wi jt
where the 0 o,) are independent random variables uniformly distributed on (0,2 7r). The processes are completely determined by specifying the "spectrum" S(0u) for each component process. The "spectrum" can be defined by an analytical expression or by tabulated data. Clearly, the motion spectra our fundamental model inputs. DTNSRDC has calculated and tabulated, on microfiche, "spectra" are various ships and operating conditions. An example of this data for is shown in Table 6.1. Reference 78 describes the DTNSRDC method and illustrates it with specific examples: cg motion for the DD963 moving at 10 knots in two sea conditions. Because detailed data for these examples are presented in Ref. 78, we use one of them to obtain the motion processes for the studies of this report. In particular, we use the processes resulting from the DD963 moving at 10 knots in a fully developed, shortcrested (irregular) Bretschneider-spectrum (Table 6.2) sea and moving at a 30*-heading relative to the dominant sea-wave direction. The associated motion "spectra" are shown in the third column of Fig. 6.2. Figure 6.3 illustrates the cosine-squared spectral weighting used to produce the shortcrested wave spectrum. Clearly, the spectral shapes vary considerably as a function of ship type. speed, heading, and sea conditions. Although the simulation can use the DTNSRDC data directly in specifying S(w) in Eq. (6.6), we prefer to use an analytical expression. This allows analytical formulations in analyses involving the motion processes and more flexibility in the simulation. However, in doing so, we must approximate the spectral forms. This is not a significant problem because we are concerned with very short time periods (on the order of I s) for the scattered signal to evolve relative to the time required for the motion processes to evolve significantly (on the order of tens of 40
',..... :':..:.v ;-...',: i--,.-...- .-. v.-
1__
Table 6.1 - An example of the Tabulated DTNSRDC Motion-Spectra (from Ref. 78)
-.CENTER VT 0 5 7 9 II 13 15 17 19 21 0 .034/9.5 .071/12.6 .114/14.0 .I50/|.7 .177/17.5 .195/19.0 .2 1/9.6 .219/22.4 is .04W 8.3 .061/12.1 .121/14.0 .155/1S.3 .111/17.0 .391/19.0 .210/19.6 .221/22.4
SHORTCRESTED RMS YEA DISP IN FEET/ENCOUNTtED MODAL PERIOD. TOE , IN SECONDS OF GRAVITY - 258.7 FT FORWARD OF AP AND 21.9 /T FROM DL SHIP HEADING ANGLE IN DEGREES 30 45 60 .124/7.0 135/ 9.8 .180/12.6 .2014.3 .214/61.1 .224/15.0 .230/19.6 .236/21.7 75 .141/ 7.0 .172/9.5 .195/12.1 .211/13.7 .223.15.7 .231/17.5 .236/19.0 .240/20.9 .143/ 7.0 .176/9.2 .197/12.1 90 .149/ 7.0 .181/9.2 .202/11.6 .217/13.6 .228/15.3 .236/17.0 .238/19.0 .242/20.9 .153/7.0 .187/9.0 .207/11.6 10S .148/7.0 .179/ 9.0 .200/11.2 .215/13.1 .226/15.0 .233/17.0 .238/11.S .242/20.3 ,153/6.8 .181/9.0 .20/11.2 .221/13.4 .230/15.0 .23S/17.0 .239/19.0 .243/20.3 .I5/ 7.0 .1981.5 .211111.2 .228/13.4 .236/15.3 .240/17.5 .242/19.6 .245/20.* .I/7.0 .206/8.3 .228/10.8 .230/14.0 .243/15.3 .245/17.5 .246/19.6 .243/20.9 120 .13/ 6.8 .169/9.0 .190/11.2 .207/12.8 .220/14.6 .224/16.5 .234/18.0 .239/20.3 .144/6.8 .130/8.7 .201/11.2 .215/12.3 .226/14.4 .232/16.5 .237118.3 .241/20.3 .147/ 7.0 .193/ 8.3 .214/10.8 .226/12.8 .236/15.0 .238/17.0 .241/19.0 .244/20.3 .148/7.1 .204/ 8.3 .229/10.1 .233/13.7 .244/15.0 .246/17.0 .247/19.6 .249120.3 135 .120/6.7 .151/9.0 .176/11.2 .194/12.6 .210/14.3 .206/16.5 .228/18.0 .234/12.6 ISO .098/6.7 .122/9.0 .155/11.2 .180/22.6 .199/14.3 .220/16.5 .222/18.0 .230/19.6 165 .0751 6.7 .107/9.0 .139/11.2 .168/12.6 .190/14.3 .206/16.5 .217/17.5 .216/19.6 .03M/ 7.1 .124/8.5 .257/10.4 .181/12.6 .200/14.3 .213/1.6 .222/18.0 .230/19.6 .086/ 7.5 .1441 8.3 .180/10.1 .201/12.6 .21/14.3 .224/16.5 .231/17.5 .236/19.6 .087/7.7 .162/ 3.5 .204/ 9.2 .229/12.1 .233/14.3 .238/16.5 .242/17.5 .245/19.6 180 .064/6.8 .093/9.2 .133/11.2 .163/12.6 .187/14.3 .203/16.5 .215/17.5 .225/19.6 .071/ 7.3 .116/8.5 .151/10.8 .177/12.6 .197/14.5 .211/16.5 .221/17.5 .229/19.6 .075/ 7.5 .137/ 8.3 .175/10.1 .197/12.6 .213/14.3 .222/16.5 .229/17.3 .235/19.6 .076/ 7.7 .155/ 8.5 .201/9.2 .223/11.6 .232/14.3 .237/16.5 .241/17.5 .244/19.6
.074/7.9 .1011 7.5 .10512.6 .132/10.1 .133/13.4 .160/13.1 .167/15.3 .184/14.6 .190/17.0 .202/16.5 .20/19.0 .214/18.5 .216/19.6 .223/19.6 .225/22.4 .230/21.7
7 .032/13.4 .046/10.1 .073/ 7.9 9 .069/15.0 .079/15.0 .103/12.1 11 .111/16.1 .118/16.1 .136/13.7 13 I 17 29 21 7 9 11 23 15 17 19 21 .146/17.S .173/19.0 .192/20.9 .205/21.7 216/24.2 .031114.6
.101/7.5 .26/ 7.0 .131/10.5 .IS7/9.8 .159/15.3 .180/13.4
.127/6.8 .104/7.0 .164/8.5 .143/8.5 .187/10.8 .171/10.8 .204/12.6 .217/14.6 .226/ 2.5 .232/18.0 .237/19.6 .179/8.3 .205/10.5 .219/12.6 .228/14.6 .234/16.3 .238/1.0 .242/19.6 .132/7.1 .192/8.5 .223/ 9.8 .239/12.6 .242/14.6 .244/16.3 .246/11.0 .248/19.6 .192/12.6 .208/14.3 .219/16.5 .227/18.0 .233/19.6 .161/ 8.3 .192/10.1 .209/12.6 .221/14.3 .229/16.3 .234/18.0 .239/19.6 .109/7.7 .177/ 3.5 .213/ 9.5 .235/12.4 .237/16.3 .241/16.5 .244/18.0 .247/19.4
.151/17.5 .64/17.0 .182/16.S .299/1.7 .177/19.0 .187/18.5 .200/18.0 .213/17.5 .94/20.3 .202/20.3 .212/19.6 .222/19.0 .207/21.7 .213/21.7 .221/21.7 .229120.9 .211/24.2 .222/24.2 .228/23.3 .234/22.4 .045/8.7 .072/8.3 .101/7.0 .126/7.0
.212/14.6 .220/13.7 .223/16.5 .229115.7 .230/11.0 .235/17.5 .235.20.3 .239119.6 .239121.7 .242/20.9 .145/ 7.0 .15/ 7.0 .196 8.7 .21111.6 .224/14.0 .235/25.7 .237/14.0 .240/20.3 .243/20.9 .155/7.0 .200/8.5 .220/11.2 .217/15.0 .237/15.7 .240/19.0 .242/20.3 .245/23.3
.1311 7.1 .103/ 7.3
.067/19.6 .077/19.6 .101/12.5 .131/12.1 .259/9.2 .30/ 9.0 .208/20.3 .113/20.3 .133/20.3 .137/20.3 .181/12.8 .200/22.6 .198/15.7 .214/15.3 .143/20.3 148/20.3 .161/20.3 .130/20.3 .170/21.7 .173/21.7 .183/21.2 .197/20.9 .212/20.3 .224/17.5 .188/22.4 .191/22.4 .191/22.4 .209/22.4 .221/20.9 .230/20.3 .218/23.3 .227/22.4 .235/20.9 .200/24.2 .210/24.2 .202/24.2 .213/26.2 .215/26.2 .219/25.1 .226/25.1 .233/24.2 .239/23.3 .030/13.7 .064/19.0 .104/23.3 138/26.2 .166/26.2 .114/27.3 .199/27.3 .211/28.6 .044/13.7 .075/19.0 .111/23.3 .144/26.2 .169/26.2 .187/27.3 .201/27.3 .212/27.3 .071/13.7 .100/19.0 .131/23.3 .258/26.2 .230/26.2 .193/27.3 .207/27.3 .217/27.3 .100/7.0 .130/19.0 .156/23.3 .153/26.2 .19S/26.2 .207/26.2 .216/27.3 .224/27.3 .126/7.0 .160/ 9.5 .182/19.0 .173/23.3 .211/23.3 .220/26.2 .226/26.2 .232/27.3 .145/7.0 .14/9.0 .204/12.6 .193/23.3 .226/19.0 .231/19.6 .23S/23.3 .239126.2
7 9 21 13 I5 17 19 21
.030/16.3 .062/16.5 .101/33.1 136/33.1 .163/33.1 .182/33.1 197/33.1 209/33.1
.04"16.5 .071/16.5 .100/16.5 .073/16.5 .099116.5 .1230/16.5 .109133.1 .12/16.3 .15116.5 .141/33.1 .236/33.1 .176/24.2 .167/33.1 .179/33.1 .194/33.1 .18533.1 .194/33.1 .206/33.1 199/33.1 .206/33.1 .215/33.1 .211/331 .216/33.1 .223/33.1
.125/16.S .144/ 7.0 .161/16.5 .136/16.5 .113/16.5 .208/165 .1991.24.2 .219/16.5 .211/24.2 .228/16.5 .219/24.2 .233/24.2 .226/33.1 .236/24.2 .232/33.1 .240/24.2
.54/ 7.0 .204/16.5 .211.2 .236/13.4 .241/16.5 .243/18.0 .245/20.3 .247/24.2
.155/ 7.1 .212/8.5 .238/10.5 .247/13.1 .250/26.5 .252/17.5 .252/19.6 .252/20.9
.146/7.5 .211/ 8.5 .241/ 9.8 .252/12.6 .255/14.6 .255/17.0 .256/19.6 .255/20.3
.1230/ 7.5 .201/ 8.7 .238/9.2 .252/12.1 .256/14.3 .256/16.5 .255/18.0 .256/19.6
.107/ 7.7 .6/ 8.7 .231/ 9.2 .248/11.2 .256/14.3 .25S/16.5 .255/18.0 .255/19.6
.0841 7.9 .172/ 8.7 .224/ 9.2 .245/11.2 .252/14.3 .253/16.5 .254/17.5 .255/19.6
073/ 8.1 .166/3.7 .221/ 9.2 .243/11.2 .251/14.3 .253/16.5 .253/17.5 .254/19.6
NOTE: V is ship ipeed inknow and T0 is modal wave period in weonds.
;:-.. .
Table 6.2 - Bretschneider Spectrum and Associated Statistics (from Ref. 78) Single Amplitude Statistics Root mean square amplitude, rms Average amplitude Average of highest 1/3 amplitudes, significant Highest expected amplitude in 10 successive amplitudes Average of highest 1/10 amplitudes Highest expected amplitude in 30 successive amplitudes Highest expected amplitude in 50 successive amplitudes Highest expected amplitude in 100 successiv amplitudes Highest expected amplitude ii '200rsuccessive, amplitudes Highest expected amplitude in 100 successive amplitudes
N CONSTANT Number of successive amplitudes f2 (In N) 112 where CONSTANT relates a to thie highest expected amplitude in N sucessive amplitudes.
or 1.00 1.25 2.00 2.15 2.55 2.61 2.80
St(c)
( w)1/3
Bretschneider Spectrum Sj(v) 4 ] in ft2/s Ao - 5 exp [/ 483.5 (Z.)13/T4, ft2s- 4
1944.5/T , s 4
Average of highest 1/3 wave heights Modal period of spectrum, i.e., period corresponding to peak of spectrum
3.03 I 3.25 3.72 , __
The highest expected amplitude in N amplitudes is tla ost wOIable extreme value in N amplitudes. This value may be exceeded 63% of the time. To obtain wave height or double amplitude statistics from rms values,.multiply single amplitude constants by 2.0.
*-
*""--
- ..-
,+
" x
'' ---
. _-
NiL REPORT 87
00 U3 SHOATCRESTED RESPONSE SPECTRA
SPEED - 10.0000 SIGWH- 10.0000 TMODL - 11.0000
U-X
... -0 '
- . ;il.
iii W
HEAING (d-)OMG E
6.2 - auaeepcr o h D 3(rmRf 8
I-- :Ii i . OIO
, lOI01O .. .
* .!
p 0.003 ,.00W . 6 .003 ,06 0. 0 . .0 6 . 00 0 . 0 L.". * 00 . 6 0
HEDNG
dng.OMG
D.Y.NORTHAM
165* 196oV
1PD N 10.204) (0.28E) 135\ (0.354) PREDOMINANT HEADINGORTRETIG (0.408)
N0.394)O WIGTS \\
0.354) (0.289)/
120* /
10.2%4)
110.106) 1"
prcsesw
eert.er
hr "ics
10.0) (elztons
oftemto-poess
euniyti
NOTE: NUMBERS IN PARENTHESES ARE"SHORTCRESTING WEIGHTS.
;,
Fig. 6.3 - Shortcresting scheme for the example wave spectrum (from Ref. "78)
seconds). In other words, a ship does not move very far in I s. Therefore, in generating the scattering processes we generate very short "pieces" (realizations) of the motion processes. We quantify this observation in later paragraphs. 6.3 Spectrum Algorithm Inthe Simulation Visual examination of the spectra yields the following observations: they typically are unimodal, are band-pass, are asymetrical about the mode with more energy in the higher frequencies, and have negligible energy in very low frequencies. These characteristics and the desire for simplicity led us to propose using a spectrum of the form (following the notation of Eqs. (5.28a) and (5.28b)) Fa(ca)
a 2 + (a _
2+(a -a0) 2 )
a 2 + (W+ o0)2
to approximate the motion spectra. For the appropriate choice of wo and a, the spectral approximation is, for w > 0, characterized as being unimodal, band-pass, symmetric about the mode, of simple analytic form, and F(0) << F(w0 ) (Fig. 6.4). In the simulation we alter the upper and lower spectral tails to introduce assymetry. (The author's experience has been that Eq. (6.7) often well characterizes the spectrum of measured data and may be a better approximation to the spectra of physical processes than the commonly used low-pass form )
C2 + W
2ar
25 10-
FREQUENCY INA~
Approximation spectrum for .a ;0 0 and S, (0) < S, (o)
especially when wo =z a so that F(0)) has the form shown in Fig. 6.5; note that Eq. (6.7) becomes Eq. (6.8) when woO - 0.) The autocovariance function of the associated energy spectrum (S.~i W 2F(c.), w > 0) is
R(7) R,
- f0 M 2Faii) cos (mn)dui
2ieIIcoa.
4.00 3.00 2.00-
1.00 0.00 0.06 0.10 PREOUENCY (Hzl 0.16 0.20 0.25
Fit. 6.5
Approximation spectrum for w > 0 and a -
in fitting Eq. (6.7) to the forms of Fig. 6.2, we specify ive parameters: 0)o, a, 0.2 (the process variance), f,, and f. (lower and upper cutoff frequencies). Clearly, ew, corresponds to the center frequency of the process. We choose a based on the concept of bandwidth. If S. (0) < S'~(mo), we define the half-power bandwidth BW as the distance (in radians) between the frequencies where
W )-S I
(W).
we solve
a2+ (W 45
WOo)2
.J.
*1*
(01/2(0 :t
W112 - (o L a.
The process half-power bandwidth is defined by BW "-a
4/2 - OT12
so that
BW - 2 .
We modify Eq. (6.7) for the simulation to introduce an asymmetry effect by specifying asymmetric upper and lower cutoff frequencies. For simplicity, we choose the lower frequency to be f, wo - BW and the upper frequency to be fw = ao + 2BW. The resulting spectral shape is illustrated in Fig. 6.6. Finally, we must specify the variance of the process. Reference 71 gives the spectral forms and the associated rms values (standard deviations) for the component processes. To generate a realization with the same rms value, we first generate a realization with a variance of one and then multiply by the desired rms value. The variance o2 of the truncated spectrum process is
= +2BW 0
JwO-BW
a2 + (W
c0) 2 +a
+ (.
+ O0 ) 2
d tan
-2 tan - ' 2BW + tan-' -W
+ tan-t
+2BW)
w 0 - BW
2{tan - 1 4
tan - ' 2 + tan - [4
-tan
' 4-t-- - 21.
For our example (Appendix A), wdoBW varies from about 2.5 to about 3.5. For simplicity, and with minimal loss of accuracy, we set woa/BW - 3 so that o-2 4.940. Therefore we normalize the simulated process by F 1 rms
0.45 rms 1)7(t))
where rms {-(t)} is the desired rms value for the simulated 7l(t) process.
0.04 0.06 FREOUENCY (Hz)
Fig. 6.6 - Truncated spectral form used in the simulation 46
"" .""-.."." "a'"'-." % '.' 2 .". "''-.-".. ."". ."".. . . .. "".. . .-... ."-".'"".".. " ."-" . -. "."-'-. ."."s. ."." . ."% .".
7. RADAR CROSS SECTION
In this section we develop equations for the RCS of an N-source target in terms of unit-scatterers. Multipath effects are accounted for by using the model described in Section 4. The transmit and receive polarizations are assumed to be the same; no cross-polarization effects are considered. We will focus our attention on the correlation properties of RCS over short time-intervals. 7.1 Fundamental Representation In Section 3 we showed that the RCS of a target comprised of N USs is
G-(t) where, for the ith US,
!X,(kL)PR
PT is the transmitter polarization
vector, PR is the receiver polarization vector, 9,
defines the US orientation (as a function of time), and R, defines the US-to-radar range (as a function of time). For simplicity we assume that PT " PR - (1, 0 )T so that (from Eq. (3.8a)) . W) -
A,e
)e
For practical reasons, measurements of ship RCS at low-grazing angles must include the effects of sea-surface multipath. Therefore we include a model of multi th effects in our representation of RCS by modifying Eq. (7.2) by the complex multipath factor F(R, 0) (described in Sec. 4.4) yielding IN 2 .a (Al,'bAIII(k,,ii) el (7.3) As discussed in Section 4, F 2(Ri,") was obtained assuming that the US reradiates equally toward the radar and toward the sea-surface specular point (Fig. 4.2). This is a good approximation for small radar-grazing-angles and when the US amplitudes are not strongly dependent on elevation. Otherwise, the elevation radiation pattern must be viewed as an antenna pattern. This pattern is then accounted for by using the same method as was used to account for the radar's pattern in Sec. 4.4. 7.2 Useful Equations
from Equation (7.3) is the fundamental equation that we use to model RCS. In this section we derive from Eq. (7.3) several other equations for RCS. These equations will prove useful for analysis and simulation. Suppressing the R, and 0i terms of Eq. (7.3),
W and associating IF,12 with All 1,
F2A _4 2
IF 2 A
A, e
,= :. . j. :, ,-.', ..
----.....
. . .:
-.. ,':i.
-......
".1.-... .2
_-. .. &.
. ,....,,.
,.....,
a,,.
..... - .,.\-..
-.. :
.,-
-..
Expanding Eq. (7.5), A cos
N f-I N N
A, Aij sin WJ +
N LAi
iA *' LAj cos I' cos
J-I N
sin '
N LAj j-I
I I AAj (cos
i-i j-I
cos *j + sin *t sin lj]
and hence
N W(N
I AA
cos ('I', - *'j)
r(t)
, ,A1Aj cos (1,I
- *j) +
N LA, 2 .
For the ith US, let Pi() account for the orientation effects on phase and Y,(.) the multipath effects so that
'Pi (Al "Wd
2 1 1+ Pi C01) + Y,(K,, 1
~jK~ I0
)+
j3 (G,)
9j)+
yikbl
-Y
(i
VA(79
Equations (7.7a) and (7.9) are our fundamental equations for simulating RCS. In the simulation, the A,(') and (') functions are user controlled, the N, terms are generated by the ship motion (Section 5), and the , 0 terms are generated by using the model in Section 4. () As suggested by Eqs. (7.5) and (7.2), we define a complex scattering function s(t) to simplify notation: s(t) Note that o(t) = s(t)s*(t). 7.3 Statistics for an N-Source Target In this section we investigate the first and second moments of the RCS process. We show that over short time-intervals the RCS process can be nonstationary and analytically complex even when simplifying assumptions are made regarding the scatterers. We also investigate in what sense the wellknown random-phase model (resulting in Rayleigh-amplitude statistics) is a limiting case of the general formulation. We use the notation of o-(t) for RCS and ur (t) for standard deviation of the ith phase 1 process; no confusion will result given both the context and the subscripting (standard deviations only). 7.3.1 Mean and Correlation Functions Because the amplitude functions are much less sensitive to target motion than the phase functions are, over short time intervals they can be well approximated by deterministic functions (typically as 48
A, eJ 4 . '
......-..
.---
- :
L77.7.
constants, except for specular scatterers). However, even ignoring the US orientation and multipath effects, the phase functions are rapidly varying, nonlinear functions of target motion. Therefore we view the phase terms as stochastic processes. *"
Given an N-source target with deterministic amplitudes A,(t) and stochastic phases O,(t), the target RCS is N NW
S() = 7
i-I k-I
Ai(t)Ak(t) eJ[Gj (t,
- k(')'
and the associated mean and autocorrelation functions are Ea _))
Ak (Y)EteJ'i0(t)
- 00()
and Eta(t)
0r(t2)) 1 1 Ai(t)Ak (t)AI(OAm ( 12)EfeJ[(8Ok) ()+ -(7.13)
i-I k-I I-I m-I
-useful
The expectations in Eqs. (7.12) and (7.13) suggest characteristic functions. Such functions are when the joint densities of the phase processes are known. Writing the characteristic functions in the form (Wi, ti, Wk, tk) - Ef e i l'' ( t d + jkok(tk)} (7.14a)
SM,km (,i, ti, W
tk, kW I' th W m, tin) =
E(e j "'" 1
+ "'" +jwom(,)},
E e J (0-i
k )( )
kl,
t, -1,
( 7 .15a)
(where we use the notation (0i
Ele'
0)(t)
9i(t) ==
Ok(t)) and
iklm (1, t1,-1, ti, 1, 12,
1, t2).
Using this formulation in Eqs. (7.12) and (7.13) we obtain
E{IL)
Z I
( ) +
ZZA()k(t)(Dik(l, t,--,t
i-1 k-I
,A(t) + 2
i-I k-i+I
A,(t)Ak(t)4)k(l, t,-1,),
E{o-(t)0(t 2 )) +7 . 11,
N N N
A (t )Ai (0
t-1I N
Ai 2 ( 1)A1 2 (12 )
A,(t,)Ak(t,)AI(t2)A,,(t2)4),,(l,
t, -1, t1, 1, t2, -1, t2),
1- A-1 1-I rn-1 ecep,A -I=-m
,."V'
I.' r~
}=
N -I
N I-I
'A, 2 (t)A
(t) +
N i-I k-I
2 A,i2(t)A(t)
'"+
Y. I
I. A,(t)Ak(t)At(t)A, (t)(Pkl, (l, 1, -1, th, 1, t, -1, 0)
m-I
e x c pt i -4-1-m nd -A *I-,n
-1II-I
*d
-*.
In general the phase processes are complicated functions with probability laws that at best can only be approximated. Over long periods of time (relative to target-motion time constants) they most likely have probability density functions that are unimodal and symmetric when they are not viewed as modulo 21r (i.e., distributed over (-00, -)). This suggests a Gaussian approximation. If the phases can be represented by joint Gaussian processes, then the form of the associated characteristic functions are known; they are [951
ik ((oi,
t 1 ,Wk,
tk) =
-![ai.I 2(~ f)ha
+2rk0A )(a )w
+c 2( ) 21
P ) j,T ,)(rp- - TA1
OP iklm(4,1i, W k, (t/,
rmn,tm) =
(7.18b) (7.18c) (7.18d)
where 7)i(ti)
-2(t,
ElOe(t)),
()j2}
E([O,(t) -
rik(t,,
E[O(tk (t)
I(t i)][O (tk)
lk(tk)]}
(i)(
k (1k)
fl=
(Wi, o
Toe)r,
(7.18f)
and / is the covariance matrix for 0 , Ok, 01, and 0,, with
AM(tp,
tq) =
E{[Op(tP)
Op (tp)][0q(t,)
"iq(q)]} for p, q
i, k, I, n.
(7.18g)
We note that from Eq. (7.18a)
)ik
(1, t'
)= e
(AIM)l-i
't (f)-2ra k(t )+0(f)
and from Eq. (7.18b),
")ikim(l,
t1,-1, t
1, 12, -1,
t2)
2 eJF - l/ F2
where F, and
rt(l)
-',(tk
i-9/j) -
'n.(tQ)
A f'i(1l, 11) -t'ik(tl,
tl) 41 iA,(ti, t 2 ) -- Jir(tl, 12)
--/ ki~ l, ti) + IA ( t1, td) - - t k( l , t2) + A k ,,(tl, 12) kk
+ Ah02, fl) J-i,,(t2,
jk(t2,
+ A1(t2, 12) -
pm(, t2)
+ I-mk(t2, 11) -
lm(12, t,) + I,,,,(t2, t2).
7.3.2 Randomr-Phase Model We define a random phase model for RCS to be an N-source model in which the phases are represented by independent, uniformly distributed (over (0, 27)) processes. Such models are widely used in analyzing the RCS of complex targets. They are useful because they greatly simplify the RCS analysis. They are valid when the time period of interest (for analysis) is large relative to the correlation times of the phase processes. o.o '. 50
,.Z.
~...
*.....
"..%-
= %o
%'.."....,=.
7.~~
S.-Because * ito
we are interested in RCS analysis and simulation over short time-intervals, it is important consider in what sense the general formulation can be replaced by a random-phase model. Therefore in the following we examine the behavior of the first and second moments of RCS as the random-phase assumptions are approached. eq.aiWe now consider the simplest random-phase model: assume that the scatterer amplitudes are equal and constant and that the individual phases are white-noise processes. To obtain the first two moments of this model we write
s(t)-
Ae"' -
A, cos 0, + j
Ai sin 0,
where we recall that o(f) - s(t) s(t). By the central limit theorem, the real and imaginary sums in Eq. (7.20) approach being Gaussian distributed for large N. Further, they are uncorrelated because
E{
.k-I
A, cos 9j
Ak sin k
k-I
ElcosG, sin Ok
E(cos O, sin0 1 } -A
- 0.
"-" "';
[..
Clearly, the mean of each sum is zero. Now consider the variances: E A i cos Gil I - A 2 I o T.co O ECosej k-I COS Ok .-1
Elcos 2 0i
'o
cos 2G 2b9
-" dO 1
N A2
2(7.21b)
"." A2 . and similarly, E
IN A sin
11 -A
Elsin2 91}
NA 2 -2 "
Because of the white-noise assumption, RCS is also a white-noise process. Finally, the RCS process,
0 (t)-
Is(1t) 122 -
A cos 81
A sin e1,
approaches being exponentially distributed because the summations are independent Gaussian processes (approximately) with zero means and equal variances [951. From Eqs. (7.21b) and (7.21c), E(
and because o(t) is exponentially distributed,
E10o2(t) - 2N 2A'.
Sthe
-the
Next we consider Eqs. (7.16) in the context of the random-phase assumption. We assume that phases can be represented by Gaussian processes and, for simplicity, we assume that the means of individual phase processes are zero. Therefore Eqs. (7.16) become S6AI (t)A (t)e - 1/ 2 (7.24) 2 Eloa(t)} " ..-. A, (t) + 2 1 + A[ k(,)2, 1 ( +.2
t;..
*J'-. .
:,-=
.'.
- v.
-,,
Z-J-."::' - "
* '"
,1!
and E(gj)a~t2))
A, 2 (t1 )AJ 2 (2) +
A, 2(t 1)A, 2 (02
+ .N
N121u
A, (t)Ak ( 1)A, (t 2)A,. (t 2)e -
ib '
i-1 k-1I-1 n-I except,-k~dl-m and i-k-l-rn
,f,+, t2) _
1+ + or (( 2) +
rik(tl, tl)ai(tl)0k(tl) 2 2
rm(t2, 12 )og(t2)(7m(t2)"
+ 2r,,(t , t2)o'i(tf)o'(t2) + 1
rkm(t 1, t2) 0k(t)O'n(t2)
2rm(t,
f(),p,(t2)
rkI(t, t2)Oak(tI)I(t2).
Now assume that the Os are not cross correlated. In the limit of large variances, lim E(a (t)) V1
A, 2(t)
lim Ejar(ti)ar(t2)})fi !.
r ivi
A, 2(t)A ..
(t2) +
AltI)A
2(t2)
+ N
(t(
2 )A,(tl)A,(t 2 )e-I/2Z Y11 2 U12)A 1. (:I't2)
(7.7a (7.27a)
i-I I-I
where the function in the exponent is *
(t1, t2) - [o77(1) +
o3(t2)
c( 0()2)
2R,(ti,)
- 2R,(t1,
A2)]
(R,(l, t2) is an autocovariance function). (The third sum-term in Eq. (7.27a) remains because even for o? large, as (t2 - tj) approaches zero Eq. (7.27b) approaches zero; in other words as t2 approaches ti, even for o large, [0i(:0) - 0m(02)A and 10k(h) - 01(2)] approach zero when i - m and k - 1.)
For t
= t2
= t, Eq. (7.27a) becomes
W A 2t
.(
lim Eo-,2(t)S2I-I
A (/) + 2
I-I k-I ipk
A, 2(t)Ak(t.
Equations (7.26) and (7.27) imply that even if the variances are time-varying, as they become large the RCS process becomes wide-sense stationary, assuming the amplitudes are constant. Equation (7.27b) shows that the RCS process can remain correlated even for large o- if the individual phase processes () remain strongly correlated.
Next we assume that A,(t)
Aj(t)
A. Then Eqs. (7.26) and (7.28) become
lim E(t)}
lim E(o.2(t))
[N + 2N(N - I)A
JA4 ,
IP ' ," J
... '.-r ....-.....- ,.- - .,'.- ,"-.".......-.'.-..."....,..-..-....-..-.-..-.....-....'.....-....'..-..'.....-....-.......-......-....."*-. .- .. .- ..- ," k., .&,~' .,_' ",e. " % . ' " ,., . . t ,. . - " ,-Z". .. ' ' " " ' . " ' '
'."*
and Eq. (7.27a) becomes lir '.. Et(
)0(2)}- z NA 4 * + N(N - 1) A4 + A' ' o'i
i-IlI-I
1/2X
s(7.30)
Assuming equal and constant variance functions in Eq. (7.30), (R, , RA, o',
"A,
1.... N),
lir E{0(t)"(t )}1 N2A4 + A4 L - e-2IAA(,2) 2
N2A41 +
N2 1)
-2[a
1 4 tt
t2 )l (
We see from Eq. (7.31) that the RCS process remains correlated if the individual phase processes remain correlated (not white noise). For real targets the phase variances remain finite and the phase processes are not white-noise processes. It is likely to be the case that for target motions that produce large phase variances (over (-co, o)), the phase process (due primarily to geometric-center motion) will be strongly correlated. Clearly, for high sampling rates (short time between samples), the correlation of the phase processes cannot be ignored. 7.3.3 Range- Variation Effects Next we consider a specific model of the geometric-center motion to further illustrate the difficulty of modeling phase variations over short time-intervals. Ignoring US orientation and multipath effects we have a4)II A,A~ cos - rcoRj(w, t), (I kj (o,t) 1). (7.32) -~ X
(k(-(.2
i-!j-I
The range process, Rk(a, t), is (Eq. (6.5)),
kiaf,
t)- T(t)RfN(Go, t) + RF(t).
The stochastic component of Eq. (7.33) is R,(w, t); it is a linear combination of Gaussian processes and therefore is Gaussian. The ship maneuvering terms, 7' (t) and Rf(t), are deterministic, and over small time-intervals can be approximated by linear functions of time. If T,(t) and ,s(t) were constant, then ,(o, t) would be a three-dimensional Gaussian process. If in addition, each component of k(wj, t) had a mean of zero and equal variances (which they do not), then iR o, t) would be Maxwell distributed [95). Clearly, the I,(w, t) I process is in general nonstationary and analytically complex. Even assuming that the ship does not maneuver, all that can be said in general about IRE(w, t)l is that it is a nonlinear transformation of large-time-constant Gaussian processes (relative to a radar's PRI), is oscillatory and positive, and probably has a density function that is symmetric about a mode. Relative to a radar's PRI, long time periods may be required to produce realizations of lk,(o, t) that exhibit stationary statistics. As a specific example, we investigate range-induced variations in the RCS phase for our example ship. We assume a (moderately high) radar frequency of 10 GHz (X - 3 cm). Over short intervals the I(w, t) processes vary slowly (a numerical estimate is made in Appendix B) and therefore we will model them as linear functions of the form
S9t)l
+ V1(to,
tt.
Normalizing by 4r/k, we obtain the phase angle process j/(0o, t) - ej(w) + c,(W, t)t (7.35) where 09(w) is a uniformly distributed random variable (over (0, 27)). For nonmaneuvering motions, c,(w, t) is a slowly varying process whose density function is determined by the ship's motion. Because this motion is oscillatory, the density function of Vj(w, t) will likely be symmetric with mean equal to zero. For short periods we approximate V(W, ) by a random variable and the RCS process becomes
a-(t) ii-I k-I
Aj, WA
-)
+ (c, -Cd)A
The RCS which is generated by the target over the short periods are "pieces" of realizations of the RCS process. Because the radar must process only these pieces, we examine the "apparent variance" of them. For an interval of length T, the apparent mean of the phase process is
T/2
and the apparent variance is
-I/2 T 1 /2
(*P + c't)dt c
: (7.37b)
"T
(ct
2 dt
Equation (7.37b) confirms that which is intuitively obvious: either or both ci or T must be large for the uniformly distributed-phase approximation to be valid. If the standard deviation of Ji is required to be greater than 2 nr for the approximation to hold, then over a time interval To we require that ' 12T' or cn. Since c
- 47r Vi/X,
> (2n7r) 2
Vi > and n < 0
"(7.39b)
To illustrate the limitations of the uniformly distributed-phase model, consider a radar tracking the stern of our example ship at a low-grazing angle. To estimate the value of V, we use & , E A 7 2} 1/2 V (7.40) where r is the radar's PRI. In this scenario, pitching motion has the dominant effect on the variations in the scatterer ranges: from Appendix B, E{AR 2)
Z 2.MxElAO 2) 2Ziaxa-- ecos Wo r.
: . .'..................................... ...........................
-- --.. . . . . -. *.
NRL REPORT 887
0.002 s, w0,, - 0.409 rad/s and a,# - 0.0089 rad (Appendix A), and z=,
5 m (Appendix
B), E(AR 2) 112 - 0.00127 m and Vi - 0.64 m/s. If the pitch process, 0, is approximately Gaussian, then n must be no less than about 10. For a 3 cm radar, Eq. (7.39a) says that for the random-phase model to apply, Vi must be greater than 0.51 m for T - 1 s. We see that in our example this is only marginally true and that for lower frequency radars, it will not be true. 8. GLINT P The second (next to RCS) most common projection of the scattered field is glint (angle noise, angle scintillation). This parameter represents the apparent angular location of the target as seen by the radar. It is correlated with the target's RCS and is a function of the radar's frequency, polarization, and antenna pattern and of the target's shape, size, and composition. We make the same assumptions for glint that we made for RCS: the radar is horizontally polarized with fixed frequency and the target is a perfect conductor whose polarization effects are accounted for in the unit-scatterer amplitudes. described in Section 1, two concepts have been used to understand and analyze the phenomenon of glint: phase-front distortion and Poynting-vector direction. In the development of glint models based on these concepts, it was assumed that the target was composed of a finite number of point-source or dipole scatterers. Therefore, these models are directly applicable in our modeling In this chapter we use both concepts to develop glint equations for a target described in terms of unit-scatterers.
" .As
iapproach.
Various authors have applied the glint concepts to specific problems, but to our knowledge no analytic-formulation of two-dimensional glint has been made for the N-source target in S"deterministic the presence of multipath. We develop this formulation for both concepts. The resulting equations will analytically complex but ideal for digital simulation. i [be ."
8.1 Definitions Most existing models of glint represent the target and its motion in only one plane: the target is represented as a line in the azimuth plane of the radar. (This approximation is made because the longest dimension of most targets is in that plane.) Therefore, these glint models are one dimensional. We to such glint as azimuth glint. The less-often-used but more general glint models are twodimensional. Because of our three-dimensional representation of the ship and of multipath effects, we develop a two-dimensional glint model. The second glint dimension is elevation. 8.1)1 Phase-Front Gradient
"'* [refer i .will
equal to the azimuth slope of the phase front of the scattered field. Figure 8.1 illustrates this concept. For the one-dimensional problem, the phase front is a curve that passes through the location point of the radar. This curve is defined by mapping the locations of points where the phase of the scattered electric field is equal to the value of phase at the radar point. The analytical expression for azimuth glint is derived by expressing the phase of the scattered electric field, t, as a function of the angle about the sight-line from the radar to a fixed point on the target, # (see Fig. 8.1). Each scatterer is assumed to yield identically polarized plane waves at the radar. The azimuth glint then becomes, in linear units,
eulThe phase-front definition was introduced by Howard 1121. He showed that azimuth glint was
I."
:-k
[.-
io. o -
w %-
I e
' a
''''-~ o
" "". . .% " i ,
.L
Z*--
pD.Y
APAENAARE
GLI PHASE
E FON
GRONTT
POINTTTAGE RADARNC
whrP Nt stewv ie(i.82,aiuhgit ubr i~X po cteeso
twssonb
where~ r ~ eie ~ nFg.82ada ~ ~~ anAz
nlna oad[2 nti cs(k(,-L)o 1
htfratre
opsdo
steap 8.1 Fg
itueufth
it satterners Tfhe in
sgne
POINATNTAGE
poit sattrer ona lnig
azm t .2
garam of the assca it tr
G. 1
(8.
The obvious extension of the phase-front-slope concept (Eq. (8.1)) is the phase-front gradient
8r-
+ r sin 0 8
From Eq. (8.3) and Fig. 8.2, we see that in linear units azimuth glint is
G. -
V 01 in
V4p h
-,4
sin 0 8b/8r
S.Similarly,
the elevation glint is, in linear units,
R5! V4) (-) -84)/00 sin 0 80/Or" , V *h For 9 - 7r/ 2 ,these equations reduce to the one-dimensional problem. 8.1.2 Poynting-Vector Direction . -The
t*.
(8.4b
phase-front model indicated that the flow of energy was not necessarily radial at the radar. This led Dunn and Howard [431 to show that the Poynting vector from an N-source target was normal to the phase front. Therefore the Poynting vector concept was shown to be equivalent to the phasefront-slope concept in predicting glint. Assuming that the Poynting vector of the scattered field at the radar is
P - P,+ Po +
o- P, +Pi +Pei
where P,, PO, and P@ are the radial, azimuth-tangential, and elevation-tangential components, we see from Fig. 8.3 that the azimuth glint, in linear units, is P, Similarly, elevation glint, in linear units, is
G - , 51 -R.
~y_...
P. .e Fig ". 3" .--. - -,- t v' "-" Azim uth g "-"
PHASE FRONT
A,%
. in - m of t e d t o .-
"57
8.1.3 Axis Systems To obtain equations that are useful for simulating the glint from an N-source target, we use N + 2 axis-systems: an Earth-axis system, a target-cg-axis system, and N, US-location-axis systems. All of the axis systems are right-handed with the z-axis positive upward relative to Earth's surface: The origin of the Earth-axis system is at the radar point. This system is fixed relative to Earth with the x - y plane defined as being parallel to Earth's surface. Subscripting a vector with the letter e implies that the vector is expressed in Earth coordinates. The unit vectors i, j, and k are the unit vectors of this system. The origin of the target-cg-axis system is fixed at the radar point. The x-axis is colinear with and directed along the sight line from the radar point to the target's cg. Subscripting a vector with the letter s implies that the vector is expressed in target-cg coordinates. The origins of the N US-location-axis systems are fixed at the radar point. The x-axes are colinear with and directed along the sight lines from the radar point to the US locations. Subscripting a vector with an index implies that the vector is expressed in coordinates of the associated US-axis system. * Coordinates and vectors that locate points on the target relative to the radar point are indicated by subscripting with the letter R: location vectors are subscripted with a target-point indicator, location-vector coordinates are first subscripted with a coordinate indicator (x, y, or z) and then with a location-point indicator (index or s). Whenever the letter R is used as a vector coordinate, it is an Earth-system, rectangular coordinate. For both the gradient and Poynting-vector approaches, the most natural formulation is in spherical coordinates. Figure 8.4 illustrates the spherical-system unit vectors that we use. We define the ith Poynting-vector plane (ith plane) as the plane passing through the radar point that is normal to the ith Poynting vector. The spherical unit vectors are defined relative to this plane: h in I is perpendicular to the ith plane and positive away from the target, is the intersection of the ith plane and the x - y plane of the Earth-axis system, and is in the ith plane such that I - i x h and is positive downward.
From these definitions we see that Ah indicates the azimuth direction and 1 indicates the (negative) elevation direction. We note that h is also aligned with the target's Poynting vector and, equivalently, with the phase-front gradient. 8.2 Polarization Effects The electric field polarization is an important parameter in determining glint but it has not been explicitly addressed in previous work. The one-dimensional glint problem has always been analyzed with the implicit assumption that the target elements radiate with the same polarization as the radar. This is a re-,onable assumption in many practical problems. However, if this assumption is not valid, then current glint models can yield erroneous results. For example, consider the classic problem of a target composed of two scatterers (Fig. 8.2 with N - 2). If one of the scatterers' reradiation polarization is horizontal and the other's is vertical, then an ideal horizontally or vertically polarized radar will not sense one of the scatterers and there will be no nontrivial glint. The physical components of a US will often exhibit multiple scattering and such scattering causes cross polarization [531.
RADAA
I /
"..,
Fig. 8.4 - Spherical-coordinate unit vectors
Implicit in the glint concepts are different assumptions regarding the received-field polarizations. The gradient concept requires knowledge of the phase of the received field. This phase can be obtained accurately by assuming that the received fields from the USs are plane waves which are identically polarized. The Poynting-vector concept requires knowledge of the Poynting-vector direction and therefore only assumes that the received fields are planar; the received-field polarizations and directions of propagation must be accounted for in this method because they contain the directional information. For long ranges, the two methods produce results that are equivalent for practical purposes. However, we prefer the Poynting-vector method because it accounts for polarization effects, it is more closely related to physical concepts (power flow), and it does not require knowledge of rate-of-change properties of the US or multipath functions (Sec. 8.3). 8.3 Phase-Front Gradient From Eq. (4.5), the magnitude of the received field has the form
,. -
E - gpR)
g(,)h.
Equation (8.7) represents only that portion of the received field that is sensed by the radar. Assuming plane wave propagation, the vector representations of the fields sensed by the radar are simply
__ _PR
where 71 (- 377 (3) is the characteristic impedance of free space and , is orthogonal to PR such that when the received polarization is horizontal, in the target-cg axis-system A - in and A - 1. Given the large-range assumption, this formulation yields accurate estimates of the magnitude and phase of the received field.
We begin with the received-field representation of Eq. (8.7), where we assume, for simplicity, that PT. -PR -(1, 0) T. Expanding the field into real and imaginary parts, the phase is
~A, sin,
SA, cos &,
where we have implicitly included multipath effects (in A, and 0j) for later use. Glint is referenced to the target-cg axis system. Therefore all derivatives must be calculated in that system. First,
~Ajcos 40,
EA,sin 0j
AIcos& E
N Aj As
+I
j sinl&0EA, cos,~
N~io~
!cs A icosi
+OA +
A csN 0 1
-j
cos 0j8.1
'P
80 ii-184
(~Al
cos4I 0-
~ ~
~~ o
(4, -jco- ,
siuj0)
Similarly,
J1 IIA
~ A,Ajcos (q&- j)
l-
nNIL
N. N
jAAj
-0 cos fq, - OjS) - A,'8" r sin (0b- -0j) i
N ,r N
) A,Aj cos (0,- 0j
The a,functions (A i and
I_ '"
IF 2 1 a,) depend on US orientation, not on range. Therefore 8alr
Aj A) 80j Cos (gs, - 45j) -
0 for all
.2aj A
I sin (0), - -0))
oNIIr
" 1J-
: Aj cos (40, - Oj)
The resulting glint equations are 1" 1.j.Aj Aj G.
r. , .
cos (40,
40j) - Ai
sin (.0, -0)) (8.16a)
-I J-I
A1A/
E N AAj
-Oi cos
O.OAji
O r
0j)-a A
sin Cj
. Aj Ai -Or
Cos (01 - Oj) - A,
sin (0, - -0j)
1-A 2Or(8.16b)
,4 Aj
i.--. 1
cos (q)j - 4j) - as Ai --ro
sin (401 - 40)
We recall that .0 where I
2kl, I + -(Rf,, O) + 0,(0,)
vY(O,, g,) isthe phase due to mutipath and #I (0j) isthe phase due to US orientation. Clearly, specific knowledge of the US functions isrequired to use the glint equations inthe form of Eqs. (8.16). Inparticular, the derivatives of the US and mutipath coefficient amplitudes and phases (with respect to azimuth and elevation) are required.
For the classic problem of N sources on a rigid rod (Fig. 8.2), various assumptions are made: ranges are large, the scatterer amplitudes and phases are constant with respect to rotations, and there is no multipath. These assumptions yield .2k R (8.18a)
_ 2k
(8.18b) (8.18c)
2k, 1, 1
_ _ 0.
and _ _ 41O 09 61
(8.18d) (8.18e)
-. ..
N N C0(-) ...,a,aj - -Cos (0,,
.',
,).
i-t
j-a
i-I -1
.,a,aj cos (40, -40j)
We see from Fig. 8.2 that the large-range assumption implies that
== 2k(Li - Lj) cos
and IWl so that
81 -Lj sinu (8.21)
R, + Lj cosqs
where the L are the signed distances of the scatterers from the target reference point. (We note that Howard [121' incorrectly uses the unsigned distances in his Eq. (5).) Using Eqs. (8.20a), (8.20b), and (8.21) in Eq. (8.16a) we obtain the well-known Eq. (8.2).
8.4 Poynting-Vector Direction Dunn and Howard [431 showed that glint was equivalent to the direction of the time-average Poynting vector. The time averaging is performed over the period T, where w - 21/ T is the radar's frequency. The averaging is valid because the phase terms of the received field (Eq. (8.7)) are approximately constant over the period T. The time-average Poynting vector is defined by
For an N-source target and no multipath,
Given that the polarization of both the transmitter and the receiver are horizontal, in the target-cg axis-system the electric field and the Poynting vector can be represented in the forms
g(K)
aie'
[.N
.aak
COS ( 1 --
where the a, and 0jterms are obtained by taking into account the associated US-radar geometries. (Note that the /T and ,R vectors must be expressed in each of the individual US axis-systems.) Equation (8.24b) is not in a useful form because h, is not known directly. Therefore, we next derive an equation for P in terms of the N, known Poynting vectors. Equations for the locations of the USs were derived in Sections 5 and 6; given the radar point and the US locations, the Poynting vector for each US can be determined. The total fields due to the USs
-- g (A)
ae a,
,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.?.'.'.-.......: '.-.."........... -.....................
,. . . ..........-........-
,...,....... ........
and H=and the associated Poynting vector is
N N 271
i-1ak
(.6
kIckrnx
We define the position of the ith scatterer relative to the radar (in Earth coordinates) as R= RX~i + Ryji + RZ k where for clarity, the Ri time-dependence is suppressed. In the ith US-system
fljR,
=y
DLDLk. +
ARlI(R,
Because inj is in the x -y plane of the Earth-axis system and is perpendicular toR,
sin pi
cos ipj
*where
qo-
tan-' (R,/R.,) and
=Ri
R~ + R~j (Fig. 8.5). Finally,
_L fin x n, -.-I=s--$g 0+ +~ot*
snkp
(8.28c0
dl-ith
Fig. 8.5 The ith azimuth and elevation angles in the Earth-axis system
By using Eqs. (8.28), the cross product term of Eq. (8.26) is AX Expanding Eq. (8.29a) in terms of known quantities, R sin Ok + RkCOSbO
X k
njX k
k Wi'
(ink X hk)
(8-29a)
+ RYk
+ Rpos
6kCOS
(O
0jk
Equations (8.28) express the ith-system unit vectors in (rectangular) Earth coordinates. Referring to Fig. 8.5 we see that the transformation from Earth coordinates to target-cg coordinates, TET, is
TTsin
'$',
CO co0,s
R R.,,,
1(8.30) j
where the subscript s indicates the target's cg location and Is - tanis now
(Ry/R). The Poynting vector
zLIN g 2 () 1
N"
COS (i - 4k)TET(i X
i-1 k-1
g") T
a ak cos (0,1 Od)(nix l1 I'
where the (A,x
1k) vector
is expressed in Earth coordinates. The azimuth and elevation glint can now
be expressed as
-Ik
li-I k-1
alak cos ( aaak COS (01
-4k)
TEr(mn xl)eI "8 m2a ,
cos-I*k
T)~Er(Al
n"'
a, COS (40 -- d ak kTET (mi X ide "I-,
GeIsI li k~
agak cos (40-1
k)TET(Al X ?)e
?k
We note that for small US-separations and long ranges, A, x
As so that the denominator of Eqs.
(8.32) is approximately the target's RCS (Eq. (7.7a)).
8.5 Multipath Effects For low-grazing-angle illumination of ships, over-water multipath affects the received signal. In Section 4, we described a multipath model appropriate for point-source scatterers. In this section, we discuss the modeling of the effects of multipath on glint. A different method of multipath modeling is required for each glint concept because they are developed under different assumptions. The phase-front gradient method requires explicit knowledge of only the received amplitudes and phases whereas the Poynting-vector method also requires explicit direction-of-propagation information. "" 8.5.1 Phase-FrontGradient For the phase-front gradient model, we view multipath as an alteration of the received amplitude and phase from the US. Referring to Eq. (4.17), we rewrite Eq. (8.9) to explicitly show the multipath effects:
L IFI a,sin 40,
4V - tan_
(8.33) a,cos 04,
21 NIF,I
where 4 isdefined by Eq. (8.17). From Eqs. (8.16) we see that the terms of interest are the partial derivatives of IF 21a, and 0, with respect to r, 0, and 0 (in the target-cg axis system). Because there are in general no physical interpretations for these rate-of-change processes, they would, at best, be difficult to estimate. They are also analytically complex so we will develop the general multipath formulation only for the Poynting-vector method, which yields physically-meaningful results. However, we will analyze the special case of very calm (smooth) seas. 64
. . ....-. .
From Eqs. (4.16) we see that the ith muttipath factor is
F - (1 + p,1 Cos a i + p) + j (ps, sin a, + pQ)
(8.34) (8.35)
For smooth seas, p, *
0 and pQ,
0 (their variances become zero) and we have F(1 + Cos a,)+jisin a,
2 F 1 - [(1 + cos aj) + sin a] 1 1 1
2 (2 +2 cos a-)II
y= tar-'
+ Cos a1
*The
partial derivatives with respect to a parameter p are -2 Cos a1 and ayi
01+ Cosa j) a, (I1+ COSa,) 2 +sin a, 1Cos aJ +P ea1 0+ Cos a,) cos a,+sin2 a 1 Op (1COS ,) 2 +sin 2 a, +
[sin
~-
i--.(8.38b)
Clearly, &a,/8p is the significant parameter. We use the well-known approximation for path-length difference AR,
* .for
2hRhj
the difference between the direct and reflected path lengths so that
R" a 2R1,
Because qi is the azimuth angle, O,-0. The coordinate r is the radial distance so that
aa,
2khR hi
(8.42) (.3
Finally, 0, is an elevation angle and (see Fig. 8.6) Cos 0,
where, from Fig. 8.6, R,,
hi - hR. Now
2khRI i
~2khR
2kh 1, hR/IR,
< 1, and 81,1/80 < lif, we have that for a smooth
-2h!.(.6
*Because
sin 9, sea-surface,
1, 80,/0
::= -2khR
,0v
81, 2 kh OrV
khR hi
kz/i
o2 4 k/,R Cos 2k~g1(8.47e)
* and -khR. (8.470
8.5.2 Poyntlng- Vector Direction-
To introduce multipath into the Poynting-vector formulation, we modify the received fields by the multipath factor, F2, described in Sec. 4.4 (Eqs. (4.18)). This factor modifies the direct-return scattered fields and induces N apparent (image) scatterers. This model allows the obvious extension of Eq.
(8.31b) to
~- g ~TET
22NMMkajak
cos (01- Ok)(nl X
Mi I F a,
-a,
N, m
and, from Fig. 8.6,
-Multipath
th US LOCATION
Equation (8.49c) implies that Eq. (8.28c) becomes P R, f
R sin
+ R,Cos 0j
for N + 1I i
j+
si ip
become 2 2N. Therefore when accounting for multipath, the glint equations
i Ga ~M=
MMk alak
COS I''
k)TET
'k)
Un,
1k),j X
in,0a
Mk ,aak
COS 60,
TET (Pini2 X k),~
r..r-*.IA-I and
MkajkkCO
X k;
I2I Geg -
the denominator of Eqs. (8.50) approxiAs in Eqs. (8.32), for small US-separations and long ranges mates the target's RCS. use in modeling the glint of N-source It is clear that Eqs. (8.50) are more natural and accurate for simulations (Appendix C). targets than are Eqs. (8.16). Equations (8.50) are used in the
9. SIMULATION RESULTS In this section we briefly summarize the results of simulations that were performed by using the method of Section 6 to simulate US motion and the equations of Sections 7 and 8 (as modified, for efficiency, in Appendix C) to simulate RCS and glint. The source code that was used is presented in Appendix D. Because of the number of parameters affecting the scattering process, a parametric study of the model was beyond the scope of this report. Among those parameters are: ship structure ship maneuvering ship speed ship response to the sea (RAOs) sea state sea structure (sea, swell, etc.) ship heading relative to the dominant wave direction radar-to-ship aspect angle radar-to-ship elevation angle radar frequency radar pulsewidth relative motion between the radar and the ship US amplitudes US phases US locations. We note that when measurements of ship scattering (e.g., RCS or glint) are made, measurements of the first twelve parameters listed should also be made. In the simulation studies, we have investigated the qualitative effects of variations in ship maneuvering, radar-to-ship aspect angle, and multipath (which is primarily a function of radar-to-ship elevation angle, radar frequency, and sea state).
9.1 Simulation Parameters
In the simulations, the radar's wavelength was 3 cm and the radar was located at a fixed point that was 40 m above the sea surface. The ship's position was initialized at 10 km from the radar. This yields grazing angles on the order of 0.250. Two maneuvers were considered for the ship: straight-line motion and turning. For the straightline motion the ship's speed was 10 kn, and for the turning motion the turn rate was 0.4/s and the ship's speed was 6 kn. The maneuvers were simulated with and without multipath effects. For the straight-line motion an rms wave height of 0.762 m was used because this corresponds to the sea state associated with the ship-motion spectra that were used (Appendix A). For the turning maneuver an rms wave height of 0.135 m was used and the ship-motion spectra were changed from the spectra of Appendix A by reducing the rms values by a factor of 10 for each of the six motion processes; this was done to approximate the ship's motion in slight to moderate seas. For the geometry of the simulations the sea-roughness factor (a fundamental parameter characterizing multipath, defined by hsin 0/k where h is the rms wave height, qi is the grazing angle, and X is the radar's wavelength; see Ref. 49) is on the order of 0.025 for the turning motion and 0.133 for the straight-line motion. The simulation timeincrement was 0.002 s, and the simulated time was 2.1 s. The USs used in the simulation were chosen based on visual identification of scatterer type and approximate projected area. For x -0.03 m the sphere-like (constant RCS) scatterers have amplitudes that are small relative to the flat-plate and corner-reflector types, assuming comparable projected areas. 68
t*
*.... .*............. *.
-[were * .
Therefore only flat-plate and corner-reflector types were used in the simulations because such scatterers dominated the ship's structure. A ship was chosen for which photographs were available and the USs chosen for three aspect angles: broadside, aft-quarter, and stern. Table 9.1 lists the location, magnitude, and type (flat-plate is type 2 and corner-reflector is type 3) for the USs that were used. Figure 9.1 is intended as an aid in visualizing the ship representation: it contains two-dimensional plots of the US locations relative to the ship's cg using the location data from Table 9.1. 9.2 Discussion The output of each simulation run is presented as a figure composed of four plots: RCS, azimuth glint, and elevation glint as functions of time, and azimuth glint vs elevation glint for each time instant (connecting the points from instant to instant). RCS is plotted in dB above one square meter (dBsm), and all RCS plots use the same scale. The scales for the glint plots vary (due to the nature of glint). These plots are Figs. 9.2 to 9.15. Figures 9.4 through 9.15 display the output of twelve simulations. The parameters varied in these simulations were maneuvering (straight-line, turn); aspect (broadside, aft-quarter, stern); and multipath (yes, no). Although the parameter variations are limited, the outputs indicate the qualitative effects of the parameters on RCS and glint. In the remainder of this section we discuss some of the most salient features of the output data. 9.3 Multipath Effects tions Figures 9.2 and 9.3 illustrate the effects of (point-source) multipath for the two multipath conditions chosen. In each case the only motion is that of the sea surface; the ship scatterers do not move. We note the following implications of the sea-roughness factor: the rms waveheight of 0.762 m implies that diffuse-component multipath effects (random) dominate those due to the specular component and the rms waveheight of 0.135 m implies that the specular effects (deterministic) dominate. We also note that the diffuse multipath effects are essentially independent (except through variations in the value of the roughness factor) of ship motion for our scenarios, but the specular multipath effects, which are deterministic, are of course correlated with that motion. Clearly, both specular and diffuse multipath modulate the scattered fields further complicating the problem of US identification in the presence of multipath. 9.4 RCS
['
I-
F.:
It is clear that the correlation properties of the RCS are strongly dependent on aspect angle. We .'.
see this in Figs. 9.4(a) through 9.15(a) and it is quantified by the normalized spectra shown in Figs. 9.16 through 9.18. (These spectra were calculated using the TSAP program, which is described in Ref. 96. A time series of 1024 points, 2.048 s, was used. First the autocovariance function was calculated using a 12.5% lag. This result was windowed and then an FFT was used to obtain the spectral estimates.) Examining the quartering-aspect RCS in Fig. 9.5(b) we see that as shown in Chapter 7, even constant amplitude functions (Table 9.1(b)) the slow, oscillatory motions of the ship can yield RCS realizations that appear nonstationary over short time-intervals. (Note that there is an apparent decreasing trend in the variance of that data.) 9.5 Glint From the data we see that glint is a process with a wider bandwidth than the RCS process. Figure 9.19 contains examples of glint spectra (calculated by using the procedure described in Sec. 9.3) for data (from Figs. 9.5 and 9.8) that exhibit no obvious nonstationary characteristics in the mean or vari-
-assuming
ance.
o--S"
' ' , 4
m- -
.- . .- .
Table 9.1 - Scatterers That Were Used to Model the Three Aspects (a) Broadside Location (WRT CG) RCS Scatt. Type 3 2 3 2 2 3 Plate Diam. 5.0 5.0 3.0
-50.0 -5.0 3.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 -4.0 -4.0 0.0 -4.0 -4.0 -3.0
2.0 7.0 20.0 7.0 7.0 15.0
am. 4.0 3.0
(b) Aft-Quarter Location (WRT CG)
RCS amp. 3.0
Scatt. Type 3
Plate Diam.
0.0 -3.0 0.0
3 ,__
(c) Stern Location (WRT CG)
RCS amp. 4.0 4.0 3.0
Scatt. Type 2 3 3 2 3
Plate Diam. 6.0 10.0
-60.0 -50.0 -40.0 -25.0 3.0
* *'
LNRL
C_
(a)BROADSIDE
Wb AFT-QUARTIER
.:l R A SD
,".*
.o..
-........
*.******
.*..*.
Ic) STERN
-Two-dimensional
schematics of the US locations for each aspect (drawn to relative scale)
1i 0
-----r-,-
b"1
- - r-
-----------'---
TIMEI
AZIMUTH GUNT Wma
101,o
2D -" 0 0.50 1.00 1.50 TIMIEW
.VPpV
2.00 2.50 20 25 30 " 35 TIME li40 41
(c) Fig. 9.2 - No ship motion, broadside aspect, rms wave height
(d) 0.135 .
40' 301 1.00
TIME Wa) l
0_
O.6o
-2ooo
AZIMUTH GLINT (in
-1000 -2000-
200100 --
';"
"-0
,. ,. "T
. .4=..
0.60 I) 1.00
.... .. .. .....
l.60
IM E W 1
- 00 -...
2.W0 0
0.60 0.3 1.00 1I.8O (d )2.00 2.W0,,,
TIM E W I
(C )
b'."
Fi. 93 - No ship motion, broadside aspect, rms wave heiht -0.762:.
"oO,-.:72
NRL REPORT 8887 , 70
S1001I
1.00 TIME (s) (a)
-200 0 AZIMUTH GUNT (m (b)
9-200-400 0
1.00 1.50 TIMEs) (c)
1.50 TIME Ws) (d)
Fig. 9.4 - Straight-line motion, ship speed - 10 kn, broadside aspect, no multipath
.30.
--r T -
- 50 -100 -200
I.00 TIME Is) (a)
T -100
0 100 AZIMUTH GUNT m) (b)
-1O0-
-so-
1.00 1.50 TWMN
1.90 TWMEW
Fig. 9.5 - Straight-line motion, ship speed - 10 kn, aft-quarter aspect, no multipath
,.*,
:'''",
'LP " ..
' ,.
2".
:,,,
')'''-
,"_
"." "."". ".
%so
fi-.
70 --
40~
. 1.00 TIME (8) 110 2.00
-------1'1
-100-1
A.00 AIMU
2.00 GLI r0
(a)(b)
1.000 - _-
1.020 IE m TIM W
I=
0O.
I.0
TI"
". .
Fig. 9.6 - Straiht-line motion, ship speed -10 kn, ste
aspect, no multipath
s0o0 '0-
0.50 400gh4000-p
TIMEhI
z.oU
GUN kir 0
-(c) d-aee
':.0 . I7
20-.
1.00 TIMM~
-lO=
-4wO
-2000 0 TIM Ii1
m ...............
Fig. 9.7 - Straiht-line motion, ship speed ............ ..........................................
1, kn, broadside aspect, rms wave heiht -0.762 0
-"74
",.......
NRL REPORT 8887 70---
io-
soII
j 10 -
AZIMUTH GUNT (m)
TIME Wa (c) Fig. 9.8
70~ 60
-Straight-line
TIME Wa (d)
motion, ship speed
kn, aft-quarter aspect, rms wave height
300__-
jJ. : 100.
0 0.50 1.00 TIME (s) 1.50 2.00
-200-:
-10 -5 0 5 AZIMUTH GUNT Wm 10 15
_ -. ..
-E 200 z M 100
TIME is)
1.50 (C)
TIME (a)
Straight-line motion, ship speed
(d) 10 kn, stern aspect, rms wave height - 0.762 In
I .~A1001
TIMEW
AZIMUTH GUNT
Im)
ow1501
1.00 1.50 TIME Wa
(C) Fig. 9.10
70-.-Ship
1.50 TIME Wa
.4 /s, broadside aspect, no multipath
100- 4.TO
50'.
*'3 1
0 ?200to10-
< zlI i ---,r
TIMEWs
AZIMUTH GUNT (in)
C,0
0-v--
1.-'~
1.00 1.50) TIME (a)
1.00 TIME(s) (d)
Fig. 9.11
-Ship
.4/s, aft-quarter aspect, no multipath
I0U
0 100 .W
AZIMUTH GUINT (m) (b)
_ __
-1.50-
2.0-0550
TIME (Ii
IMETGLNWm
*TIME
0~lA.b~}Yr
-2000 0.50 1 .00 1.50 2.00 2100 0.50 100 So 0 0 150 .0
(aI ()
L TIMET (m)
70-------
150_
50\f
1.00 TIME (9)
2W01.50
-100 0 AZIMUTH GLINT Wm (b)
WTV~rv) _ 0.,
.50 TIME Ws
1.50 TIME (a)
Ship turn rate - 0.4*/s, aft-quarter aspect, rms wave height
--~.~~-~-~.
2 wU -. 0-1
-40~~---
-100 -0.50 AZIMUTH GLINT Cm)
zz l. 0~
1.50 TIME Ws
1.50 TIMEWs
(d) Ship turn rate
-0.4*/s,
stern aspect, rms wave height
U0.75
0.75i
j02 .5
050 0 50 100 160 FREQUENCY (Hz) 200 250
0.250 55 ... 0 FREQUENCY (Hz) 200 250
(a) Broadside aspect
FREQUENCY ,.z
(b) Aft-quarter aspect 1.00
FEQUECY (Hz)
(b) Aft-quarter aspect
00 .7oi
0.50 -050
.., o0 50 100 150 200 250
(c) Stern aspect Fig. 9.16 - RCS spectra for straight-line motion, ship speed - 10 kn, no multipath
(c) Stern aspect Fig. 9.17 - RCS spectra for straight-line motion, ship speed - 0 kn, rms wave height - 0.762 m
.o ..
S0.75
cc0.75
0.250.25-
FREQUENCY (Ht)
FREQUENCY (Hz) Wb Aft-quarter aspect
100--_ J, 0.75~
Fig. 9.18 speed
RCS spectra for turning motion, ship kn, rms wave height -0.135 m
FREQUENCY (Hz) (c) Stern aspect
1.000 .75-f~
1.00-
S0.5] so
~0.250
I V
c02 0r 150 200 250
FREQUENCY (Hz) (a) Azimuth glint, no multipath 1.00--S0.75-; 14
02 0 0 50 100 150 200
FREQUENCY (Hz) (b) Elevation glint; no multipath 1.00-
0.25-i
FREQUENCY (Hz) (c Azimuth glint, rms wave height Fig. 9.19
FREQUENCY (Hz) WdElevation glint, rms wave height
Glint spectra (straight-line motion, ship speed - 10 kn, aft-quarter aspect)
A well-known property of glint is also illustrated in the data: sharp decreases in the magnitude of RCS ("fades") produce sharp increases ("spikes") in the magnitude of glint. Recalling from Section 8 that glint is the ratio of two functions where the denominator approximates RCS, we see that this fadespike correlation is to be expected. If Figs. 9.4(b) through 9.15(b) are interpreted as scatter diagrams, then we see that azimuth and elevation glint are in general not strongly correlated. Only the stern aspects show strong correlation (due to the associated scenario producing very little signal fluctuation). To further confirm this observation, cross-covariance functions for the glint data of Figs. 9.4, 9.5, 9.7, and 9.8 were calculated (using TSAP) and are plotted as Fig. 9.20. We suspect that the relatively strong but brief correlation that does occur (at zero lag) is due to the simultaneous occurrence of spikes. We also note that multipath appears to contribute to decorrelation between azimuth and elevation glint.
1.00o 0.50o
0.50-~
- ,00
.. .-
-0.26 -0.19 -0.13 -0.06
0 0.06 0.13 LAG (s) Broadside aspect, no multipath (a)
0 0.06 0.13 LAG (a) (b) Aft-quarter aspect, no multipath i-- ... .
-o.so-0.50-
EUO
-o.soA-
-_1_
-026 -0.19 -013 -0.06
LAG Is) (c) Broadside aspect, rms wave height
LAG (s) (d) Aft-quarter aspect, rms wave height - 0.762 m
Fig. 9.20 - Cross-covariance functions for the glint data of four simulations (straight-line motion, ship speed - 10 kn)
An examination of the azimuth-glint plots shows that the data are often asymmetrical about a mean near zero (e.g., in Fig. 9.4(c) the positive values are more correlated (smooth) than the negative values). This suggests that such data may not be Gaussian distributed. (It is known that some radar targets display glint statistics that are approximately Gaussian (97J.) This observation was confirmed by using a Kolmorgorov-Smirov test of fit (from TSAP) to test the hypothesis that the azimuth-glint data is Gaussian distributed: for each time series the result was rejection of the hypothesis at an a-level less than 0.01. This result also holds for the elevation-glint data except for one time series: that in Fig. 9.10(d). We comment here that what we simulated was "ideal" glint in the sense that it cannot be exactly measured by radars. Constraints on radar system performance (antenna pattern effects, finite bandwidths, system noise, etc.) may result in error signals that are more symmetrical (due to smoothing of sharp variations) and hence more likely to appear Gaussian. 81
! .. *
Figure 9.21 illustrates the correlation between RCS and azimuth glint for four of the simulations. We note that a weak but definite correlation exists between these two processes.
100 U 1 00
-050 -0 -050 0
-. 0 0 N
-1.00 .. . "
LAG iW
LAG I()
0.wn
(a) Broadside aspect, straight-line motion, ship speed - 10 kn
(b) Broadside aspect, turning rate - 0.4*/s, ship speed - 6 kn
0o/,
2. . [/ J
~-o.50
omlzd__sovracsbtwe
1..01 -0.50-
zmuhgiti
-0.26 -0 19 -01 3 -0.06 0.00 0.06 0.13 0.19 0.26
-0.26 -0.19 -0.13 -006 0,00 0.06 0.13 0.19 0.26
LAG 51l
LAGIs)
(c) Aft-quarter aspect, straight-line motion, ship speed
(d) Aft-quarter aspect, turning rate
0.4/s, ship speed l 6 kn . ._
Fig 9.21
Normalized cross-covariances between RCS and azimuth glint in the
absence of multipath
10. CONCLUSIONS AND FURTHER RESEARCH The major result of this research is the development of a unified stochastic model and associated simulation for the EM scattering from complex objects in the presence of overwater multipath. By modeling each component of this very complex problem using an N-source formulation, we have obtained a unified RCS-glint model that is useful in applications. We have introduced the concept of unit-scatterer and shown that it is a generic element for use in modeling scattering effects. Though by defining the unit-scatterer as our generic scattering element we have, in a sense, only shifted the scattering problem from the entire object to sub-parts of the object, we suggest that the unit-scatterer concept is funda nental to the practical, pulse-by-pulse modeling and simulation of scattering from complex objects. W_- believe that it may not be necessary to precisely characterize unit-scatterers to obtain good approximations to the total scattering. If this is the case, then having determined classes of US types one could quickly build models and efficient simulations for the scattering from complex objects by using elements from these classes as building blocks. We suggest four major areas of rcsearch for extension of this work: (1) The primary area concerns the identification and characterization of unit-scatterers. Particularly useful (and cost effective) would be simulation studies using the geometric simulations such as those at the NRL and the Georgia Institute of Technology. It would be important to 82
,-o..
' ''
L NRL REPORT 8887
(a) identify US types, (b) characterize US amplitude functions, and (c) characterize US phase functions with emphasis on determining the rate-of-change of phase with US rotation. (2) Analysis of existing ISAR data for identifying and characterizing unit-scatterers as suggested in the first area. (3) simulation data Second-order-statistical comparisons of simulation data with measured data where the is generated using the parameters associated with the measured data. (4) A study of the effects of multipath on objects that are distributed to determine a better model for the multipath effects on unit-scatterers than the existing point-source models.
2-"?
r Si6
Appendix A AN EXAMPLE SIMULATION OF SHIP MOTION A simulation of the 6 dof motion for a ship's cg is described in Section 6. This appendix presents the output of a simulation that was implemented according to that description. The ship chosen for simulation is the DD963 because that is the ship used as the example in Ref. 78. A ship speed of 10 knots and a relative ship-to-dominant-wave heading of 300 were chosen for the simulation. Figure Al illustrates the spectra calculated by DTNSRDC for the DD963 at 10 knots. The center frequency, bandwidth, and rms values used in the simulation were estimated from this figure and are listed in Table Al. The frequency increment, Ac, was chosen to be constant and equal to BW/10 for each component process. The simulation runs used a time-step size of 1.0 s in generating, six, 2048-point samples. The first 300 points of each of these samples are plotted as Fig. A2. The samples were analyzed using the time series analysis package described in Ref. 79 to estimate the associated spectra and rms values. The resulting rms values are tabulated in Table A2 and normalized spectral estimates are plotted in Fig. A3. Figure A4 illustrates 2-s samples of the motion processes generated by using a time-step size of 0.002 s.
ROLL (*1
SURGE xi
SWAY (y)
Fig. AI - DTNSRDC motion spectra for the
example simulation
YAW IW)
HEAVE ()
(a) Angular-position spectra (deg)
(b) Linear-position spectra (ft)
Table Al - Spectrum Parameters That Were Input to the Example Simulation Process X Y Z PHI THETA PSI wo (Hz) 0.061 0.076 0.069 0.083 0.065 0.072 BW (Hz) 0.018 0.029 0.025 0.022 0.018 0.025 84 RMS Value 0.344 0.357 0.411 0.0539 0.0089 0.0066
0!\\~IJ~
-1 -0.50
A v
,',
T---..
0.00 -0.50
. . . . ,.
. . .. . ' ' ' I T
. z .
z .
-O.50
150 TIME Is)
150 TIME I)
(a) Linear positions (m)
(b) Angular positions (rad)
Fig. A2 - The first 300 s of the simulated cg-motion processes
Table A2 - RMS Values of the Simulated CG-Motion Processes
Process X
Y - 0.360 Z PHI THETA PSI 85
rms value 0.334
0.417 0.0538 0.0088 0.0067
* . .
k-6-7-.7_
~l
-0.00 1.W
9-0.40-
0.30 0.06-
TIME (a) (b) Units of degrees Simulated cg-motion processes for a short time interval
Units of meters Fig. A4
Appendix B AN ESTIMATE OF RANGE VARIATION DURING A SHORT TIME PERIOD Let W~(t the range from the radar to a scatterer on the ship. The phase of the received field be
due to range is
To estimate the variation in
~ WR over short periods of time, we use the measure E=~1)1 E((IR,(t +
kt) A,
1))1/2.
From Eq. (6.5b),
.4 ,.3. .. , ,,. .. . .
IT,( +
r)kiL(t
+ T) + kf(t + T)I
7 (t()
+ .AE(t)I.
RE(t)
k(O). There-
For simplicity we assume that there is no maneuvering, hence T,(t)
,......,.,...,.._...................................,...........
I and
,;...
ARi , l(t + 7) +
.Appendix
RE(o)I
-1Lt
+ R(O)I1.
From Eq. (6.5),
A Ri
Ik(0) +
Tj [3cg (t + r)
cg (0)] +
kE(O)l
T['g( I,()
g(O)I + kf(o)I1. g
Collecting the initial terms,
0 AR< IR, +
+ r)I
-g[(
Expressing the difference in Eq. (B16) in terms of components,
AR, < [(AX + zA0
yA$)
+ (Ay
-ZA06
+ XAtp) 2 + (AZ + yA.
-XAG)
(117b)
2 ARI2 < AX + (z1AO) 2 + (y1Aq,) 2 + Ay2 + (ziAO)
+ AZ 2 + (yAO)
+ (xiAJi) 2
+ (xAO) 2 +
cross-product terms.
Because the component processes were assumed to be independent, we have
2 2 2 EAR1 2) - E(Ax 2 } + E(Ay 2) + E(Az) + (y + , )E{A
+ (xI 2 + z, 2)E{A0 2 + (x 2 + yi2)E(A 2} ) where each expectation has the form E(Ax 2 ) - E([x(t + r) - x(t)] 2} - 2Rx(0) - 2R.(T). S-As
(B9a)
(B9b)
described in Section 6, a useful approximation to the covariance function for each process has the form Ri(r)=o',e
cos W 7 0
(B1O)
" --
where a is 1/2 the bandwidth and wo, is the center frequency of the ith process. Using these approximations we have, for example,
EgAx 2) - E((x(t) - x(t + 7)1 2)
2o-2[1 - e- '
I cos WoI1].
(BlIl)
L"DD963,
* *.
For a ship, three scatterer locations yield the largest values for the position coordinates: the location highest above the ship's cg and the locations at the bow and stern. For the example ship, the x.,, = 50 m, y.,ax := 5 m, and zmax = 15 m. Because of ship structure, each maximum does not occur at the same location. The broadside aspect presents the largest range variations because the largest angular rate, roll, has the maximum effect on the z-axis components and the largest scattererdistance from the cg, along the x-axis, also yields its maximum range effect. Even if the scatterer was located such that the location maxima occurred, we find that using the position values above, the process values from Table Al, and a typical PRI of r - 0.002 s, EAR 2 I 2 I 2.1 cm, and for 7 - 1.0 s, E(ARI} 2 - 0.42 m.
-.,
., -.. b
,:....
--. ,
Appendix C SIMULATION EQUATIONS FOR RCS AND GLINT We use Eqs. (7.7a) and (7.9) to simulate RCS where, in anticipation of the glint simulation, we modify them to be in the form
2N 2N
"i-I J-I
MaMjaj cos (*I', - 'j)
+ 7(Rt, Vj) - Yj (Rj - WJ )
(Cla)
"'Pi Pj
(IRi I -
1jI1) + P iCO ) - Oj CO)
(Clb)
[ I
MkhIF (F k
Ik <
k < N
(C2a)
N + I < k < 2N l< k< N'.
N+1<k<2N.
< Fk
YkI
Fk(Fk - 1) ,
(C2b)
We describe in detail the simulation of the multipath coetficients, Fk, in Refs. 49 and 98. The glint equations used for simulation are Eqs. (8.50). Next, we make an assumption that simplifies those equations for use in the simulation. Because we have limited our studies to small-grazing-angle illumination of the ship and because the ship's cg is near Earth's surface,
R <<
which implies that (see Fig. 8.5)
(c3) (C4a)
* and
IIII.
". Equations (C4) imply that
RY sin I' IaTcos
"sint
Rx. -(C5c)
and Cs By use of Eqs. (C5), the transformation matrix inEqs. (8.50) becomes (C5d)
Icos 0 osts Cos 0, sin ti's -cos 3 I sin ,s
.. costps sin ips
cos os
(C6)
and the cross product term becomes, from Eq. (8.29b),
x (Ax k)e - Cos tji + sin tjj + cos Ok COS (Ok - Od"k
(1jX 10 - TET(A~i =
sin + [cos 0, cos qi, cos tPi cos O sin si, ti- cos + [sin pOcos tpi cos *s sin *t,]A,
(uk -
cos (0 k
is)]l
+ + (cos 0,cos q,+ sin ti' sin tip cos Os cos 0k cos (0ik
- [cos O cos (i, 5-
ti)]hs
,)- cos 0k cos
ViP)1
+ sin (ti, 2N 2N
,),h+ [cos (0
+ d,) cos 0, cos
k cos (tik
By use of Eq. (C8b) inEqs. (8.50), we have
MaMjaj cos (O,- 4Oj) sin (qis - qij)
-I2N I1 2N j-1
MaMja. cos (O, ta,) cos (, - t,,)
i-I J-1
M! G, k,
ja Ma 1 cos (0i - 4,) [cos O cos (ti' - tpj)2N 2N
cos Os cos (ti, - ti1)]
."-,"2N
I M1 a Mag cos (
0j cos (ps - qi,) /)
i-I j-I 2N
E. ' MaiMaj
cos (0,- Oj) cos 9j cos (0j,- qti) - cos 2N "-2;2 2N , Mja cos (0 - 4j) cos (ti' 0i ) , ga,
Because sine, cosine, and arctangent functions are time-expensive on digi:al computers, we use Eqs. (C5) inEqs. (C9)to obtain
Ry, I RRy, (A1k) Xk
R4'
ks ,I ' I
AlIR1 k,
Y mS +
[RxR
-RykRy
lkI
IAl IkI
* .. . . .
.fsl.
I II,I W"
(CIO)
.*--
t. I
where we recall from Section 8 that SR, +Rjj + RikN + R+,j - (h, + k N + 1 < i < 2N (Cli a) Or
-X.a4-
Ry, + R ,k.
(C11b)
Therefore the simulation equations for glint become
~~i
1; M j ,,,,,
,MR
cos ,
,)
R, R.,(i'' - R.,Ry'
j- t
(Cl2a) 2N 2N M, ai Mj ay cos (0 and RA)
1k1!
,- -R YR
- j-R Rj ., + yj R,
1i I
.. E.MajMjaj cos (0-4j)--i
(C,2b)
,R
MaiMaj cos 0
-0j)
[.;2N
2N EMaMjajcos (0,,2N
R.R,-.+RYRJRI y R
Ry,
(Cl2c)
"y
MaXMas cos (0i -
)Y,
Finally we note that because of the long-range assumption, (0, - tsi) and (qj - qy) are small angles so that cos (to - t) and cos (0, - Ipj) 1 (Cl3a)
(Cl3b)
-; 9...
By use of Eqs. (C13) in Eq. (CI2a) and Eq. (Cl2b), we have
- R R
1: Mja 1Mjaj cos (0, -.
++++-,
0j) M,+ a-,Ycos (,,.
(Cl4a)
(G, ll. -1R42N
MjaMjaj cos (0, .
l, IA',
+RyjR, R,,,
Rz,
(C]4b)
Z.(CS
Mjaj cos (0,1 - Oj)
...............-
*....**
.~*
Appendix D *' SIMULATION DESCRIPTION AND SOURCE-CODE LISTINGS The simulation was written in FORTRAN and run on a PRIME computer system. A flow chart is presented in Fig. DI. Parameters are input (1) directly by the user and (2) via data files. An example user-interactive data is shown, in the proper sequence, in Table DI. The first input data-file defines the ship-motion spectra and the second defines the US parameters; example files appear in Figs. D2 and D3. The ship-motion input-file is called SHIP-PARMS and the US-parameters input-file is called SCATT-PARMS. Data are output in binary format, one record per time increment. The output filenames are defined in a DATA statement in subroutine INIT. We note that the compiler replaces the PRIME statement $INSERT filename with the contents of the file that is named 'filename'.
START CALCULATE SHIP'S POSITION
'of
DUE TO SEA MOTION
OPEN OUTPUT FILES
CALCULATE US LOCATIONS RELATIVE TO THE SHIP'S CG
CALCULATE SHIP'S POSITION DUE TO MANEUVERING CALCULATE THE RANGE FROM THE RADAR TO EACH US
READ-IN THE PARAMETERS THE SHIP-MOTION SPECTRA "FOR
=.__ [
READ-IN THE PARAMETERS FOR THE USs
E I MULTIPATH IS DESIRED, [INITIALIZE THE MULTIPATH PROCESSSJj
CALCULATE AND STORE THE SHIP-MOTION SPECTRA
CALCULATE RCS AND GLINT
OUTPUT DESIRED DATA
CLOSE OUTPUT FILES
Fig. DI
Simulation flow chart
.. - .... ,.. - .. - .-...., ,-.
'- ",' -p
.' . '..., *
,*l
P0.0300
ap10000,7,0
Table D - The User Input-Sequence 0.0 0.002 0.135 Yes 10.00 0.0,3.19,0 88.0 0.0070
Radar Wave Length
Pct. Range Error Step Size Wave RMS Multipath Indicator Run Time Initial Ship Position Initial Ship Speeds Initial Ship Orientation Ship Turn Rate
SCATTERER DEFINITIONS LOCATION X Y -50. -5. 3. 10. 20. 30. -4. -4. 0. -4. -4. -3.
Fig. D2
(WRT CG) Z 2. 7. 20. 7. 7. 15.
RCS AMP 4. 0. 3. 0. 0. 5.
SCAUT. TYPE 3 2 3 2 2 3
PLATE DIAM 0. 5. 0. 5. 3. 0.
A US-parameter input-file
CG-PROCESSES CENT FREQ (RAD/S) BW --70.386
SPECTR UM-DEFINITION (RAD/S) ----0.114 RMS VALUE ----0.344 PROCESS T -ETA
-~~047
Fig82 -Asi-oiniptl D335
The043 remande of41 thsapni
netflsfllwdb
orecd
xetfrt
ship-motion.input.....
The**...,*.-..~.....-. reane
apeni
oloe.yth
orecoeecptfrta
C SINSFPT FILES (PPIMF FORTRAN) C-------------------------------------------------------------------------C SIPSERT SI7F IiITFGFP DIVEP,DINEN? PARAMETER (DIMFN=25) PARAMETER (DIMFN2=DIMEN*2) C $INSERT BLOCKI INTFGERh& ISEED COPMON/BLOCKI/ISEED DDT,TIME $INSERT BLOCK2 CO!UON/RLOCK2/XYZ(3,DINEN),AMP(MnTFN),T(3,6,DIMEN), * CNTFRC(6),PNDWTR('5),RMS(6),RNGERR,VAVRNS,BADHGT
C FILE: MAIN C-------------------------------------------------------------------------CAIL I!RIVFP CALL EXIT EN P C FILE: DRIVER C-------------------------------------------------------------------------C PURPOSE: C 10 GENERATE A TIME SERIFS Of RADAR SIGNALS RESULTING FROF C ILLUMINATION OF A SHIP AT LONG RANGF. THIS ROUTINE IS THE c DPIVER VCR TNT PACKACE. C C INPUT: C APGU!MENTS: NONF. C C OUTPUT: ARGU14ENTS:
C C AUTHOR: n.Y.NOPTHAP. C DEYELCPED: 4/82. C !CDIEIED: 1982, 1983. C-------------------------------------------------------------------------SUPROUTINF DRIVER SINSERT SYSCOIP>ASKEYS SINSFRT RrlS>ROUTIN'S,>q.7r SINSFRT RC5!>ROUTIPES>QLOCKl -TISERT RCS>ROUTINES>PLOCX2 DOUBLE PRECISION TMP,PFLRI(I,DIYEN) DOURT.E PPFCIFION Dy,DY,r',TR LOGICAL UPDArE(DIMEN),FTPST(DIWFN),!PFLAG INTEGFP SCTTYP(DINrN) PARAPKETER (PION2=1.571,TWOPI=6.2832) PIvrNSTOR LUINITS(9),XS'P(e) ,XC',(6) .RT(3,PT1!EN),PSI(V'IMEN), * DIAF(DIMEN) C INITIALIZE SIFULATION
-.... .
.Z
CATL ItFITCIUNITS,NSCATT,SCTT-P,IPN,WAVtEI,PFtAC) LUN1=LUNITS( 1) LUN2=LUNITS(2) LUNI2=LVNITS(?) !UN'4=LUNITSC'a) LUNS=LUNITS (5) LUN6=LNITS(6) TUN7=LUNITS(7) !UNPzLUNITS (8) LUK9=LUNITE(9) 10 CALL TNOUA(ENTER P!AX TIFE: ',16) PEAD(1,*,EPP=10) T"!X MAX=TM!AX/DT+l DO 15 1=1,DIMEN
t JPDATE(T)=.TRITE. 15 CONTINUF
C BEGIN SIFULATION LOOP DO 90 T=1,nAX C UPDATE 6 DOF POSITION VALUES FOR SHIP'S CrG DO 20 J=1,6 CALI PPOCES(J,CNTFPQ(J) ,FNlWTP(J) ,O,.FALSE.,XCG(J),!'vF) XCG(J)=RMS(J)*XCG(J) 2C CONTINUF UPDATE SCATTEFF POSITIONS DO 35 K=1,NSCATT K,,,CI RI (J,K)=RI(J,K)+CY?(J,()
*30 rnNTINUF
SHTP 'MANEUVFING PCSITICK CALL S1HIP(TIYF,XF-HIP)
UPDATF
UPDPTF P~rAP-TO-SCATTFREP RANGE DO 40 Y=1,NSCATT CALL TRNSFP(1iI(1,Y),XSHIP),PA)HGT,flRLRI(11 l)) PSI(K)=RSPECT(YSHIP(1),XSMIP(2),XSE!IP(6),K,FIPST(K))+XCG(6) L4C CONTTKUF urDATF PCS AND GLINT FFOCESSES PHI=YCG(u) CALL cIGWT5(PST,NSCAT SCTTYP,DI N,PHI,UAVLENDBLPI,YS.ID, * PCF,RZGLNT,EL~lNTr PFLAC) CL'TPUT DESIRED rATA WFT7TUN7) PCS WPT(LUNP) AZGLNU" WRITF(LUN9) FI.CLVT !TURN OFF INITIALI7ATION FLAGS
00 Pc Y=1,NSCATT
IF(.NOT.FIFST(K)) CO TO PO
rIPST(K)=.FAlSF. UPDATE(Y)=.FALSE. BO
CICSF OUTPUT rIIES DO 100 1=1,0 CALL CLOSSA(LUNITS(I)-) 100 CONTINUF END OF SINULATION RETURN
C FILE: INIT C-----------------------------------------------------------------------C PURPOSE: C TO INITIALITZE TEF SIMULATION PARANFTFRS. C INPUT: (7 ARGUMENTS: C NONE.
C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C w C
OUTPUT: ARGUFENTS: LUNITS NSCATT SCTTYP
DIAM WAVLFN MPFLAr /RLOCK1/: DT ISEED /PIOCK2/: RADHGT CYTFRO BNDWTH RMS RNGERP XY? AlP T
=LOCICAL UNIT NUMBERS FOR THE OUTPUT FILES. =NUPRER OF SCATTERERS. =INDEX INDICATING TYPE OF SCATTERER. =1 FCR CONSTANT TYPE. =2 FOP FLAT-PIATE TYPE. =3 FOR CORNER TYPF. =DIAMETERS OF THE FLAT PLATE SCATTERERS. =FArAP WAVF LENGTH. =VULTIAPTH FtAG. =.TPUF. IF MULTIPATH EFFECTS ARE TO RE ACCOUNTED FOR. =.FALSF. OTFERWISF. =S!MULATION STEP SIZE. =PAND0o vUNEER GENERATOR SEEDS (1*4). =HEIGHT OF THF RADAR ABOVE THF SEA. =CFNTER rRFQUENCIrS OF THP SNIP-NOTION SPECTPA. =BANDWIrTH CF TF SHIP-MOTION SPECTRA. =ENS VALUES OF THE SHIP FOTICN PROCESSES. =RANGE ERROF IN THE PHAFE CENTER LOCATICN. =CAPTFSIAN rOORDINATE? OF TF SCATTERING CENTERS IN THE SHIP-CG AXIS SYSTE!. =AMPLITUDES OF THE SCATTERERS. =TRANSFORMATION FROM SHIP-CG 6-DOF POSITION TC SCATTRPFR f-PF PCSTrION.
C C C C C C C C
AUTHOP: D.Y.NCPTHAW. DEVELOPED: 4/P2. MCEEFF: 1982.
-9'98
" -'
* IL
SUOROUTTNF INIT(LU!'ITS,NSCATT,SCTTYP,DA',WAVLFN,!IFFLAG) IINSEPT SYSCCv>ASKFYS ~INSFT RCS>POUTINES>STZE SINSFPT PCS>POUTINES>PLOCK1 SINSFPT PCS>IBOUTINES>BIOCK2 Iv'TFCEP LUNITS(1),,FNA!0(8,9) INTrGEP SCTTYP(NSCATT) LOGICAL FUNIT,YESNO,IRPFLAC INTEGEP-4 11,12 PAPA!!ETEP (TWCPT=6.2832) , PATA FNAM/'X-CG-,6' *Y-CC',6*'
TIJETA-CG',,'
t *
*PSI-CG.,5*.
RCS!FAG',5 A7-q~LTNT',4'&~ FL-CLIN *,4a 1
C ISEED t
RADHC.T=La.0 CALL TNOUA('FNTEP RADAP WAVLEI4GTH:
FFADC1,*,EFR=3) WAVLEN
',23)
CALL GFTSCT(XYZ ,NSCATT,AMP,SrTTYP,DIAM) DO 5 I=1,NSCATT IF(SCTTYV(I) .EC.3) AvP(I)=AMP(I)/WAVLEN 5 CONTIN4UI CALL GETPR?(CMTFR0,?NDWTH,PS) CAM G-TYAP(XY7,NSCATT,T) 7 CPIL TNOUA('FNTFP PERCENT PANGE ERROR: *,27) PFA0(1,*,ERR=7) PCT PNGERP=WAVLEN*(PCT/100.)
NTFP 5'PP 51F: 10 CALL TN'CUA( PEAD(I,*,EPR=101 DT *,17)
OPEN OUTPUT FILES DO "5 T=1,9 IF(FU?'IT(NFU)) GO TO 40 STOP U0 CALL OPENSA(RSWPIT+ASSA,!F ,FNkN(l,I) LUNITS(I )=NFU+4 45 CONTINIPF
SFT UP FOR MULTIPATH 46 CAll TNOUA(*FFTFP WAVE RMS: REPD(1,*,EPR=46) WAVR~c ',IF)
,16,NFU)
* C
IF(.NOT.YENO('UF"~ YULTIPATH? M'PFLAG=.TPUF.
))CC TO 55
I,=1001 P1. 50 I=1,NSCA~TT CALL MPINIT( I,C.0,WAVPF!V,WAVLFN,O,Il,T2,DT)
T2=T2+F
5c CCNTTNUr GO TO 60
RPFLPC=.FAISF.
CALCULATE AND STORY SPECTPA DO 70 1=1,6 CALL PROCES(I,CNT-FPQ(I),PNDWTU(!),INTL(I),.TPUE.,PUDVAR,..) 70 CONTINUE PF~riV pv END
C FILE: CETECT C-------------------------------------------------------------------------C PURPOSE: C TO READ IN THE SCATTERINC PARAPETERS FOP THE INDivIFuAL C UNIT-SCATTERERS. C C INPUT: C ARGUMENTS: c NONE. C C OUTPUT: C ARGU'MENTS: C XYZ(3,I) =CARTESIAN COORDS. OF SCATTERER LOCATIONS C IN THF SHIP-CC AXIS SYSTEM. C NSCATT =NUNPFR OF SCATTERERS. c APIP =ANPLITUDE OF THE SCATTFREPS. C SCTTYP =INDICATES TYPE OF SCATTERER. C DIAN =FLAT PLATE DIANFTER, IF APPROPRIATE.
c r4
C AUTHOR: D.Y.NCRTHf.. C DEVELOPED: 4/02. C FCDIFIED: 19e2. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------SURCUTINE CETSCT(XYZ,NSCATT,AMP,SCTTYP,DIA!) 'tINSFRT SYSCOF>ASKFYS INTEGER ENANE(16) LOGICAL EUNIT INTEGER SCTTYP(NSCATT) DIVYNSION XY7(3,NSCATT),AMP(NSCATT),DIAN(NSCATT) DATA FNANE/TFCATT-PARS '.10'* / C C fW INPUT Fujrs AND READ IN SCATTEPIWC PAPANETPRS IF(EUNIT(NEtl)) CC TO 10 STOP 10 CALL O'PFUS;ACPSOEAD+R$SPWE,FNPME,32,NVU)Lt"I=NFU.4 READ(LUNS1 1) rui!U2,U3PN 11 FCFMAT(AU/AU/AU/AU) t' SCAT? =0 Do 15 1=1,1c0 FEAD(LUN,,F~r=20,E??=20) XYZ( 1,I),XY!(2,I),YYZ(3,I),ARP(I), * SCTTYP(I) .D1Am(I) NSCATT=NSrATT+1 1' CONTTNU17 20 COWTINE'F
C '-
WPITF NESSAGF AND CIo0r INPUT FILE WRITF(1,25) NSCATT 25 FORFAT(' THERE APE',13,' SCATTERERS.') CAtL CLOSSA(Nri) RFTUPN FND
C FILE: GETPRP C-------------------------------------------------------------------------C PURPOSE: C TO READ IN THF SHIP-NOTION-PROCESS PAPAMETERS. C C INPUT: ARGUMENTS: C NON. C C C OUTPUT: C ARGU14FNTS: =CENTEP FREQUENCIES OF THE SHIP-NOTION SPECTRA. CYTFRO C =BANDWIDTH OF THF SHIP-NOTION SPECTRA. BNDWTH C =PMS VALUFS IF THE SPIP UOTION PROCESSES. Rms p c C C AUTHOR: D.Y.NORTHAN. C DEVELOPED: 4/82. C MODIFIED: 1982. C-------------------------------------------------------------------------SUBROUTINE GETPRN(CNTFPQ, NPVTH,RPS) SINSFRT SYSCOM>ASKEYS INTEGER FNAMF(1E) LOGICAL FUNIT DINENSION CNTFRQ(6),PNDWTH(6),RFS(6) 'I/ DATA FNAME/'SHIP-PARNS',11*' C CPEH INPUT FIlE AND READ IN NOTION PARAFFTEDS IF(FUNIT(NFU)) GC TO 10
10 CLL OPrNSA(ASREAD+ASSAPF,FNANE,32,NEU) IUN=NFV+4 EREAD(LUN,13) DUM1,DUM2,DUM3 13 FOR!AT(A4/A/AW) .PA . !S=O DO 15 1=1,6 RPARFS=NPARMS+ READ(LUN,*) CNTFPO(I),RNPWTH(I),RF5(I) r 1' COWTINU c C CLCSF INPUT FIlE 20 CALL CLCSSP(NFU) RETURN
- . FILF: GFTFAP .-----------------------------------------------C 4 FUFPOSc: IC DEFINE TuE LINEAS MOTION-PAPS FOP THE I4IVIDUAT C
,..." . -~~~.-. .
%-.
.o.
,.o. .
..-.
.2C
*C c C C C r c
UNIT-SCATTEPEF LOCATIONS~. INPUT: ARCUPENTS: XYZ(3,I) C NSCP.TT
=CAPTFSIAN COORDS. OF SCATTERER LOCATIONS !N T~r SP-CC AYTS SYSTFN. SNUMPFF OF SCATTFPFRS.
OUTPUT: ARCUENTS: T
=TPA1qFOPNqATTON FROM! SPTPC SCATTFRER 6-DOF tOSITIOI.
-DOF POSITION TO'
C C AUTFOP: 'n.Y.NORTHPq. C DEVELOPED: 4/82. C MODIFIED: 1982. c---------------------------------------------------------------------------------SL'PFOUTINr GFT!'AP(YYZ,NSCATT,T) DIMENSION XYZ(lNSCATT),T(7,fNSCPTT) DO 20 K=1,NSCATT DO 1C I=1,3 DC 10 J=1,3 10 IF( I.EQ.J) T(I,J,K)=1.O CCNTINUE T(2,4,K)=-XYZ(3,K) T( 3,4,K)=X'17(C2,K) T(3,5,K)=XY-( ,K) T(2,r,K)YY7 1,O T(3,6,K)=O.C 20 CONTINUE RETURN FND C FIE: TRNFFR c-------------------------------------------------------------------------C PURPOSE: c TO OPTAIN TYE COOFPNATrS OF TPE TT SCATTEPER INC IHE RADAR AXIS-SYSTE!. C INPUT: c APGUNFNTS: c PI =SCATTEPEP COORriNATrS IN THE SHIP-CC AXIS SYSTrV. c XSHIP =SHIP-CC, 6-DOF POSITION DUE TO MANEUVERING. C RArHGT =HFIGHT OF THE RADAR APOVF THF SEA. C C C r CUTPUT: ARC.UPFNTS: DBLYI =FADAR AYIS-SYSTEM COOPDS. OF THE ITH SCATTERFP (1*4). AUTFCR: D..d:C9TJv.
V.-C
C DFVELOPFD: 19e2. c morIFTrD: 1982. C------------------------------------------------------------------------------SURFOUTTNE TFNSFP(PI,XSHIP,FAVH(7,'8LRT) DOUBLE PPECISION DV.PI ,A(3,3) ,)PLPT(3),Y(3) DI!rNSTON P1(3) ,YvLTP() C FPHI=STN(XSPTP(L')) CPHI=COS(XSHIP(4)) STFHr=SIN(XSIFTP(5)) CTIVE=COS(XSH17(5) ) SPSI=SIN(XSHIP(6 )) CPSI=COS(XFHIP(6)) C A( 1,1 )=CPS1*CTNr A(1 ,2)=CPSI*ST;F*SVHI-' PSI*CPPI A(1,3)=CPSI*STHE*~CPHI+FpsI*sPHI P (2,1I )=SPS I *CTIJ F A(2,2)=SFSI*STHF*SF!P1+OPST*CPPT A (2,3 )=SPSI*STH'F*CPHI-CPSI*SPHI A(3,1)=-STHF A (3, 2)=(THF*SP"I A(3,3)= THE*CPPI C POSITION PUE TO SFA MOTION r0 20 T=1,3 Y(I )=O.O D0 1c J=1,1 Y( I)=Y( I)+A(I,J)*PI(J) iC CONTTNUr 2C CONTINIIF POSITION flUF TO MAllr'UVEPINC nC0 30 T=1,3 3r CONTINIUE C CORPrCT FOR RA.0AP FEING APCVE DFLFI( ?)=DPI ?I(3)-FADHGT FFTIO FN mHE rARTH
4-~~~
C FIIE: LINIIAP 0-----------------------------------------------------------------------------: C7 PURPOSE* TC IINFIPLY TPAN~SFOv! Av TNV'JT VECTOR 1VTO All OUTPUT VECTCR.
APCU! FNTS: A FrOWA NCOLA c x OU'IFUT :
=TPPvO~ATON !METPTY. ~ =FUvnFP 01r POWS TN =NUl' 7 Or COLUMNS TN 'k. =v~rTCR TO rF TRANcFCI !E0.
C ARGURENTS: C Y =FStUITANT VFCTOP. C C AUTHOR: D.Y.NCPTHA v . C DEVELOPED: 4/82. I MCDIFIED: 1982. C-----------------------------------------------------------------------SUBROUTINE LINYAP(A,NROWA,NCOLA,X,Y) C DIMENSICN A(3,6),X(6),Y(3) A(NROWA,NCOLA),X(NCOLA),Y(NROWA) '..PI!IFNSICN DO 20 I=I,NROWA Y(I)=O.O DO 10 J=1,NCOLA V(I)=Y(I) A(I,J)*X(J) 10 CONTINUE 20 CONTINUE RFT UR' END C FILE: SIGNLS C-------------------------------------------------------------------------C PURPOSe: C TO CALC'ILATE THE PECEIVF RADAR-SIGNALS. C C INPUT: C ARGUKENTS: C PSI =SHIP'S ASPECT ANGLE. C NSCATT =NUWSER OF UNIT-SCATTFRERS C SCTTYP =FLAG INDICATING THE TYPE CF SCATTERER. C =0 FOp rONSTANT. C =1 FOR FLAT PLATE. C DIAP =DIAMETER OF THE FLAT PLATES. C PHI =PCLL ANGLE OF THE SHIP. C WAVIEN =RADAP WAVELENGTH. C DPLFI =PO5TTICN VECTOR CF THE ITH SCATTERER, IN EARTH CCCRDS. rl XSHIP =POSITION VECTOP CF THE SHIP, IN EAPTH COORDINATES. C YPFLAG =MULTIPATH FLAG. r C =.TP '. IF NULTIPATP EFFECTc ARE TO BE CALCULATED. C =.FALSE. OTHERWISE. C AMP =ANPLITUDF OF THE ITH SCATTFRER.
C C C C C C OUTPUT: APGUFENTS: RCS AZGLNT FIGLNT =TAFGFT Prs =TAPGET A7IPUT4-GIINT =TARPGFT EIEVATION-CLINT
"%
C AUTHOR: D.Y.NORTHAn. C DEVELOPED: 4/82. C FOPIFTFD: 1982, 19S?. C-------------------------------------------------------------------------SUROUT!NE SIGNLS(FFI,NSCATT,SCnTYP,DIAm,PHI,WAVLEN,DLPI,XSIP, * PCS,A GLNT,rLGLNT,YPFLAG) SINSEPT PCF>PCUTTNFS>!IU? SINSERT RCS>FCUTINES>;LOCK1
"'..'
:.'...'.
:.'.:"
....... .
.................... ,
r *
SINSERT RCS>POUTINFS>PIOCK2 T'CUBLE PPECISTCN rP,RATIC,PAvGF,!D!,Dv,r? rOUBLE PBECISICOI D'LRI INTEGEP*4 ISFEn INTFGFR SCTTYP(nIFFP) LOGICAL ?PFIAG DI'EENSION RANGF(DIN2),DLI(3,INE),ADIPsEN,),XSPIp(6), * PSI(DINEN) ,DIAP(rIMr),PHASE(DI'EI2),GIFDRUC(DIFEp) FAFAMETSE cTVCPI=6.1e32) DATA ISFED/1O.O/ C C CALCULATE RADAP-TO-SCATTFRER PA1NGFS WAV!FUM=TWOPT/WAVtI RESHIP=FQT(XFIPIP(1 )**2,XSI.IP(2)e.2+Y5S!IP(3)**2) PO 10 I=1,NSCATT DX=DELPI(1 ,T) P7?=DPLRI (3,1) DW=RNIGERP*RAN!nSA (ISEFT)) GNDRNG (I)=DSORT(DY**2+DY**2),DV RANGF(T)=rSQRT(DY*2flY**2+l7..2),Tnv IF(PFLAG) PA!CE(I.NSCATT)= * PSOPT(DX**2.DY**2.(XY?( 3,1).7SHIPC3)-FAIPHGT)**2),DV 10 CONTINUE SU1Y2=0.0 SUP 3=0.0 IF(MPFLAG) NPTS=2*NSCATT IF(.NOT.FprIAG) YIP V=NFCATT c C CALCLAPTE SCATTERING AMLITUDES DO 15 J=1,NSCATT IF(SCTTYP(J) .FC.2) CALL FLTPIT(DIA4(J) ,WAVNUP,PS!C3),PHI,A(J)) IF(.NOT.FPFLAG) rO TO 13 C: CALCULATE MULTIPATH ArFLI!UDE RFD PHASF EFFECTS TARH.GT=YS!IP (3).XY7(3,J) CALL NPl!AIN(J,TRRHG-T,RPDHG,GNTPG(J),TTE,PSIFPC,XPFAL,YIP.IG) Fl=SQRT( (1 .O+XPFAL )**2+XIY AG**'2) r2=rl*SCPT C RVTkL**2+XIRAG**2) A(J+NSCATT)=F2A(J) A(J)=Fl*P(J) PHASE(J)=ATAN2(XIwaG,1.0XFAL) PHbSF(3+WSCA!T)=ATAN2(YTPAG*(1.O+2.O*XPFAL) ,YRFAt*YR!AL**2XI!AG**?) * CO TO 15 13 PHASF(J)=O.O 1F CONTTI!r 7
0.0DO
CALCULATE FCS ANID CI.Tr'T 25 I=1,NPTS TF(1.GT.NFCATT) I1=1-I:SCATT AZCOF=(XSIP(2)*PLTPI(,Tl))/PANCE(T) * -(XSI4IP1)DBLPI(2,Il))/RA!(I) rr 25 J=1,NPTS
TO IF(J.LE.NSCATT) GO0 21
J1=J-NSCATT FZI=-(XSHIP(3)+DPIFI(3,3 ).aRADHGT) CO TO 22 J1=J 9Z1=PLI (3,3)
ELCOEF=RZI*(DELRI(1,J)*DBLI(,I1)+DBLRI(2,J1)* Dr)LRI(2,I ))/(RANCECI)*(PRGE(J)**2))
CALCULATE PHASE DUE TO RPNGF DR=RANGE(I )-RANOF(3) RATIO=DR/WAVLEN ANCI=2.O*TWOpI*(RATIO-DINT(PATTO)) ADD PULTIPATH PHASE ANGLE=PNCLE.PHASE( I)-PHASE(J) C'CLCU!ATE SUMMATION TWRYS TEP=A(I )A(J)COS(ANOLE) SUF2=5UN2,TR1 *P CCEF SUN SU 3+T EFR M 25 CONTINUE 5UN3=SUN3*1 .OF-1O
*C
I~>RCS=SUFI
CALCULATE CLINT IN PETERS AZCLNT=SUM2/SUM3 ELr.LNT=RSHIP*SUP/11N3
-(XSHIP(3)-BADH(fGT)
C FILE: FLTPLT C-------------------------------------------------------------------------C PTIPPOSE: TO CALCULATE A FLAT-PLATE-TYPE AMPLITUDE AT C C NEAR-PERPENDICULAR INCIDENCE. C INPUT: AROUYENTS: c =DIANETEES OF THE PLATES. C DIAN 11 WAYNUN =WAVF NUYPER ECR? T4E RADAR. C AZINTP =RArAR-TO-DLATE AZ1PUTH ANGLE. =RADAR-TO-PLATE ELEVATION ANGLE. F C
K~
OUTPUT: APCU TM ENTS: C =RESULTING SCATTERED APPLITUDE. APP C C C AUTHOR: D.Y.NORT54PN. (7 DEVELOPED: 's/R2. C MODIFIED: 1982. c------------------------------------------------------------------------SUPROu'"!II FTT!LT("!A!OWAVWU!,A7IrTH,SLEV,APP) rAFAPETFF (TWCF!=6 .2R32,SC^'FP!=.772#5,P104221 A7OP)
'Se
NRL REPORT M87
C1=WAVN* (CAN*"2)/SQPFI CCALCUlATE AZIMUTH COMPONENT lF(AZI!MTH.NE.O.O) r-0 TC 15 A7%!AMN1.0 (~TO 20 15 C2=EAVNUN*DIAN*SIN(AZINTH-PION2) AT'4AP=AS(STV((2)/r2) C C CALCUIATE FLEVATION CCFPONENT 20 IF(FLEV.NE.O.O) GO TO 25 ELEArP=1.0 CO0 TO 30 25 C3iWAVNU*DI*SIN(FLEV) C ELEAMPzABS(SIN(C3)/C3) CALCUIIATE TOTAL AP'PLITUDE 30 AMP=Cl*SQRT(ELEAYP*AZRAWP) RETURN
C *
*~~ -.
FILE: SHIP PURPOSE: TO CALCULATF THF FAYFUVTPING TPAJFCTOPY CF THE SHIP IN EARTY COOPDINATES.
-C-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-* -.
CCINPUT: r A PG UPENTS
=CUPPE!IT STMNPLATION TIM.E.
C r-
APGUMENTS: YsHip
=EARTH cnOBDNA1FS CF TRV2 SHIP DUE TO PANEUVEPIRG.
AL'THCR: D.Y.NOETP. DFYFLOPED: 1982. c rcrIFIED: 1982, 1983. C-------------------------------------------------------------------------SUPROUTINE SHIFM(T,XSHIP) LO(CICAL FIPST DIMFNS!ON XSHIP(E DATA XO,YO,ZO ,VX,VY,VZ/6*0.O/, FTRST/.TPUE./DCNEGA. TSIO/2*O.0/ C !F(.NOT.FIPST) GOf TO 10 FTST.FAcE. SCALL TNOUA('rNTFP INITIAL SHIP COORDS: '.27) PAD(1,*,EPPz5) YO,YO,2O 7 CALL TNOUA('rRTEP SR1IP SPEED: ',18) PFAD(i,*,FPR=7) V p CALL TNOUA('FNTFP INITIAL SHIP POTATION ANGLE (DEC): 1,4a1) PEAD(1,*,FPPRA) PSI0 PSTO=PSIO/57. 3 VX=V*COS (P50) VY=V*SIN(PFIO) C
CALL TCIA('ENTEP SVIP TU!RNINC PATF (PAP): PFAD(1,*,FR=9) O1NEGA 10 XSHIP(1)=XO*VXt TIFE XSiT(2)YOVYTPE XSHIP(3 )ZO4VZ*T!NF XSHIP(4)0O.O XSHIP(s)=O.O XS41TP(f~)=PSIO+C!FEGA*TIUF RETURN rND
C FILF: ASPECT C-------------------------------------------------------------------------C PURPOSE: C TO CALCULATE A SCATTERFP'S ASPECT ANGLE RELATIVE TO THE RADAR. C C INPUT: C APGU1YENTS: 17 X =X-COOPDINATE OF THF SCATTERER. C Y =Y-COOPDINATE OF THF SCATTEBER. C PST =S!4TP ROTAT!ON ANGLE. C SCTNUF =INDEX TO THE SCATTERFPS (I). c FIRST =FTRST-PASS FlAG. C =.T PUF. FOR THE FIRST PASS THRCUGH THE SINULATION. =.FAISF. OTHEPwISr. C C C OUTPUT: C ARGUMENTS% r ASPFCT =SCATTEREP'S ASPECT ANGLr (PAD). C C AUTHOR: r.Y.NOPRAW. C DFVFLCPED: 4/82. C PCrIFIED: 1982. C-------------------------------------------------------------------------FUNCTION ASPECT(XDY,PSI,SCTUNFIRST) 5 INSERT PCS>BOUTINES>SIZrLOCTCAI FIRST INTEGER*4 TSFED INTEGER SCTNUW PIXFNSION ASPCTO(DIMEN) PPRAVF"ER (DEGPFE=2.0) rATA ASPCTO/rIFFN*O.O/,ISEED/1/
IL C
ASSIGN RANDON INITIAL ASPECT IF(.NOT.FIRST) GO TO 10 AFCOSTU)20(ADAT
E)OS*DGE/126
CCAICUIATE ASPECT 10 ASFECT=ASPCTO(SCTNUM).PSI+ATAN2(Y,Y) 20 RETUFN FN D C FILE: PROCES C-------------------------------------------------------------------------PURPOFE:
TO REALIZE THE SHIP-CG YCTION PROCESSES. C ARGUMENTS: II =INDEX TO THE SHIP-CG PROCFSSES. CNTFRO =CFNTFR FRvCUFNCIFS OF TN! SPFCTPA (rPT/9). BNDWT =PPNDwirTPS OF THE SPECTRA (Rar/s). ISFED =RANDOl N-UNPEP GENERATO. SEEDS (1*4). FIRST =FIRST-FASS FLAG. =.TrE. FOR TYF FIRST PASS TMRCUGH TRE SIMULATION. =.FALSE. CTHEPVISE. TIFF =CURRENT SINUT.ATION TINE (S). OUTPUT: ARGUNENTS: RNDVAR =CURRFNT VALUF CF THE DESIRED PROCESS. AUTHOR: D.Y.NORTHAN.
C C C C C C
DEVELOPED: 4/P2.
MODIFIED: 19S2. SUPRCUTIRF PRCCES( TI,CYTFRQ,RN1DWTH,ISEED,FIRST,JtNDVARTINF) PAPAMETEP (TVOPI=6.2A32,RNSFACz0.44~q9,NAXFPQu3I) LOGICAL FIRST INTEP*4 ISEED COvWOM/RVPLY/S(PAXFRQ,6) ,V(PAYFRCE6) 1DV(6) ,PHI(rAXFRQ,E), PARAWS( O),IFPFQ(6) IF(.NOT.FTRST) CC TO 100
INITIALIZE RANrCP PHAFFS rO 5 TI1,MAXFRC PHI(I,II)=TWOPI*RANDSA( ISFED) INITIALIZE PAIRAWFTEPS PARA1YS(I)=CNTFrQ PARArS(2 )=NWTR WM IN =CNT FRQ - m ruW PARAYS( 3 )=WIN NFPEC(II)=FAXFRC DW(IT )=B~rWTP/1O. CALCULATF THE SPECTFA CALL SPCTFN(1,PARAPS,NFREQ(II),DWCII) ,v(1,ii),s( 1,r)) STORE YPRMAIME SPtCM'IM P X=NFPEQ (II) DO 20 I=1,EAY S(T,II)=!CDT(2.O*S(I,II)* 1 WV(TI)) 10 CCRTTMUF rO TO 200 CALCULATE TN! CURRENT VALUE OF THE PROCESS 100 SU!uo.C MAX=N"PFQC II)
SUr=sUm~s( 1,11)*rOSINE 110 CO?.TTNUr PNVVAR=RNSFAC*FUY 200 RETURN FEND
"FIIE: SPCTPM C-----------------------------------C PURPOSr: C TO GENEPATE THE SPECTRUr OF A PPOCESS OVER A RANGE OF C POSITIVE FREQUFN'IFs.
ARTYPES C C C r' C PAPAYS(1) PAPANS(2) PARA!NS(3) NFRF.Q
=FLAG INDICATING TYPE OF SPECTRUM TO BE GENERATED (1). =CFNTEP FRFCUENCY 'PF TFE (UNTKODAL) SPECTRUM (FAD/S). =BANDWIDTH OF THF SPECTRUP (RAD/S). =LOWIEST FREQUENCY AT WIHICH THE SPr'CTRUP IS TO PE CALCUJLATED'. =NUMPER OF FREQUENCIES AT UPICH THE SPECTRUP IS TO PE CALCULATED. =FFEQUFNCY INCREMENT (F.Ar/S).
C DW C C OUTPUT: C ARGUNENTS: C W =FREQUENlCIES AT WHICH THE SPECTRUM IS CAICULATED (RAD/S). c S =VALUES or~ TFE SPFCTRUV. C C AUTHOR: D.Y.NORTHAF. C DEVELCPFDt 4/82. C nCDIFIED: 1982. C-------------------------------------------------------------------------SUPROUTINE SPCTRN(TYPE,PARAMS,NFPEQ,DW,VS) IN F.GEP TYPE C GO TO (10), TYPE 1 WPITF(l,1) TYPF I FOPFAT('NO SPECTP~l CO TO 20 C C BANDPASS SPECTRUM 10 CITWRC=PARA!0S(1)PNPWTP=PARAMS(2) WY!IN=PARANS(3) ALPHA=BNDWTH/2.0 DO' 15 I=1,FFEO S(I)=ALPH/(APHA**2+(W,(l)-CNTFPQ)**?) S(I)=S(I)+ALPHA/(ALPHA**2+(w(I)+C'NTFRO)**2) S(I):2.0*S(I) 15~ CONTINUE 20 RETURN END flrFTNFP FOP TYPF-',12,* (SPCTRM).')
F.k
NRL REPORT 8U7
REFERENCES 1. J.W. Crispin, Jr., A.L. Maffett, and T.B. Cruz, "RCS Calculation of Complex Shapes-Methods," in Methods of Radar Cross-Section Analysis, J.W. Crispin, Jr. and K.M. Siegel, eds. (Academic Press, New York, 1968), Ch. 9. 2. N.A. Logan, "Survey of Some Early Studies of the Scattering of Plane Waves by a Sphere," Proc. IEEE53 (8), 773-785 (Aug. 1965). 3. J.W. Crispin, Jr. and A.L. Maffett, "The Practical Problem of Radar Cross-Section Analysis," IEEE Trans. AES7 (Correspondence), 392-395 (March 1971). 4. C.G. Bachman, Radar Targets (Lexington Books, 1982).
5. J.W. Wright and A.H. Haddad, "On the Statistical Modeling of Radar Targets," U.S. Army Missile Command, Tech. Report No. RE-72-19, Nov. 1972. 6. J.1. Marcum, "A Statistical Theory of Target Detection by a Pulsed Radar," The Rand Corp., Santa Monica, CA, Report No. RM-754, Dec. 1947.
7. P. Swerling, "Probability of Detection for Fluctuating Targets," The Rand Corp., Santa Barbara, CA, Rand Memo-1217, March 1954. 8. P. Swerling, "Detection of Fluctuating Pulsed Signals in the Presence of Noise," IRE Trans. on IT 3, 175-178 (Sept. 1957). 9. Special Issue on Radar Reflectivity, Proc. IEEE 53 (Aug. 1965).
10. "Target Considerations," in Guidance, A.S. Locke et al., eds. (D. Van Nostrand, 1955), pp. 435444, Ch. 11. 11. -I 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18.
.t. -
R.H. De Lano, "A Theory of Target Glint or Angular Scintillation in Radar Tracking," Proc. IRE 41, 1778-1784 (Dec. 1953). D. Howard, "Radar Target Angular Scintillation in Tracking and Guidance Systems Based on Echo Signal Phase Front Distortion," Proc. of Nat. Elec. Coqf 15, 840-849 (Oct. 13-15, 1959). R.B. Muchmore, "Aircraft Scintillation Spectra," IRE Trans. AP-8 (1), 201 (Jan. 1960). R.B. Muchmore, "Reply to Comments by Leon Peters, Jr., and F.C. Weimer," IRE Trans. AP-9, 112-114 (March 1961). L. Peters, Jr. and F.C. Weimer, "Concerning the Assumption of Random Distribution of Scatterers as a Model of an Aircraft for Tracking Radars," IRE Trans. AP-9, 110-111 (Jan. 1961). L. Peters, Jr. and F.C. Weimer, "Reply to Comments by R.H. De Lano," IRE Trans. AP-9, 228 (March 1961). L. Peters, Jr. and F.C. Weimer, "Reply to Comments by R.B. Muchmore," IRE Trans. AP-9, 229 (March 1961). N.S. Gubonin, "Fluctuation of the Phase Front of the Wave Reflected From a Complex Target," Radio Engineering and Electron Physics 10, 718-725 (May 1965).
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E. Jakeman, "On the Statistics of K-Distributed Noise," .Phys. A: Math. Gen. 13, 31-48 (1980). E. Jakeman, "A Simple Multiscale Scattering Model," OPTICA ACTA 28 (4), 435-441 (1981). E. Jakeman and P.N. Pusey, "The Statistics of Light Scattered by a Random Phase Screen," J. Phys. A Math. Gen. 6, L88-L92 (July 1973). E. Jakeman and P.N. Pusey, "Non-Gaussian Fluctuations in Electromagnetic Radiation Scattered by a Random Phase Screen. 1. Theory," J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 8 (3), 369-391 (1975). E. Jakeman and P.N. Pusey, "A Model for Non-Rayleigh Sea Echo," IEEE Trans. AP-24 (6), 806-814 (Nov. 1976). E. Jakeman and P.N. Pusey, "Photon Counting Statistics of Optical Scintillation," in Inverse Scattering Problems in Optics, H.P. Baltes, ed. (Springer-Verlag, New York, 1980). J.W. Crispin, Jr. and K.M. Siegel, eds., Methods of Radar Cross-Section Analysis (Academic Press, New York, 1968). M.E. Bechtel and R.A. Ross, "Radar Scattering Analysis," Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory Report No. ERIRIS-10, August 1966. J.J. Bowman, T.B.A. Senior, and P.L.E. Uslenghi, eds., Electromagnetic and Acoustic Scattering by Simple Shapes (North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1969). G.T. Ruck, D.E. Barrick, W.D. Stuart, and C.K. Kirchbaum, Radar Cross-Section Handbook, Vols. 1 and 2 (Plenum Press, 1970). J.B. Keller, "A Geometrical Theory of Diffraction," Proc. of Symposium in Applied Math VIII (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1958). 112
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R.V. Ostrovityanov, "Angular Noise," Radio Eng. and Elect. Physics 11 (4), 507-515 (1966). M.L. Varshavchik, "Statistical Characteristics of a Signal Scattered by an Extended Oscillating Body," Radio Eng. and Elect. Physics 13 (10), 1531-1534 (1968). F.E. Brooks, Jr., G.P. DuBose, Jr., and C.W. Tolbert, "Preliminary Survey Report of the 1955 Gulf of Mexico Propagation Tests," Electrical Engineering Research Laboratory, University of Texas, Report No. 3-17 (CM-857), 31 Jan. 1956. A.E. Baitis, W.G. Meyers, and T.R. Applebee, "A Non-Aviation Ship Motion Data Base for the DD963, CG26, FF1052, and the FF1040 Ship Classes," David Taylor Naval Ship R&D Center Report SPD-738-01, Dec. 1976. S.L. Bales, A.E. Baitis, and W.G. Meyers, "Rigid Body Ship Responses and Associated Periods for a Series of Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) Ships," David Taylor Naval Ship R&D Center Report SPD-517-04, Apr. 1975. M. St. Denis and W.J. Pierson, "On the Motions of Ships in Confused Seas," Trans. Soc. Naval Arch. and Marine Eng., pp. 280-357 (1953). W. Froude, "On the Rolling of Ships," Trans. Institution of Naval Architects 2, 180-229 (1861). A. Krilov, "A New Theory of the Pitching Motion of Ships on Waves and of the Stresses Produced by this Motion," Trans. Institution of Naval Architects 37, 326-368 (1896). Z.G. Wachnik and E.E. Farnick, "Ship Motions Prediction in Realistic Short-Crested Seas," Trans. Soc. of NavalArch. and Marine Eng. 73, 100-134 (1965). W.J. Pierson, "A Unified Mathematical Theory for the Analysis, Propagation, and Reflection of Storm Generated Ocean Surface Waves," Parts I and II, New York University College of Engineering Res., Department of Meteorology and Oceanography, 1953. G. Neumann, "On Wave Spectra and a New Method of Forecasting Wind-Generated Sea," Beach Board, Tech. Memorandum No. 43. C.L. Bretschneider, "Wave Variability and Wave Spectra for Wind Generated Gravity Waves," Dept. of the Army, Corps of Engineers Tech. Memorandum 118 (1959). W.J. Pierson and L. Muskowitz, "A Proposed Spectral Form for Fully Developed Wind Seas Based on the Similarity Theory of S.A. Kitaigorodskii," Jour. of Geophysical Research 69 (24), 5181-5190 (1964). P. Levy, "Processus Stochastiques et Movement Brownien," Monographies Des Probabilities, Fascicule Vi, Gauthier-Villars, d. (Paris, 1948). W.J. Pierson, Jr., "Wind-Generated Gravity Waves," in Advances in Geophysics 2, 93, H.E. Landsberg, ed. (Academic Press, New York, 1955). S.O. Rice, "Mathematical Analysis of Random Noise," Bell System Technical Journal 23, 282-332, 24, 46-156 (1944). E. Wong, Stochastic Processes In Information and Dynamical Systems (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1971). 115
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H.J.S. Canham, D.E. Cartwright, G.J. Goodrich, and N. Hogben, "Seakeeping Trials on O.W.S. Weather Reporter," Trans. Royal Inst. Nay. Arch. 104, 447 (1962). W.J. Pierson, G. Neumann, and R. James, "Practical Methods for Observing and Forecasting Ocean Waves," Hydrographic Pub. No. 603 (1971). B. Kinsman, Wind Waves (Prentice Hall, 1965). A. Papoulis, Probability, Random Variables, and Stochastic Processes (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1965). J.S. Baras and D.Y. Northam, "A Statistical-Data Analysis Package; Theoretical Support," (NRL Memorandum Report, forthcoming). J.H. Dunn and D.D. Howard, "Target Noise," in Radar Handbook, M. Skolnik, ed. (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1970), Ch. 28. D.Y. Northam, "Users Guide for a Digital Simulation of Over-Water Multipath Effects," NRL Memorandum Report 5020, March 1983.
93. 94. * 95.
Stochastic
Stochastic Process
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Young men (4) + -
Victims (3) + -
Retribution (2) + -
Rowing (2) + -
Schools (2) + -
Sports rivalries (2) + -
Wealth (2) + -
Accidents (1) + -
Arabs (1) + -
Asylums (1) + -
Boats and boating (1) + -
Book covers (1) + -
Branding (Punishment) (1) + -
Cannibalism (1) + -
Caravans (1) + -
Church buildings (1) + -
Conscience (1) + -
Dead (1) + -
Doppelgängers (1) + -
Dynamite (1) + -
Thorpe, Alfred (Fictitious character) (1) + -
Amazon River (1) + -
Cheyenne (Okla.) (1) + -
Great Lakes (North America) (1) + -
(-) ≠ Austin, Howard
(-) = Draper, Allyn
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100 feet above the housetops, or, The mystery of the old church steeple
Breaking the record, or, Around the world in thirty-three days (chapter 2)
Nameless Nat, or, A millionaire in rags
Harry E. Wolff, Publisher, Inc., 166 West 23d Street
Breaking the record, or, Around the world in thirty-three days (chapter 15)
Dick, "I will," or, The plucky fight of a boy orphan
The houseboat boys, or, Stirring adventures in the Northwest
The boy behind the bar, or, The terrible stories he told (chapter 2)
The richest boy in the world, or, The wonderful adventures of a young American
Frank Tousey, Publisher, 168 West 23d Street
Bowery Ben, or, The boy without a name (chapter 23-24), Making it pay, or, The boy who bought a newspaper (chapter 1)
Worth a million, or, A boy's fight for justice
Draper, Allyn, Richards, J. P., Wade, William
Frank Tousey, Publisher, 168 West 23d St.
Simple Sam the poor boy, or, Not so green as he looked (chapter 6-7), Making it pay, or, The boy who bought a newspaper (chapter 8)
A Monte Cristo at 18, or, From slave to avenger
Out for money, or, A poor boy's chance in a big city (chapter 9-10), Hustling Joe Brown, or, The boy who kept the town alive (chapter 6)
How my life was saved
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Journal Of Theological Education
Didaktikos is a journal written by professors, for professors, who teach in biblical, theological, and related disciplines and who help train pastors and other ministry leaders. Published five times a year by Faithlife, the maker of Logos Bible Software, the journal provides a forum for encouraging and supporting professors in their academic calling and personal ministries.
The journal’s content focuses on the vocation of teaching theology, biblical studies, and related disciplines, particularly at the graduate level and in service to the church. Articles address trends in contemporary scholarship, pedagogy (classroom and online), career development, faculty matters and ethics, and ministry-related issues.
VOLUME 1 CONTRIBUTORS INCLUDE
Craig L. Blomberg
Craig S. Keener
Robert Smith, Jr.
Tremper Longman III
Mark L. Strauss
Craig A. Evans
Jennifer Powell McNutt
Kevin Vanhoozer
Joanne Jung
Grant R. Osborne
Sandra Woodson
Kelly M. Kapic
Fred Sanders
Lissa Wray Beal
The journal’s name comes from 2 Timothy 2:24 : But it is necessary that a servant of the Lord not be quarrelsome but be gentle to all, skilled in teaching (διδακτικός), patient even in the midst of evil.
Didaktikos is mailed free of charge to theological faculty in the United States and Canada.
Douglas Estes, assistant professor of New Testament and practical theology; director of the doctor of ministry program at South University, Columbia (Columbia, South Carolina)
Karen H. Jobes, Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor Emerita of New Testament Greek and Exegesis, Wheaton College and Graduate School (Wheaton, Illinois)
Beth M. Stovell, assistant professor of Old Testament, Ambrose Seminary of Ambrose University (Calgary, Alberta)
E. Randolph Richards, provost and professor of biblical studies, School of Ministry at Palm Beach Atlantic University (West Palm Beach, Florida)
Douglas A. Sweeney, professor and chair of the Church History & History of Christian Thought Department, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Deerfield, Illinois)
Logos Academic Blog
Didaktikos Faithlife Group
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Changing the way work happens in Ontario
COHIP
Search around my position
The Coworking Health Insurance Plan was created by Ashley Proctor in partnership with Coworking Ontario and was launched in 2013. Originally COHIP was made available to all members of coworking spaces that participated in the Coworking Ontario collective. On April 1st 2016, COHIP expanded to become an independent national plan with additional plans available to members provincially. COHIP.ca
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Site produced by Rhubarb Media
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Standard Innovation Corporation
Standard Innovation Corporation is a world leader in designing and manufacturing high-quality, safe, eco-friendly intimate products. Our original and signature couples product, the We-Vibe, quickly became the fastest selling sexual wellness product of its type in history. Dedicated to shaping the future of sexual health and well-being, we have expanded our product family to include a solo-line of products including Thrill by We-Vibe™, Tango by We-Vibe™ and Touch by We-Vibe™. The full family of Standard Innovation’s We-Vibe branded products is currently available at thousands of retail locations in over 50 countries around the world.
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We have alot of fun and we laugh alot. It can’t be helped.
Company Website: www.standardinnovation.com
Location Ottawa, ON, Canada
# Employees 11 - 49
Public/Private Privately Owned
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Category Archives: Poetry and its forms and meanings
This is my latest love poem, and I have to say that even though not all of my poems are love poems, I’m beginning to wonder if people are getting tired of my favorite poetic subject, of all my poetic subjects, if they by and large aren’t poetically inclined, if they resent rhyme (as I often use it, and some people consider it out of style), or if they’re even reading my output at all. I still am getting tons of reads of my literary essays, some even all the way back to 2012 when I first started my blog, but it’s rare for people to comment on the poetry, or even give it a “like,” which admittedly is a bit of a lazy technique for comments, though I have occasionally used them when I couldn’t think of what else to say. So, if you are reading, folks out there, don’t feel unequal to the situation, or shy: most poets are flattered even to be read. I can tell by some of my stats that the poetry is less popular, but other stats suggest that some readers are getting to it through “Archives” and the “front page,” as I call it. Let me invite you to read, and have your say.
A Theory of Time
After a while, the rope will fray and break
That is tied and stretched and tested for love's
long sake;
Though aeons may pass without apparent change
Then on a sudden the atoms will rearrange
Themselves, and the threads will fast unweave
And the lover's heart, torn and tattered, cease
to cleave
(Except when "cleave" means to split and to divide,
Whereupon the rope then untwines from side to side
Rather like two snakes, themselves undoing from acts
If really that were their destined formation,
to be wove.)
Rope, quite like the mirror, split from side to side,
And Tennyson's curse seems to mock and to deride.
Ropes and rivers, and bodies in boats drifting
with the tide
To Camelot, where the towers spread out wide,
And boats are secured, as long as ropes hold true,
But boats are just boats, and rue is only rue.
For when men and ladies rue what has been done,
And time rolls around, intent to spare not one,
Then Camelot once again peeks out from time
Granting a suffering unwound and sublime.
And then threads of love lie loosely
on the ground,
Quiescent, dependent from the parent round
So that all one can say is "It once was
in Camelot,
And wherever else, and now the bonds are not."
For, regal and royal we most of us just fail of,
And our Camelots flourish on more quotidian love,
Long testings and strivings, so noble and honored
and free--
Why, ropes already riven would float us out
to sea!
So, consider, my love, that I still love and hope,
Though for aeons, it seems, I haven't yanked
on the rope;
But left you at peace, where it seems you want
to be,
As far as a galaxy, universe, from me.
©4/19/2019 by Victoria L. Bennett
Filed under Poetry and its forms and meanings, What is literature for?
Tagged as literary topics, love poems, philosophical poetry, poetry by V.L. Bennett
Though some of you may be unacquainted with the term “responsive reading,” many of you will know the form from a church context. It is in form in which the minister, rabbi, imam, or priest speaks certain set lines, and the congregation, when he or she is done, repeats another set line or lines, usually shorter, which seems to sum up or comment upon what the leader said. I decided to try writing a secular poem using this form, even a secular poem which ends with a reference to my very best friend, my cat. Some might feel that this is reductive of the form in a profane way, but I like to think that what comes around goes around, and that as I have also written some poems with God-references and spiritual topics, I’m allowed. So, here is the poem:
Responsive Reading
How many bright morning are left in the day
‘Ere mornings and evenings and all pass away?
How long shall I linger, how long shall I strive?
How long before I am no longer alive?
And then there falls a long silence.
Though I am still searching for dubious goals,
And most of my best-laid plans have gaping holes,
I yet ponder daily on how to achieve
The things I most want to do before I leave.
And it seems that the sky folds and snickers.
It happened upon a time there was someone
Who made all my days much more easily run;
But then he found other things far more his style,
And left without grieving, but just with a smile.
Love is a mug’s game, through and through.
So, now I prize letters that fall on the mat,
And seek correspondents, and dote on my cat;
And make my dear calico poems on her eyes–
At least to her I need not spout any lies.
Love is salvation, between true companions.
Oh Lucie, oh Lucie, oh Lucie-Minou!
Your eyes are like jade, and your nature’s so true;
I would that all humans were loyal as you,
And smart and quick-witted, and beautiful too!
We all eventually find our own way out.
©4/1/2019 by Victoria L. Bennett
Filed under Poetry and its forms and meanings
Tagged as cats and dogs, poetry by V.L. Bennett
Upon first perusing Rupi Kaur’s second book of poetry, The Sun and Her Flowers, published in 2017 hard upon the heels of her extremely successful first book, Milk and Honey (which I haven’t yet read), I was at first a little disappointed. The complicated devices and figures I, at least, prefer to find in poetry were missing. The poem was a long sort of prose poem of most short, declarative sentences, with a few questions strewn here and there, interspersed with clever sketches of the stages of a woman’s life. The most complicated comparison seemed to be that of comparing people to sunflowers, which, in the titles of the various divisions of the poem, go through stages of “wilting,” “falling,” “rooting,” “rising,” and “blooming.” That seemed at first not only too simple, but a little simple-minded. But something kept me reading, anyway. Perhaps it was the desire to see the “plot” fulfilled, which is one of the characteristic things analysts say drives the reading of a prose work. I mean, given the organic governing metaphors, and the theme of “to everything a season,” a certain uplift at the end was to be expected, it was apparent. Still, this particular evocation of the growing season had somehow become more interesting than just the generalized comparison: she had sneaked it in on me.
As I read, I followed the poem through the delineation of a violently-inclined love affair and its end, the grief and desolation which follow the ending of even a bad love, the gradual recuperation that, if one is basically life-oriented and sensible, one tries to develop or find, the impulse toward re-growth that follows, and the also gradual rise into a new love and a community awareness of the family as a whole. But let’s take that a little slower. The first parts of the poem are addressed to a “you” who is a bad influence; then, gradually the “you” disappears; then it morphs into a “you” who is a sudden and surprising treasure; then, an awareness of the loves of different generations of the family develops; then, a recounting of the difficulties that migration presents even to two parents or forbears who love each other, and a detailing of the anxieties and separations they must endure for their families comes next; then, a modest gesture toward discussing the life of societal pressures and how this affects immigrants in a new country sums up the whole. Really, by the time I finished the book, I was quite impressed with just how forcefully and completely this poetic vision had fulfilled itself, and all in a series of simple, non-capitalized, mostly unpunctuated sentences. (Not that capitalization or punctuation are regular in poetry anyway, as a general rule, or that they are to be expected in free verse, but when one is confronted with apparent simplicity as a device, one can begin to question whether or not it’s overdone. Happily, such was not the end result in this case.)
By this time, I was sufficiently humbled to want to read the graceful (and again, simple) biographical sketch of Rupi Kaur which takes place at the end of the book. It was a bit vague, and I would have liked more details (which, like jewels, or buds, if one prefers to stick to the organic metaphor, were strewn throughout the summary). Basically, the artist’s statement was that “I am the product of all the ancestors getting together and deciding these stories need to be told”). One set of topics which I have not touched upon yet, and which the poem also dealt with in detail was female liberation from the restraints of a conventional and hidebound societal influence, and how various generations of women have achieved it. As the blurb stated, and as I have in a general way sketched out above were: “love, loss, trauma, healing, feminity, migration, and revolution.” That’s just about said it all, but that’s saying a lot.
There are many different styles and kinds of poetry kicking around these days, and everyone can mostly choose for himself or herself which to pursue for edification, but if you read no other book of poetry this year, it’s at least arguable that you should read this one, which is based in technique upon the poet’s experiences in delivering performance poetry in places in Canada, her country of adoption. After all, you can hardly go wrong with a long poem which has not only an organic metaphor governing its development, organic metaphors consistently expressing things “all flesh is heir to,” but which also describes a particular historical experience of a large group of people. Give it a read; I think you’ll be both pleasantly surprised and greatly impressed, whatever your first impression, or your overall take on performance poetry. As for me, at some time in the near future, I’ll be dipping into Milk and Honey by the same author, to see what word experience she started out by allowing me to immerse myself in! Shadowoperator
Filed under Articles/reviews, Poetry and its forms and meanings, What is literature for?
Tagged as literary topics, love poems, originality, quality, Rupi Kaur
“Wistfulness”–A poem for “the one who got away” (so far!)
This is probably one of the shortest poems I’ve ever written, but sometimes, when saying is simple and enough, however justified or not, it’s enough. The title is, of course, a key feature of this poem.
Wistfulness
You and I shall meet again, in the darkness
Or in the light, should by chance we see God’s face,
The surprise may be yours, mine the glory,
Still unknown to both of us the time, the place.
The things we say, the things we do leave our warrant
And our deed, and our habits, and our trace,
Still, I hope to enfold you in my welcome,
And to share with you in God’s most loving grace.
©9/28/2018 by Victoria Leigh Bennett
Filed under commonplace "the vanity of human wishes", Poetry and its forms and meanings, What is literature for?
Tagged as God vs. human love, humanism and Eros, little bits and pieces, love poems
Purity, blankness, innocence, guilt, and knowledge–An attempt at philosophy in “The Blank Slate”
Occasionally, I make an attempt at a philosophical/rhetorical poem, though sad to say, it’s difficult to make it a truly “poetic” poem at the same time, at least for me. But I hope, at least, that what this poem loses in meter, or rhyme, or word play (though there are a few paradoxes here and there), it gains in comprehensive, overall clarity in covering the subject. I think the subject of purity is still a riddle for most of us, since we leave the safe confines of total ignorance and innocence from the moment we are born and steadily accumulating impressions and knowledge. At any rate, here is an attempt to comment on the subject of purity from an adult’s perspective, after the fact:
The Blank Slate
Scholars, people of learning
Have spilled oceans of ink
Have typed, have dictated,
Have processed, have created
Countless words
About the tabula rasa.
Yet none were so innocent
As to simply shrug
Or keep silent.
And none of their words
Were so guilty
As to tell the real truth.
Purity, of a sort,
Is like their ignorance.
Purity’s feet stink
Because an honest person sweats;
Purity cries out
Because an injured person
Grieves aloud;
Purity is like that.
Purity stares at you, uncertain
What you mean
And waiting for you to explain.
Purity, like yin or yang
Paradoxically
Has an element of knowledge in it
Some slight awareness of the other
Or else how would you know
What to compare it to?
Gets tripped up easily
By its opposite,
Maybe knowing there’s something
To avoid,
But not sure of what, how, or why.
It is too unschooled.
Purity and existence are at odds most often–
Just as Sartre claimed we all have dirty hands,
And “existence precedes essence,”
So we always have to ask ourselves,
“What price purity?”
If someone is pure, who made them so?
Who kept them in the dark
About starving hordes, and ticks,
And malevolence?
What makes them so special,
That they are allowed to be ignorant
Of what hurts?
Yet, we are still wistful
For the days when we too were somewhat blank,
Even if guilty by birth.
Purity, in sum,
Is something that,
Whether we ever had it or not–
We had in our mind’s most fervent imagination
From the first time we were asked,
“Who did this?”
And we were able genuinely to answer,
“Not I.”
Yes, purity is like that.
Filed under Literary puzzles and arguments, Poetry and its forms and meanings, What is literature for?
Tagged as literary topics, philosophical poetry, poetry by V.L. Bennett, tabula rasa, the blank slate
A poem for true denizens of the temperate zone–“The Comfort of Dread”
Oh, if only it were always summer! But then, perhaps if it were, we wouldn’t appreciate it, so goes the temperate zone dweller’s argument. The last winter (winter 2017-18) was so severe here in the American Northeast, however, and lasted so long into Spring that one shivers in advance, even at the end of July, especially when we’re already having (and have never stopped having) storms and rain and yucky skies. Right now, though, I can afford to be a bit blasé, perhaps, at least enough to write a poem on the topic which is not totally despairing. It does perhaps have one of those human contradictions in it that we often run across when listening to people discussing the weather. Here goes:
The Comfort of Dread
It’s almost the end of summer,
There is only one month left,
I’m dreading already the winter,
And the cold weather’s mighty, strong heft.
The ice, and the snow, and the chilblains,
(What are chilblains?)
What one used to have
When the frozen air got on one’s knuckles,
And one couldn’t afford a fine salve.
Yes, I dread even antique disasters,
Such as visited people of yore,
When the wind whistled ’round the high turrets
And the snow blew in under the door.
It’s useless to tell me I’m modern,
And I live in apartmented bliss,
After all, these things are so comparative,
And someone lives better than this.
Oh, it’s almost the end of warm greetings,
From one’s family and lovers and friends,
For on cold days they’re bundled and shivering,
And they all complain so without end.
Why, oh why, can’t there be a fine climate
Where we can determine the air,
Where the heat and AC are like indoors,
And follow us everywhere?
But I guess I wouldn’t be happy
Not to live through the change and to bitch,
So the temperate zone, chill or hotter,
Is where I will serve out my hitch.
Filed under poems on the weather, Poetry and its forms and meanings
Tagged as an imitation of John Greenleaf Whittier, literary topics, little bits and pieces, poetry by V.L. Bennett
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