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Fair Courts E-lert: ABA Gives SCOTUS Nominee "Well Qualified" Rating; NV Specialty Courts to Expand
ABA Gives Merrick Garland “Well Qualified” Rating
On Tuesday, the American Bar Association (ABA) announced it had given U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Merrick Garland a rating of “well qualified,” the organization’s highest rating, writes Nolan D. McCaskill for Politico. The ABA reviewed his legal writings and “conducted interviews with dozens of Garland’s peers” to decide the rating. Karol Corbin Walker, who chairs the ABA’s Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary, said the evaluation is based “solely on its comprehensive, nonpartisan, non-ideological peer review of the nominee’s integrity, professional competence, and judicial temperament,” according to Politico. Walker also commented on Judge Garland’s “exceptional intellect, industry, and superior work ethic.” White House counsel Neil Eggleston said the ABA “‘joins a multitude of distinguished voices from across the political spectrum’ who have approved of Garland’s qualifications to sit on the high court.” However, David Popp, communications director for Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) highlighted that “[w]hen the ABA gave Justice Alito their highest rating—unanimously—then-Sens. Obama and Biden both turned around and joined a filibuster to block his nomination.”
JUDICIAL VACANCIES
Progress Made Towards Appointment of Idaho Federal Judge
Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee “signaled strong backing” for the appointment of Judge David Nye for an Idaho federal judgeship, writes Rob Hotakainen for the Idaho Statesman. Hotakainen says Judge Nye is a “consensus pick of President Barack Obama and the state’s senators, Republicans Mike Crapo and Jim Risch.” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said the Judge Nye “represent[s] something I’ve never seen before: a person that can get Crapo, Risch and Obama on the same sheet of music.” Risch said Idaho was in “a unique situation” because it has been “operating with only one full-time federal judge since last July.” Therefore, both Idaho senators “urged the Judiciary Committee to move quickly to confirm Nye as a way to help ease Idaho’s judicial emergency,” despite the fact that they “back their party leaders in wanting to wait to fill the Supreme Court vacancy until Obama leaves office.” In a statement, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) reminded the committee that “[i]t has been 97 days since Chief Judge Garland’s nomination to the Supreme Court of the United States, yet Republicans refuse to allow him a hearing before this committee.”
COURT FUNDING
NV Specialty Courts to Expand with Additional Funding
The Nevada Legislature recently expanded specialty court services and increased funding for these courts, explains a press release from the Supreme Court of Nevada. The legislation, which was “signed into law June 11 by Governor Brain Sandoval” will benefit specialty courts and diversion programs such as “drug, mental health, DUI, veterans’ and other problem-solving courts.” The legislature “earmarked $3 million per year for each year of the biennium from the state general fund to provide specialty court services to an additional 800-900 participants. In addition, the legislature allocated $1.4 million to restore specialty court funding to FY 2015 levels,” according to the press release. “The additional money will create opportunities in the rural courts that have not existed before,” said Chief Justice James Hardesty. Justice Michael Douglas, who is the chairman of the Specialty Court Funding Committee, added: “With this additional funding, I believe our legislators understand it is better to give people an opportunity to improve their condition – whether it be from drugs, alcohol, or mental health – rather than place them in jails and increase the burden on taxpayers for funding incarceration.”
JUDICIAL RECUSAL
SCOTUS Denies Cert in Philip Morris Appeal
Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition for certiorari by plaintiffs in a long-term class-action suit against cigarette company Philip Morris, writes the Associated Press. The AP explains that in the lawsuit “hundreds of thousands of Illinois smokers” accused the company of consumer fraud for “deceptively market[ing] ‘light’ and ‘low-tar’ Marlboro cigarettes as a healthier alternative.” The plaintiffs were initially granted a $10.1 billion verdict, which was appealed a number of times before being overturned by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2015. The plaintiffs appealed the state supreme court decision to the U.S. Supreme Court because they believed “Lloyd Karmeier, an elected member of the Illinois Supreme Court, should have stepped aside because he made statements during his 2014 election campaign criticizing the judgment and had received campaign contributions from a group partly funded by Philip Morris,” reported Lawrence Hurley for Reuters. According to the AP, an attorney for Philip Morris’ parent company Altria Group, Murray Garnick, said: “Today’s action by the U.S. Supreme Court effectively ends this case once and for all.”
The Mueller Report Is Here
Wisconsin’s Most Expensive Supreme Court Election in a Decade
The Importance of Independent, Unbiased Data
Trump’s vision for judiciary makeup not aligned with America’s demographics
What Happens When Judges Police Themselves In Secret? Not Much
State Supreme Court Races Emerge As Another Front In Redistricting Wars
Criminal Justice; Election Security
Rebecca Autrey
rebecca.autrey@nyu.edu
Liberty and National Security; Redistricting and Census
Mia Navarro
Senior Media Strategist
mireya.navarro@nyu.edu
Money in Politics; Law Enforcement Leaders; General Inquiries
Alexandra Ringe
ringea@brennan.law.nyu.edu
Voting Rights and Elections; Fair Courts
Derek Rosenfeld
Media Strategist
derek.rosenfeld@nyu.edu
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Player Poll: Strange Pre-Game Rituals
Staff writers, NRL.com
Sun 6 Mar 2016, 05:28 PM
Nerves were sure to be at their most frayed in NRL dressing rooms during Round One, so we asked some of the game's stars which teammates have the strangest pre-game rituals...
Ben Hannant (Cowboys)
"Lachie Maranta was one back at the Broncos when I was there. It was proper weird, him staring at a wall and knocking his drinks over, and he had to walk out of the dressing sheds a certain way. At the Cowboys everyone is pretty cruisy."
Gareth Widdop (Dragons)
"It's hard because half of our squad is completely new so that's a tough one to answer. I'll tell you if we're talking England, James Graham carries his hot water bottle around with him in the sheds before a game."
Chris Lawrence (Wests Tigers)
"I don't think there's anyone that strange. Maybe 'Woodsy' (Aaron Woods) because he's got to do his hair now. He's got to get in front of the mirror and do his hair with his headband so I'll say Woodsy."
Luke Douglas (Titans)
"I don't know if you'd call it a ritual as such but Josh Hoffman always strips down to his jocks and dances and twerks and carries on around the changing rooms before every game. It definitely lightens the mood and gets all the boys relaxed but after a while when kick-off gets closer Neil comes around the corner and says, 'Righto, music off.' When we were in Bathurst playing the Panthers he was going pretty hard but he toned it down a bit after that."
Jason Taumalolo (Cowboys)
"I'm pretty sure it was Ashton Sims. It was something about wearing the same pair of jocks the night before the game. I'm not too superstitious but if that works for him, I'll be more than happy to try."
Alex Glenn (Broncos)
"It would be Lachlan Maranta. He always has to tip his drink over in front of him before we go out to play. He then sprays his sticky spray on his hands and high fives Jack Reed. I don’t know why but it has to be done. He also goes up to a wall and stands very close to it, about 10 centimetres, and just stares at the wall. I don't know if he's praying but I always see him just standing and staring at the wall."
Aaron Woods (Wests Tigers)
"Probably Kyle Lovett. He gets a hair cut every week. I don't understand why. His nickname is 'Sarge' and he's got to wear the same clothes to the captain's run and everything's got to be in order with him, he's a weird guy. He's a real routine freak, first in off the field, first in the showers and first home. He's different."
This article first appeared on NRL.com
Kia Ora Kiwis! Our Home Season Opener v New Zealand Warriors is here…
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Two Broncos Charged
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Florida Officials Expected to Approve Bear Hunting and "Harvest Objectives"
Jonathan Kendall
Officials suggest that 20 percent of Florida's black bear population can be killed.
photo by DGriebiling via Flickr creative commons
Jonathan Kendall | June 23, 2015 | 8:18am
UPDATED: As expected, FWC officials have approved the hunting of hundreds of black bears this fall.
In 1974, officials at the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) listed the Florida black bear as a threatened species. The protected status prevented the public from hunting the vulnerable bears, helping them to make considerable population gains despite increasing habitat loss.
By 2002, there were about 3,000 bears in the wild, but with the success of the conservation effort came the ultimate delisting of the bears as a threatened species in 2012.
Black Bear Hunting Could Become Legal in Florida This Summer
Since the bears are no longer believed to face imminent extinction, seven FWC commissioners will convene at the Hyatt Regency in Sarasota today to determine whether hunters should be allowed to kill hundreds of bears this fall as a means of "managing" the species' population.
The commissioners are considering the hunt because it could be used to reduce the number of bears in suburban and urban areas, and, in doing so, curb "human and bear conflicts."
Though the exact number of bears allowed to be killed has not been finalized, Katie Purcell, FWC's assistant director of community relations, told New Times an entire fifth of the bear population is apparently expendable.
"We are still working on harvest objectives," she said. "However, bear mortality of around 20 percent of the population annually should stabilize the population. The total of 20 percent mortality would include hunting, vehicle strikes, and FWC’s euthanasia of conflict bears. Harvest objectives will be designated for each specific Bear Management Unit, and the length of the season will be determined by achievement of the objectives."
If the majority of FWC commissioners officially approve of the weeklong hunting season, which would run from October 24 to October 30 (but could end sooner if objectives are reached early), it is expected to draw hunters from across the United States, armed with crossbows and shotguns, into the wilds of Florida so they can have the bragging rights of being among the first in decades to shoot down the unsuspecting bears, who happen to be the state's largest land mammal.
However, critics of the hunt believe that since the 20 percent "harvest objective" is based on a black bear population estimate done in 2002, finalizing a rule to hunt the animals on possibly outdated data could be irresponsible, not to mention premature, as there is another estimate currently underway that is expected to be completed next summer.
Critics believe hunting the animals is unwarranted because the bears rarely attack humans. Indeed, multiple FWC officials told New Times that bear attacks are rare. Since 1976, only 16 people have been directly injured by black bears "in some capacity," four of which could be considered attacks. Purcell says "none" of the encounters was fatal.
"Bears are only approaching humans because of garbage left out. The answer is as simple as better, bear-resistant trash cans," said critic Wendy King. "Black bears were only removed from Florida's threatened list a few years ago, and now they want to allow hunters to kill 275 of them, [even when] it has been shown that simply cutting down the bear population does not work."
Activists are also concerned because the bears already face another significant threat: vehicles. In the past decade, about 2,000 black bears have died on roads due to car collisions.
One such incident happened in December 2014 near Big Cypress Seminole Reservation, when a motorist hit and killed a 300-pound bear in her SUV one night. Three men in a second vehicle stopped to help her but were killed when a third vehicle plowed into them.
Some activists fear that the bears have been blamed and demonized for the tragedy and that the hunting season is really a way of limiting them as a nuisance to humans.
The activists believe the animals have the right to flourish in Florida too, especially since they have not directly killed anybody in decades. They also fear the well-being of cubs if their mothers are hunted down.
The FWC already concedes to activists' claims that hunting black bears will not stop human and bear conflicts, stating that even in states known to allow seasonal hunts, human-bear conflicts persist, as bears search out food sources like garbage and pet food.
"The most successful way to reduce human-bear conflicts," states FWC's website, "... is to secure items that attract bears into neighbor[hoods]."
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Random Thoughts Share This Page
Indian Cricket- Sign of Bad Times
by Ananya S Guha
M.S.Dhoni made a surprising statement on the eve of the Kolkata test in the current series against England. Normally Dhoni is not prone to make statements, publicly, rash or brash - he is a reticent, cool headed person normally. Perhaps he was under undue pressure from the public and the media the two able watch dogs of Indian cricket. But neverthless it is surprising, to put it mildly, if we look at his statements closely.
He said, that the home team has the prerogative to prepare tailor made pitches, and it doesn't matter if India wins or loses. Firstly, though by admission the home team makes pitches to suit it, this is a convention, and cannot obviously be the rule. Secondly if one admits the former, then obviously again, it is winning which matters most. Dhoni's statement is a contradiction in terms, it should matter that India wins and NOT loses; that is the objective of the preogative sought - that the home team prepares pitches which will suit its conditions.
The statement came in the wake of the chief curator at the Eden Gardens, who refused to take 'unofficial' orders, and wanted the same in writing! He had more than a point there, and one can't help but admire the moral guts of the man, who in a way refused to kow tow to the 'bosses'. I wish our country could show some more exemplary examples of individuals with courage, who do not rush with the madding crowd, and do little to blandish favours...
But Dhoni did an u turn, he defended the action, and tried to make little of it by saying callously, with an air of bravado, it doesn't matter whether we win or lose! Of course it does matter! The ultimate goal is winning, but not winning at all costs. Dhoni's remarks were redolent of a desperation, something which he normally does not do. As I said earlier he is generally very cool and level headed, going about his job, whether it is captaincy, keeping, or batting in a workmanlike manner. He has become a point of admiration for possessing such qualities, which befit the leader or the captain.
There have been whispers, for a long time that all is not well in the Indian cricket team, with Sehwag being one of the recalcitrant features. There may be a basis to it, but cricketinng teams of countries are now becoming more complex ridden, what with separate teams being used for the three forms of cricket. And, if you have the same captain heading all the three teams, his job becomes not only more onerous, but he becomes a manager and administrator as well.
But Dhoni's remarks are fraught with contradiction and desperation. And that is the sign that is worrying, and a sign of troubled times for Indian cricket, swamped as it is with the love of the lucre.
More by : Ananya S Guha
Top | Random Thoughts
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Cluj-Napoca - Reykjavik, Iceland
Oferte avion + cazare de la Cluj-Napoca catre Reykjavik, Iceland
1173EUR Sep
Vibrant Iceland Hostel
Property Location Located in Hafnarfjordur, Vibrant Iceland Hostel is in the suburbs and convenient to Ishestar Riding Tours and Hellisgerdi Park. This hostel is within closeNonrefundable
EUR117364EUR
Guesthouse Álfar
Property Location With a stay at Guesthouse Álfar in Hafnarfjordur, you'll be within a 10-minute drive of Perlan and Hallgrimskirkja. This guesthouse is 5.7 mi (9.1 km) fromRefundable
Guesthouse Summerday
Property Location With a stay at Guesthouse Summerday in Reykjavik (Reykjavík East), you'll be convenient to Kringlan Shopping Mall and Laugavegur. This guesthouse is close to
The Capital-Inn
Reykjavík East vezi hotelul pe harta
Property Location With a stay at The Capital-Inn in Reykjavik (Reykjavík East), you'll be within a 5-minute drive of Laugavegur and Perlan. This guesthouse is 2.5 mi (4 km) fromNonrefundable
Anitas Guesthouse
Property Location With a stay at Anitas Guesthouse in Grindavik, you'll be within a 10-minute drive of Blue Lagoon and Reykjanes UNESCO Global Geopark. This guesthouse is 30.9 miNonrefundable
The Base by Keflavík Airport
Reykjavik vezi hotelul pe harta
The Base by Keflavik Airport
Property Location When you stay at The Base by Keflavik Airport in Keflavik, you'll be near the airport and within a 5-minute drive of The Icelandic Museum of Rock 'n' Roll. ThisNonrefundable
Reykjavik Peace Center
Reykjavik Peace Center Recenzii de la Tripadvisor
Atlantic Apartments and Rooms
Laugardalur vezi hotelul pe harta
Property Location With a stay at Atlantic Apartments and Rooms in Reykjavik (Reykjavík East), you'll be within a 5-minute drive of Kringlan Shopping Mall and Grasagardur BotanicalNonrefundable
Reykjavik Hostel Village
Hallgrimskirkja vezi hotelul pe harta
Property Location A stay at Reykjavik Hostel Village places you in the heart of Reykjavik, within a 10-minute walk of Laugavegur and Hallgrimskirkja. This family-friendly hostel isNonrefundable
4th Floor Hotel
Property Location With a stay at 4th Floor Hotel, you'll be centrally located in Reykjavik, steps from Laugavegur and 12 minutes by foot from Hallgrimskirkja. This hotel is 1.2 mi (2Nonrefundable
First Hotel Reykjavik Kopavogur
Property Location When you stay at First Hotel Reykjavik Kopavogur in Kopavogur, you'll be in a shopping district, within a 10-minute drive of Laugavegur and Perlan. This hotel isNonrefundable
Metropolitan Recenzii de la Tripadvisor
Property Location With a stay at Metropolitan Hotel in Reykjavik, you'll be minutes from Reykjavik City Library and Reykjavik City Hall. This hotel is within close proximity of Reykjavik Harbour and Landakotskirkja.Rooms Make yourself at home in one of the 31 guestrooms. Complimentary wireless Internet access is available to keep you connected. Bathrooms have shower/tub combinations and complimentary toiletries. Conveniences include phones, and both cribs/infant beds and rollaway/extra beds are available on request.Dining Breakfast is available for a fee.Business, Other Amenities Featured amenities include dry cleaning/laundry services, luggage storage, and an elevator (lift).
B&B Keflavik Airport Hotel
Bed and Breakfast Keflavík Airport Hotel
Property Location When you stay at Bed and Breakfast Keflavík Airport Hotel in Keflavik, you'll be near the airport and within a 5-minute drive of The Icelandic Museum of Rock 'n'Nonrefundable
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BC women top Princeton to reach third straight Final Four
This is an excerpt of a story from BostonGlobe.com. Don't have a Globe subscription? Subscribe for just 99 cents.
They'll face third seed North Carolina on Friday in the NCAA Division 1 semifinals.
Boston College's Kate Taylor celebrates her goal Saturday. –Matthew J. Lee / Globe Staff
The Boston College women’s lacrosse team is headed to the Final Four for the third consecutive season.
The second-seeded Eagles (21-1) defeated Princeton, 17-10, Saturday afternoon in Newton to secure their trip to Baltimore, where they will face third seed North Carolina on Friday in the NCAA Division 1 semifinals. The Tar Heels (17-3), which dealt BC its only loss of the season in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game, advanced with a 14-7 win over Virginia (13-7).
Graduate senior Kenzie Kent, a Norwell native, led the Eagles’ attack with 8 points (two goals, six assists). Kent’s six assists tied her single-game program record, set last week against Colorado.
Finish the story on BostonGlobe.com.
Don't have a Globe subscription? Subscribe for just 99 cents.
TOPICS: College Sports Lacrosse
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After Brennan, 9 others face losing security clearances, too
Associated PressAugust 15, 2018, 6:21 p.m.
Top row from left, Michael Hayden, James Comey, Andrew McCabe, and Susan Rice. Bottom row from left, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, Sally Yates, James Clapper. (Associated Press/File)
WASHINGTON — President Trump on Wednesday acted on a threat and revoked the security clearance of former CIA director John Brennan, citing a constitutional responsibility to protect classified information. Brennan, who served in the Obama administration, had retained his security clearance, as is custom, but had also become an increasingly sharp critic of Trump’s.
Trump says he is reviewing security clearances for nine other individuals: James Clapper, James Comey, Michael Hayden, Sally Yates, Susan Rice, Andrew McCabe, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, and Bruce Ohr. Some have been publicly critical of the president, while others are linked to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference.
Trump calls the investigation a ‘‘witch hunt.’’
A look at the 10 individuals:
In a written statement, Trump cited ‘‘erratic conduct and behavior’’ by President Barack Obama’s CIA director as justification for revoking Brennan’s security clearance. Trump also accused Brennan of ‘‘lying’’ and ‘‘wild outbursts.’’ At a news conference last month in Finland, Trump stood alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and openly questioned U.S. intelligence agencies’ conclusions that Moscow tried to influence the 2016 election in his favor. Trump also seemed to accept Putin’s denials of Russian involvement.
Afterward, Brennan criticized Trump’s performance in Finland as ‘‘nothing short of treasonous’’ and accused him of being ‘‘wholly in the pocket of Putin.’’
Clapper served Obama as director of national intelligence and has held key positions in the U.S. intelligence community. He has been critical of Trump and told CNN on Wednesday that he has no plans to stop speaking out when he’s asked for his views on the Trump administration.
‘‘If they’re saying that the only way I can speak is to be in an adulation mode of this president, I’m sorry. I don’t think I can sign up to that,’’ Clapper said.
Trump fired Comey from his post as FBI director in May 2017 over the bureau’s Russia investigation. Comey had also announced in July 2016 that the FBI would not recommend charges against Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton for her email practices as Obama’s secretary of state. Trump believes the investigation was handled unfairly because of what he alleges is political bias against him at the FBI. Comey does not have a security clearance; Trump said Comey may not be able to have it reinstated.
Following the Trump-Putin summit in July, Comey tweeted, ‘‘This was the day an American president stood on foreign soil next to a murderous lying thug and refused to back his own country.’’
Michael Hayden
The veteran U.S. intelligence official is a former director of the National Security Agency, principal deputy director of national intelligence and a past CIA director. He’s also been critical of the president. Hayden said last month when the White House first issued the security clearance threat that losing it wouldn’t affect what he says or writes.
He published a book this year called ‘‘The Assault on Intelligence: American National Security in an Age of Lies.’’
Trump fired Yates early in 2017 after she refused to enforce the new president’s ban on travel to the U.S. by residents of several mostly Muslim countries. Yates served in the Obama administration and had agreed to stay in the job under Trump. She also had informed the White House that Michael Flynn, Trump’s first national security adviser, was potentially compromised because of his contacts with Russian officials. Trump allowed Flynn to keep his security clearance after Yates’ disclosure but later fired Flynn, citing misstatements he said Flynn made to Vice President Mike Pence.
Referring to Trump’s summit with Putin, Yates tweeted, ‘‘Our President today not only chose a tyrant over his own Intel community, he chose Russia’s interests over the country he is sworn to protect.’’ Last December she tweeted, ‘‘The FBI is in ‘‘tatters”? No. The only thing in tatters is the President’s respect for the rule of law.’’
Rice was national security adviser during Obama’s second term and has criticized Trump policies. She wrote an op-ed for The New York Times in July, saying the U.S. had ‘‘so much to lose and so little to gain’’ from the Trump-Putin summit — ‘‘given this very atypical US President,’’ she added in a tweet.
McCabe is a former FBI deputy director who led the investigation into Clinton’s email practices. Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired McCabe this year after FBI disciplinary officials and the Justice Department concluded he hadn’t been candid during an inspector general investigation. Trump has alleged bias in the email investigation because McCabe’s wife, Jill, ran as a Democrat for the Virginia state Senate in 2015 and accepted a campaign contribution from a longtime Clinton ally. But McCabe didn’t become involved in the Clinton probe until after his wife’s bid for elected office.
Peter Strzok
The longtime FBI agent was recently fired from the bureau, his lawyer said this week. Strzok had worked on the Mueller investigation but was removed after anti-Trump text messages that Strzok exchanged with an FBI lawyer became public. Trump has used the text messages to buttress his claims that the FBI is biased against him.
Lisa Page
Page is the former FBI lawyer who exchanged anti-Trump text messages with Strzok. Trump has begun referring to Page as the ‘‘lovely Lisa Page’’ in his tweets about the Russia investigation.
Bruce Ohr
The Justice Department official has come under Republican scrutiny for his contacts with Glenn Simpson, cofounder of Fusion GPS. The opposition research firm hired former British spy Christopher Steele during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign to compile a dossier of information on Trump and his ties to Russia. Ohr’s wife, Nellie, worked for Fusion GPS during the campaign — a fact Trump has tweeted about in recent days to highlight his assertions of political bias as motivation for the Russia investigation.
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Moulton drums up support in N.H. day after…
Moulton drums up support in N.H. day after announcing presidential run
By Lisa Kashinsky | lkashinsky@bostonherald.com |
CONCORD, N.H. — U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton has joined the growing number of Democratic presidential candidates calling for the House of Representatives to begin impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump, blasting the president as a “liar” and a “vicious politician.”
“We have a commander in chief that we fundamentally can’t trust,” Moulton told reporters Tuesday. “Of course he’s a liar. I think everybody knows he’s a liar.”
The U.S. representative from the state’s 6th congressional district said impeachment proceedings “should move forward” in the House. “There is ample evidence — and there has been for a long time now — that we should have this debate,” he said.
But with only a redacted version of the report by special counsel Robert Mueller available, Moulton tempered his call by saying, “It’s not the right time to vote on impeachment because we don’t have all the facts yet.”
After launching his presidential bid with a national media blitz on Monday, Moulton worked the ground game Tuesday in New Hampshire — at one point even getting his hands dirty spreading mulch outside a transitional home for veterans in Manchester. He followed up an hours-long stop at Liberty House — where he spoke to veterans individually about their service — with a roundtable with AmeriCorps volunteers and the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence in Concord.
The events were small, not even a couple dozen people at each, with no photo lines — though there were plenty of press cameras. That was by design. Working with veterans and service groups is a key component of the grassroots campaign Moulton, an Iraq War combat veteran, is looking to build.
“This is a campaign based in service, it’s a campaign based in patriotism, and it’s a campaign that’s going to talk about tough issues that other Democrats haven’t been willing to address,” Moulton told the Herald. “We have got to respond to Donald Trump’s performance as the commander in chief — where I think he’s really let our country down and made us less safe and less secure.”
What Moulton lacks in national name recognition, he made up for with ample face time on Tuesday. Veteran Ryan Costantino said Moulton’s visit to Liberty House showed he “cares and gets into the trenches with us.” And Stephen Cavanaugh said it “shows right from the get-go he’s all for veterans and he’s going to help in Washington.”
Seth Moulton
Lisa Kashinsky
Lisa Kashinsky is an award-winning multimedia journalist and general assignment reporter for The Boston Herald. A graduate of Boston University, she previously covered the Merrimack Valley for The Eagle-Tribune and the South Shore for Wicked Local weeklies and The Patriot Ledger. Her Sundays are reserved for Brady and Belichick.
Follow Lisa Kashinsky @lisakashinsky
Toys R Us plans a small comeback with 2 stores this year
Chewy rides on post-IPO high
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Thomas Dimitroff: The Biggest Cycling Fanatic in the NFL
When he's not taking the Atlanta Falcons to the Super Bowl as the team's general manager, Thomas Dimitroff is all about bikes
By Charles Bethea
Charles Bethea
When you ride with Atlanta Falcons General Manager Thomas Dimitroff, don't expect to stop for rest. The hardcore cyclist approaches bikes with as much fervor as his day job—a sensibility that is taking him to his first Super Bowl this weekend in Houston, Texas.
The 50-year-old vegan with shaved legs and a kit that says "Rise Up" chose football for a career, but cycling has been a lifelong vocation. He's logged thousands of solo miles; whipped up southern backroads with George Hincapie; chased Lance Armstrong up rocky mountain singletrack; and even attempted to go semi-pro as a mountain biker in his 20s. And while leading a franchise to its second-ever Super Bowl appearance takes up most of his day, he still makes time to throttle his muscles on any of his 15 bikes.
We caught up with Dimitroff ahead of the big weekend to talk competition, the thrill of being a cycling fan, and what it means to be a bike guy in the NFL. (Get more news about the coolest people in cycling—as well as training tips, nutrition hacks, and gear reviews—by !)
RELATED: This Football Star Has a Serious Riding Habit
How'd you get so obsessed with bikes?
I never got a car from the family, so I've always been a cyclist, from when I was a kid all the way through college. In some of the most inclement weather in Canada, where I went to school, I rode a bike. Everyone else was in their cozy cars and I was the wayward child with a bike I named 'Steel Wind.'
That obsession wound up taking a competitive turn.
When I first lived in Atlanta, back in the early '90s, I'd ride in North Georgia and try to compete a little bit. I spent a lot of time on my mountain bike. I competed more in mountain biking in Colorado, after I left Georgia. Competing on a bike was unbelievably exhilarating. I was riding at the expert level in Colorado: I've always bragged that out there, an expert is like semi-pro anywhere else. I needed one more ride to get into the semi-pro category, but I was heading back into football scouting.
These days you're also a road cyclist—and a major road cycling fan. What attracted you to the pavement?
When my back started getting sore, I got more into road biking, and I've really developed a love for the road.
I only had a few races on my road bike. I wasn't that good—the whole criterium thing was difficult for me, and I wasn't schooled enough—but I love watching it.
I went to the Tour de France this year, my second one. The very first Tour stage I was ever on was the one where Chris Froome got knocked off his bike on Ventoux! David Braislford's Team Sky crew was so kind to put me in the lead car with their mechanic and sporting director. It was the most amazing sporting event (outside of football) that I've ever been involved with.
Did you ride with the Team Sky crew?
Brailsford helped me buy a Pinarello Dogma F8, the bike the team rode last year... he and I would go out with a few of his coaches and ride. I was able to ride a number of different legs before stages; I was with them for probably six days.
See everything you need to know about the Dogma F8:
I've heard you're a collector. The Dogma must have some pretty incredible company!
I probably have about 15 bikes in my quiver right now—road, mountain, and cyclocross, but that Dogma is one of my most prized possessions, along with a Trek Émonda SLR. It's one of my best bikes to date: fast, sleek, great climber. I love being on it. It's a cool sky blue, so I can flash something besides Falcons' black.
You're also involved in advocacy, with People for Bikes.
Yes. Their work to get people on bikes is something I'm very passionate about. It's not just putting a kit on and spinning up big ascents around the world. It's about enjoying bicycles, health, friends.
I'm very direct with my kids about the importance of riding bikes, which often gets lost in the shuffle.
I'd rather have two wheels any day over four. If I go over to Whole Foods or something, I just get on one of my beach cruisers. I love being in the saddle.
Is it weird being a cyclist in the NFL?
Over the years, I've said that while I can't move weight around like some of our best NFL athletes, or run as fast, or jump as high, I've always felt like I had this one little thing that I could push a little further than they could. [Laughs]
Being a cyclist in this industry has always been kind of kept to the side. We're all in the proverbial 'biking closet' until someone notices and says, Wow! You wear spandex and you ride a bike!
There's a number of GMs and execs and players in the league who are really into cycling. And it's not only the execs and coaches: It's really good for some of the older players who are moving on, to help them stay fit. We've seen that with Ray Lewis, and Shannon Sharpe.
A number of our guys have expressed interest in one day taking cycling to another level. I've often said to some of our great athletes that, when it's all done, they'd possibly be able to make the transition to amateur or pro riding, if they got on a bike and trained the way they needed to train.
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What about team owners?
[Laughs] I haven't gotten [Falcons' owner] Arthur Blank on a bike yet. I went to his house in South Carolina one time, and he said he had a bike for me, since I'd forgotten mine. I go into the garage and it's a four-wheeler, about three inches off the ground—sort of this beach-cruiser-slash-dune-buggy thing. Not what I was looking to ride! I told him: You could have the best bike in the history of the world!
How has this Super Bowl LI run affected your riding?
Recently, I've only been riding twice a week. Just an hour or so to get some fresh air and keep myself balanced. Here in Houston, I've got a CycleOps stationary bike, which I keep in my office at the Super Bowl. I can spin out for an hour and a half and watch some video—it's vital for me.
Will you get a new bike if you win the Super Bowl?
I've thought about it, but I don't have enough miles on this Dogma yet. Instead, I'm thinking about going back to the Tour this year!
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Barcelona Trip Diary
If you just want to see all of the pictures I took, all full-size on one big web page, go here (lots of big pictures, will take a while to load, your browser may not like it, may be a bad idea).
Research and tips about travelling to Barcelona are here.
2014-04-30 (Wednesday)
Raining all day in New Jersey. Cab to train station was $45 plus tip for a 15-minute ride ! Free Wi-Fi and AC power at the dinky little W Trenton train station, but I couldn't get the Wi-Fi to work.
Train came on time; long slow rainy trip down to the airport. Essentially no line at ticketing, less than 10-minute line at security, they swabbed. my hands to check for explosive residue or maybe drugs, didn't have to undress and unpack to go through the machines. Through by 4:40 for 6:45 flight. Raining harder than ever outside. No free Wi-Fi in airport.
I notice that the currency-exchanges give rates in a (deliberately) confusing way: instead of 1 Euro = 1.35 dollar, for example, it says 381 Euro = $600, I think. Which is a really bad rate (1.57) if giving Euro and getting dollars. Maybe I'm reading it wrong.
Uneventful boarding and flight. Plane is maybe 90% full. 25-30ish guy in seat next to me works at a private equity firm in north Philly, so we had lots of nice conversation about business and computers and Barcelona. Tolerable chicken dinner, a bit bland even for airplane food.
Listened to MP3's and munched powerbars and watched a couple of Simpsons episodes and dozed across the Atlantic.
2014-05-01 (Thursday)
A hot muffin-thing and OJ for breakfast. Plane landed around 9:30. Through Immigration with no questions, puzzled for a moment at baggage claim (they spell Philadelphia as "Filadelfia"). Longish wait in baggage claim, then out through the "nothing to declare" exit. To the free shuttle bus, over to other terminal. Across the overpass to the train, and found price of a T-10 card has gone up since last year (was €9.80, now €10.30).
Ten-minute wait for the train, grabbed a seat, into town, off at Sants Estacio, Metro L5 to Virrei Amat. Down the side streets to Dora's apartment; I think I could have done this trip blindfolded. Buzzed from the street, into elevator and up, knocked on the door, and there's Dora to welcome me ! Very nice to be back with her. Said hi to Bryan, too. They're happy to see me, and it's great to be back with Dora.
Chatted for a while with Dora, gave her various gifts and purchases I brought with me. The baby clothes for her sister are a big hit. More talk over a simple lunch, then napped and loafed for a few hours.
Sent email to Chris to tell him I'd arrived, and he says New Jersey is flooded today, some trains stopped, and it's a good thing I left yesterday and not today.
Already Dora is measuring me to stick a needle into me. I have a bad cold, from New Jersey. She wants to do "autohemology" on me, and she says I have lovely veins. I tell her I'm going to start wearing aluminum foil on my arms.
Lovely dinner with Dora. Nice food (pic), good conversation.
Around 8, out for a long stroll with Dora, down F-i-P to Meridiana and past Hipercor, to a lovely park with several small bridges over ponds (Parc Pegaso). Eventually further down to a plaza with plenty of people sitting in bars and cafes, and a dozen small children playing in various groups and with parents. Nice but loud. Long walk back home, stopping at an ATM to get cash. Back by 10.
2014-05-02 (Friday)
Online, bought tickets for a swing concert at the Palau Musica on 5/5. The building alone is worth the price of admission; the concert should be great. As always, Dora's work could be a problem; she's a doctor, and her day is unpredictable.
Looked online for events at the opera house, but none of them sound interesting.
Looked online for evening concert at the MEAM, but today's event is blacked out; I guess no tickets left.
Tried to find how to buy tickets for a minor-league football game on Sunday, and the answer seems to be to just go to the stadium at game-time.
Then Dora arrived back; her work today was canceled. So, out the door around 11 with Dora.
Caught the Metro (left my ticket from yesterday in the suitcase, had to get another) and went to MEAM, and it turns out we CAN get tickets for the Blues concert in the museum tonight. So we bought museum-and-concert tickets, and saw the museum. Nice modern art. Pics. (In this pic, Dora says she was trying to do the same fingers as the statue, but instead it's something rude; I think she's doing a shadow-rabbit.) Interesting chair at shop across from MEAM: pic.
Afterward, we walked over to the Cathedral and sat for a little while. The place is jammed, the cathedral square and even the streets up toward Placa Catalunya. Yesterday was holiday, so people have taken off today, too. But also lots of tourists.
Up to Urquinona Metro stop, and accidentally got on the wrong line. We should have backtracked at first stop (Dora's idea), but instead we tried to connect and connect, and we ended up with a long, looping ride and some long walks through connecting stations. Finally got to Placa Espanya, and walked up to CaixaForum. Turns out Dora is a Caixa member, so we got in for free. Bathrooms, locker, up to the cafeteria for juice and pastry and a half-sandwich each. Pleasant.
Then into the exhibits. A lot of 500-BC sculpture and urns, which were just okay. Into a Corbusier exhibit, and that was nicer. But Dora kept interrogating the guides about details, and I got a little tired. No pictures allowed inside, but here are two of outside: pics.
I thought we'd go home to rest before this evening's concert, but we're running late. And Dora needs to pick up a laptop that has been repaired. Back down to the Placa, into Metro, out, and then problems. Took Dora a while to find the computer place, then they were closed until 4:30. Street art: pic.
We had some juice, into the computer shop, and more problems. There was no hard drive in the laptop when they got it, which is news to Dora. Before going to this shop, she went to a different shop, which sold her a new hard drive. But neither old drive nor new drive is in the laptop. We finally left the laptop there, and she has to go back to the previous shop and find out what happened. Interesting display of motherboards and other stuff in the shop: pics.
Into the Metro, out, and to MEAM. Grabbed seats and a table, got drinks and peanuts, and relaxed. Music started at 6, and it's nice. Piano, drums and singer, doing various blues and some boogie-woogie. Lovely venue, high-ceiled room with lots of ornate decorations to look at. Pic.
I slowly got more and more tired, and slightly headachey, but it really was quite nice. Done at 7:45, out to the Metro, took an ibuprofen on the way, out near home, stopped at a bakery and then chatted with some friends of Dora's. Lady in bakery had cutely dressed dogs: pic. Home at 8:30.
Nice dinner of cheese-and-tomato sandwiches on fresh baguette bread. Dora wanted me to take a picture of it, so: pic.
Trying to figure out the situation with Dora's laptop, we resolved one small puzzle: why did her HP laptop have a Dell power adapter ? She thought maybe I left it here when I left last year (my laptop is a Dell), but I didn't (it has a European plug, for one thing). We discovered she has an old Dell laptop too and it has an HP adapter with it; she must have switched the two accidentally. And since they're slightly different voltages (but identical connectors), that might have damaged her newer laptop [later, the computer-repair people say no, that wouldn't have caused the damage].
We also established that the first computer place did indeed sell her an external (USB) hard drive and copy her old internal disk onto it. But they should have put her old disk back into the laptop.
And apparently her tablet is not getting charged from the charger I bought for her and brought with me. Arghh.
Dora wanted to do autohemotherapy on me (draw 5 ml of my blood from a vein, inject it into a muscle to stimulate immune response), and I almost agreed, but then said no. I think I'm tired, jet-lagged, have a cold, maybe still some irritation from pollen in NJ.
2014-05-03 (Saturday)
Woke up at 7:30 feeling okay. Staggered out to get a drink of water and use the bathroom. Dora is up and ironing clothes, and greeted me with something like "Good morning. How are you feeling ? Are you awake now ? You can sleep more on the train." Train ? Nooooooooo ...
Back to bed for a little while, used the computer a little, then shower and eat and out the door at 9:10. Dora says we're going to Igualada.
Down to F-i-P Metro, to Placa Espanya, some confusion buying train tickets (worked out to €30 for two roundtrip tickets), dashed onto the train, which then sat for 15 minutes, leaving 10 minutes late.
Long ride to Igualada, making just about every stop, but usually we have plenty of room, so it's comfortable. But the guidebook makes it sound like Igualada is a waste; why are we going there ? Off the train around 10:45, and we start wandering. It looks dull.
After 15 minutes, it's still dull. Many things closed, not many people out. I ask Dora why we came here, and she says "well, you said you wanted to go outside Barcelona, and I used to live here so I know this place". So, a miscommunication. I said on this 2-month visit I wanted to go to some things outside Barcelona, but Igualada was never on the list.
But then it gets a little better. We find some shopping streets with interesting shops and people, and we start looking for a lunch spot. Up the hillside, using a couple of escalators. Pics. We settle on a place. The usual confusion about what the daily menu means; the price always ends up more than it's supposed to. But I'm trying to be less careful with the money this time.
Lovely food. We start with Catalan-style bread (oiled, and rubbed with tomato to get the juice), and Iberian smoked ham, and cheese. Sodas; we're thirsty. Then some delicious spinach tortellini; we inhaled it before I thought to take a picture. Two plates of black rice with calamari and other seafood in it, blackened with ink of squid, even though I told Dora I didn't like calamari and squid. And I thought we had ordered one plate of rice and one of ham. On to a nice dessert, some kind of very fluffy cheesecake for Dora, chocolate cake with chocolate syrup for me. Coffee and water to finish. Lovely tiles on the floor, too. Pics.
Then it turned out the waiter DID screw up our order, brought two rice plates instead of one rice and one ham. No big deal. Whole meal came to about €30, we spent about 2 hours there, and it was fine.
Out and wandered some more. Tried to find some friends of Dora's, but they're out of town today. Sat down at some tables in a govt playground, and a guy hustled out of a nearby bar and said those were his tables, what did we want to order ? Dora was quizzing him about directions, and ordered some water; I would have just gotten up and left. Anyway, pleasant to sit there for a while. Pics.
Wandered down to the main pedestrian avenue, I looked at the watch, and after 5 minutes we strolled toward the train station. Onto a train, it left within 10 minutes at around 4:50.
Long, slow trip back home. Out at F-i-P, scads of people strolling on the sidewalks. Dora stopped in an ATM to do some business. Into Bonpreu for a few groceries.
Home by 7:30. Nice tea with Dora around 9.
Helped Dora run anti-virus on the Dell laptop, and clean off half a dozen infections.
Took an Ebastel pill (antihistamine) Dora gave me for my cold. She wanted me to take antibiotics and something else, but I declined. I'm getting better, slowly.
2014-05-04 (Sunday)
Dora has to work 8 AM to 10 PM today, so she's out early and I get to sleep late and loaf.
Did laundry.
Was going to work on Dora's Dell laptop, which has some adware-type software, but she didn't leave it out for me as I asked. Looked to fix a falling-off doorhandle, and found it is missing a setscrew, but stores are closed today. Looked for tool set, hoping for Allen wrenches, and it's not where it was last year. In the process, found yet another laptop, a Packard-Bell. Went to look at the broken air-conditioner/heater in the small bathroom, and found the bathroom is a mess, full of stuff, one lightbulb is burned out, the fan isn't running. Spare lightbulbs aren't where I remember them being last year. Looked around a bit, still can't find tools or Dell laptop. Making everything more difficult is the fact that two or more families worth of stuff is jammed into one apartment: every drawer, cabinet and closet is full to the brim, stuff is piled on top of tables, out on the balconies, etc. This is her sister's apartment, not Dora's, so she can't get rid of most of the stuff. Fixed a drawer that was off its tracks; at least I accomplished one thing.
This evening I'm going to a local minor-league football game, UE Sant Andreu versus CD Olimpic de Xativa. Around 4:30, found that Dora won't be able to skip off work early. I asked Bryan, but he doesn't like football, and he's studying for two examinations tomorrow. So I'm going by myself.
Out the door a little after 5, and walked down Fabra i Puig. Nice door graphic: pic. Across Meridiana, still a ways from the stadium, and I hear singing and chanting. Sure enough, here comes a band of the local club supporters, maybe 50 of them, with a big banner and a lighted flare and lots of team spirit. I take pictures and enjoy the fun. Pics. They're marching behind as I head down to the Sant Andreu stadium.
No problem buying a ticket, €5 for general admission. My water-bottle got confiscated as I entered; no containers allowed. There are plenty of seats; I grab one at top-corner, good view of most of the field, and with some sun to keep me warm for a while. The band of supporters comes in and sits behind the goal near me.
Game starts at 6, and it's lots of fun. Stadium gets maybe 40-45% full, plenty of spirit, and lots of action in front of our goal. One penalty kick, which the home goalie stops (it was hit right at him). Home team scores at the other end at about the 30-minute mark, which is great. Pics.
After the break, I'm thinking this has been a very penalty-free game, when they start. A few free kicks, then a couple of yellow cards. Around the 70-minute mark, there's a collision which the refereee calls against the home team, and the home player is down and injured. The other player says "you're faking it", and picks up the injured player, who immediately flops back down. Yellow card. The crowd starts booing the other team's player, and as play continues they whistle and yell every time he touches the ball. Soon a section of the stands is chanting something that involves his number and "hijo de puta", and later a song that involves "puta" a lot.
Lots of back and forth, but that one goal holds up, and the home team wins. By then, I'm a little chilly, and it's good to walk back home briskly.
Dora got home at 10.
Dora started pulling spare bulbs and tools out of various unlikely bags and cabinets. I messed with the light in the small bathroom, and something is intermittent in bulb or socket. Various other chores to do tomorrow.
2014-05-05 (Monday)
Thought of going to Aigues museum today, but then realized it (and most museums here) are closed on Mondays.
Did laundry. Worked on bulbs and fan in small bathroom; can't figure out how wiring plugs into the fan, and all of the images online NEVER show it with wires plugged into it. No sign of bulbs that should go over mirror in large bathroom. Tried Dell laptop, but I don't know the password. No Allen wrenches.
At noon, quick run out to the hardware store (2 blocks away; everything you need is within about 5 blocks of this place). Went 3 for 3: bolt to use as a setscrew on the door handle, new bulb (not quite same color-temperature) for small bathroom, and the guy opened up the fan and found two wires that had been pushed inside it. €9, home, and got everything installed and working !
Went out for a couple of hours, to Parc de la Guineueta, not far from the apartment. Lovely mostly-quiet park, nice trees, lots of benches, plenty of sunshine and shade, some schoolkids playing, lots of people walking dogs. Pics. Wandered and listened to MP3's and took pictures of street art: pics.
Skype-called Mom and chatted with her.
Dressed up and out the door by 5:50. Down to F-i-P Metro, through to Urquinona stop, and then confused. The Metro exits don't have the labels I expected, and I chose the wrong one. Finally get down Via Laetana, and to the Palau de la Musica Catalunya by 6:20. Into the ticket line, and pick up our tickets, then start looking for Dora. Can't find her for 15 minutes or so, and I'm worried because the directions I gave her (and myself) were a bit wrong. But it turns out she got here ahead of me (from work) and went into the theater cafe for a coffee. Into the theater, several false starts finding our seats, then we get settled.
The building is spectacular, ornate upon ornate. But my camera is having some trouble with the lighting.
The program tonight is a "Swing" music band. The band comes out 5 or 10 minutes late. There are plenty of empty seats (the place is only half full), so we move out of our full row to an empty one, with much more legroom and space.
A fun evening. The band is 17 instruments plus conductor: four trumpets, four trombones, five saxophones, a piano, a drummer, a bass, an electric guitar. They all have bright ties in different colors. The conductor keeps doing little dance steps. And the music is good. All the announcing is in Catalan, with the song titles repeated in English. It lasts a little less than 2 hours.
Pics.
Out to the Metro, take Yellow line to Llucmajor stop, soon home.
A little late dinner, and some late-night tech-support: I write down the info about the three laptops and what is password/good/bad/to-do about each one, and start tweaking things on the Packard-Bell (Windows 8, which I've never used, and en Espanyol).
2014-05-06 (Tuesday)
Unclogged the sink in the small bathroom. Extracted some kind of nail-polish bottle from the top end, then unscrewed the trap and got an earring, necklace and ring (and plenty of muck) from the bottom end. Put the trap back together with Teflon tape. Had to mess with it half a dozen times before figuring out how to stop it from leaking.
On the Packard-Bell laptop, uninstalled about a dozen "bloatware" applications. But then they started fighting back, and installation of a "cleaner" failed, maybe because I did something wrong. Using Google Translate a lot, to try to figure out the messages and buttons. And the touch-pad is very sensitive; keeps clicking buttons and items I don't mean to click.
Dora home around 1:30. Pizza from frozen for lunch, and Dora cooking other stuff for Bryan and for later: pics.
After 4, over to Dora's OTHER apartment, a couple of blocks away. It's just as crammed with stuff as the Deia apartment, clothes and knicknacks and medical books and furniture. And we have to clean it and repair things; it turns out guests are arriving tomorrow night. I start steam-cleaning some wall-sections that are scuffed. Dora is cleaning the bathroom, mopping floors, ironing sheets. Before I realized guests were coming, I press her into throwing stuff away, so we can reduce the clutter and make the place more manageable. We clear junk out of the back balcony, off tabletops, out of shelves. I make half a dozen trips down to a bin on the street. We're not supposed to use it for this kind of trash, but the big trash can't be put out until 9 PM tonight.
I start replacing burnt-out lightbulbs in the ornate flowery fixtures, and have to make three trips to the (nearby) ferreteria to buy new bulbs (about €45 worth). The guy runs out of a particular type of bulb we need. Dora announces that the washer stopped working a few weeks ago, and I add that to my list of things to see if I can do something about in a week or two, after the guests are gone. After several hours of this, I'm reaching my limit; I didn't sign up for all of this.
We split at 7:30 or so, me carrying a heavy load of stuff to the Deia apartment, Dora out to buy meat for some reason, and more lightbulbs if convenient. We're going back for more work in the apartment later: put out the trash, put up curtains, more cleaning.
Back at the Deia apartment, put the laundry out to dry, worked some more on cleaning the Packard-Bell laptop, and the trackpad has decided to stop working (while in Windows) on my laptop.
Dora came back, and we had turkey over rice with mushroom sauce for dinner.
Back to the other apartment around 9:45. We took some heavy boards and a rolling end-table and a foot-stool downstairs and set them outside the front door. Then a small vanity with mirror and drawers, which was tricky to get into the elevator. A guy was coming by with a big rolling rack, scavenging stuff people put out. So Dora invited him up, and we gave him two CRT TV sets and a set of smallish but nice barbells and weights. Dora was delighted to get rid of the stuff so easily, and he took it all down in the elevator and out.
Then we made beds and cleaned a little, and Dora started ironing curtains. I put up a few small ones, and she kept ironing and ironing. Eventually I was sitting and waiting as she ironed and ironed. Finally I was able to put hooks into them and hang them on the big windows and door in the main room. Then I left, making a stop at a garbage bin and hauling a bag of stuff to keep, getting home at midnight.
Took laundry out of the washer and hung it to dry on the balcony racks.
Looks like the Packard-Bell laptop is free of viruses and adware now.
I think Dora got home some time after 3 AM.
Dora was up at 6:30 or so, and writing a list of things for Bryan and me to do at the other apartment. The big item is that we have to haul a mattress from this apartment to that one. I looked at the mattress, and it's big, maybe queen-sized. That's going to be a chore, especially getting it into the tiny elevator at the other apartment. We may have to take it up 4 floors of stairs. And when I asked her where there was enough floor-space for the visitors to lay it out and use it, the answer involved major re-arrangement of all of the furniture in the main room, furniture out onto the balcony, etc.
Fixed the trackpad on my laptop; not sure why it got disabled.
Dora keeps coming up with more and more things Bryan and I have to do today with the other apartment. The written list plus the oral list is getting too long.
Out at 9:30 to do an errand for Dora and then to other apartment to put and take various things.
Out again at 10:15 or so. To Llujmajor Metro, down to Jaume I, and to MEAM museum. Bought tickets for piano concert on Saturday evening. Street art: pics. Across to Placa Jaume and into Tourist Info. As I expected, they are selling tickets for the Barca-Atletico game, but only expensive seats (€200) are available. Will have to try again the day or two before the game.
Tried to go to Placa Pi, ended up at the Cathedral, which was okay. Went into the cathedral and looked around and rested a bit. Always liked this place. Pics. Out and found Placa Pi, and asked about concerts in the church. Looks like only guitar concerts, which don't interest me so much. Back to Jaume I Metro and home.
Around 2, prodded Bryan out of his room and we carried the mattress over to the other apartment. Went pretty easily; it wasn't as heavy as I expected, and we managed to bend it into the tiny elevator over there. Bryan stayed to do things, I went back home.
Around 3, went out. To Virrei Amat Metro, and a long ride to the other end of the line, Cornella Centre. A bit of trouble getting oriented, but I was in no hurry, and sat in the sunshine and munched a powerbar. Down the hill and to the Museu Agbar de les Aigues (water and energy museum, the old water-pumping plant). Just okay, a bit sleepy, big old cool machinery, but nothing moving. Not even the entrance gate, which scanned my ticket and beeped but didn't open; an attendant waved me through another gate. Pics.
Back toward the Metro, and into a huge shopping mall (pic). Pretty sleepy on a weekday late afternoon.
Out, and wandered on other side of Metro station, but this seems to be a plain area with few parks or other interesting stuff. But I didn't go far. Back into Metro, long ride home. Near the apartment, seniors playing bocce ball. Back home by 5:30, tired and footsore. I think I'll rest tomorrow.
Dora was home by 7:30 or so, we had a nice ribs-and-rice dinner together, then she was back out before 10, to work all night. She's a doctor and normally has a weird schedule, with on-call and night shifts and stints at various departments, but today and tomorrow she also has some kind of class to attend.
Loafed all morning. Dora was home around 11, then back out at 2.
I went out after 3, through Metro to Placa Universitat. Into the university, and lounged in the gardens for a little while. Then up into what I thought was a museum, but turns out to be corridors where they've had temporary exhibits, and there are none right now. Still a gorgeous building, and some nice art in the entryway, although the light made the art photograph badly. Pics. Loafed some more in the university grounds.
Then to the computer repair place. Gave them the caddy and disk, they installed into the laptop, booted up, and everything works. Paid the bill (€98, for fixing broken graphics circuitry) and got the laptop.
Wandered back down to Placa Universitat, sat and people-watched for a while, then back home.
Started working on HP laptop. A little confused until I realized it had no battery in it. Put that in and started charging, and set the clock.
More work on HP laptop. Installed anti-virus. Then Windows Update (win7): 62 important updates, 43 optional updates. Ran anti-virus. Uninstalled a program, set others to not run on startup.
Around 1, out the door to walk to Parc del Guinardo, to see the Turo de la Rovira bunkers and views of the city. Only a couple of miles from here, but it's a difficult walk: none of the streets to go there intersect squarely, none go directly toward the park, and the access seems to be from a point about 1/3 of the way around from where I'm coming. And the whole walk to it is uphill, gradually at first, steeply at last.
But I get there with no wrong turns ! As I got closer, I didn't see how to get up into the park, but eventually a hairpin turn and then a couple of obscure sets of stairs got me there, and up to the top. Great views over the whole city, and there's MMBB: miles and miles of bloody Barcelona. Apartment buildings and other buildings packed together, with some parks, some taller semi-skyscrapers, and surrounding hills. All the usual landmarks: Sagrada Familia, the old port, Tibidabo, etc. Pics.
Back down, and retraced my steps with little problem. But I'm tired and footsore. Eventually back near the apartment, stopped in Bonpreu to get groceries, and home by 4.
Dora home before 5. Nice ribs-rice-lentils dinner: pic.
Later, Dora is in bed, in pain. Turns out she came home early today because she's having kidney pain, and probably a stone. Fortunately, she has every kind of medicine here, and took a paracetamol-codeine thing that stopped the pain.
Later, I had a headache, probably from too much sun today, and maybe from the wine with dinner, too. Took a paracetamol.
I'm feeling okay; Dora still is taking various medicines. She has some pretty heavy-duty stuff lying around in the apartment, and she's taking it.
Later in day, Dora feeling bad, nausea, sleeping. She got up a bit, we hung some curtains, did some laundry. I worked on the HP laptop some more, another 30+ updates. Napped.
We went out around 5:15, Dora feeling a bit better after taking some ibuprofen. To Llujmajor Metro, out at Jaume I, and to the MEAM museum for a piano concert (same place we went to a Blues concert last week).
We sat at a small table directly behind the pianist, 6 feet away. A youngish lady, Claudia C. Valetta, playing Beethoven (Sonata op 81), Enric Granados (Valsos Poetics), Saint-Saens and Liszt (Dansa Macabra), Txaikovski and Pletnev (Suite de Concert Trencanous). What I know about classical music would fit in a thimble, but it was nice, especially the Dansa Macabra and the Tkaichovski. Fun to see her fingering on the keys, and the museum setting was wonderful. Pics. Coffee and cookies included.
Afterward, Dora was feeling pretty well, so we went strolling. Various street art: pics. Over to Arc de Triomf, the Estacio du Nord, and sat in the Parc next to the station for a while. Buildings: pics. Warm, pleasant evening with lots of people out. Dora took another ibuprofen.
Eventually wandered up Meridiana toward the Agbar tower: pics.
To Placa Glories, and found the BruumRuum art installation: pics. It reacts to city noise, and people shouting into tubes, but the reactions are erratic and which tube is active changes from time to time. Sat there for a while and enjoyed watching kids play with it.
Across the tram line for a look at the new Encants market; we could see ourselves reflected in the ceiling far above: pics. An incredibly dramatic structure that houses a couple of restaurants and hundreds of stalls for an open-air market / flea market.
Into the Metro, out at F-i-P station, walked up F-i-P street, and home by 10:40 or so.
Dora is feeling fine this morning. Later, some pain again.
Out for "breakfast", but many places are closed. To a chocolate place, for chocolate and churros. And Dora is feeling bad again suddenly, so I ate most of the churros. Not a healthy start to the day.
Found an open pharmacy, Dora bought some pills, and soon she's feeling mostly okay. We sit in Placa Soler and watch some kind of dance-fitness thing with decent music. Sit for a while longer, watching kids play and people wander around. Then back home.
Nice dinner around 3, then I crashed for a nap. Up and out around 5 with Dora, to Placa Espanya, planning to see Castell Monjuic and then the Human Bodies exhibit. Had to walk 3/4 of the way around Espanya circle to find the bus stop. Onto the 150 bus, and there are Dora's friends who are staying in her other apartment ! They're from Yugoslavia, parents and two children about 8 years old.
Up to the Castell, and it's nice. Great place, great views out to sea and over the container-port and over the city and old port, and we're here at a free-admission time. Pics.
Time flies, and we barely make it to the top level of the castle and take a few pictures before it's 7:30 and they're shooing us out for an 8 PM closing.
Dora and I start strolling down from the castle, finding a nice fountain and scenic-overlook place. But all of a sudden Dora is in a lot of kidney-stone pain. She takes a paracetamol I have, and she took ibuprofen earlier. But the pain is very bad, and soon she's cold and nauseated and walking is painful. We sit for a while, then have to get moving, to try to get home.
Fortunately, everything works as well as could be expected. We find a bus stop not far away, the bus comes in 2 minutes, and we're off. A long, painful trip for Dora, stopping a couple of times when she feels she might vomit, but we get through bus and Metro and to home by 9:30 or so. The relief of being home is good for her, and she goes to bed, has some hot tea.
Then she has me inject her with something, I don't know what (found out later: Nolotil). My first injection, and the patient survived ! I was surprised at how far the needle had to go in, maybe almost 2 inches, and how much fluid there was to inject.
Dora still in pain, a little vomiting. She had me give her another injection of Nolotil.
A cool, grey day, sprinkling very slight rain a couple of times.
Dora stayed bad all morning and into the afternoon, unable to hold down even most liquids, tired and in pain. I wanted to make soup or bouillion for her for lunch, but we don't have any in the apartment. When I said I will go out and buy some, she said we'll make some, and started a huge cooking operation. Then she felt bad and went back to bed, leaving me tending a big pot boiling 2 pounds of chicken and some carrots and peas and later pasta, a big pot boiling quinoa, and cleaning and chopping and sauteing mushrooms to make a mushroom sauce: pic.
I had some soup and chicken around 2, and Dora managed a few mouthfuls of soup broth, but by 2:45 she was saying "I have to go to the hospital". So by 3, we were out.
Walked about 5-10 minutes to a big clinic on Av Borbo near Maragall station, which looked like a pretty decent hospital to me. Inside, we only had to wait about 10 minutes before Dora got examined, but she was in pain and was irritated at the wait. They gave her a shot and directions to have an ultrasound elsewhere.
So after 10 minutes, we were out and into the Metro to go to a central hospital's Urology department. Out at San Pau stop, walked several blocks and into the hospital. Maybe a 15-minute wait there, Dora was taken in and had an ultrasound and X-ray, waited 5 minutes until someone could read the results, and learned she has two stones but they're not stuck. She came out with prescriptions for about 6 medicines, of which she already has 2. Mostly, they prescribe more-aggressive pain management while the stones come out.
We started heading for the Metro, but Dora felt cold and weak, so we sat for a minute. Into a farmacia a block away, and she paid €15 total as co-pay for the 4 medicines. Then she was feeling a bit better. Into a bar for tea and so she could take a pill. After 15 minutes, she was feeling chipper and wanted to walk down to Sagrada Familia and maybe even see if we could go inside for free, so we walked down there. Then I was urging her to head home; who knows when the pills are going to wear off, and she needs to drink more fluids. So into the Metro and home by 6:30 or so.
A big bowl of chicken soup/stew and a big bowl of quinoa-with-some-beef for dinner. Dora ate plenty of the soup, and still is feeling okay by 8 or so.
Out to Corte Ingles to mail a big box of stuff to Dora's sister. Lots of work with packing tape at a counter inside the big department store; a little strange.
Dora feeling fine this morning, and she's off to work ! With kidney stones still inside her. I hope she took some medicine with her. She's working only a couple of hours this morning, so not too bad.
A cool, grey morning.
Dora wasn't back until 1 PM, but she was feeling okay. She's been taking pain pills.
Around 5, out with Dora. Into Metro, out at Placa Espanya, into Las Arenas, and to the Human Bodies exhibit. Interesting, learned a bunch of things, a bit pricey at €12 apiece. Dora (a doctor) sniffed that some things were a bit too simplified. But we enjoyed it. No photography allowed.
Walked around the top of Las Arenas (pics), but it's cold today. Into the Metro, stopped at a fruit stand, home by 7:30.
Out between 10:30 and 11. Metro to Placa Catalunya, lots of walking inside the station, found FGC train ticket machines, a little trouble figuring them out. Apparently they don't sell a go-and-return ticket, you buy a ticket with two journeys. And one machine's bill-receiver wasn't working; had to move to another machine. Got the ticket, found the right platform and train, off to Baixador de Villvadrera, only a 20-minute ride, €4.30 for two journeys.
Out and into trails of Parc Collserola. Uphill to the info center, which sells maps but gives away nothing useful. Decide to wing it, and headed more uphill. Lots of dirt-road type trails, peaceful, lots of hills. Approaching Tibidabo and the communication tower from the back side. Some serious-looking bicyclers, a few walkers. I think this is part of a network of trails that goes for hundreds of miles, from Montserrat and up to France.
I keep strolling uphill, keeping to the main route, which makes a few turns I have to remember. It comes to a major intersection at the top, and I pick a direction and stroll a little more, until I dead-end into some kind of building. That's far enough for me today; I've had plenty of exercise, and I'm leery of making too many turns and mistaking my route. Back down, down, down. Eventually to the train-staion area. I walk out to the road intersection, but I see nothing on the other side but some houses. Into the station, my ticket works, 3-minute wait for a train, and back into town.
Through Placa Catalunya station, Metro, walk home, back by about 2:30.
Big dinner with Dora around 4, then we crashed for a nap. And Dora slept and slept; she's still on medicines. She slept until 7 or more.
Out around 8 with Dora, for a walk. Lovely evening, slightly cool but no breeze, no clouds, very comfortable. We walked up into Parc Guineueta, and found a big temporary pavilion with people doing dances from Seville and costumed groups doing Flamenco dances. Sat there and watched for a while. Then up to the ring-road, sat for a while, then over to park next to Canyelles Metro station, where we found a nice "magic fountains": water leaping in various patterns while a variety of music played. Only a dozen or so people watching, but we sat for a while and enjoyed it. Eventually back down to the circle at the base of Parc Guineueta, past Llujmajor and home.
Out around 10 with Dora. To F-i-P Metro, out at Clot station, onto 10:40 train to Sant Celoni. Arrived there around 11:15, and no tourist info, no paper maps, no easy bus to Montseny, which is our intended destination.
We wandered into town, found that there are three Tourist Info locations, each open for a few hours each day. Finally got to one that was open, and the news is "you can't get there without a car".
So we wandered through town some more, found a creek-front park and walking/riding trail, and wandered out of town and into the woods. Nice walk up the hill, across a stream (Dora enjoyed cooling herself with the water), up to a nice view where we sat and munched fruit and cereal. More walking down some trails that went past a few little farms and such. Eventually the trails started peteering out, so we turned back. Tried another side-trail, didn't get very far, went back to town. Wandered along the creek a little, then into the town center. Pics.
Almost every shop is closed, in the early afternoon; the place is dead. Found one bar open and went in there. Had sandwiches and soda and a coffee, and Dora pumped the guy for info about trails and busses and even the coming Barca game. (Apparently the game is going to decide the champion of the league, so good luck getting tickets.)
Out and eventually found the train station, and onto a train. A little trouble getting out at Clot station; the electronic signs on board the train were turned off the whole time, we were dozing a bit, and the station had no signs on the platform. But we got off and into Metro and went home. Back around 5:15. Tired.
After dinner around 7, Dora shifting into major-cleaning mode while I did the dishes. While she was ironing and mopping, I fixed the toaster, which has been tripping the main circuit-breaker every time it's turned on. Then I beat and vacuumed carpets. We moved furniture, put carpets down, moved furniture back.
Tried to diagnose bad TV-antenna-box, but like most appliances here, it's a European model and all info about it on the internet is in French or Spanish.
Loafed all morning. Out locally after noon: bought bread, bought a birthday cake for Dora, bought flowers for Dora, bought a few groceries.
Had a nice birthday-dinner with Dora. We drank cerveza-and-Coke's, about 50/50 beer and Coke, which sounds awful but isn't bad. Usually it's more like 30/70 beer/Coke, Dora says. Pics.
Turns out the big Barca-Atletico football game has been moved from Sunday to Saturday with only a few days notice; how can they do that ? My brother Chris is arriving tomorrow, and we would like to go to the game. But it's turned into a league championship game, so we won't be able to get tickets (for any reasonable price), and now it conflicts with another event I'd really like to go to. We'll see.
Around 8:30, Dora and I went over to the other apartment. She hasn't been there to check since the guests left several days ago, and sure enough, the back door (on 4th floor) is ajar. But nothing else is wrong. She picked up bedclothes to wash and various other items to take to the home apartment. I started taking apart the washing machine, which isn't working. Got 6 bolts off, ran into a couple with special 6-pointed-star heads, so I need a tool. Done for tonight.
Out the door a little after 8, to pick up my brother from the airport. To Virrei Amat Metro, crowded train to Sants Estacio, 15-minute wait for train there, to airport terminal T2, shuttle-bus to T1, arrived at 9:55. Ten-minute wait, and there's my brother ! Bus to train to Metro to home, arriving around 11:45, I think.
Chris crashes for a nap; Dora and I have a nice rice-salad-sausages lunch. Later, a bit of a nap.
Dora and out around 2:30 to take a big box to Corte Ingles to ship to her sister. A couple of women are shipping things to Bolivia that look exactly like bales of marijuana: rounded bundles, wrapped in brown paper and then shrink-wrap over that. But would be sending drugs TO Bolivia ? Maybe they're bundles of hundred-dollar bills.
Back to the apartment, pick up various stuff, and out to the other apartment. There, I work on the broken washer, and finally get it open. The bad news is that I can't see anything obviously broken; hoped I'd see a loose wire or a broken belt. I poke at it for a while, we try various control settings, but it keeps doing the same things: rotates the drum briefly, tries to run a little water briefly, then shuts down, and 5 or 10 seconds later tries a little more. Maybe broken or clogged pump ? If it's something wrong with the controls, I won't be able to fix it.
Back home, and rouse Chris. The big Barca football game is supposed to start at 5. We go out, and try to find a bar showing the game. But the first couple we stop at are full, and showing a different game anyway: Madrid-Espanyol. Finally someone tells us the Barca game starts at 6. Maybe they changed the time ? At noon today on the internet it still said 5.
We find a bar/restaurant that's mostly empty, and showing the Madrid game, but we decide to have a sangria at least. The waiter is a bit surly and tells us all of the tables but one are reserved; we sit at that one, clear view of the TV but it's a bit far away. Dora talks to a lady in front of us, and she's solo, so we move forward and join her at her table. Pics. Sangria comes, and it's nice, and then people start to arrive, and suddenly the Barca game is on TV.
The 2/3 of the tables behind us never DO fill up, but we watch the game and drink sangria and munch sausages and Catalan bread (wiped with oil, garlic, tomato) and have a potato-brava dish (potatoes with mayonnaise and a little meat), and later drink a little Seville beer.
The game is fine, although it takes sharp eyes to watch it from this distance. As it started, Dora cajoled us into a bet, and I have Atletico to win or tie, with €10 each at stake against both Chris and Dora. So I keep teasing her, praising good plays by Atletico and saying how nasty the Barca players are. And eventually I win the bet: game ends as 1-1 tie, Atletico wins the championship, everyone here is downcast. Chris and Dora decide to stiff me on the bet, and I wave it off anyway. Home around 8:30, feeling tipsy and tired and headachey.
Chris is going to stay home and rest; Dora and I are going out. I drink lots of water, nap for 5 minutes, take an ibuprofen.
Out around 9, maybe. To Virrei Amat Metro, out at Dos de Maig stop, up to the old Hospital San Pau. It's Nit del Museus, and tonight admission is free, the place is open until 1 AM, and there are swing-music bands. We go in, and the buildings are stunning. Designed by Montaner and completed by his son after his death. It operated as a real hospital from maybe 1910 to 1980 or so. The entrance takes us through underground tunnels and vaults that connect many of the buildings, and were used to transport patients on carriages. Then up a stairway and we emerge in the middle of the central courtyard, and there's the band and music and people dancing, and we're surrounded by gorgeous buildings. The buildings are brick or brick-colored, but with turrets and huge windows and columns and tiles and mosaics and some stained-glass.
We wander around, into a couple of buildings, listen to the music. Then into the main building, which is stunning. Up and around, and watch a slideshow for a while, then up some more and into more rooms. Eventually out and sit and listen to music for a while, and Dora danced while I attempted to dance. Some people were dancing very skillfully and/or wildly.
Photography was difficult; flash results were mixed, but with no flash, the camera took 10 seconds to gather enough light. Pics and more pics.
By 11:30 I was ready for bed. We stayed a little longer, went out and back in to see a model and other parts in the main building that we'd missed or rushed past the first time. And the one-way design forced us back up into the central courtyard.
As we headed for the exit just before midnight, the band finished. A minute later, ALL of the lights went out, and people gasped. Someone must have thrown the wrong switch. Five seconds later, they went back on. We walked another hundred feet, and the same thing happened again. Finally we went out, to Metro, home by midnight-thirty or so. Tired, but I don't feel too bad; the water and ibuprofen got rid of my headache/hangover.
Up around 9, feeling tolerable.
Out around 10:30 with Dora and Chris, to a pastiserria on F-i-P, for pastries and coffee etc. I had a nice soya-milk, and the pastries were great. Comy chairs, too. Nice place. Pic.
Home before noon, and we loafed and did various things. Planning to go out around 2:30 or 3, and wanted a bite to eat before leaving. But Dora got into cooking-mode, which meant pots and pans and two kinds of rice and beef and chicken and lentils and salad and little tomato-and-spice things and a properly set table and wine for her and juice for the rest of us. So all four of us sat down to a big meal. Pic.
Out the door around 4, maybe. To F-i-P Metro, out at Placa Espanya, 150 bus to Castell Montjuic. Dora and I were here last week, but it's a great place, and free again this afternoon, and I thought Chris would like it. And there's an exhibition open today that we didn't see last week, about Barcelona just before WW II (including a picture of Church inquisitors: pic).
Up to the top of the castle, and it's a bit cooler and breezey today. Great views, and Chris read somewhere that today is setting a record for cruise-ship departures from Barcelona: some 32,000 people are leaving here today on seven cruise-ships. (Seven sounds like too few ships for that many people.) Sure enough, we see two cruise-ships leaving simultaneously. Pics.
Eventually out of the castle, and we start strolling down to the Olympic stadium. I'm enjoying the walk, but it's further than I thought, and Chris is really dragging. We stop for a while in the garden next to the Joan Miro museum, so Dora can use Wi-Fi and we can enjoy the garden: pic. Then down to the stadium, which also has free entry today, and fortunately still is open (it's almost 7 PM). It's nice, and interesting to feel the history and imagine what it must have been like when the Olympics were here, in 1992. Pics.
Out and across the street to a bus stop. Soon onto the 150 bus, down to Placa Espanya, onto Metro, out at Placa Catalunya. Stroll down La Rambla for a while, through throngs of people, then a left and over toward the cathedral, looking at shops and looking for somewhere to have a drink. We end going all the way to Placa Nova, near the cathedral, and turn off and find a quiet outdoor cafe. Turns out to be a Vietnamese restaurant, which is fine with us. Chris has a couple of sangrias, I have a Cobra beer, Dora has tea and some of my beer. Chris has a pork-pancake thing, I have a terrific pork sandwich, Dora has a big bowl of beef pho soup. €40 total.
We wander out and into the cathedral square, where an antique and knick-knack market is just closing down. Down the side of the cathedral, past some guitar players, over to the MUHBA square, look at some shops, eventually into Jaume I Metro.
Out at Llucmajor stop, head home, but we hear music from the Nou Barris municipal park. So we go up there, and find a full-blown fair going, lots of food stands grilling meat, other stands selling things. And around the corner of the building, lots of chairs and audience in front of a big symphony orchestra, playing in open air ! We sit and enjoy it for half an hour. A magical setting, good orchestra (big, but no string section, no piano, extra horns), a few modern arrangements I don't much care for, a couple of standard classical pieces that are terrific. Just wonderful. Pics.
Then the orchestra is done, and we head home, arriving around 10:15.
Out around 10:45 with Chris. To F-i-P Metro, down to Placa Catalunya. Wandered down La Rambla. Swarming with people, as always. Stopped at Starbucks to get a coffee for Chris, went into Boqueria Mercado, looked into Placa Reial. Down to the waterfront for a little while.
Back up La Rambla and down side-streets in the old town. Pics. I bought a calzone at a pizza place, Chris bought a gyro at a Greek place; he made a much better choice. To the Cathedral square, and sat for a while. There's a knick-knack market going on, and the usual crowds of people.
Then worked our way up to Placa Catalunya. Into Corte Ingles to use the bathrooms. Up Passeig de Gracia, stopping frequently to sit and people-watch. To La Pedrera around 2:45 for our 3:00 entrance time, and we didn't have to wait, just zipped straight in (but bags had to go through a security-scanner machine !).
Elevator to the roof. Lots of weird features up there, and great views. Pics.
Then into the attic part of La Pedrera; lighting made photography difficults. Some items from there and elsewhere in the building: Pics.
Then to a lower floor, and apartments with marvelous furniture, design features, various artifacts. Pics.
Down lots of stairs, through the gift shoppe, and out.
Rested for a few minutes, then into Diagonal Metro station and to Virrei Amat. Got a few groceries at Bonpreu. Back home around 4:30, footsore and tired. Dora isn't home yet; Bryan came in 5 minutes after we did.
Dora home around 5:30, and soon Chris, Dora and I had dinner: pasta with mushroom sauce, turkey, salad. When I got ready to take a picture of dinner, Chris got up from the table, saying the picture should have one less turkey in it. Pic.
A quiet evening at home, which is fine with me.
Out the door a little before 10, with Dora and Chris. To Metro, to Placa Espanya, bought combination train-bus-park tickets to Catalunya en Miniatura (€16 each).
Used the bathroom at the station, and it was like a prison bathroom: mostly brushed-steel, no lifting seat, toilet paper dispensed in the most awkward position possible (directly behind the toilet). Whole room auto-cleaned itself after each use.
Onto the train, and about 12 stops, 20 minutes to Sant Vicenc dels Horts. A brief disagreement about where to catch the 62 bus: I wanted to follow the clear, simple signs saying "this way to the 62 bus", but Dora wanted to ask three random people in the vicinity and wait at the stop that clearly said 61 and 71 busses only. Then the 61 bus arrived, and the driver took us for free to the stop for the 62 bus, which the signs would have led us to.
Ten-minute wait for the bus, then it wound through town and down a valley. Surprising number of houses out here, and another small town further up. Off the bus with vague directions to go left, but we had no problem. Good signs in various places. A little more walk than we expected, but only a half mile or so. Up and into a parking lot that served both a school and the park.
Into the park by 11:30 or so, a longish stop for bathroom, and then we had to walk halfway around the perimeter to get inside the actual models area. Kids in the woods doing tree-climbing and rope-walking and zip-lining.
The miniature models are nice; 1/25th scale, and much more interesting for Dora and me than for Chris, since we've seen many of these buildings in real life. They have buttons in various places to activate cute little mechanisms: model trains, a funny motorboat zipping around wildly in a lake, skiers on a ski-slope, a stream coming down from a mountain and turning a water-wheel, something burning and a fire engine spraying water at it, planes taxiing around at the airport, cars driving on the highway, the crowd singing the Barca football club song in the football stadium. The model buildings are very nice, the landscaping well done, the full-sized real trees and bushes labeled. And the weather is perfect: grey and not quite threatening rain; strong sun would make it too hot. We see only two other adults ahead of us here briefly, then a crowd of schoolkids behind us later. Pics and more pics.
A little disappointing to me: no model of all of Barcelona's old town. But it wasn't a very Barcelona-centric setup; it covered all of Catalunya (including the local town's police station !). Also some well-known modern industrial buildings, such as Zeta newspaper's publishing building, a couple of big warehouses/factories for companies Dora recognized, etc.
We're done by 2:30 or so, and walk out to the bus stop. We get rained on very briefly near the bus stop, and Dora pulls out a rain-poncho. Onto the bus, into town, and just about everything is closed for the afternoon siesta. But we luck onto a bar/mercado that is open, right next to a high school that is run by the same religious order as Dora's son's high school. (I tell her, any time you want to find a bar, just look next to a high school.) We have olives and potato-egg things and potato chips and iberica ham sandwiches and sodas/coffee/beer. It rains a fair bit while we're inside, but has stopped by the time we're out.
Short walk to the train station, very short wait for the train. To Barcelona, Metro, home by 4:30 or so.
We were planning to go for a late dinner at a kebab place, but by 8 we're all still full from lunch. So around maybe 8:45 we go out, heading for a close local place to have a drink. Cool evening, spritzing a little rain.
I wanted to try the nearest hole-in-the-wall bar, but Dora led us 3 or 4 blocks up to Dr. P. I. Molist and a bar on the corner there. A dozen bottles of hard liquor on the shelf, but the only drinks they seem to know how to pour are wine, sangria, and cafe-liquor (coffee-flavored grappa of some kind). I have a shot of cafe-liquor, and we all have some sangria. Then the food starts coming: a couple of rounds of Catalan bread with ham, and a plate of anchovies. Delicious, and the sangria is strong, and the cafe-liquor will put you on your butt if you're not careful. We all get happy and talkative, and have a good time. French TV on the screen, and a few locals talking among themselves. The whole bill comes to €14, a bargain.
We wobble out, and home by 10.
Out with Chris for a coffee and pastries. Stopped at a hardware store to see about circuit-breaker and keys; no luck.
Waiting for an air-conditioner technician to arrive, sometime between 11 and 1, to try to diagnose the broken central-air unit. While waiting, I took down the broken TV from Dora's bedroom and tried to diagnose it. Got sound, but still no picture; I think it's toast.
Buzzer from building's front door rang a few times, but it was suspicious-looking people who seemed to be trying to get into the building to steal stuff. Eventually the phone rang a few times. I don't usually answer it, but eventually I did, and it seemed to be the air-con technician, but I couldn't understand him. Then it was Dora, saying the technician was at the door, let him in. I kept going down to the street, but he's not there.
Technician finally arrived a little before 1; had the wrong street-name. He spoke zero English, I speak about 5 words of Spanish, and I wasn't here when the air-con broke. He poked at it for 5 minutes, charged €67, and left, saying he'd call Dora with the results. Seemed like an expensive waste of time to me.
Chris and I went out a little after 1. To F-i-P Metro, to Arc de Triomf (pics), and walked down into Parc Ciutadella. Sat in the big fountain plaza and people-watched and chatted for a while (pics).
Then across into old town, past Picasso museum, over to Jaume area. Did a loop around the old streets there (various street stuff: pics), and eventually into the Metro and home by 4.
Dora was home, and after a while she called the air-conditioning people, and they said something like "well, since the electricity was off, and the people there didn't speak Spanish or Catalan, we couldn't do anything". So the technician visit today was a rip-off. Dora said she told them in advance that the electricity was off, and that they should have called her while the technician was here. Would have helped if she'd left a note for the technician. Money down the drain.
Around 6:15, Dora and Chris and I went out for dinner. Stopped on the way to buy a new circuit-breaker for the air-conditioner, which turned into a 10-minute conversation with the guy about why the previous breaker burned (probably the water leak from the air-conditioner ran right down the wires and into the fuse-box, which means the other breakers are suspect, too).
To Durum Kebap restaurant. Had beer and chatted during a longish wait for the food. Nice lamps here, but the light is bad for photography: pics. Had to prompt them to bring the starter we'd ordered. Good food and plenty of it. Dora didn't eat much; she'd eaten earlier. Chris's credit-card didn't work because it didn't have an embedded chip, and he didn't know the PIN; first time I've run into that problem in Spain (but I guess I mainly pay cash here, or use my credit-card on Spanish web sites). Home by 8:30.
Had a sore throat during the night, and took a cough drop. Hope I'm not coming down with something.
Chris and I went out around 9:45. To Metro, to Sants Estacio, bought tickets, had a coffee, down to platform onto train. It's a double-decker, and mostly empty, so we took top-level seats on the ocean side.
Down to Vilanova i la Geltru, where there are two museums: a railway (ferrocarril) museum, and an art museum (Biblioteca Museu Victor Belaguer). In the station, no Tourist Info, no maps, no maps on the walls or outside on a post, nothing. There's the railway museum, 1/2 block from the station, but I kind of wanted to do the art museum instead.
But I spy with my little eye a "Officines de Tourism" sign a block away, so we follow that. A couple of blocks to another such sign. A third points us under the train tracks and toward the waterfront. A fourth sign points us down a big pedestrian plaza that ends at the big marina. And ... nothing. No office, no more signs. I ask a young woman, she doesn't speak mch English, she's never heard of the art museum, she points us back to the station (probably the railway museum).
We get to the station, but now we're on the wrong side of the tracks, and to enter and cross, you have to stick a ticket in a turnstile. That would waste our return tickets. We talk to the guard and turnstile-lady there, they get on the radio and summon another guard and consult a passerby, but no one speaks English and no one has heard of a museum other than the railway museum. [Maybe if I had remembered to say the "biblioteca" part, it might have been different ? Probably not.] Finally the guards nicely let us through without paying, one of them takes us to the other side of the station, and points at the railway museum. So we thank him and go there.
And the railway museum turns out to be pretty terrific. But right after paying for our tickets, I see a small brochure saying where the art museum is, and it's maybe 1 block from here. Typical.
Into the railway museum, look at the some stuff inside and some fun stuff outside, then to a roundhouse or turntable where they used to turn around train cars and locomotives. And there are 20 or more steam locomotives, 4 or 5 cars of various types, and half a dozen more modern (diesel, or diesel-electric) locomotives and cars. The old cars and steam locomotives are wonderful, and we enjoy climbing into a few of them and trying to figure out the operation. They're all slightly different or more different, lots of things to figure out.
Eventually we've had enough, and out. We quickly find and walk past the art museum; that will have to wait for another day. It has signs out front with huge letters, announcing its name, so why didn't anyone know about it ?
We find a bar/cafe, and order lunch. I order a hamburger, randomly picking one type out of three on the menu. It turns out to be a veggie-burger of some kind, tasty but not what I wanted. Chris orders a grande frankfurter, which turns out to be thick and a foot long, plus another chunk of 3 inches or so added to the bun for good measure. Lots of pretty students walking past; we're in the middle of a polytechnic university.
We finish lunch, and as we leave, we see a picture of a "gigante frankfurter" that we could have ordered. It looks about 2 feet long.
Chris has a blister on his foot, so we don't wander much, mostly head back to the station. And find out there's a train in 3 minutes, so we waste no time going out to the platforms and down and across and up. And onto the train, off to Barcelona.
Into Sants Estacio, to Metro, out, get a few groceries at Bonpreu, home by 3:10.
The day's pictures: pics.
Dora is cooking up a storm, but we're still full from lunch. We eat a bit, have ice cream for dessert.
Around 7, over to the other apartment to fetch an LCD TV. Installed it up on the wall-bracket in Dora's bedroom in this apartment.
Up in the middle of the night with headache, sinus congestion and pain, sore throat, coughing.
Out with Chris a bit before 10. Up to Llumajor Metro, out at Joanic, a bit of confusion looking for the 166 bus stop, found it with the (small) bus stopped for a while so the driver could have a smoke. On and up to entrance to Parc Guell.
They have a new ticketing scheme this year; the place was free last year. We paid online last night, and now exchange our vouchers for tickets, and go in. Fewer people in the main area now that they're doing ticketing, and no vendors. We wander and take pictures. I especially like the tiling around the edge of the whole top-plaza area. Pics.
Eventually, we wander out of the paid area and into the free area, and head up the hill. Plenty of vendors, some nice musicians. We go up and up, and get a bit tired. I make it all the way to the top plaza, then come back down.
We head for the entrance/exit, our bus appears right away, but then it does a lot of twists and turns I didn't quite expect. A couple of locals tell us "there's the Metro" when we get somewhere, so we hop off. But it's the wrong Metro stop, Lesseps instead of Joanic. It will work for us, just takes longer and we have to connect at Vall D'Hebron. Out at Virrei Amat. Back home a little after 1.
Dora home around 3 (later than expected; we're hungry), started cooking ribs and rice and reheating pasta. Soon Chris and Dora and I sat down to dinner.
At 4:30, out the door. To Metro, to Sagrada Familia. A little confusion getting in; they've changed the online-ticket entrance to the other side. Inside, the basilica is wonderful, but maybe not much changed since last year when Chris and I saw it. Nice to be here with Dora, too, this time. And there's a live choir singing in the rear area. Pics.
Eventually out and down into the museum, back up into basilica, then out and down into the ordinary church underneath.
Out and started looking for a place to have a drink, and it turned into a bit of a fiasco. We walked several blocks, found a place that looked good, but all outside tables are occupied and it's on a very busy intersection, and Chris insists on sitting outside. Into Mercat Sagrad Familia, which I didn't know existed. Found a bar with outside tables, but it's right next to a playground, and we're surrounded by loud, running kids. The sangria and tapas are just adequate.
Out, sat in Parc Sagrada Familia for a while, then into Metro, out, stopped at Bonpreu for a minute, home by 8:15 or so.
Up at the crack of 10 AM.
Out around noon with Dora and Chris, to F-i-P Metro, to Glories. To Encants Barcelona market, which is new home for an old flea market. People swarming everywhere. I tell Dora to just plunge in and do her thing, Chris and I will trail her. She looks at baby clothes, jewelry, etc. I see some things that look like they should be in museums: old adding machines and other mechanisms.
By 1:15 or so, we're out. Over past Agbar building, where it looks like the colors are painted on; how do they ever change them ? No wonder they haven't ever changed in the whole time I've been in Barcelona, this year and last. Into the modern Glories shopping mall. We find a "Dunkin Coffee" and a croissant and coffee make Chris human again. Pleasant to sit outside and watch kids play and people walk by.
Out of there, and we stop at the Agbar building on the way past. Turns out there's a free exhibit in the ground floor, so we go in. I guess the Agbar company does water projects, so the theme of the exhibit is water. Some paintings and photgraphs, not very interesting. Some wonderful leather sofas that I could sleep on for a while. But no time; we get out and into Metro. And take it the wrong direction. Out at next stop, back in, eventually to F-i-P. Stop at the other apartment to grab some food out of the freezer, home by 3. Dora starts cooking.
Pictures from Glories area: pics.
Nice dinner with Chris and Dora: ribs, rice, garlic bread.
Out around 6. To Llumajor Metro, down to Jaume I stop, to the cathedral. A nice band playing, people dancing the traditional sardana dance (partly as a political statement of Catalan autonomy), swarms of people watching or passing through. A pleasant scene, and we sat and watched for a while.
Then went looking for a cafe, and after some starts and stops, we found one in Placa George Orwell. Prices were a bit high, and the food a bit skimpy, but the sangrias were strong. We laughed at how small the food was and how long the Wi-Fi password was. Kids playing in a playground in the middle, lots of interesting people walking by. Pics (a little out of order).
After that, we headed over to La Rambla, stopping to look in a couple of shops and let Chris buy a souvenir. Walked up La Rambla, stopping to look in a church having Mass, then for Dora to buy a few tiny basil plants. Into Placa Catalunya Metro.
Home at 9:30. Had the football game on the TV briefly, then the antenna box froze (as usual). Switched to a different antenna box, couldn't find the game, and no sound on any channel. Then found it, and Dora and I watched the second half. And the game turned into a scorcher: Atletico Madrid led 1-0 all the way to the end of regulation time, and then Real Madrid scored right at the end or in start of injury time. They played two more 15-minute periods, and in the second one, Real Madrid scored twice plus a penalty shot to win it 4-1. Soon there were major fireworks (explosions) going off in the neighborhood all around us; surprising that there are so many Real Madrid fans.
Bryan was out all night, for graduation partying. Home at 6 AM or so.
Up at 7, to see Chris off to the airport. I had hoped to walk him to the F-i-P Metro and let him go from there by himself, but no, he wants me to take him to Placa Catalunya. Okay, two more Metro tickets down the drain. Then Dora says she wants to go too, and she and I will have breakfast somewhere. Okay, so I'm not going to be able to come right back and get back into my warm bed. And Chris grouses about taking presents from Dora back to our family in USA, saying his suitcase is full, presents will get stolen from luggage at the airport in USA, etc.
We get out the door before 7:30, down to Metro. Instead of buying a new T-10 card and leaving it with us, Chris buys a one-ride ticket for 2x the per-ride price of a T-10. On to Placa Catalunya, and we see him off at the bus.
And it turns out Dora doesn't want to just have breakfast, she wants to walk through the whole town, so we walk down to the Cathedral area, through streets fairly deserted, and wet as maintenance people hose them down. An interesting view of the town, mostly empty of people.
Dora needs to go to to the bathroom, so we go into a cafe and have coffees. Then into the cathedral, which is quiet and has few people, which is nice. Then more walking through old town, down to the port, and she wants to see if we can take a boat-ride ! No, I'd like to do that some sunny, warm afternoon in June when lots of boats are out, not a cool morning in May when everything is quiet and even the tour boats don't seem to be going out.
We walk over to MareMagnum and have coffee and muffins in a Starbucks, where we snag great outdoor seats looking out over the harbor, and linger in them as long as possible, for 90 minutes or so. Around 10:45, there's a jailbreak: at least 30 sailboats come out of the marina in a bridge-opening. Lots of fun to watch them go past. But hard to take any pictures, because there's a railing and low ceiling and screen of trees in the frame.
As we leave around 11:30, the bridge is open again to let a couple more boats out, and a couple in also. One boat going in looks to me like it has engine problems: the exhaust is coming out in a bit of a cloud, with no exhaust-water coming out.
We briefly check out an antiques-fair, then across to La Rambla. I take a picture of a funny way the handbag-sellers keep people from snatch-stealing a handbag, while one vendor tries to prevent me from taking the picture. Hey, it's a public street, I can photograph anything I want.
Into Drassanes Metro station, and I buy a one-month T-50 card for €42.50; per-ride is cheaper than a T-10 for €10.30, but I have to be careful not to lose or damage the card, and only one person at a time can use the T-50.
Long ride to Canyelles station (interesting maps/globes in the station), and we walk down to Llucmajor area. Another bathroom stop for Dora, which requires buying another coffee in a bar/cafe. Then I get a little irritated at all of the dogs being walked in our way as we try to get home. I'm tired.
Today's pictures: pics.
Home a little after 1. Time to do laundry, move carpets, mop the floors, etc. Some museums are free this afternoon, but we're not going anywhere. Today didn't work out at all as I expected.
A short nap, then a nice dinner with Dora: ribs and pasta-with-mushroomsauce.
Out around 8 with Dora. Over to other apartment to hang up laundry, then for a stroll to Virrei Amat plaza and up and down Fabra i Puig. Pleasant.
Raining steadily from 8:30 to 10 or so, then still dark and cool and occasional thunder.
Out after noon, to the other apartment. Took a bag of wet laundry over and hung it up on the lines there. Worked on the washer for 45 minutes, eliminated some items as possible problems, but still can't find the real problem (drum spins for 2 seconds, stops, spins again, stops, etc, water never comes into drum; situation not helped by me not knowing how the controls work). Went to hardware store and had one of the keys for the front door altered to work more smoothly. Sunny as I came back to home apartment.
Expected Dora home at 4, but she arrived at 6. Quick dinner of quinoa-over-rice, and a beef rib. Outside, it's darker and raining a bit.
Out to other apartment with Dora at 7:45, to bring back some laundry and a few other things. Wanted to get some groceries, but stores had closed by the time we came out.
Did a little yoga with Dora (we did some yesterday afternoon, too). Need to get back into that routine.
Electrician-friend arrived around 10:45, and soon had the fuse-boox open and all power turned off. Fifteen minutes and €150 later (some of which was to pay a previous bill), power was on and the air-conditioner was running in heater mode. Progress. Tomorrow he or air-conditioner people will come and try it in cooling mode.
Dora started running the air-conditioner, and there are a few spots of dampness, but not water pouring out everywhere as previously described. So we'll see.
Out at 10:45 or so with Dora. We plan to go to Vilanova i la Geltru to the art museum, but we don't have much time; it closes at 2. Stop at a key-shop to have some keys duplicated (I didn't expect that one), then a long stop at a bank. Now it's 11:15, probably take us more than an hour to do Metro-and-train to V-i-l-G, so change plans. Let's go to Colonia Guell instead.
To Virrei Amat Metro, then realize it's wrong; I have us going to Placa Sants, but we need Place Espanya. Off at Placa Sants to transfer, but then we get onto the Red L1 going the wrong direction. Looks like we can catch the same train at Av Carrilet, so we go to there. Buy combination train-Colonia tickets (€15 each), down to platform, and we've missed the train by 1 minute. Have to wait 35 minutes to next train that will stop where we want. No problem, I have water and power-bars for Dora, and an MP3 player for myself.
Finally onto train, off at Colonia Guell, follow blue footprints painted on the sidewalk to the Information Office. We show tickets, get maps and a voucher, then off to the Gaudi church. Very nice, a wild mix of different forms, each pair of columns different, various details different, various materials used. And it's only the bassement of a planned much-bigger church, but the upper 9/10ths never was built.
We stay there for a while, then I realize our tickets entitled us to audio-guides too. Back to the Info center, get the guides, then we look through the center for a while. Dora is using her audio-guide, I'm ignoring mine.
Out into the little town, wander a bit, eventually end up at a cafe in the placa for ice creams, cafe for Dora, breadsticks. Pleasant.
Then we wander down to the factory area, but it's walled off and it seems not part of the package. We sit and doze for a while on a nice bench in a nice leafy area. Then Dora wants to carve our initials in a tree, and I take pictures for evidence in environmental court later. But the trees are tougher than any implement she has at the moment. (And later, Dora points out that the photo doesn't show her face, so I guess she'd beat the rap.)
I tell Dora I'm feeling very Euro-trash today: everything I'm wearing or carrying is either black or grey, right down to my underwear.
I decide to start trying to say as much as possible in Spanish to Dora; it's time I learned it a bit. The results are going to be ugly for a while.
Back up to try to find a view of the abandoned castle tower, we make a few false starts, then find the closest accessible point to it. But trees block much of the view, and every path toward the tower seems more overgrown than I feel like pushing through.
Back to the train station, 10-minute wait for a train, back to Av Carrilet station. Onto L1 Metro, then 21 (!) stops to Fabra i Puig. Out and home by 5:45. We need bathroom, water, rest.
Out with Dora at 6:15 or so to buy some groceries.
Dinner: meat and rice and quinoa and cabbage-mix and a beer.
A quiet morning at home, waiting for air-conditioner guy to show up at some unknown time.
Then at 10:15, Dora called from work to say her sister (actual owner of the apartment) is arriving unexpectedly, so I have to move over to the other apartment (owned by Dora). Packed my stuff, made two trips, was settled over there within half an hour.
Glued a drawer whose face was coming off.
After noon, started to go to "home" apartment for lunch; the only food I brought over here is breakfast cereal. Got halfway, and realized we have no bread at "home" anyway. Got cash from an ATM, went back to the other apartment, and there's Dora ! We must have missed each other by 1 minute maximum. She left work early, and it turns out when her sister is in town, Dora stays here, not at "home".
Dora dashes "home", comes back with towels and food and cooking materials, and cooks up a storm. By 2 we're sitting down to a nice dinner. As we're finishing, Dora's sister calls and says she's not coming to town after all, she missed her plane, and her daughter is a bit sick. So we can go back "home".
Around 4:30, out to go to a free concert. But first we stop at the "home" apartment, so Dora can pick up some keys for work, and taking a few things such as my computer back over there in the process. Just as we're getting ready to go from there, we find out her sister just got a taxi to the airport, and is coming after all. So we take my stuff, and some more food, back to the other apartment.
Finally off to a bus stop only a couple of blocks behind the apartment. We're going to the NE corner of the city, not a typical destination for us, and we have a choice of a long, looping Metro ride that will go through major city center parts, or a bus that goes fairly directly. We choose the bus.
But it's raining a bit, traffic is thick, lots of red lights, so the bus is slow.
We get to the Forum area, out of the bus, walk down to the Edifici Forum, and we can see a huge "Primavera Sound" sign in the Parc Forum along the sea. We walk down there, go through a couple of levels of security (having the cap from my water-bottle confiscated in the process), and we're there. Nice bandstand, and a rock band playing loudly. And it's raining a bit. But we have umbrellas.
We stand and watch and listen, and wander around a little. The band is mediocre, their song lyrics seem very repetitive, Dora says the singer is singing bad Spanish.
There's a break, rain stops, a new band warms up, and finally they get going. And they're a lot better, in melody and song and singing. Nice, but I'm getting tired, and the rain is making people crowd together around us as we all try to stay under some roofing.
Dora has to be at work by 8. I get her to start leaving around 7:20, and it takes a while to walk out of the place; it's big. Crowds of people coming in as we left; the place will be jumping tonight. Pics.
We get out and find the bus stop for me to go home, right next to the Metro station for Dora. She says "I thought we were going to have a coffee together", but she's crazy, she'll be late for work as it is. Sure enough, after we part, I look at my watch and it's 7:39.
The bus is 10 minutes late, and in those 10 minutes, it starts raining harder, then pouring. Glad we're not still back at the concert.
Onto the bus, and a long, slow ride back. I'm tired and headachey, more from a cold than from the loud music. Home to Dora's apartment a little before 8:30. Ate some food and took a paracetamol-plus.
Dora home from work around 9. And her sister never arrived; I guess there was some miscommunication.
Dora out for a few chores around noon, then some miscommunication about which apartment we'll be in, and we don't go out together until about 2. Long Metro ride to a "Congress" (convention) at a hotel, to pick up her sister's credentials and wander around the place. It's a medical convention for infertility specialists. We have some free coffee, wander out to the gardens of the hotel, Dora wants to score some free food but we're too late for the lunch leavings.
Out eventually, and walk down Av Diagonal to Palau Reial gardens. We sit for a while, but it starts to rain, and we're getting hungry. To the Metro, connect at Sants Estacio, then a PACKED train home. Back to Dora's apartment around 5. Tired.
After a while, nice dinner with Dora. Rice, quinoa, meat, later a figgy pudding for dessert.
After 9, hauled our stuff back to the Deia apartment, and we're back "home".
Late at night, news that Dora's sister is starting to go into labor for delivering twins. [Found out later, it was another miscommunication.] But she lives elsewhere in Spain, not here in Barcelona.
Loafed all morning. Grey, and raining by noon. Did a little yoga.
Out around 1. To other apartment, took apart the fill hose on the washing machine, nothing wrong with the filters or hose. Put it back on without the filters, and machine started working ! Seems to fill okay, draining makes some noises. Will have to get Dora over here and try it again and see if it's really working; I don't know the behavior of it well enough to tell if it's fully working.
Back to "home", no Dora, grabbed an umbrella, went for a walk. Down past El Corte Ingles, to Villadaura, back along Meridiana.
There's free music starting downtown about now (3 PM), but no Dora, and I had enough music-in-the-rain the other night.
Nice dinner with Dora, then she's out to the hair salon.
By 6:30, as Bryan and Dora are getting ready to go to a school graduation, there's thunder and heavy rain. But by the time Dora goes out at 7:30, it's over.
Dora comes back very late, maybe 1 AM. Bryan is out until 6 AM or so.
Dora out at 7:30 to be at work by 8.
Loafed all morning. Out for some groceries after noon.
Out at 1:15. To F-i-P Metro, out at Arc de Troimf. Lots of people here, lots of stuff going on. Roller-skaters showing off, break-dancers, then down in Parc de la Ciutadella, a couple of bandstands with free music as part of Primavera Sound. I wander down there and listen for a while. The only problem is that the two bandstands are too close together, and often you can hear both bands simultaneously, ruining it.
I listen, wander around the park, listen some more. People throughout the park doing odd things: practicing juggling, practicing tighrope-walking, blowing big soap-bubbles for the kids to chase, a clown giving away balloons.
After a couple of hours, I walk out of the park and into old down. Down Princessa and Ferran to La Rambla. Up that and then left and over to MACBA to watch the skateboarders for a little while. Back to La Rambla, through Placa Catalunya (zillions of pigeons), up Passeig de Gracia, N on Disputacio. Eventually to Girona Metro station, to Llucmajor, and when I come out it's raining steadily. I try to wait it out, but given up after 10 minutes, and I'm pretty damp by the time I get home, a little after 5:30.
Today's pictures: pics. [Dora says: the women wearing angel's halos (or any funny costumes) probably means one of them is getting married.]
Reheated leftovers for dinner: a slightly-burnt turkey drumstick with rice, another drumstick with noodles, and a nice and big Munich bottle of beer probably left by a guest a year ago.
Headachey later, maybe from the beer. Took a paracetamol-plus, and later Dora gave me some other mystery-pill to take too.
Dora home late, maybe around 10:30.
Out with Dora at noon to do an errand, but the place is closed. Instead had "montaditos" (small cheap sandwiches etc) in Heron City Center. €4 of fast food for two: pic.
Back home, and there's a Paraguayan festival starting up in the the park across the street.
Out again around 2 with Dora. Into F-i-P Metro, out at Arc de Triomf, strolled down toward Parc de la Ciutadella. Just like yesterday. Same break-dancing going on in the Arc placa. But today there is a lot more going on in the Parc. As yesterday, two stages with bands as part of Primavera Sound. But there's also a huge children's art and games festival, and other stages with various bands, and various groups in costume or with big props. A climbing wall for kids. About twice as many people as yesterday, too.
We sit by the Primavera bands for a while, then wander through the kid's arts booths, then over to the rowboat lagoon (so green with algae that it looked like pea soup). Up to the fountain area, and we sit for quite a while, watching the swirl of groups and listening to a band, watching all the people coming through. Very pleasant.
Around 6, we have to decide what to do next, and Dora wants to go in a rowboat. So we do, and it's a blast. I row for about 60 seconds, then Dora wants a go, and she's never done it before. It's a hoot, teaching her how to row, several soft collisions with other boats, most of whom don't know how to row. Dora is happiest rowing the boat backwards, so we noodle around backwards for quite a while before I can get her to try some forwards. Finally I take over to get us back to the dock. Lots of fun.
Then we head out of the park, up Av. Meridiana, and find the Auditori, and the Museu de Musica (free this afternoon). Into the Museu, and start with a much-needed bathroom stop. There's some kind of free concert of Balinese instruments going on, but it sounds pretty discordant to me. We wander through the museum, which has lots of great instruments, but is very skimpy on explanations. No pictures allowed, too, although I couldn't resist photographing some trombones with snake-heads. Some lovely snatches of music playing in various rooms.
Out of the museum, up past the national theatre, brief swing through Encants market (they had a DJ going, during the flea market), and into Glories Metro station.
Home at 8. Feet tired. Paraguayan fiesta still going strong in the park across the street, Placa Soller.
By 8:30, sitting down to a delicious meal of rice and beef-elbow. Really hit the spot.
Blinked, woke up, and it's 10:30 !
Out after 11 with Dora. To El Cortes Ingles to mail a package. Into Heron City Center for a quick breakfast. Up to Fabra i Puig, and two stops at banks for Dora. I left her at the second, and took her broken sunglasses to be fixed at an optician (€5). Home for me, as she went to work.
Out for some quick shopping: cake, flour, bread. Should have looked up the Spanish word for flour (harina) before leaving the apartment.
Out around 6 to sit in Virrei Amat plaza, read my book, and watch the pretty women go by.
Saw something online about protests tonight in Placa Catalunya, did some searching, found that Spain's king just abdicated the throne in favor of his son, and the protests want the whole monarchy to be abolished. Wow !
Dora home around 9, and we're over to other apartment soon after. Soon she's in jammies and comfy slippers, and cooking up a storm. It's my birthday, and soon I realize she's cooking not only dinner (rice-with-peas, and meat), but also a birthday cake mostly-from-scratch (and Bryan is making the icing). This is crazy; we're going to be eating very late, which I don't like, and she has to be at work at 8 AM tomorrow. But there's no stopping them. I bought a cake today, but she insists only a hand-made cake will do for a birthday.
They're arguing about the recipe. And things are taking forever. I grate orange peel and juice oranges and squeeze lemons. Turns out we're also doing some fancy dessert involving flour and a filling called manjar blanco. The kitchen here is small, limited counter-space, only room for one person (Dora) to stand in front of sink and oven and counter simultaneously. So I can't even help by washing dishes. Dora is rolling dough right on the marble countertop.
When we arrived here, I started a load of laundry to see if the washer is working properly, and it's not. Bummer. I switch it to various settings in hopes of getting more life, but it's definitely not cycling properly, and not spinning at all in the spin cycle.
Bryan finishes the icing and leaves, and maybe around 10:45 the cake is in the oven and Dora and I are eating dinner. Then the cake is done and has to be sliced horizontally, icing/filling put between the layers, then on top. Dora puts a candle on top (a "1" was all she could get, but I think it looks like a "7"), and takes pictures as I blow it out. We eat several slices, and it's good: chocolatey and lemony and a bit heavy, which I like. But I'm tired and I wish Dora wasn't doing all of this; she needs to go home and sleep. She had a long day and has to be up early tomorrow.
Afterwards, we start rolling dough again, working on the dessert. First batch of it doesn't get into the oven until 11:45.
The little cakes of dessert come out of the oven and have to be glued together with the manjar blanco. And they're very nice; delicate and melt-in-the-mouth and sugary. Pics.
Dora and I pile up the remaining dirty dishes for me to do tomorrow (the counter and floor are a mess too), turn off the washer, cover the remaining desserts and leave them, take the remaining cake with us, lights off, walk the 3 blocks home through deserted streets.
Home at 12:30. Into bed and eventually fall asleep.
I thought Dora had to be up at 7 to be at work at 8. But her alarm goes off at 5:45; she needs to do some studying before work !
Online, bought tickets for a concert on Saturday.
To other apartment before noon. Cleaned up the dishes and kitchen; not too bad, since Dora did many dishes and pots last night as she finished with them. Took wet laundry out of washer and brought the big item back "home" to wash and rinse in the working washer. Brought back some items we'd taken to the other apartment last night.
Out around 1:45. Got two blocks from the apartment and realized I'd forgotten to bring a bottle of water. Into Bonpreu and bought one for €0.35. To Virrei Amat, and caught the 82 bus up into the hills. Went to the end of the line, Torre Baro, even though we passed the Castell I wanted to see, about 1/2 mile short of the end.
Out and took a couple of pictures down into the valley inland of Barcelona. Walked back down the road, downhill, and followed a couple of paths to the Castell (actually an abandoned hotel). But the government is restoring it, so it's surrounded by chain-link fence and there are workers inside, and I can't go in.
Started heading downhill from there, and came to a nice overlook area, Mirador de Torre Baro. Great views of the city, and I can see landmarks in our neighborhood; I'm only a couple of miles away.
Found a dirt path down from there, and zig-zagged down the hillside, mostly under powerlines. Nice casual walk, lots of views, some nice cactus and other plants. Saw some big concrete structures with metal grills around the top and lots of graffiti; I guess they're vents for a tunnel (train or Metro).
Eventually down to Trinitat Nova Metro station. Could take bus or Metro home from here, but I've never seen this area, it's an easy slightly-downhill walk, and I decide to walk home. Feet a bit tired by the time I arrive, around 4:15. Dora has just come home; good timing.
Dinner of rice and cabbage-and-meat with Dora, then crashed for a nap.
Out at 1:15. Metro to Jaume I, up to the cathedral square, sat there for a while. Lots of people, a break-dancing group, but not much else going on. To Frederic Mares museum, and found my information is outdated: it's not free on Wednesday afternoons any more. Sat there for a while listening to MP3's, then back to cathedral square. Workers erecting some unknown thing right in the square: pic.
Into a Tourist Info place I haven't been in before, got some info. Saw that they have an amazing aerial photo of Barcelona as the floor of the building, but they've built a gift-shop across the top of most of it: pic.
Up to Placa Catalunya, into El Corte Ingles to use the bathroom. Sat in the Placa for a while, then wandered down to Palau Musica: pics.
Finally into the Metro (packed), out, got a few groceries, home by 6:45.
To other apt before noon. Took out the garbage, washed dishes, took food back to the "home" apartment.
Out around 1. Into Metro, out at Vallcarca, up escaltors and stairs and into W end of Parc Guell. Made my way up to the tower-cross, which is stone and had minimal rails on the stairs up, and no railings once you're up on it. And it's crowded up on top of it. Dangerous. I stayed only a few minutes, then went back down and lounged in the vicinity for a while.
Several nice scenic overlooks and plazas inside the free area of the park, and I wandered and sat and listened to MP3's. Stopped to listen to a nice band playing, but after a minute they finished playing and started packing up their instruments ! Pics.
Eventually out the E end of the park, and sat for a while. Walked up along Carmel park, and after some confusion, found the Carmel Metro station. Longish escalator ride down into it, then an elevator after that, to get to the platform. Out at Virrei Amat, home around 4. Dora is home, and soon we're having dinner.
In the middle of dinner, the air-conditioner guy calls, and he arrives around 4:30. He pokes at it, applies a gauge set, and tells Dora the water she had a year ago probably came from apartment above (my guess, too). And the air-conditioner needs to be recharged with refrigerant, to the tune of €500 ! Not going to happen. At least there was no charge for this service call, since the previous visit by this guy was a misfire.
I'm half-tempted to buy a bottle of refrigerant and DYI-recharge the system, as I did for my boat refrigerator. I'll have to think about it. And the system is only abot 4 years old; why did the refrigerant leak out ? But Dora tells me everyone in the building has had problems with their air-con systems; I guess they are bad models or were installed badly. She has a friend (the guy who replaced the circuit-breaker) who probably could recharge the system, for money.
Did laundry. Went out to Dia for a few groceries. Weather grey and trying to rain. Threw out the TV we took down because the display no longer works.
Dinner with Dora around 3. Ribs and pasta and rice, yum. Pic.
Tried to decipher the air-conditioner manuals again. Google Translate can handle only about half of the words, in either Catalan or Spanish mode. Dora says it's Spanish. Then she confirmed what I was starting to suspect: it's a manual for a water-heater that we don't have, not the air-conditioner we do have. The brand name on the manual matches the brand name on the air-con thermostat, but that's the only point of correspondence. I think there's also a manual for a stove-hood that we don't have, same brand. Maybe the installer just dumped the wrong set of manuals, years ago ?
Then Dora called her handyman friend, and he says no one in the building has a manual for those air-conditioners, who knows what they are ? I think we're going to give up and just say the air-con is broken. Perhaps it's for the best anyway: will save electricity if it can't be used.
Out at 7 or so for a walk with Dora, on busy streets. Then we sat in Placa Soller for a while. Home, and we did a little yoga, then ate some chocolate cake.
Out around 10:30 with Dora. To Metro, out at Glories, into Glories shopping mall. Dropped off bedspread to be cleaned, then loafed in a Starbucks for an hour or two. Home by 1:15 or so.
Pasta with basil sauce and an egg over top for dinner. Nap.
Out at 4 with Dora. Down to Metro, long ride to Placa Espanya. Out and walked up to the big art museum, MNAC, stopping several times in shady places to take a picture or cool down and catch our breath. Finally up to the main door, and in for free (free on Sat afternoons).
But we're not here to see the art. We're here to go up on the roof, which just recently is open to the public. We find the way, into elevator, then up a lot of stairs. Out onto the roof and find a shady spot to sit and rest. The view is great. Then it's near time to leave, and we find we've seen only about 1/4 of the roof. We wind over catwalks and around and eventually to the exit, which has bathrooms and an elevator. Would have been nice to have that elevator on the way up instead of the way down. Pics.
Out, and down some steps, then off to the side, and trying to find the theater. The signs aren't good, but we end up going right to it. Mercat De Les Flors, then by 5:45 for a 6 PM show. We relax for a few minutes in the nice vestibule, then try to go in, and the attendants say "not open yet". We turn away, hesitate, and 10 seconds later they say "okay, we're open now". In we go.
The program is a symphony concert of dance music. It turns out to be without dancers tonight, which is fine with me. Hard to take pictures in the lighting, and soon an attendant comes over to tell me "no photography" anyway. Pics.
There is some connection to schools and educating kids about music and dance, which I knew, but some people have brought very young children, 3 and 4 years old, to the concert, and they're sitting next to us. Plenty of empty seats, so we move. And the kids last about 10 minutes into the concert before they're both making a fuss and their mothers have to take them outside.
The concert is being radio-broadcast, so there are two guys sitting on a platform in the back-right of the stage, and what they're saying is broadcast over the PA for all of us to hear. Strangely, they're facing away from us and away from the orchestra, and even when the music is playing, they stay turned away from all of us. Bizarre. Later, Dora tells me one was talking in Catalan, the other was an Italian speaking in Spanish. As I'd guessed, they were explaining the music.
Some horn-players from the orchestra play a short fanfare to open the program, then the two radio-guys yak for about 10 minutes while everyone waits. Another horn-fanfare. Finally the first violin comes out, then the conductor. Soon, music.
The first couple of pieces are nice; good classical dance music, mostly string-instruments. With each new piece, more musicians come on stage, until finally it's a full orchestra, plus a Chinese instrument or two. The 3rd and 4th pieces are a bit strange, a piece originally for a Charlie Chaplin movie, with some Brazilian parts, and then a piece titled something to do with Nixon's visit to China. Unusual pieces, but some very nice horn-playing and melody in places. Then for an encore a nice conventional piece, I don't know what it was. Done around 7:30.
We wander out and over to Institut Del Teatre (contains Teatre Ovidi) right next door. Dora didn't know any of these were here; it's a series of three theaters: Teatre Lliure (pic), Mercat de les Flors, and Teatre Ovidi, and a theater school. We go into the institute's lounge area, and relax on nice orange sofas for quite a while. Various theater students and teacher-types wandering in and out. Pics.
Eventually out, and over to the Magic Fountains, which won't be magic for another hour or so. So we keep going, to the Metro, longish ride, out and walk home. Home by 9. I zip over to the other apartment to bring back a plate of the cookies we made five days ago, and we munch those.
Slow day. Had been planning to take a train down to an art museum, but Dora wants to stay at home and work. At noon, I went out to sit in the plaza for an hour and read and listen to MP3's and watch people walk by.
Turns out Dora is a bit upset with me; I'll be leaving in a couple of weeks, and I haven't been saying the right things about coming back to stay with her more.
Out at 3:15, by myself. To Llucmajor Metro, out at Jaume I, walked to Born Cultural Centre (El Born CC). I'd never heard of it, and it turned out to be the old Mercat Born, which was closed for renovation when I was here last year. Apparently, it re-opened a month or two ago, and it's awesome ! And this afternoon, the exhibits inside it are free.
Huge building with lots of open space, and they excavated in the middle to reveal circa-1700 ruins. And two exhibits around the edges, one with the history of the 1714 siege of Barcelona by the French, another with pottery and various other historical stuff. No photography allowed in the exhibits. Lots of people wandering through, quite nice. Pics.
Walked to Frederick Mares museum, also free this afternoon. I was here last year, and the bottom two floors are fairly boring religious stuff, but I want to see the upper floors again. They're full of an odd collection of stuff, keys and ironwork and hand-fans and dolls and tobacco-pipes and collections of cigar-wrappers and a zillion other things. And there seem to be about 20 people working in the place; every time you turn around, there's an attendant watching you. Pics.
Walked through the cathedral square, and over to La Rambla, getting slightly off-course on the way. Pics. To Palau Guell by 5:15. It's free this afternoon; got a ticket for the 6:30 time-slot.
Walked to CCCB art museum. Expected a quiet area, but the courtyard of it is full of a flea-market, which seems to be mostly for university students, with loud music playing. Through there and down into the museum.
I was here last year, and the art was really boring. But as I hoped, the exhibits are completely different this year, and one of them is quite nice. It's about stop-action films, films made by positioning dolls or puppets and then filming one frame at a time. Some of them are really good, and pretty old, from the 1920's. Pics. There's a second exhibit, on "big data" and the internet, but I barely glance into it before I'm out of time and have to leave.
To Palau Guell before 6:30, and soon inside. And it's bigger and nicer than I expected, about as big and nice as La Pedrera. No photography allowed, but everyone's taking pictures. Lighting isn't the best, and I don't want to use a flash. Lots of walking and stairs, and I'm getting tired. But a gorgeous building, and then I'm amazed to find the rooftop terrace is probably even better than the one at La Pedrera (but views not as good). Pics.
Out, and up to Liceu Metro station. Longish ride to Vall d'Hebron and down six escalators to connect to L5, and 4 or 5 stops to Virrei Amat. Lots of people out strolling or sitting in the plaza on a Sunday evening. But I just want to get home.
Home at 8:15, tired and footsore. Tea and cake with Dora, then we watch some TV.
Slow morning. Yoga with Dora.
Out around 12:30 or so with Dora. We're at loose ends, no plans, today is a holiday so most stores are closed. We wander to Virrei Amat plaza, then I decide we should go see the El Born CC that I saw yesterday. Into Metro, transfer, out at Jaume I, walk down to the CC. Dora is impressed, and we wander around the building, reading the legends explaining the ruins. The exhibits aren't free today, so we don't go into those. We sit on benches, wander through the gift shop and cafe.
After a while, we wander out to the edge of Parc Ciutadella, but it looks like nothing special happening there today. Down Princessa, and we find a pleasant little bar and have tapas and drinks. Dates wrapped in bacon, yum ! Nice Cuban and central American music playing. Pics.
After quite a while, we head out and across Laetana, and stop for a while to listen to a nice three-piece band along the side of the cathedral: pic.
Then we check out the antique market in front of the cathedral, and I'd like to buy earrings or something for Dora, but prices seem high, even for things that aren't antiques. I suppose this is rip-off-the-tourists territory. As is any antiques store, I suppose.
We sit in front of the cathedral for a while. Then back to the Metro, with Dora walking slowly because one of her shoes is chafing her foot. Into Metro, out at Llumajor (Dora suddenly finding she's lost her sunglasses, probably left them on the train). Stopped at a couple of small stores to get groceries. Home by 4:45. I duck out to the other apartment to take some things to there and bring back other things, including cookies.
Nice dinner with Dora: turkey, rice, tamales. Homemade cookies for dessert. Long nap afterward.
Loafed all morning. Out before 1 to sit in Virrei Amat plaza and read. Got some groceries in Bonpreu, home at 3.
Out at 7 with Dora to do some major grocery-shopping at Dia. Filled the green rolling cart to the top, plus more.
Dora out to work at 8, back at 10:30, nice chicken-potato-rice lunch, out again at 1.
I went out around 2:30. Cash at an ATM. To Virrei Amat Metro, out at La Sagrera. I haven't really been to this area, and it's not very interesting. Tried to walk into the train station, but there's massive construction going on, and everything on this side is high walls and fences. Walked down Mallorca and Provenca toward Sagrada Familia.
A block from the basilica, went into big shiny cultural center and library, and sat there for a while. Small photography exhibit. Read a Time magazine, the only English-language magazine the libraries here ever have.
Wandered down to the Gaudi park next to Sagrada Familia, and sat there for quite a while, reading my book and listening to MP3's. Eventually got up and walked around the basilica and went into the church underneath it. Someone playing the organ there a little, but about one minute after I arrived, he closed it up and left ! And a whole troop of noisy people came in. So I went out, into the Metro, and home a little after 6:30.
A warm evening; had some trouble sleeping.
Lazy day. Out at 1 or so to sit in Virrei Amat plaza and read my book and listen to MP3's. A hot afternoon; I guess it's June.
Out by 7:30 with Dora. To Llumajor Metro, just missed a train, waited 6:20 for next. Down to Urquinona and out, and to Palau Musica. Picked up tickets, then around the corner to a bar for coffees and a muffin (I had hoped to go in early and wander around the concert hall, but no). Into the Palau for an 8:30 performance.
The usual confusion finding our seats; this place is not numbered well. We wisely decide to just grab aisle seats in the middle up, perfect position for acoustics and sight, no seats in front of us so we can stretch our legs, no one on either side of us.
The Catalan National Symphony Orchestra ("Orquestra Simfonica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya") again; we heard them last Saturday at Mercat de les Flors. But a quite different configuration tonight: full chorus behind them, 4 singers in front, different conductor (unless the conductor lost all of his hair in the last 5 days, I whisper to Dora), an organist for the big pipe-organ here, no harp, two French horns when they none last Saturday, I think, only one drummer. Tonight, they just about fill the stage; lots of people.
This is not at all what I expected; when buying tickets, all I'd seen was "Schubert", which to me meant "piano music". I know little about music. But this will be fine.
[Online the next day, I see we heard Schubert's "Mass No. 6 in E flat major, D. 950".]
The evening starts with investing four new directors for the orchestra; two have died recently (perhaps mysterious deaths, I whisper to Dora). Finally, the music.
Starts with a lovely orchestral piece (Kyrie). Then the "Gloria" with choir. A soft Mendelssohn organ solo which is quite unimpressive (and some poor lady near us has a coughing fit which disturbs everyone, and has to stumble out). More orchestra (Credo). A Brahms organ solo which is nice, lots of bold chords. Much more orchestra and choir, another organ solo which is okay. Eventually the singers do some work, but they're the least impressive part of the program. The orchestra and choir were quite nice (and I'm not a fan of choral music).
Tonight's pictures: pics.
All in all, quite nice, but the music rolled out in a single stream, no breaks for the crowd to applaud and relax and talk, which I found a bit uncomfortable. Too formal or solemn. But I guess that's what you get with a "Mass".
Out around 10:20, having to maneuver around people gawking at the building and decrepit old people walking at a snail's pace. To the Metro (I think one of tonight's musicians was in front of us as we crossed the street), back to Llucmajor. Saw a homeless person sleeping in an ATM vestibule (pics); Dora says it's fairly common, especially in winter. Home a little before 11.
I'm tired, Dora has to work early tomorrow, and she wants to watch TV ! So we watch a little TV.
Dora up at 6 to study before going to work.
Another lazy day. Out at 1 or so to sit in Virrei Amat plaza and read my book and listen to MP3's. Got a few groceries at Dia. Did a couple of loads of laundry.
Dinner with Dora: pics.
At 9 PM, watched Spain play Netherlands in the World Cup in Brazil, and Spain got destroyed 5-1. Ugly.
Headache; took a paracetamol-plus.
Out around 9:30 with Dora. Down to St Andreu train station.
My usual experience here: I've never yet gotten the ticket-machines here to work (no problem with the machines in other stations). First machine, we selected tickets fine, but it wouldn't take my €50 bill. Dora went to the line for the ticket window. I went back. Second machine said "sorry, can't give tickets, use another machine". Third and last machine didn't go to the right screen when (I thought) I hit the right button, went to some other screen. Gave up and had Dora buy tickets from the attendant. Electronic sign didn't say which platform to go to, painted signs say "3" for Vic (our destination) but don't say if that is "R3" train or "Via 3" platform. Attendant at window puts us right, and later I find she also said the machines won't take a 50-bill for less than 30-fare (our fare is about 25; if so, why didn't the machine say so ?). Frustrating.
Onto the train, about a 1:15 ride to Vic (stopping for 5 minutes a couple of times, for no apparent reason). At the station, the times for return trains don't match those I copied from the web site this morning. No maps either, but there's a map on a board across the street, in a tiny park in the middle of a traffic circle, where few pedestrians would go. But I know where to go, straight up a wide road into the heart of town.
And soon it's thronging with people. The whole central square is full of a market or fair, booths selling flowers and clothes and jewelry and food and books. Somewhere in here is the Tourist Info office. We go about 2/3 of the way around before finding a sign directing us to it, half a block away.
There, all I want is a map, but we get 5 minutes of Catalan spiel trying to tell us about all the attractions, a Cathedral tour, and an audioguide. Finally we get out with maps.
Down to the cathedral, in a side-door with visiting hours on it, and suddenly we're coming in near the front of the nave, and the place is FULL. A couple of thousand people in the pews, talking up a storm, quite loud. We slide back out the door, walk around to the main entrance, and go in there. Soon a procession of priests in white is coming down from near where we first came in, and they come past us and up the middle. Then some service and Mass starts. Apparently, it's the 150th anniversary of some important priest founding the parish or something.
We go out, and into the Museu Episcopal. Nice and cool and quiet in here. Big four-story modern museum, full of various art (mostly religious), and we saw about four other visitors in the whole time we were inside. Interesting temporary exhibit showing what paints were used in 1200's or so, and saying that the churches back then were full of brightly-colored art and tapestries, unlike the drab places they tend to be these days (now that the art has been removed or the colors have faded, smoke residue has built up, etc).
We spend an hour or more on the -1 and 3 floors, then go back out to the plaza in front of the cathedral. People are coming out now, and some giant statues have been set up to add to the festive air. [I ask Dora, and she says giant statues are a Catalan tradition.]
We wander off in search of lunch. After some loops, we find a reasonable pizza-type joint, and have sodas and pasta-meat-frenchfries. Filling but not impressive. World Cup highlights on the TV overhead.
Back out, and the Roman Temple is closed. Back into the Museu Episcopal to see floors 0 and 1. And use the very nice bathrooms again.
Out of the museum. We wander down to the river. Some guy washing clothes in the fountain there. The river is muddy and slow and not very wide, but has lots of ducks. It's trying to rain.
Pics and more pics.
Up across town to look at the leather museum, which is closed. To the train station. Half-hour wait for a train, which turns out to be a local. We get nice seats, which is good because more and more people poured on at every stop. Loud kids. By the time we got back to St Andreu, lots of people standing, and our seats were grabbed as soon as we stood up.
Home a little after 6.
Tried to watch some World Cup at 9, but couldn't find it on free TV.
Dora cooked me a big meat-bread-eggs breakfast. Warm morning; running the air-conditioning a bit.
Out a little before 1 with Dora. To L3 Metro, 3 stops, out at Alfons X (Parc de les Aigues).
There's a "castelling" competition here today. Human pyramids (more like towers, actually). Three teams: Gracia from Barcelona (blue), a team from Sitges (red), and a team from Badalona (yellow). Lots of fun, with little kids going to the top, all teams cooperating to help each other keep the bases stable, each team having a little band to play some music. We watched for 45 minutes, then wandered down to an adjoining fair: kid's rides, balloons, a kids-entertainment stage, etc. Nice. Pics.
Into Metro, home by 1:20 or so.
Nice paella dinner with Dora: pic.
Out at 4;45 or so with Dora. To Virrei Amat, connected at Vall d'Hebron, out at Liceu. Someone left a nice maroon umbrella hanging in the Metro at Hebron, and Dora grabbed it. On the platform, we waited for a moment to see if anyone would run to claim it, but no, and it's ours ! But now we have to carry an umbrella. [Later, I joked to Dora that maybe a spy left it there for another spy to pick up, and we got in the middle. Or, when I opened it up, cocaine would fall out.]
Down La Rambla to Palau Guell, and got free tickets, but with an entry time just close enough that we don't have time to go to CCCB first, which also is free now. So we wander down to a bar/cafe, and have coffee/soda. By the time we're finished, it's trying to rain. Good thing we have an umbrella !
Into Palau Guell before 6. Didn't take too many pictures, because I was here a week ago. But I wanted to show the building to Dora, and she enjoyed it. And I learned some things: Eusebi Guell had a fortune (in 1880's or so) equivalent to €70 billion today ! [Looked him up online later, and it looks like his father had a near-monopoly on import/export thrugh Havana Cuba for a while, and probably made a good part of his money from the slave trade.] His wife never liked the house. And lots of other little details I didn't pick up last week. Today, because of the rain, the back portico is closed, and about 5 minutes after we got onto the spectacular roof, they closed that, too.
Out of Palau Guell, a little rain, crowds on La Rambla, into Liceu, connect again. Guy on the train looked really funny, all black, skateboarder-type with knee and elbow pads, leather gloves, ski-hat pulled well down over his head and face, iPod headphones going up under the hat; wish I could have taken a picture. Out of Metro, stop for bread, home by 8.
Tea and snacks, then look for a World Cup game on TV. But there is none.
Loafed all day. Out around 3:30 to the other apartment, to bring back some food, and work on the washer. It's desperation time; I just disconnected a sensor wire, and hoped it would fix the problem; no luck.
Sat in Virrei Amat plaza for a couple of hours, reading and listening to MP3's and people-watching. To Dia for some groceries.
To hardware store and bought new hose for the shower in the big bathroom.
Dora back from work at 1:30, quick rib-and-rice lunch, back out to work at 2:30.
Out a little before 4. Up to Llucmajor Metro, out at Passeig de Gracia. Took me a while to get oriented, and of course I came out a different exit than I wanted. Sat a little, wandered down to Placa Catalunya, sat some more, reading my book.
Wandered down La Rambla, through the usual hordes of people. Decided to angle over to the Maritime Museum, partly to use the bathroom, and found a band playing in the museum courtyard. Apparently part of some every-two-weeks city music series ? I keep stumbling across things like this. Small group, and they stopped playing about 2 minutes after I arrived, but I waited to see if anything good would happen. Wandered around the museum lobby a bit, which has artwork and model ships and today a 6-meter sailboat. Used the bathroom.
Half an hour later, a large jazz band (Bristol University Jazz Orchestra & Big Band Hornstars) was on stage. Heard a couple next to me chatting in American English, so I said hi, and turned out they're from Philadelphia (I'm from Trenton NJ). They're finishing a two-week vacation to Lisbon, Porto, Bilbao, Madrid, Barcelona.
The concert started, and it was pretty nice. 25 or so instruments, and the brass sounded very good. A little trouble with an amplifier once or twice. Hard to take pictures, with lots of obstructions: pics. Three female solo singers; first was mediocre, second was terrific, third was pretty good. They played 8 or 9 pieces, most of which were pretty good. I like rhythmic, melodic jazz, not free-form stuff, and they did mostly the kind I like.
Halfway through, it started to spit rain a little. Then the rain picked up slightly. When the concert finished, I left and headed to La Rambla. By the time I got there, it was raining lightly but steadily. Ducked into a nice library that I'd never noticed before. Stayed only 5 minutes, and it was raining harder when I came out. Walked and sheltered under overhangs, did it again, did it again.
To Jaume I Metro and to Llucmajor. Still raining when I came out. To Dia for a few groceries. Raining harder when I came out, stood for a while under an overhang, gave up and walked home, getting a little damp.
Back a little after 8. After I got in, it started raining harder. Started tailing off 15 minutes later.
Street pictures today: pics.
Loafed all morning. Dora home around 1; I thought she'd be home at 9 or so. Ribs-and-paella dinner.
Holy cow ! Just found out about a major festival (Corpus Christi) happening over next 4 days, lots of govt buildings open, artwork, a parade. Heard about it online almost by accident; Dora didn't know about it. Would have kicked myself if I'd missed it.
Out at 9 with Dora, to a local bar to watch the World Cup, Spain vs Chile. We ordered cava (local version of champagne), and it came as a whole bottle. No label at all on it, either. Soon we had a pretty good buzz on. Had some tapas: something that looked like pork-rinds to me, and bread-with-salami. Later, Dora had a coffee. Whole bill came to €8.5, a bargain.
Unfortunately, Spain didn't have a good buzz. They lost 2-0, and were eliminated from the World Cup.
Home by 11:15, still feeling buzzed. Brought half a bottle of the cava back with us.
Out at 10:45. Up to Llucmajor Metro, slow ride with a couple of unexplained delays, out at Jaume I stop.
I have a list of 17 buildings involved in the Corpus Christi event. Most open for the next 3 or 4 days, a couple only open today.
Up to Placa Jaume, and found the side entrance to the town hall (La Casa de la Ciutat) just as a large group of schoolkids got there ahead of me. Took 5 minutes to get in, and had to run my bag through a security scanner.
Inside, the building and contents are fabulous ! Nice architecture, great furnishing, art, chandeliers. And there are "beastiaries", animal costumes or sculptures that get carried in parades or displayed, as well as giants. Apparently this tradition goes back to 1400 or so.
Photography hard at times, with glaring lights reflecting off things, and no flash allowed, and some rooms too small or too tall to get a decent view. Spent a long time in the building, and halfway through my camera freaked out and it took a while to get it back to normal operation. Pics.
Out and around the corner to find the next building, Palau Centelles. Had to ask some govt workers, to find it down a side street. A couple of nice rooms, the library room listed on the plan doesn't seem to be open, meh.
Back and forth a couple of times before finding the next place, Reial Academia de Bones Lletres. Which turns out to be mostly a garden with "dancing egg". First I've seen, and it's interesting. I don't see how it stays in place, on top of just a single solid fountain of water. Sometimes it falls off, but immediately pops back up.
On to the next stop, Frederic Mares museum, which turns out to be just another dancing egg in a garden.
Through the cathedral square, and the lattice that workers have been erecting is finished and open. It's some artistic statement about globalization, according to the legend.
Into the side-yard of the cathedral, and another dancing egg.
Out and found the archive building in front-corner of the cathedral. Another dancing egg, a few library-type rooms.
Up half a dozen blocks, to Ateneu Barcelones building. I think it's some kind of academic society or something. Another dancing egg, very nice library, nice building, people having lunch in the gardens. Pics (after town hall).
To La Rambla and immediately off it again, and to Esglesia de Santa Anna. Nice church with lots of stone and a minimum of stained glass, and a dancing egg in the garden. Ho-hum.
Out, and I've had enough for today. Only one other place on the list sounds interesting, and it's closed right now. Up to Placa Catalunya, into a jammed Metro train. Out at Diagonal, onto L5, out at Virrei Amat. Stop at Dia for some groceries.
Home by 3, tired. Dora just got home, time for dinner. Spaghetti, and salad with tuna-fish in it.
A bit headachey; took a paracetamol-plus and had a nap.
Out in late morning to do some grocery-shopping. I want to make lasagna for Dora. But almost no one sells lasagna noodles here. Finally found pre-cooked noodles in Caprabo, for 4x the price of normal noodles. Grabbed some plastic lasagna pans from the other apartment; I assume they'r oven-safe. Back home, and found a metal lasagna pan hiding in the oven; I'll use that.
A little before 2, started making the lasagna. Not sure if the directions on the noodle package are giving temps in C or F; must be C. Had to dash out for mushrooms; forgot to get them this morning. I have three times as many noodles as I need for one pan; maybe do this again another day.
Dora home around 3, perfect timing, lasagna almost done. Before 3:30, Dora and Bryan and I are sitting down to dinner. Pics. The noodles are slightly too chewy; should have added some water. But otherwise it's fine.
Out around 5 with Dora. To Llucmajor Metro, out at Jaume I, up past Cathedral to Casa de Extremosos, which turns out to be the workshop and depot for the "gegantes", the big figures that are used in parades and such. Pics. The place seems to be a hotbed of Catalan national pride, too.
Down toward Placa Jaume, stopping in a couple of places to see "dancing eggs" (Dora's been here 9+ years, and never seen them). I still can't figure out how they work, but there must be a marble inside; one we watch tonight definitely is off-center in the jet of water. [Online, I'm told there is no trick, no weight or marble, just empty out an egg and seal it, or make something hollow and egg-shaped.] Then we stop for a while in a jewelry store, but don't buy anything.
To city hall, and disappointed to find it closed. It seems I've misread the schedule, and it was only open to the public yesterday, and maybe mid-day on Sunday (we're not sure). The main point of coming out tonight was to show it to Dora.
Off to a gelato shop, and my spirits revive as we have nice ice cream and watch people pass by. It's hot this evening.
Wandered up to the cathedral square, and sat for a while. Checked out the new sculpture, which Dora hasn't seen, and there's a group of street-performers break-dancing with it as a backdrop.
Then we wander into the cathedral for no particular reason, and have another of those magical Barcelona experiences. There's a symphony orchestra setting up in front of the altar ! We grab seats, and wait 10 minutes or so for the orchestra members to arrive and sit down. Seems to be a university-student orchestra.
Then it gets weird. Woman conductor comes out, starts some familiar piece of music (William Tell overture, I think), and 1 minute in, the conductor walks offstage and well down into the side area. Orchestra keeps playing. Then she's back, they stop playing, she talks to them, they play 20 seconds that sound like the end of a concert, and they all get up and leave ! Guys come on and start removing chairs, moving microphones, etc.
Eventually a choir of late-primary-school kids come onstage, sing several songs of which almost no words can be distinguished (acoustics are not good for this), and finally leave.
The orchestra comes back, and plays 5 or 6 nice classical pieces, changing conductors a couple of times. For the last couple of pieces, the kid-choir and some adult singers come on stage, and again almost nothing they sing can be understood as the echoes and sound system are not good. All I care about anyway is the music, and the setting. Pic.
We duck out quickly at what seems to be the end. Nice, but a bit crowded and warm, and some irritating kids were distracting me as I tried to concentrate on the music.
We wander down through a couple of plazas, sit in the placa near the Metro station for a while, and finally go home.
Back before 10:15. And the big news is that Dora's youngest sister has delivered her twins, a boy and a girl. I had told Dora a joke I saw online yesterday: someone posted a picture of their newborn, saying "I ordered this nine months ago and it just arrived TODAY, dirty, no packaging, no instruction manual !" She thought the "instruction manual" part was pretty funny.
Lazy morning, then at 1 a big grocery-shopping session with Dora.
There are too many fun things to do in this town ! Turns out Palau Musica is having an open house 10-3 today (it's almost 2 PM now, no chance of going to it). MNAC is having free swing music and dancing 5-7 tonight. But we're going to a free concert on the beach starting at 8:30; don't think we want to squeeze in MNAC too. And it's a warm day; not much energy.
Big dinner at 2:30 or so: pasta and lasagna and salad.
Since Dora's sister just gave birth, and Dora is a doctor, I showed Monty Python's "The Miracle of Birth" to Dora. She thought it was pretty funny.
We have a cream-cake for a snack around 4 PM, and I think I ate too much of it. And it's very sugary. But it's a traditional cake for the Sant Joan celebration, which is this coming Monday.
Out with Dora at 7:20. Before leaving, I have Dora take a picture of me, to show that I've lost weight and like the shape I'm in; she thinks I'm a little too thin: pic. I think my good shape is due to yoga, Dora and Barcelona.
Then a picture together: pic.
I'm feeling a little upset stomach, probably from the cake. To Llucmajor Metro, long ride to Barceloneta stop, and a huge crush of people coming off the platform and up out of the station. Throngs of people on the long boulevard down to the beach, so we took an inner road for half of it.
Down to the beach, and we don't see the concert we're looking for. We head SW along the beach, and soon see the orchestra shell, down at the end of the beach. We keep walking. Lots of people in swimsuits on the beach, and a few totally nude guys (no women). Bikes, roller-skaters, a zillion people. A hot Saturday afternoon, and the beach area is hopping.
The crowds get thicker; a LOT of people are here for the concert. As we go onto the beach and look for a place to sit, it's pretty jammed. We end up behind the AV stand, with no view of the orchestra. But we've seen this orchestra twice before (although not tonight's music program), we can hear just fine, we have a view of TV and AV people doing their stuff, and if we try to go further forward we'll really have to pack in tight.
As it is, when the music starts about 15 minutes later, we're pretty well walled in. Everyone has filled in any open space, and those moving around have to tread very close around the edges of blankets and towels and sitting or lying people. This would never be allowed in USA; there's no open lane for emergency access. Only one security guard that I can see inside the crowd, probably a few more on the perimeter.
Nice music. A bit marred by some noise from the crowd, from seagulls, and from a drone that buzzes around at about 300 feet for a while. My stomach still is a bit uncomfortable. Pics.
The music really is nice, some waltzes and Wagner and other things.
People start to leave as the last piece starts, and we edge out of the crowd. As we're walking down the boardwalk, I think they're doing an encore.
We don't waste any time on the long walk to the Metro station, wanting to beat the crowd, and I'm still not feeling 100%. Into the station, and we have to shove to get onto the train; we're packed in tighter than I've ever been on a Metro here. But after a couple of stops Dora snags a seat, then a bit later I snag one. And then a bunch of people leave, and it's normal. At one station, the doors won't open, and frantic people have to rush to the next car to get out.
Home a little before 11.
Out with Dora around 4:30. To F-i-P Metro, out at Universitat.
To CCCB museum, and several hiccups getting in: usual entrance is closed, new entrance gives us no clear way to get up to exhibits (finally figured out: take elevator down one floor, then escalator up 4 floors). Saw the nice stop-animation exhibit I saw here a week or two ago; I wanted Dora to see it, and I wanted to see it more thoroughly. Then into a "Big Data" exhibit, which turned out to be fairly nice. A few pictures on the way to the museum, and one in it: pics.
Out of the museum, getting confused again (elevator went up instead of down). Then over to La Rambla, down it for 4 or 5 blocks, across to Placa Jaume. Good timing, and we found a nice perch to sit on. The Corpus Christi parade emerged from the big doorway in city hall, with some demonstrations by castellers, dancing of the giant figures, some musket-shots that startled everyone, some period costumes and flags and such.
We went down a side-street to try to circle around the parade to get to the cathedral square, and somehow got forced right back into the parade; I think my map isn't quite accurate. A lot of people in the same situation as us, and people coming the other direction, some rolling luggage or pushing strollers, as the parade tries to get through the narrow alley.
We got through, and there's a big Mass taking place in the plaza in front of the cathedral, with a thousand or more people in seats, a couple dozen priests and such up on stage, nice choir singing, organ playing inside the cathedral and its music being repeated on speakers outside. Priests out in the audience offering communion to people. The parade is off to the side, having gone past, seemingly unconnected. But at the end of the mass, a formation of priests and such heads off in their own parade, probably back to a convent or monastery or wherever they live. And as we're leaving, the original parade seems to be looping back around into the cathedral square. Confusing.
I made a bunch of jokes about the mass and the Church; surprising I wasn't struck by lightning. And we got a laugh out of the name on the backs of all the rented chairs for the Mass: "Casa Gay".
Pictures of parade and mass: pics.
Down to Jaume I Metro, bought a new card, uneventful trip home. Back a little before 9.
Around 3, went to other apartment. Took another desperate shot at fixing the washing machine, failed, put it back together and bundled it up to be thrown away.
To Virrei Amat plaza for a couple of hours, to sit and read and listen to MP3's and people-watch. Then the firecrackers started going off (today is a holiday, Sant Joan's day), so I went home.
Out at about 10:30 with Dora. Firecrackers and fireworks going off in the park across the street, and on every block, it seems. With all of the concrete, the sounds really carry. To Llucmajor Metro.
We're heading toward the beaches. The train slowly gathers more people, until all seats are full. Then at Verdaguer, the platform is crowded, and suddenly the train is full of standing people. The next couple of stops also are full of people, and the train becomes packed, as full as possible, and on a couple of stops, almost no one can get on (and few get off).
Finally to our stop, Barceloneta, and we get off with about half of the people. We hang back a little to try to let the crush get up and out of the station. Up to street level, and we walk down the harbor side instead of the more-crowded restaurant side. People are throwing big firecrackers into any open pavement area, making lots of noise. Lots of people heading for the beach.
We get to the boardwalk, and the explosives are pretty thick down here, along with clouds of smoke. Lots of people on the beach, and strolling the boardwalk, and some bars and cafes with loud music playing, and a World Cup game on the TV. Nowhere comfortable to sit; the place is swarming with people. Hard to take pictures in this light. Several sailboats anchored off the beach. Dora isn't liking the firecrackers at all. I'm surprised at the number of dogs I've seen here who don't seem spooked by the explosions.
But no big bonfires on the beach; I thought that was a major feature of this holiday. You're supposed to burn things you want to get rid of, including writing down bad things and burning them.
We walk down the boardwalk a little, but soon start heading back out; nothing very fun here. Halfway up the main street, we find a gelato shop and buy ice cream. Across the street and sit on some steps, and enjoy the ice cream while people throw explosives at various distances from us.
Eventually back to the Metro, the stairs jammed as usual, and I'm surprised to find plenty of people leaving along with us; I thought we'd be the only early-birds. Still swarms of people arriving. We grab seats on the Metro, and have an uneventful ride home to Llucmajor. Lots of big bangs happening in the streets on the way back to the apartment; the sound really echoes in these concrete canyons.
Dora has us write things we want to get rid of, on some paper, and then we try to burn it with alcohol in a frying-pan, lighting it with a cigarette-lighter. Takes many tries to get it to burn; I think the alcohol is rubbing-alcohol, not very flammable.
Sleep until 9:45.
Dora tells me yesterday wasn't the holiday, today is the holiday.
Out after 1 for a stroll with Dora. Only bars and small food stores open. Still occasional firecrackers going off.
Watched Uruguay beat Italy in World Cup football on the TV.
Out with Dora at 8:45 or so. To the other apartment, and hauled the washer down elevator and a flight of stairs to put it by the garbage bins. Then to Virrei Amat plaza to sit for an hour or so. We're sad that I'm leaving tomorrow.
Awake at 6, out the door around 7. To Virrei Amat Metro, no wait for train, everyone very quiet on the Metro at 7 AM on a workday after a holiday.
To Sants Estacio platform by 7:30, 10-minute wait there, got to airport around 8:10. Five-minute wait at check-in, since I printed my pass last night, avoiding 20-minute line. Through security by 8:35.
Flight loaded slowly but seemed to take off on time. College-age woman next to me just spent 6 weeks at a small town a couple of hours north of Madrid, studying Spanish and kinesiology.
On the seat-back screen, watched episodes of "The Millers" and "Big Bang Theory", played backgammon against the computer. Halfway through the flight, at the 4-hour mark, I was headachey and ready for us to land. Took some cold pills that contain acetaminophen and other stuff.
Flight landed fine. When the PA announced "it's okay to use cellular devices now", a big "oooh" went up from a group of about 20 college-age kids around me, and almost all of them immediately flipped open smart-phones and started chattering about updates and messages they received.
Through formalities at Philadelphia airport (Immigration officer said "hmm, you've been to a lot of places, why have you been to Grenada ?"). Annoying alarms sounding continuously throughout Immigration and baggage-claim areas, until eventually someone shut them off. Out to train platform by 2:25. Train to center city, long slow train to West Trenton.
Picked up by my brother at the train station, to his townhouse by 5. Feeling better after a pee, big glass of water, watching some France-Ecuador World Cup game on TV.
Tried to Skype Dora, but she sent email that she was going to bed early.
Still headachey after dinner; took an ibuprofen-plus. Next day, took some sumatriptan.
Some pictures copied from Dora's mobile 6 months later:
Things I didn't do/see:
Interior of Santa Maria del Mar basilica church (and concert there).
Boat-trip out of the harbor.
Poblenou area, and parc, and cemetery.
Elevator to top of Columbus monument.
Zoo.
Aquarium.
Montjuic cable-car.
Pavello Mies van der Rohe.
Lobby of Hotel Casa Fuster.
PortAventura amusement park.
Trip to Madrid.
Hiking in Parc del Montnegre i del Corredor
Vilanova i la Geltru: art museum
Trip to Benicasim
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Post-Christmas Blues?
By Lisa Beard 6 months ago 9417 Views
Suffering Post-Christmas Blues?
Has the Christmas period left you feeling sluggish, low or demotivated?
In 2005, British psychologist Dr Cliff Arnall came up with the description “Blue Monday”, the third Monday of January each year statistically shown to represent a peak in the population feeling low, in a bid to encourage people to take a positive outlook this time of year as an opportunity for new beginnings and change. For 2019, this falls on 21st January.
The post-Christmas period can leave many of us feeling drained, low in energy, and overwhelmed by general society messages of New Year’s resolutions and the idea that we in some way need to constantly better ourselves by making seemingly impossible changes to our daily life. Others may view this “pressure” as an opportunity to make a change, gathering the motivation and momentum required to maintain long term behaviour change.
Aside from the reported factors involved, such as financial worry, low motivation and broken New Year’s resolutions, there could be a deeper level of physiological stress driving our emotions. What happens from a holistic perspective, and how can we turn this into achievable, simple solutions for our daily lives in order to feel fulfilled, happy and able to manage all the demands we are faced with in our day to day lives?
Christmas is generally a period of indulgence, often with an increase in sugary foods, alcohol, late nights and social occasions. This, combined with a general expectation to have a happy festive period can intensify all emotions and in some cases, raise complex family relations which can take its toll. New Year is often the time we feel the repercussions of these choices.
Most of us increase indulgent foods and drinks when socialising over the festive period, justifying to ourselves, “well, it’s Christmas”. Often, whilst this can provide us with a vital social boost in mood, it may have left us suffering the consequences of damage to the lining of the gut wall, lowered immunity, increased inflammation, higher levels of stress hormones and impaired production of brain chemicals called “neurotransmitters” which are involved in mood regulation and sleep patterns. This can become a vicious cycle which we need to break, in order to make a positive change for coping with the demands of daily life.
Short dark days coupled with long working weeks can limit our daylight exposure, increasing our susceptibility to vitamin D deficiency. Those with low levels of vitamin D have a 60% greater risk of experiencing substantial cognitive decline.1 Low levels of vitamin D have also been associated with depression, with the decrease in vitamin D production caused by reduced sunlight during the winter months being considered a major contributory factor in seasonal affective disorder (SAD).2
Neuroscientist Professor Ed Bullmore states “We need to take a more personalised, stratified approach, respecting the fact that not everybody is depressed for the same reason”. The role of the immune system and in particular, inflammatory proteins called cytokines, on brain function is a ground-breaking area of research involved with finding effective therapeutic treatments for depression and mental health disorders.3
Inflammation is a major contributory factor in diseases of the nervous system. This can be caused by various dietary and environmental factors, for example stressful situations, negative emotions,4 low antioxidant intake,5 gluten intolerance,6 or excess alcohol and sugar.7 Whilst some of these factors are beyond our control, we can take steps to promote health and wellbeing to counterbalance this by focusing on those we can do something about, helping us adapt better to those factors in our lives that we cannot control.
The importance of the gut microbiome in relation to mental health is staggering with findings that out of over 1000 people suffering digestive disorders, 84% also experienced anxiety and 27% depression.8 Gut dysbiosis is emerging as a key factor involved in nervous dysfunction, such as mental illnesses including anxiety.9
The changes need not feel overwhelming. Here are some ideas that may help point you in the right direction for a healthier body and mind:
Break it down, what is the ultimate priority for you? Would you like to eat healthier, exercise more effectively, lose weight, improve your social life, feel happier, more contented or to achieve that often elusive work/life balance? Rate your motivation level to achieve these goals then set out a couple of small steps which may edge you closer to attaining them.
Short walks around the block on a quick break from the office, or a stroll to your local park with friends or children may help us reconnect with nature, expose us to daylight, oxygenate the blood, and improve circulation.
If you are particularly fatigued then perhaps suddenly jumping into several high intensity exercise classes combined with insufficient recovery may deplete your nutrient reserves further, for example magnesium, zinc, or B-vitamins, exacerbating your symptoms. Sufficient recovery, and/or finding a gentle Yoga, Pilates or a meditation class, may help to calm the stress response. Then, as your reserve energy levels increase, you can begin to gather pace for change.
To make long standing changes to diet, it can be useful to choose your biggest weakness, such as a lack of variety, intense sugar cravings or low intake of vegetables, and focus on conquering this one aspect.
Varying where you are doing your food shopping can be a great way to expose yourself to new ideas and get inspired.
Ensuring an average adequate daily protein intake of 50g is vital for balanced blood sugar levels, sustaining energy levels and minimising risk of dipping into those left over chocolates. For example, on average, an egg typically contains 11g protein, a handful of nuts/seeds on average 6g, 100g tofu provides 8g, and a chicken/salmon fillet, 20g.
Ensuring we are not deficient in key brain health supportive nutrients such as zinc, B-vitamins, C, D, magnesium and essential fatty acids is essential. If you are finding it difficult to maintain as healthy a diet as you would like to, then it can be helpful to supplement with these key nutrients.
Supplements which may support gut integrity and restore microflora balance include probiotic bacteria, prebiotic fibre (e.g. fructooligosaccharides “FOS”), and digestive enzymes. Research has shown that nutrients such as vitamins A,10 D,11 and L-glutamine12 contribute to optimal integrity of the gut lining, also reducing susceptibility to food intolerances.
Gently stimulating your ‘feel good’ neurotransmitter serotonin can also help with mood, memory and brain function. You can do it by supplementing with serotonin’s precursor – 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan), or for a more indirect support, the golden spice saffron could be a great alternative. It gently stimulates serotonin levels, while reducing inflammation, oxidative stress and generally protecting the brain, 13 and has been shown to reduce depression.14
Hydration is also key for good mood and efficient cognition. Drinking our recommended 1.5 - 2 litres of water daily is vital, since being dehydrated by just 2% has been shown to impair performance in tasks that require attention, psychomotor, and immediate memory skills.15
With many of these dietary and lifestyle factors well within our control, we can support ourselves and our families in daily lives by making small simple changes and sticking to them, minimising any potential impact of Blue Monday and increasing our overall sense of wellbeing.
1 Llewellyn et al. Archives of internal medicine. 2010; 170 (13), 1135-41.
2 Parker GB et al. Vitamin D and depression. J Affect Disord. 2017 Jan 15; 208:56-61.
3 Morgan et al. Inflammation and dephosphorylation of the tight junction protein occludin in an experimental model of multiple sclerosis. Neuroscience. 2007; 147 (3), 664-673.
4 Kiecolt-Glaser JK. Stress, food, and inflammation: psychoneuroimmunology and nutrition at the cutting edge. Psychosom Med. 2010;72(4):365-9.
5 lkington LJ, Gleeson M, Pyne DB, et al. Inflammation and Immune Function: Can Antioxidants Help the Endurance Athlete? In: Lamprecht M, editor. Antioxidants in Sport Nutrition. Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press/Taylor & Francis; 2015. Chapter 11.
6 Shor et al. Gluten sensitivity in multiple sclerosis: experimental myth or clinical truth? Ann N Y Academy Sci. 2009; 1173: 343-9.
7 Wang HJ, Zakhari S, Jung MK. Alcohol, inflammation, and gut-liver-brain interactions in tissue damage and disease development. World J Gastroenterol. 2010;16(11):1304-13.
8 Addolorato G et al. State and trait anxiety and depression in patients affected by gastrointestinal diseases: psychometric evaluation of 1641 patients referred to an internal medicine outpatient setting. Int J Clin Pract. 2008 Jul; 62 (7): 1063-9.
9 Rogers G et al. From gut dysbiosis to altered brain function and mental illness: mechanisms and pathways. Molecular Psychiatry. 2016; 21: 738-741.
10 S. van de Pavert et al. Maternal retinoids control type 3 innate lymphoid cells and set the offspring immunity. Nature. 2014; 508 (7494): 123-7.
11 Sun J. Vitamin D and mucosal immune function. Curr Opin Gastroenterol. 2010; 26 (6): 591-95.
12 De-Souza DA, Greene LJ. Intestinal permeability and systemic infections in critically ill patients: Effect of glutamine. Crit Care Med. 2005; 33 (5): 1125-35.
13 ASADI F ET AL. REVERSAL EFFECTS OF CROCIN ON AMYLOID ?-INDUCED MEMORY DEFICIT: MODIFICATION OF AUTOPHAGY OR APOPTOSIS MARKERS.PHARMACOL BIOCHEM BEHAV. 2015 DEC;139(PT A):47-58
14 Shahmansouri N, et al. A randomized, double-blind, clinical trial comparing the efficacy and safety of Crocus sativus L. with fluoxetine for improving mild to moderate depression in post percutaneous coronary intervention patients.J Affect Disord. 2014 Feb;155:216-22.
15 Adan A. Cognitive performance and dehydration. J Am Coll Nutr. 2012; Apr;31(2):71-8.
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Families Talking Together (FTT) in Texas
Home » Topics » Women's Health » Research » Families Talking Together (FTT) in Texas
Power to Decide, The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, partnered with the Center for Latino Adolescent and Family Health at New York University's Silver School of Social Work, Healthy Futures of Texas, and the Rio Grande Valley Council to implement Families Talking Together (FTT), an evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention program in Texas. This was a randomized clinical trial of a parent-based sexual and reproductive health intervention (SRH) to foster parent-adolescent communication about sex among Latino adolescents. The FTT intervention focuses on the parenting practices that are important to supporting healthy adolescent sexual behavior. As part of the intervention, families also received a module on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to influence greater linkages to health care.The study was conducted with 634 parent-adolescent dyads in Willacy, Starr, Hidalgo, and Cameron counties in South Texas. Parent-adolescent dyads completed a baseline survey and were allocated to either an experimental or control group. Participating dyads completed follow-up surveys 3 and 9 months' post-baseline assessment. The proposed outcomes of the study were increased adolescent report of parent-adolescent communication about sex, decrease in sexual risk behaviors (e.g., sexual debut) as well as increased health care insurance enrollment among Latino families.
The study was a two-arm parallel RCT designed to test the efficacy of a teen pregnancy prevention program conducted in the Rio Grande Valley from 2013-2018. Parent-adolescent dyads were randomly assigned to either a passive control group that received no intervention or an experimental group which received the promotor delivered family-based SRH prevention program Families Talking Together (FTT) with an added Affordable Care Act (ACA) module. Parent-adolescent dyads completed baseline, immediate post-baseline (3 months) and delayed (9-month) follow-up assessments.
A combination of venue-based and area sampling methods was used in 4 Rio Grande Valley counties to recruit Latino adolescents and their parents residing in colonias for study participation. The 4 counties (Willacy, Starr, Hidalgo, Cameron) were chosen due to well documented SRH disparities among youth.Trained recruitment promotores attended local community health fairs, shopping malls, supermarkets, etc. where large numbers of resident families could be engaged. During these events, recruitment promotores made initial contact with potentially eligible youth and their families in order to screen for study inclusion criteria. In addition, recruiters went door-to-door in targeted communities conducting active outreach and engagement of families directly within their homes. Eligible families were informed that they were being asked to participate in a research project seeking to improve access to SRH programming for adolescents and that participation would require, at minimum, participating in a survey now as well as after 3 and 9 months. We obtained informed assent and parental consent for all adolescents participating in the study. Parents provided their consent to participate.Refusal bias data was collected as part of the screening process. Refusal data suggested no significant differences between those families declining to participate and those agreeing to be part of the study.
Adolescents and their parents completed baseline, immediate post-baseline (3 months), and delayed follow-up (9 months) assessments using self-administered surveys in either English or Spanish, based on preference. Prior to initiation of the RCT, surveys were pilot tested to ensure conceptual clarity and linguistic appropriateness. To ensure confidentiality, parents and adolescents completed questionnaires separately. A social desirability scale was included in the measurement protocol to assess the extent to which participant responses reflect social desirability bias.
A computer random number generation program was used to create a randomly permutated scheme that assigned specific subject identification numbers to either the experimental or passive control group in a one-to-one ratio. An allocation sequence was generated by the principal investigator. Each experimental/control group allocation sequence was placed in a sealed envelope which remained concealed until after participants had enrolled into the study. After the baseline was completed, the sealed envelope was opened with the family's allocation tied to their specific ID. Data collectors administering the immediate and delayed follow-up surveys were blinded to the condition of participants.
Parents randomized to the experimental group received the Families Talking Together (FTT) intervention, an evidence-based program designed to increase parent-adolescent communication about sex in order to delay sexual debut and prevent negative SRH outcomes in young adolescents (aged 10 to 14). The FTT intervention has been delivered with efficacy in multiple settings, including schools and clinics. FTT is also identified by the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of Adolescent Health (OAH) as a high quality, effective prevention program. The FTT intervention consisted of two components. Intervention component 1 was comprised of two FTT intervention sessions between a parent and the bilingual and bicultural promotor trained to deliver FTT in either English or Spanish. Intervention sessions were delivered to parents in their home or a mutually agreed upon private location in the community. Intervention component 2 was comprised of written supplemental materials that promotores used to guide each intervention session. Written materials included a family FTT workbook and a short story entitled 'Victor and Maria.'
During each intervention session, promotores reviewed the intervention materials and instructed parents how to structure conversations about delaying sexual debut and the use of contraception with their adolescent. At three and 9 months post-baseline, adolescents in the experimental and control groups completed follow-up surveys administered by data collectors.
To examine group differences in parent-adolescent communication variables, ordinary least squares (OLS) regression was used. To ensure baseline equivalence between the two arms of the RCT, demographic and outcome variables were compared at baseline between the intervention and control groups. In order to assess the generalizability of results across traditional and robust methods of analysis, all analyses were repeated with bootstrapping. Additionally, outlier and specification-error for each analysis was conducted.
Sexual Risk Behavior
Families Talking Together (FTT)
Power to Decide
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this data on June 27, 2019
Efficacy Trial of a Brief Parent-Based Adolescent Sexual Health Intervention
The purpose of this research study is to evaluate a brief parent-based adolescent sexual health intervention called Families Talking Together Plus (FTT+). FTT+ is based on an established i...
Effects of a Worksite Parenting Program
Many adolescents in the U.S., even very young adolescents, are engaging in sexual risk behaviors that put them at risk for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and unintended pregnancy. S...
Tx for Child Sexual Behavior Problems
A significant minority of children (ages 5-12) display problematic sexual behavior and the persistence of this behavior is oftentimes as stable as other child behavior problems, such as ag...
Double-Blind Naltrexone in Compulsive Sexual Behavior
The goal of the proposed study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of naltrexone in compulsive sexual behavior. Twenty subjects with DSM-IV compulsive sexual behavior will receive 8 wee...
Intervention for Substance Use and Sexual Risk Behavior in Homeless Youth
This study will evaluate a program called AWARE, which is a voluntary four session group-based motivational interviewing (MI) intervention to reduce substance use and sexual risk behavior ...
Social Disconnection as a Pathway to Sexual Risk Behavior Among Victims of Intimate Partner Violence.
Intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization is a strong predictor of women's sexual risk behavior. Social disconnection may be central to understanding this association. In a sample of 204 IPV victi...
Sexual Risk Behavior: a Multi-System Model of Risk and Protective Factors in South African Adolescents.
Adolescent sexual risk behavior has typically been studied within singular, isolated systems. Using a multi-system approach, this study examined a combination of individual, proximal, and distal facto...
Increasing substance use disorder counselors' self-efficacy and skills in talking to patients about sex and HIV risk: A randomized training trial.
People with substance use disorder (SUD) experience increased risk for HIV, Hepatitis C, and sexually transmitted illnesses via risky sex. This high-risk population would benefit from sexual risk redu...
Posttraumatic Stress, Academic Performance, and Future Orientation as Pathways to Community Violence Exposure and Sexual Risk among African American Youth in Chicago's Southside.
Posttraumatic stress, low academic performance, and future orientation as pathways from community violence exposure to sexual risk-taking behavior were examined among 753 African American youth in a l...
Associations between adolescents' use of sexually explicit material and risky sexual behavior: A longitudinal assessment.
The unprecedented accessibility and affordability of online sexually explicit material (SEM) has facilitated widespread use among adolescents and growing concerns over adverse reproductive health outc...
This discipline concerns the study of SEXUALITY, and the application of sexual knowledge such as sexual attitudes, psychology, and SEXUAL BEHAVIOR. Scope of application generally includes educational (SEX EDUCATION), clinical (SEX COUNSELING), and other settings.
Risk Reduction Behavior
Reduction of high-risk choices and adoption of low-risk quantity and frequency alternatives.
Sexual Behavior, Animal
Sexual activities of animals.
Sexual activities of humans.
Harassment, Non-sexual
The act of systematic and/or continuous unwanted and irritating actions of a non-sexual nature, by a party or group against another. This behavior may include threats, BULLYING, taunts, blackmail, and demands.
More From BioPortfolio on "Families Talking Together (FTT) in Texas"
Women's Health - key topics include breast cancer, pregnancy, menopause, stroke Follow and track Women's Health News on BioPortfolio: Women's Health News RSS Women'...
Fertility Menopause Obstetrics & Gynaecology Osteoporosis Women's Health Obstetrics and gynaecology comprises the care of the pregnant woman, her unborn child and the management of diseases specific to women. Most consultant...
Clinical Approvals Clinical Trials Drug Approvals Drug Delivery Drug Discovery Generics Drugs Prescription Drugs In the fields of medicine, biotechnology and pharmacology, drug discovery is the process by which drugs are dis...
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Pope John Paul II’s blood recovered after being stolen from Italy church
January 31, 2014 / 10:40 AM / Reuters
ROME -- Police on Friday recovered the piece of cloth stained with the blood of the late Pope John Paul, a day after they found the stolen gold and glass case which once contained the relic.
They told a news conference in L'Aquila, east of Rome, that they found the fragment in the garage of two men who were detained for having stolen the reliquary last week.
An undated photo provided by San Pietro della Ienca cultural association shows the monstrance containing a tiny relic bearing Pope John Paul II's blood, stolen from San Pietro della Ienca chapel, in the Apennine mountains, near L'Aquila, Italy. AP
Bishop Giovanni D'Ercole told the same news conference he had pieced together the reliquary and the cloth after police found them in bits on successive days.
The recovered piece of fabric was missing just a few filaments of cloth and gold thread, he said.
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“I think John Paul has forgiven them. I think we have to do the same,” D'Ercole said of the men, believed by police to be drug addicts.
The reliquary and a crucifix were stolen from the isolated mountain church of San Pietro della Ienca last weekend.
The cloth was a fragment of the cassock that John Paul was wearing on May 13, 1981 when he was shot in an assassination attempt.
Relics of saints and other holy figures are often displayed in reliquaries to be venerated by the Catholic faithful.
The late pope, who is due to be declared a saint on April 27, loved the mountains in the Abruzzo region because they reminded him of those in his native Poland. He would slip away secretly from the pressures of the Vatican to hike and ski there in the early years of his papacy.
His secretary, now Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow in Poland, gave the local community the relic.
First published on January 31, 2014 / 10:40 AM
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Press ECS to exit
Tissot Swiss Watches celebrates the opening of its fourth NYC boutique, a basketball concept store (Photo: Tissot)
Swiss watch brand goes full court in New York with basketball-themed store
BY Marianne Wilson February 7, 2019
Tissot has opened a concept store that celebrates its status as the official watch and timekeeeper of the NBA.
The Swiss watch company’s new store, on 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan, is designed to pay homage to the style and performance intrinsic to basketball and endemic of its brand. The 2,800-sq.-ft. space features a wall of multicolored basketballs just past the entry, along with action styled mannequins wearing uniforms from some of Tissot’s nine NBA team partnerships.
The walls are accented with larger than life photos of Tissot’s athlete partners, while its iconic “shot clock” sits atop a court-ready basketball hoop. In addition to shopping, customers can spend time playing NBA 2K19, watching an NBA game on the large TV screens or trying to beat the clock in a mixed reality Tissot “buzzer beater” game.
“This is a departure from our traditional merchandising strategy, but with our continued partnership growth and passion around the NBA, we wanted to harness that power to showcase our brand in a different light,” said François Thiébaud, president of Tissot.
Chico’s names CEO, and organizational consolidation
American Dream’s latest tenant is an Asian-American grocer
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Symphonic Jazz Orchestra
Looking Forward, Looking Back
Release date 26 February 2016
The phrase ‘symphonic jazz’ was coined by bandleader Paul Whiteman in 1924 following the wildly successful premiere of “Rhapsody in Blue,” a work he commissioned from a then little-known composer named George Gershwin.
Fast forward to 2015, and the 67-member Symphonic Jazz Orchestra continues this important tradition through 14 years of commissioning new works and performing music that combines the worlds of jazz and classical.
Their debut recording, Looking Forward, Looking Back, completes their historically focused mission originally conceived by founding Music Director Mitch Glickman and famed keyboardist/composer/producer George Duke. Duke was featured in concert with the SJO throughout his involvement and was commissioned to write a new work for the orchestra featuring bassist Christian McBride. The following year, plans were underway to record Duke’s commission along with another newly commissioned work from guitarist and composer
Lee Ritenour entitled “Symphonic Captain’s Journey.” The work that launched the symphonic jazz tradition “Rhapsody in Blue,” is also included on the recording with piano soloist Bill Cunliffe.
In 2013, Duke captured the arc of the works they planned to record by naming the album Looking Forward, Looking Back; but as pre-production plans were underway, the recording project took on a new personal meaning after the premature passing of Duke.
Dark Wood: Bass Concerto for McBride Movement I - Phase One
Dark Wood: Bass Concerto for McBride Movement I - Phase Two
Dark Wood: Bass Concerto for McBride Movement II - Phase Three
Dark Wood: Bass Concerto for McBride Movement II - Phase Four
Symphonic Captain’s Journey Calm
Symphonic Captain’s Journey Storm
Rhapsody in Blue (original 1924 version) Part I
Rhapsody in Blue (original 1924 version) Part II
Rhapsody in Blue (original 1924 version) Part III
Symphonic Jazz Orchestra (artist)More information
Mitch Glickman (conductor)More information
Symphonic Jazz Orchestra (orchestra)More information
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Carnelian Agate Matched Pair Cabochons #18
34 mm by 5 to 11 mm
Trapezoid shaped orange and white translucent matched pair Carnelian Agate designer cabochons 34 mm by 5 to 11 mm and 4 mm thick.
These Carnelian Agate cabochons weigh about 12.5 carats each.
Also spelled Cornelian, Carnelian is the only member of the translucent chalcedony family with its own name! The name is derived from the Latin word meaning flesh, in reference to the flesh color sometimes exhibited.
This rare and unique cabochon stone material is from Malawi, Africa.
Metaphysical properties of Carnelian: Carnelian is a stone of creativity, individuality, leadership, and courage. It is said to help one go after their highest goals and dreams. Carnelian is said to aid memory. It is also said that Carnelian is good for improving your overall health.
Carnelian Agate Matched Pair Cabochons #1
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The Hero's Companion
by Amy LignorAmy Lignor
"Screaming wouldn't do any good..."
Leah Tallent and Gareth Lowery have seen it all. From walking the halls of an eerie house that held clues to one of the biggest puzzles in history; to going up against literal madmen in order to save a relic that could alter the world, the Tallent and Lowery team have had to utilize everything they had to survive.
Now . . . Leah's father has gone missing. They have only seven days before he will be killed, and the only clue to follow is a picture of one of the most famous icons of all time. Heading to her hometown, Leah begins her search for anything that will point her in the right direction. But all she finds is a mother who has fallen apart, talking about things that Leah doesn't understand. Discovering a strange map stuck to the bottom of her father's desk, Leah and Gareth are joined by a young woman who has a secret all her own. Teaming up, the trio must solve this new mystery that will take them from the pinnacle of the Acropolis to the depths of Cleopatra's caves in order to unmask the man who has a definite score to settle.
This frightening adversary will do his best to capture Leah and take her far away from the protection and love of Gareth. In a location that's been buried under rock and dirt for centuries the battle will begin, and the team will have to face the one foe that will expose secrets and unleash unheard of power in order to get what he wants. As it was with the mighty Athena, Leah is seen as 'The Hero's Companion'-the one woman who will do anything to make sure the right side wins. But without Gareth, her time may just run out.
Suspense Publishing
As the daughter of a career librarian Amy grew up loving books; 'Patience & Fortitude' at the NYPL are still her heroes. Beginning in the genre of historical romance with, "The Heart of a Legend," Amy moved into the YA world where her first team from The Angel Chronicles became a beloved hit. Moving into the action/adventure world with Tallent & Lowery, Amy has created a new, incredibly suspenseful, team that has once again exploded with readers everywhere. Born in Connecticut, Amy is now living in the bright sunshine of Roswell, NM, delving into her next adventure.
To learn more about Amy Lignor, check out her website at http://tallentandlowery.blogspot.com.
“I have to say that Ms. Lignor has done it again in providing her fans with a heart-stopping third installment of the Tallent & Lowery series. Right from the start, my heart was pounding in my chest from all the intrigue and adventure that awaited me.”
Night Owl Reviews - Tammi King
“Abduction and strange maps, mysterious locations and intriguing players, Tallent and Lowery…Amy Lignor has, once again, put together a story that will turn up your anxiety level and have you wringing your hands until the very end. Lignor has hit literary pay dirt with “The Hero’s Companion” and her Tallent & Lowery series.”
WebbWeaver Reviews - DJ Weaver
The Hero's Companion 5 out of 5 based on 0 ratings. 6 reviews.
smanke More than 1 year ago
Book #3 is another home run!So many secrets revealed, the truth behind the lost city of Atlantis, and so much more. If you're a fan of the series, you will love this book. Book #3 is another home run!
After the painful cliffhanger at the end of The Sapphire Storm, Lignor mercifully picks up right where we left off in The Hero’s Companion. Now, Tallent & Lowery are on a race against the clock. With only seven days to save her father from certain death, Leah must follow the trail from Athens and retrace the steps left on the map David Tallent hid away. But she won’t be going alone. With Gareth and Anippe at her side, the trio must work together to figure out the ancient mystery and uncover a plot that could spell the end for the world as they all know it. And it all starts with an olive… Going into this book, I was more than excited to dive right into Tallent & Lowery’s next adventure. As a fan of Greek mythology (with Athena being one of my favorite Greek goddesses), getting to visit Athens with our heroes was thrilling to say in the least. I knew immediately I was in for one hell of a ride. And boy, did it deliver! This book was a puzzle, and I had great fun putting the pieces together and figuring things out along the way. The air of mystery, exotic locations, and rich history that I got to see through our heroes’ eyes was all very fascinating. All in all, I really loved reading this book. But what I loved more was watching Leah grow. To me, this book felt very much like Leah’s journey. The challenges she faces this time around and the internal struggle of believe-or-not-to-believe she wrestles with felt very real and it really resonated with me. The truth becomes both a blessing and a burden for Leah. The proof she’s tried so hard to deny thus far can no longer be ignored. She must now come to terms with her altered perception of the world as well as the role she plays in it. Lignor has crafted another masterful tale packed with action, mystery, deception, and thrills, making The Hero’s Companion a more than worthy addition to the Tallent & Lowery series. Bring on the next adventure! I’m ready!
PureJonel More than 1 year ago
As usual, Lignor uses the known and that which is widely believed to bring together this phenomenal tale. Lignor weaves suspense through every word she puts on paper. As a reader you get so caught up in the storyline that the world around you fades away. You become part of this remarkable tale. I love how you get to travel the world alongside Lignor’s characters. You visit its historic sites and take in the surrounding religious beliefs and mythology. She brings different aspects of various religions, cultures, and mythologies together in this brilliant adventure. I found this novel to be much more profound than the previous Tallent & Lowery novels. It was also much more emotional. I felt my heart breaking for the characters at times. She even brought tears to my eyes once or twice. Of course, that`s not to say that the duo of Tallent & Lowery, as well as their comrades, didn`t make me laugh more than once. Lignor is really coming into her own with this series. I love how intimately you get to know Lignor’s characters. Although many of them have been introduced in previous novels, they continue to grow as individuals. They also continue to be themselves. No one ever changes to become unrecognizable. I must say that I love the way that Leah’s brain works. It becomes even more apparent in this novel, & Gareth’s acceptance of it is surreal. The new characters in this novel are also quite well developed. Lignor ensures you know who they are and what their role is without overdeveloping them. Overall, this was an amazingly captivating adventure that I couldn`t put down, and definitely can`t wait to see what comes next.
FeatheredQuillBookReviews More than 1 year ago
Tallent and Lowery are at it again! In the third book in this fantastic series, Leah Tallent and Gareth Lowery must follow the clues to solve a new mystery in only seven days. If they fail, then Leah’s father David will surely die. At the end of the second book in the Tallent & Lowery series, The Sapphire Storm, readers were given a glimpse into book three with a little tease of what David had discovered. The Hero’s Companion picks up the action immediately on the first page of the prologue when we learn that whatever David found has put him in serious danger, along with his friend Aaron (a character we met in book II). Enter Leah Tallent, the walking, talking, mystery-solving librarian with a card catalog brain and her fiancé Gareth Lowery, the calm, wonderfully rich, and lusciously hunky part of the duo. When we first meet up with them, they are rushing off to Leah’s parents’ home in Connecticut to talk to Leah’s mother Mary. Hopefully, Mary will be able to give some insight into what happened to her husband David. Unfortunately, all Mary has for Leah are harsh words. She blames her daughter for reigniting David’s desire to search out artifacts, and offers no aid to her daughter other than to tell Leah that three men came and took her husband. Dumbfounded, Leah and Gareth don’t know where to start the search when they get an unexpected visitor. Anippe, another character we met in The Sapphire Storm, is a very unwelcome acquaintance who suffers from a severe case of snobbish attitude. When Anippe tells Leah that her beloved uncle Aaron was also kidnapped by three men, the women do their best to put their differences aside and work together to find David and Aaron. With the help of a map that Leah finds taped to the underside of her father’s desk, the trio soon knows where to begin their journey – in Athens. Once the search is on, the reader is taken on an amazing trip that includes an opinionated little owl, some creepy, dank, caves and archeological digs, a variety of people offering aid (who can they trust?), as well as mythological and very real personalities from the past. Leah, Gareth, and Anippe do their best to work together to find David and Aaron, but with obstacles thrown in their way at every turn, emotions run high and bonds are tested. The author’s knowledge of history, as well as her background in mythology is quite impressive. Combine that with her aptitude at creating some very cool fictional tales and her ability to intertwine all three, and you’ll find yourself wondering just what is real and what is fiction in The Hero’s Companion. I’ve mentioned in my reviews of the other books in this series that one of the things I love is the dialogue, particularly between Leah and Gareth. It is so realistic and flows effortlessly, and really captures the essence of these two lovers. Quick witted, it is at times funny, at other times dead-pan serious, and always works perfectly. Add in the zinger that Leah discovers about herself at the end of The Hero’s Companion, and you’ll be begging the author to please hurry up and write book four! Quill says: This series just keeps getting better and better. The Hero’s Companion is a definite nail-bitter that will have you on the edge of your seat until the very end. When is the next book coming out? I can’t wait!
kcody03 More than 1 year ago
Discover the impossible with Leah and Gareth. The author once again does an amazing job setting up the mysteries and leaving just enough hints and clues along the way to keep you guessing. I was enthralled by the exotic locations. I really enjoyed discovering new secrets along the way. Most of all I enjoyed reading more about Leah and Gareth. Throughout the book we get to see as their relationship grows even further and even gets tested along the way. Everyone has secrets and Gareth's just may tear them apart. I also really liked finding out more about Leah's father. They have a very interesting relationship and I really enjoyed seeing the different dynamics within it. Their interactions with one another were interesting as well and definitely brought out a lot of drama and turmoil. New characters also brought a lot of drama as well. Especially, the new woman in the group. She is full of secrets and teaming up with her could either help them or destroy them. Let us travel with Leah and Gareth on another fun filled adventure!
thrillerreaderFL More than 1 year ago
I was shocked, drawn into world of intrigue, and had to remind myself to breathe . . . that was page one! In a world of legend and mythology where does one find the truth? In a world of academia how does one find faith? They say that behind every great man stands a greater woman . . . Behind every hero stands a Hero's companion. Blood is thicker than water, but which will prevail. The Hero's Companion is filled with shadows and reality, lies and truth, heaven and hell. Talent and Lowery must navigate them all if they are to survive their newest adventure. When we think of historical thrillers with a biblical, epic twist; the names of Dan Brown and James Rollins come to mind. Move over boys, there is a new name at the top of the list and HER name is Amy Lignor!
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Stephens Inc.
Edited By Jack Willoughby
Preview | Follow-Up
L ike ignored speeding tickets, old securities infractions eventually can cause big trouble. Just ask Jackson T. Stephens, the 76-year-old chairman of privately owned Stephens Holdings, which controls broker and mutual-fund servicer Stephens Inc., of Little Rock, Arkansas. In 1978, the SEC imposed sanctions on Stephens for failing to make the proper filings in the purchase of a company. Without admitting guilt, he promised to sin no more and was allowed to continue in the securities business.
Subsequently, his firm grew and moved into new fields; by 1988, it had to register as a fund adviser.
Then, last November, in connection with Stephens Inc.'s aim of providing fund services for Norwest Corp. and Wells Fargo, two banking outfits that were merging, a sharp-eyed lawyer working on the deal determined that Jackson T. Stephens had been operating afoul of the law for 11 years -- since Stephens Inc. entered the fund-advisory business.
While Stephens had been cleared to handle individual securities after the 1978 incident, he hadn't received the SEC's blessing to deal with mutual funds. And because he was "associated" with Stephens Inc., the firm could be barred from servicing mutual funds. Which would be quite a problem, considering that Stephens Inc. is the principal underwriter and administrator for 127 bank-run mutual funds, with over $100 billion in assets.
Fast as you can spell "exemptive relief," Jackson's lawyers rushed to the SEC. The agency relented, in part because no independent fund directors complained, on condition that Stephens Inc. ensure that Jackson isn't involved in fund servicing. In each of the next three years, Stephens the fund-advisory company must certify that Stephens the man (who declined to speak with Barron's ) is complying with the SEC's dictates, and must document any diversions. Which probably has the 80 or so Stephens employees connected with the fund business breathing much easier.
Dow Indicator
Dow Industrials 10,470.25 +450.54
Dow World Index 217.98 +5.06
30-Year Treasury Bonds 6.342% +0.081
Mannesmann agreed to buy Orange PLC from Hutchison Whampoa in a cash and stock deal valued at $32.93 billion. The combination would unite Germany's top wireless operator with Britain's third-biggest mobile-phone outfit and would cover more than 10 million subscribers.
Rite Aid said Chairman and CEO Martin Grass had resigned, after the company restated earnings downward for its past three fiscal years. The restatements involve about $500 million. During his tenure, Grass more than doubled Rite Aid's size, creating the nation's third-largest drug chain through acquisitions.
Boo-Hoo, Big Blue
IBM roiled stock markets around the world, by reporting lackluster 5.2% revenue growth for the third quarter and, more importantly, warning of earnings weakness through yearend.
The news worried investors already shaken by an earlier warning from Dell Computer , which said that profits could be hit because of higher semiconductor prices.
A lot of the earnings news was upbeat, however: Citigroup 's net more than tripled, to $2.5 billion in the third quarter, compared with $729 million a year earlier. This year's results included $15 million in restructuring charges. And Chase Manhattan , Fleet Boston , PNC Bank and Republic Bank all reported quarterly profits that exceeded Wall Street's expectations.
Even more cheery: Microsoft 's declaration that "awesome" demand for personal computers had boosted its earnings by about 29% in its fiscal first quarter, to $2.19 billion, or 40 cents a share.
Under Scrutiny
McDonnell Douglas and a Chinese firm were charged with illegally exporting machine-tool equipment in 1994 that the American company allegedly knew could be diverted to China's military. McDonnell Douglas, which later became part of Boeing , denies any wrongdoing.
Elizabeth Dole, who attempted to become the nation's first female President, dropped out of the Republican Presidential race, unable to compete with the big-money campaigns of George W. Bush, Arizona Sen. John McCain and conservative millionaire Steve Forbes.
Mattel chief executive Jill Barad declared that the toy company didn't uncover any irregularities and remains satisfied with its recent purchase of the Learning Co. unit. Earlier this month, Mattel announced it would fail to meet earnings estimated because of unexpected problems at the unit. She said that she expects the unit to return to profitability next year.
More Bad News
Gillette warned of still-further earnings reductions in store for the fourth quarter because of a design to reduce distributor's inventories. In recent quarters Gillette has failed to meet earnings expectations troubled by slow growth in the international markets and the underperformance of two units.
Viacom has reconfirmed plans to split off its Blockbuster video unit, after wavering because of weakness in Blockbuster's stock price ... UPS, the world's largest express carrier, set the average price of its coming 109.4-million-share offering at $39. If Morgan Stanley Dean Witter prices the deal successfully in early November, it could be one of the largest public issues ever, perhaps surpassing Conoco's $4.4 billion IPO in 1998.
Martha Stewart Omnimedia and its antithesis, the World Wrestling Federation , both pulled off successful initial public offerings ... America Online reported strong quarterly results and promised to invest $800 million in cash and stock in Gateway , to boost sales of AOL's online services and Gateway's personal computers.
An Old Problem Comes Back To Haunt a Securities Firm
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Court has ‘no authority’ to quash PC decision to cancel basic income; ruling has ‘no effect’ on possible class action lawsuit
Posted by Roderick Benns 362sc on February 14, 2019
Roderick Benns
It was not the kind of Valentine’s Day gift supporters of basic income were looking for.
The Ontario Superior Court of Justice Divisional Court says the court has no authority to force the PC government to continue funding the Ontario Basic Income Pilot program.
In their decision Justices Thorburn, Reid, and Myers write, that “the pilot program is a government funding decision…this court has no power to review the considerations which motivate a cabinet policy decision.”
As well, the Justices write in their concluding remarks, “the inevitable effect of an order to quash the decision to cancel the pilot project would require the respondent [the government] to continue funding, which, it is agreed, this court has no authority to do. The distribution of government funds per se is a political not a judicial function.”
“For these reasons, the application is dismissed.”
Lawyer and Social Worker Mike Perry had taken on the work of challenging the government’s decision to cancel basic income pro bono, representing the applicants Dana Bowman, Grace Marie Doyle Hillion, Susan Lindsay, and Tracey Mechefske, all from Lindsay.
By all accounts, Perry was well prepared and knew his material. On Jan. 28 in appearing before the court, Perry took the justices through the facts of the case, set out the issues, and presented the law and legal precedents underpinning the request that the court quash the government’s decision to kill the basic income project.
Perry argued the government decision is reviewable by the court, and that the decision is unfair, irrational, and made in bad faith.
But the court says policy decisions “taken without consultation do not constitute bad faith…to the extent that contracts are breached in so doing, governments are permitted to change government policy…”
The court called the government decision to cancel basic income either a core policy decision “based on political considerations or electoral expediency,” but says it has no authority to grant such a request.
However, the court points out in its decision that their order “has no effect on the applicants’ class action for damages for breach of duty of care, breach of contract…this order only address the question of whether the court can quash the government’s decision.”
basic income guaranteed annual income poverty Ontario pilot
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Home / News and Insights / Press / Heathrow unveils plans for their £30 billion expansion
Angus Walker Partner
Heathrow unveils plans for their £30 billion expansion
Heathrow has revealed that they will be further expanding, as they plan to build a third runway by 2026. This will subsequently result in the diversions of rivers, movement of local roads and a reroute of the M25 through a tunnel. Whilst the airport claims that it will cost approximately £14 billion, critics have claimed that the total private investment will be closer to £30 billion.
However, the debate around whether this expansion should be going ahead has been ongoing. Last month the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, along with environmental charities and local councils, lost a court battle to prevent it. Despite this, the public still have the opportunity to influence the management of the environmental impacts that the expansion will incur, for example; creating a Heathrow Ultra Low Emissions Zone, Heathrow Vehicle Access Charge and a six-and-a-half-hour ban on scheduled night flights.
Angus Walker, partner in BDB Pitmans’ infrastructure planning team shared his thoughts on the matter in an article by the Mail Online:
‘Heathrow is proceeding on the assumption that its planned third runway project will triumph over ongoing legal challenges. Heathrow has started its “statutory consultation” on its third runway project, which lasts until 13 September, even though the legal challenges to the government’s policy document have not yet concluded. It is proposing to phase its construction over 28 years, which will not finish until 2050. This is a significant undertaking. Heathrow will have to write to all landowners who may have a compensation claim against the project – expected to run into hundreds of thousands’.
The full article is available on the Mail Online, here.
830: Number of DCO applications reaches new record
810: Miscellaneous Planning Act news
Heathrow’s third runway: Where do we go from here?
800: Airports NPS voted through as tidal lagoon loses support
799: Final Airports National Policy Statement published
792: Transport Committee recommends additional Heathrow safeguards
785: Heathrow launches consultation on third runway
773: Government issues revised Airports National Policy Statement
764: Airports NPS delayed as Transport Committee chair announced
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New festival uses music to bring together homeless and local community
A new festival to help connect homeless people with their local community through music is taking place on Saturday 28th November.
The Homeless not Hopeless festival is being held at The Hive in Dalston and will see all profits from evening go to supporting local East London homeless charity Caritas Anchor House.
Festival goers will see performances from up-and-coming bands, DJs, acoustics acts and solo singers, and the event will also feature insightful talks and spoken word performances. Tickets are available on the door and people will be asked to give a donation of their choice, to ensure the event is open and accessible to all.
Caritas Anchor House, which was recently praised by East Ham MP Stephen Timms for “their capacity to transform despair into hope” is based in Newham, East London. Every year they provide accommodation and support to single homeless people, giving them so much more than just a roof over their heads. They work with vulnerable groups, including those experiencing substance misuse, domestic abuse, mental health problems and offending, and last year alone, they provided a home for 231 people, helping 71 into independent living and supporting 63 into employment.
The festival comes at a time when Caritas Anchor House is appealing against a decision by HMRC to charge them an additional £1 million in VAT, in connection to building works for its Home and Hope Appeal. The charity has warned this demand could put hundreds of homeless people and service users at risk.
“We believe that it is so important that we continue to put on events that raise as much money and social awareness as possible for this ever increasing issue of homelessness,” said Ben Bridgman, a spoken word artist and organizer of the event. “This will be an inspirational, insightful and empowering event, surely not to be missed.”
Keith Fernett, Chief Executive of Caritas Anchor House, said “I’m really excited by this event, and it’s great to see that so many musicians, poets and individuals want to support Caritas Anchor House, for which we are thankful for. Working and coming together as a community is key to tackling homelessness, as is raising awareness of this ever concerning issue and the Homeless not Hopeless festival will do just that.”
For more information about the event, contact Caritas Anchor House on communications@caritasanchorhouse.org.uk or 0207 476 6062, or take a look at the Facebook event here.
Rebekah Warburton, Fundraising and Marketing Assistant
Email: communications@caritasanchorhouse.org.uk Phone: 020 7476 6062
81 Barking Road, London E16 4HB.
Caritas Anchor House is more than just a homelessness charity – it is a residential and life-skills centre for single homeless adults, and acts as a community empowerment hub in Newham, East London. The charity’s driving mission is to ensure that those who walk through their doors grow in confidence and move towards leading independent, self-fulfilling lives by providing education, guidance and personal rehabilitation.
The charity is located in Canning Town, in the London Borough of Newham. Registered charity no: 1147794 www.caritasanchorhouse.org.uk
Photographs from the festival will be available post-event, please email: communications@caritasanchorhouse.org.uk
New rough sleeper hub doubles capacity after successful pilot
New rough sleepers hub launched in Newham
Formerly homeless Mayor inspires change at charity event
Over 440 deaths of homeless people in the UK
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Mike Duffy trial day 14: Duffy lawyer blasts witness for not meeting with him
Mike Duffy's defence lawyer ripped into the former director of Senate finance during cross examination, demanding to know why she would not meet with him about the case but agreed to meet with Crown officials.
Bayne says he may need an extra 3 to 6 weeks for case
Mark Golllom · CBC News · Posted: Apr 24, 2015 5:00 AM ET | Last Updated: June 17, 2015
Mike Duffy, witness Nicole Proulx and his lawyer Donald Bayne arrive for day 14 of the suspended senator's fraud and breach of trust trial. 1:52
Mike Duffy's defence lawyer ripped into Nicole Proulx, the former director of Senate finance, during cross examination today, demanding to know why she would not meet with him about the case but agreed to meet with Crown officials.
"All through the time period I was attempting to meet with you — anywhere you chose, with anyone you chose, at any time you chose — you kept telling me you were too busy with work," Donald Bayne charged. "But you weren't too busy to be working with, meeting with, corresponding with and helping the prosecution, right? You weren't too busy to be doing that."
Senator was set to do battle over $300 makeup expense, court hears
Duffy had 'no discretion' to change contract services, court hears
Son unaware father using company to pay Duffy expenses
Duffy has pleaded not guilty to 31 charges of fraud, breach of trust and bribery related to expenses he claimed as a senator and later repaid with money provided by the prime minister's former chief of staff Nigel Wright.
Proulx said she received a subpoena from the prosecution and that it was her understanding that she was to meet with the prosecution. She said she sought authority before releasing any documents.
"In no way did I mean to do anything that would be contrary to whatever I'm supposed to do," she said. "This is my first time in this type of setting and I hope it's my last time."
Bayne continued to hammer away, trying to get Proulx to admit she was too busy for him, but not too busy to work with the prosecution.
"You're not an advocate, you're a witness Ms. Proulx" he said.
Proulx suggested the meetings she had with the Crown did not take a lot of time, but that those meetings did force her to rearrange her work schedule.
"Yes it has been busy. And if you were to ask my family they would know. They haven't seen me."
Court was adjourned after Proulx asked the court that she be allowed to retrieve her agenda to confirm the dates Bayne said she met with the Crown.
Bayne also told the judge that he may need an extra three to six weeks to present his case, and that he was available for the next several months, meaning the trial could continue into the election.
'Something more substantial'
Earlier, Crown prosecutor Jason Neubauer said he hoped the judge hadn't come to any conclusions in the case after the judge suggested he hadn't heard sufficient evidence of established rules regarding senators' travel claims.
"At the end of the day, I hope you have something more substantial than what appears on the platter right now," provincial court Judge Charles Vaillancourt told Neubauer.
"It's our hope that your honour hasn't made any findings of fact," Neubauer said.
"I usually wait till the end of the day to decide the facts," Vaillancourt responded tersely.
Vaillancourt also added that he would like to move along and "start hearing some evidence."
The exchange came after Bayne objected to testimony by Proulx.
Bayne argued there were no clear, specific rules about Senate travel expenses before the creation of the 2012 Senate travel policy (before the period in which Duffy is accused of inappropriately expensing costs). He said Proulx was just offering an opinion on what the rules were before that date.
Bayne accused the Crown of eliciting evidence from Proulx that is "purely hypothetical."
But Neubauer argued that the Senate administrative rules that were in place before the travel policy laid out the principles of "parliamentary business," which guide senators on what they can and cannot expense.
Legitimacy questioned
The Crown has questioned the legitimacy of some of Duffy's travel claims, along with a number of other services expensed by the suspended senator.
Neubauer said he will finish questioning Proulx this morning, on the 14th day of the trial, meaning Duffy's lawyer will spend the rest of the day cross-examining her.
Proulx has been a witness since Wednesday, going over the $65,000 worth of contracts Duffy entered into with his friend Gerald Donohue, who the Crown alleges used the money to pay for inappropriate or non-parliamentary services for the now suspended senator. She has testified that Duffy did not have the discretion to change the nature of the work described in those contracts, meaning money allocated for those contracts could not be used for other Senate services.
Court has heard that Donohue issued cheques for services expensed by Duffy that included payments to an office volunteer, a makeup artist, a photo processing firm and a personal fitness trainer.
On Thursday, Proulx testified that bills for makeup, personal fitness and personal and family pictures do not fall under parliamentary business and cannot be expensed.
Former Senate finance director Nicole Proulx testified that she rejected a claim by Mike Duffy in 2009 requesting compensation for makeup services he used before posing for a Senate portrait. (Greg Banning/Canadian Press)
She also testified that she rejected a claim by Duffy in 2009 requesting compensation for makeup services he used before posing for a Senate portrait. Makeup, she said, is not eligible for reimbursement, even if used for a Senate-related activity.
Proulx said she had written a letter to Duffy explaining the reasons for rejecting the claim. She added that he had the option to appeal her decision to the Senate internal economy committee — a group of senators that oversees Senate administration.
Proulx said the makeup issue did end up on the committee's agenda, but was withdrawn by Duffy moments before it was scheduled to come up for discussion.
Can't see the live blog? Follow it here
Mike Duffy trial, Day 14
Duffy trial day 13: Senator was set to do battle over $300 makeup expense, court hears
Mike Duffy trial Day 12: Duffy had 'no discretion' to change contract services, court hears
Mike Duffy trial: Son unaware father was using company to pay Duffy expenses, court hears
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23 Picture-Perfect Day Trips in the Charlotte Region
Want to explore the greater Charlotte region? Discover these attractions within a day’s drive of the city.
by Beth Castle
Photo courtesy of North Carolina Zoo
Armour Street Theatre
Drive 30 minutes north of Uptown, and you’ll find community theater troupe Davidson Community Players, who stage productions such as “Monty Python’s Spamalot” and “Steel Magnolias” in Armour Street Theatre and on the Davidson College campus. With downtown Davidson nearby, there’s plenty to eat (read: Kindred) and do before the show.
Carrigan Farms
Brave the 25-foot jump at The Quarry at Carrigan Farms in Mooresville. Mined in the late 1960s, the natural, spring-fed swimming hole is open to the public at select times throughout the warmer months. Every swimmer must either wear a life jacket—more than 300 are available on-site—or pass a swimming test.
Rockin’ River Adventures
Reserve a kayak trip with Rockin' River Adventures, who coordinate gear and self-guided tours of the river for a variety of skill levels. Calm and light rapids as well as wildlife make these trips serene.
First poured in 1917, the “nectar of North Carolina,” or Cheerwine, is still rooted in its birthplace, Salisbury. Capture a photo in front of the pop’s iconic sign, or stop by the company’s headquarters for some flavorful sips. Visit on May 18 to take part in the Cheerwine Festival, the town's day-long celebration of the beloved drink.
Photo courtesy of Childress Vineyards
Childress Vineyards
Lunch and lounge at Lexington’s Childress Vineyards. Owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Childress, the space boasts 72 acres of vineyards as well as daily tours and tastings. Make a reservation at the bistro to enjoy seasonal selections and wine flights.
Copperhead Island
Book picnic space on Lake Wylie’s 14-acre Copperhead Island, or turn your day trip into an overnighter with camping reservations. The six-site isle is a natural haven for families and fisher-folk alike.
Crowders Mountain State Park
Located 30 miles west of Center City, Crowders Mountain State Park draws outdoorsy folk who enjoy hiking, camping, fishing, rock climbing and canoeing. Pack a lunch so you can picnic while taking in the view of Uptown from the summit.
Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden - Photo by Patrick Schneider
Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden
Belmont’s 380-acre paradise, Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, is about 20 miles from Charlotte. Linger over brews from the beer garden, and on Thursday nights, sip and stroll to the tune of live jams. Hungry? Venture into the city itself to enjoy dinner at The String Bean or Nellie’s Southern Kitchen.
Disc Golf at Winthrop University
Drive to Winthrop University in Rock Hill to try your hand at the school’s premier disc golf courses. The 18-hole Lake Course is ideal for beginners, while the Gold Course is one of the most challenging in the area. In fact, the U.S. Disc Golf Championships are held on this 9,800-foot course every year.
GoPro Motorplex
Take racing culture out for a spin at GoPro Motorplex in Mooresville. While rounding the 0.7-mile, 11-turn karting track, you’ll reach speeds of 55 mph—a mere cruising speed for this day’s drive.
Photo courtesy of Great Wolf Lodge
Stay and play at the Great Wolf Lodge, a family-friendly resort in Concord that offers indoor and outdoor activities. A water park, mini golf, a ropes course and more await adventurers big and small.
Hello, Sailor
Sip lakeside at Hello, Sailor, Joe and Katy Kindred’s Cornelius restaurant. With an outdoor tiki bar serving sweet and savory cocktails, this culinary newcomer is a Caribbean vacation just 30 minutes down the road.
Hickory Furniture Mart
An hour from Charlotte, the four-story Hickory Furniture Mart is more than a token of the town’s industrial heritage; with thousands of pieces on display, it’s a mecca for deal-hunters and home designers. Shop top brands, then grab lunch at a local favorite like Highland Avenue.
Latta Plantation - Photo by Karen H. Hansen
Latta Plantation Nature Center & Preserve
Escape to Huntersville’s cotton plantation turned scenic nature preserve. Latta Plantation Nature Center & Preserve, a 1,460-acre property adjacent to Mountain Island Lake, is a gathering place for everyone from hikers and boaters to picnickers and horseback riders. History lovers, stop into the Federal-style home on the grounds for a true blast from the past.
Who knew the world’s largest natural habitat zoo was just an hour and a half down the road? In Asheboro, the North Carolina Zoo is home to more than 1,600 animals and 52,000 plants. Stroll covered paths at a relaxed pace to take in each expansive enclosure, especially the one dedicated to Africa, which takes about two hours to explore. Book a behind-the-scenes Zoofari trip to make that region an unforgettable adventure.
Queen’s Landing
Relax on Lake Norman with yacht service Queens Landing. Book a two-hour sightseeing tour, offered twice a day Thursdays through Sundays. (Add boxed lunches for an extra fee.) Or schedule a romantic three-course dinner cruise on The Lady of the Lake on select Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Photo courtesy of Reed Gold Mine
Pan for gold at Reed Gold Mine, the site of the first documented gold find in the United States. Located in Midland, a 40-minute drive from Center City, the site offers guided tours of underground tunnels, glimpses of historic mining equipment and 800 acres of grounds to explore.
Rock Hill Outdoor Center
Pedal away the hours at South Carolina’s 250-acre Rock Hill Outdoor Center. Although the center boasts activities fit for both field and stream, its cycling venues—a BMX Supercross track, a recreational- and competitive-use course, and the ultra-competitive Giordana Velodrome—are its bread and butter.
Sacred Grove Retreat Center
Withdraw to the 11 wooded acres of Sacred Grove Retreat Center in Gold Hill, about an hour from Uptown. The secluded enclave encourages revitalization through meditation, ropes courses, team-building activities, yoga and more. Leisurely strolls through the butterfly garden, sans cell phone, are encouraged.
In the late 1700s, potters in Seagrove, a town 90 miles northeast of Charlotte, began molding North Carolina’s rich red clay into fashionable earthenware. Discover the craft’s roots at the North Carolina Pottery Center, then pick up a souvenir at one of the many local studios nearby. Bonus: Many potters allow guests to watch as they work.
Photo courtesy of The Ballantyne
The Spa at Ballantyne
Treat yourself to a getaway just miles away. At The Spa at Ballantyne—part of luxury hotel The Ballantyne—soothing lavender treatments, massages, facials and more offer unparalleled relaxation. Follow your spa session with dinner at Gallery Restaurant, which serves seasonally inspired contemporary American fare.
Windy Hill Orchard & Cider Mill
In York, South Carolina, is Windy Hill Orchard & Cider Mill, a veritable apple paradise. Enjoy apple picking, hard cider tastings, homemade doughnuts, live music and other seasonal events throughout the year.
Wise Acres Organic Farm
Pick your own produce at Wise Acres Organic Farm, Indian Trail’s seasonal strawberry and pumpkin patch. Wagon rides, a petting zoo, organic treats and made-to-order, wood-fired pizzas keep you entertained and energized all day long.
Beth Castle
Beth covers arts, travel and tourism as the former copywriter/editor at the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority and previously as an editor for Atlanta magazine and its Southeastern travel publication, Southbound. She has also written for Charlotte magazine and Charlotte Wedding. Find her loitering in bookstores, seeking out ice cream recommendations or lamenting Mizzou’s latest football flops.
Charlotte’s Best Galleries to Build Your Art Collection
Where to Find Charlotte’s Best Barbecue
A Guide to Charlotte’s Outdoor Fun for All Experience Levels
Neighborhood Explorer: South Park
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Should Elderly Drivers Have Their Licenses Slowly Taken Away?
By Aaron Crowe
Just as graduated driver licensing keeps teens safe by not allowing them to drive late at night and earn driving privileges gradually, would it also work for elderly drivers?
Elderly people drive a lot less than teenage drivers do. Still, per mile traveled, fatal crash rates increase at age 75 and increase notably after age 80, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These deaths are largely due to increased susceptibility to injury and medical complications among older drivers, rather than an increased tendency to get into crashes, according to the CDC.
Would taking away an elderly driver’s driving privileges gradually lessen the amount of crashes they get into? Will not allowing them to drive at night, for example, when it can be more difficult to see the road, result in fewer accidents by elderly drivers? Or a mandated annual driving test?
The good news is that elderly drivers often self regulate their driving habits. Older drivers tend to limit their driving during bad weather and at night, and drive fewer miles than younger drivers, the CDC says.
Driving is a privilege
One basic argument against gradually taking away an elderly driver’s license is that driving is an earned privilege, and “once a test is passed, not a good idea to second guess it,” says Bonnie Russell, who writes about retirement in California.
But state Departments of Motor Vehicles have the authority to determine if someone can drive safely, and can retest them as they deem necessary. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, recommends states require elderly drivers renew their licenses in person, says Susan Cohen, founder of Americans For Older Driver Safety, or AFODS.
The requirement could stop some unsafe drivers from coming in for their license renewal, and could help eliminate elderly drivers who are too impaired to drive.
“We want older adults to stay on the road as long as they’re safe,” Cohen says.
Another thing to keep in mind when considering taking away an older driver’s license to drive in stages is that two 80-year-olds can have different driving abilities, she says. You can’t judge someone’s driving ability by age alone. “We each age very differently from another,” she says.
Russell says she’s seen drivers well past age 80 who are safe drivers. “My dad is 92 and still driving without a problem,” she says, “and his neighbor just got his license renewed for three years — when he’s 103.”
License renewal laws for older drivers vary by state, with 28 states and the District of Columbia having provisions for older drivers, according to AFODS. Several require in-person renewal and a shorter renewal period for older drivers.
Illinois, for example, sets the standard renewal at four years, but increases it to every two years at age 81 and annually at 87 years old. Iowa requires a renewal every two years beginning at age 70, and at five years for younger drivers.
Screening supported by motorist group
The National Motorists Association, an advocacy group for drivers, “doesn’t support putting age-based restrictions on driving since they would be arbitrary and end up penalizing many responsible drivers,” says NMA spokesman John Bowman. “Extending driving privileges to anyone, whatever their age, should be based on their demonstrated ability to drive safely and responsibly.”
The NMA recommends screening criteria to ensure that older drivers meet basic safe driving requirements, Bowman says:
A license holder of any age with a combination of three separate at-fault accidents or three separate traffic violations, or a combination of the two over six months would be required to attend an evaluation session, followed by a comprehensive test.
Licensing agencies could be petitioned to do an evaluation of a license holder based on first-hand knowledge of family members, law enforcement, or the courts. A driver who loses their license could appeal.
If the evaluation finds significantly diminished physical or cognitive abilities, the agency would revoke the driver’s license.
If a pattern of bad judgment, bad luck or a short-term emotional disruption such as a divorce or death in the family, the license holder would be channeled back to the conventional system that deals with accidents and violations, the NMA recommends.
Taking away the keys from an elderly driver isn’t easy, but there are certain signs that family members, the DMV or medical professionals can look for.
Declined vision and hearing, reduced flexibility and being unable to turn their head to check blind spots, delayed reaction time and cognitive abilities to reason and remember are some elderly driver attributes that should be checked regularly.
Cognition, for example, declines for people in their 80s on financial decision making, according to a study by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, though their confidence in their ability doesn’t waver.
The ability to scan their environment while driving and anticipate what happens next drops as people age, Cohen says, and they may only focus on what’s in front of them. The ability to process information quickly — a cognitive ability — drops in old age, she says.
“A lot of these changes with aging happen so gradually that people don’t even realize they’re changing,” Cohen says.
What older drivers can do
The good news is that crash rates for drivers 70 and older are falling, which has been attributed to safer vehicles and healthier seniors who are better able to survive crashes.
Older drivers are better at self regulating, meaning they’re aware of their impairments and may not drive at night if they have impaired vision, or stay off the roads during commute hours. Older drivers are less likely to drink and drive than other adult drivers, according to the CDC.
The CDC recommends older drivers:
Exercise regularly to increase strength and flexibility.
Have their medicines reviewed by their doctor or pharmacist to reduce side effects and interactions.
Have annual eye exams and wear glasses as required.
Drive during daylight and in good weather.
Find the safest route with well-lit streets, intersections with left turn arrows, and easy parking.
Leave a large distance from the car in front of you.
Avoid distractions such as listening to a loud radio, talking on the phone, texting, and eating while driving.
Consider alternatives such as riding with a friend or using public transit.
In general, auto insurance rates start to increase after age 70 because the cost to insure seniors is greater due to impaired vision, physical ability and other attributes, says, Chrissy Nigro of Nigro Insurance Agency in Philadelphia.
Things seniors can do to keep their auto insurance rates down, Nigro says, include taking a defensive driving course, exploring different carriers such as Hartford that offer discounts for seniors, changing the primary driver on their insurance policy if that child does the majority of the driving for them, and maintain a clean driving record.
Aaron Crowe is a journalist who covers the auto industry for CheapCarInsurance.net.
<a href="https://www.cheapcarinsurance.net/should-elderly-drivers-have-their-licenses-slowly-taken-away/" >Should Elderly Drivers Have Their Licenses Slowly Taken Away?</a>
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How To Take Away The Keys From An Elderly Driver Who Shouldn’t Be Driving By Aaron Crowe One of the most difficult situations to...
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This entry was posted in Safety.
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Cherish Meru
Managed by UPPC's Kenya Ministry Team
WAITING for a Sponsor
A Seed of Inspiration
Her name is Alivia, pictured here with her brother, Aidan. She is eleven years old, and she is an inspiration. Here’s her story. Last spring, Alivia met our mission teammate, Josephine Mburgu when Josephine was enlisted to help care for Alivia’s great grandmother. Josephine and Alivia saw each other regularly, and soon became fast friends. Alivia, a bright and inquisitive young woman, was eager to hear about Josephine’s childhood in rural Kenya. Each week, her mother told me, Alivia came home bursting with stories about Kenya, including stories about our ministry to families there. She was especially interested in the fact that Mrs. Mburugu and her UPPC team would be traveling to Meru later that summer. As Josephine explained some of the ways people here have helped the kids back home, many of whom have very little, a seed of inspiration was planted in Alivia’s heart and mind.
What if, she thought, I collected some clothes and toys for Josephine to take to the kids in Meru?
After spending time with Alivia recently, I realized something that sets her apart from others. Many of us, when we hear about the needs of people in developing countries, feel inspired to do something. But then, somewhere along the way, it seems impossible to do anything significant, and alas, we let the seed fall on rocky ground. Not so with Alivia; her seed fell into the fertile soil of her imagination where she fed and watered it until it burst open and bore fruit.
With the support and love of her parents and grandparents, she forged ahead with a plan. She went to her principal and her classroom teacher and got permission to ask her classmates to donate toys, shoes and clothing for the UPPC team to take to Kenya. There wasn’t much time, and at first, the donations were coming in rather slowly, until one day when she went to check and found the box she had provided for collecting items full and spilling over. In addition there were garbage bags filled with donations of every sort. There was so much stuff, she told me with bright eyes twinkling, that she had to get lots of help carrying it all to the car!
Once collected, she carefully sorted the items. When I asked her if she had help from classmates, she said, “Not really…my grandma helped me a lot though!” In fact, before it was all said and done, they even went on a shopping excursion to pick up some items they wanted to include. What began as a simple idea in Alivia’s mind (and both Mom and Grandma assured me, the entire idea was Alivia’s!) eventually filled several suitcases which the UPPC team happily carried on their trip in August.
When asked what the most exciting part of all this was to Alivia, she said it was knowing that she could help someone who lived clear on the other side of the world. Indeed, it was like Christmas in August for many, many Meru children. The smiles on their faces spoke of their joy in being remembered by someone “ clear on the other side of the world! “
On behalf of all the kids who received these gifts, Alivia, I want to thank you so much. The Bible says that one of the “fruits of the Spirit” is kindness, and you r kindness gave boys and girls hope and happiness last summer!
--Sharon Moffitt, Dec. 28, 2014
Posted by mamapat at 7:08 PM
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About Cherish Meru
In partnership with Hope International Ministry Trust | Cherish educates, equips, and empowers orphaned children in Meru, Kenya through child sponsorships, caregiver visits, and auxiliary support.
If you feel the call to sponsor a child, please review the Sponsorship Waiting List on the tab above. Information about sponsorship payments can be found at How to Make a Donation.
To learn more about the Cherish Meru Ministry, sponsor a child or join the team, contact: Karen Lau | 253.564.4690 | karenllau@hotmail.com.
Other Ministries in Kenya
Nyumbani AIDS Orphanage
International Justice Mission
VBS Song - Meru & UPPC Together
Mission Trip 2014 Travel Blog
Mission Trip 2010 - Emily's Blog
MISSION TRIP BLOG 2018
8101 27th Street West
University Place, WA 98466
UPPC.org
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Aurora looks at buying drones for police department
By Steve Lord
| The Beacon-News |
Orland Park Police Officer Keith Valentino tests a new drone this summer. Several police departments in the state, including Orland Park, have drones. Aurora is looking at buying three for the Aurora Police Department. (Ted Slowik / Daily Southtown)
Aurora emergency officials recently used more than 80 people to look for a missing man.
A helicopter was deployed, but it could only get so low — not low enough to be of help in looking for the missing person.
Aurora Police Sgt. Andy Walcott said what would have worked well was an unmanned aircraft, better known as a drone.
“There is a huge manpower savings,” he said recently to aldermen on the Aurora City Council Finance Committee.
The committee voted 3-0 to recommend spending about $56,000 on four drones for the city, three for the Police Department and one for the Information Technology Department.
The move by Aurora would mirror that made by a number of police agencies and cities recently, including the Illinois State Police, the Kane County Sheriff’s Department and police in Elgin. North Aurora Police are in the midst of getting one, and police in Montgomery, Yorkville, Plano and Sandwich have cooperated on a drone program.
The Naperville Fire Department also has one, Walcott said.
Use of drones has gone up in the past several years thanks to new rules by the Federal Aviation Administration, which allows a special operator’s license for individuals, “allowing more commercial uses of drones,” Walcott said.
In Aurora, finding missing persons would be one of the major uses for the drones, he said. He said they also have great application for traffic accident reconstruction because of their ability to fly over and photograph an accident site.
Walcott said other police agencies have shown that use of a drone cuts accident site reconstruction at the scene from about four hours to about 25 minutes. Back at the station, another four-hour job is cut to about 1½ hours, he said.
He also said the drones are helpful during special response calls that involve high risk for officers, such as executing search warrants where weapons are involved. Drones can only be used then as part of a legally obtained search warrant from a judge, Walcott said.
The department wants three drones, he said, because in some situations, the department might need two. The third one would always be available for training or backup.
“In a city the size of Aurora, there is a possibility we could have three incidents going on at once,” Walcott said.
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While there are more commercial uses of drones, Walcott said Illinois restricts their use as much as anyone through the Freedom from Drones Surveillance Act. He said that restricts use of drones to very specific things.
“You can’t just use them,” he said. “You need a search warrant or a certified missing person report.”
The city’s IT department would use the drone to help update its GIS mapping, department officials said.
With the recommendation, the full City Council will consider the request at Tuesday’s Committee of the Whole meeting, with a planned final vote at the Oct. 23 council meeting.
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HOME -> B2B Marketing -> Demand Gen -> Original Content Builds B2B Brand Trust: Report
Original Content Builds B2B Brand Trust: Report
Posted on March 13, 2019 by Beth Negus Viveiros
Fifty-seven percent of respondents named branded content as the best tool to build B2B brand trust.
Original research, quotes from customers and comments from industry experts are the top three elements in content that help build B2B brand trust, according to a new survey.
The report from Vennli, which surveyed 100 senior-level B2B marketers on the role content strategy plays in building brand trust, found that respondents felt that while third-party data from respected research firms such as Forrester or Gartner might have name recognition, it doesn’t do as much to create trust. This is likely because so many companies have access to the same material, so it doesn’t carry the same weight as original research.
“Marketers are faced with the significant challenge of finding a way to build brand trust with their customers,” says Marty Muse, CEO of Vennli. “To do so, they should produce content and messaging that speaks to customer’s pains and needs.”
Fifty-seven percent of respondents named branded content as the best tool to build B2B brand trust. Also highly cited were strong social media presences (44 percent); television, print or digital advertising (40 percent); and references or testimonials from customers (40 percent). Ranking a bit lower were third-party analyst reports (33 percent), word-of-mouth (32 percent) and press coverage (25 percent).
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Sales support documents (40 percent), case studies (36 percent), customer support documents (35 percent) videos (34 percent) and company blogs (30 percent) were cited as the top content choices by marketers surveyed to drive B2B brand trust. What were the lowest ranked choices when it comes to fostering trust? Testimonials (12 percent), podcasts (eight percent), ebooks (six percent) and webinars (three percent) were on the bottom of the list.
“While there is tremendous pressure to focus on content that has an immediate visible impact on the business, such as sales support materials, marketing leaders must strike the balance between immediate returns and building the sustaining value of the brand,” notes the report.
Over 70 percent of senior-level marketers surveyed strongly agreed that content is essential for creating B2B brand trust, and nearly 40 percent saw a need for brand trust to link customer experience and brand improvement.
Building B2B brand trust had different meanings for junior and senior level marketers surveyed in the report. Those in upper level positions cited brand-owned content and advertising as the best tools for creating trust, while those in lower level roles favored a strong social presence and customer testimonials. While this may indicate that junior marketers are younger and favor newer channels, it also indicates a need to improve alignment within marketing teams, according to the report.
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In a Troubled Time, Boeing Looks at Brand
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https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/LaMarque-coach-accused-of-sexually-assaulting-teen-2203865.php
La Marque coach accused of sexual assault turns himself in
By Dale Lezon
Updated 5:33 pm CDT, Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Cedric Tyrone Mason
Photo: HPD
La Marque's head basketball coach turned himself in Wednesday afternoon after he was accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl at his Houston apartment earlier this year.
Cedric Tyrone Mason, 41, was charged Tuesday with two counts of sexual assault of a child, according to the Houston Police Department.
Mason, who led the boys basketball team at La Marque High School to the state tournament last year, posted bail and will await a court appearance.
Police said a 14-year-old girl told her mother that Mason sexually assaulted her July 5 and July 7 at his apartment in the 500 block of El Dorado Boulevard.
The girl is not a student in La Marque Independent School District.
The HPD crime lab linked evidence collected during a sexual assault exam to Mason's DNA, police added.
District officials said Mason has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the allegations.
dale.lezon@chron.com
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Bitcoin jumps 7% amid massive market sell-off
Published Tue, Apr 24 2018 5:53 PM EDT Updated Tue, Apr 24 2018 6:43 PM EDT
Kate Rooney@Kr00ney
Bitcoin rose to its highest level in more than a month amid a 400-point drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average Tuesday.
The cryptocurrency was trading above $9,400 and has gained roughly 20 percent in the past week.
"Bitcoin remains uncorrelated to traditional asset classes, is more than 50 percent off its highs and has significant upside," says Spencer Bogart, partner at Blockchain Capital.
In the battle between bitcoin and bitcoin cash, Tom Lee says buy bitcoin
Bitcoin rose to its highest level in more than a month as the broader U.S. financial markets sold off Tuesday.
The digital currency was trading near $9,436 as of 4:21 p.m. ET, and has jumped nearly 20 percent in the past week, according to data from Coindesk. Bitcoin is coming off of its worst quarter ever, when it lost roughly 48 percent of its value in three months.
Other financial markets were moving in the opposite direction of the cryptocurrency Tuesday, hurt by rising interest rates and bearish comments from a conference call by Caterpillar, which is often seen as a bellwether for the U.S. economy.
The Dow Jones industrial average closed more than 400 points lower, dropping more than 750 points from its session high to the lows of the day. The S&P 500 fell 1.3 percent, and the Nasdaq composite declined 1.7 percent.
Spencer Bogart, partner at Blockchain Capital, said bitcoin presents an appealing alternative for investors selling on macro-economic news this week.
"Bitcoin remains uncorrelated to traditional asset classes, is more than 50 percent off its highs and has significant upside," Bogart said. "It feels like a no-brainer from a portfolio management perspective to allocate some capital to crypto."
News this week that Goldman Sachs made its first cryptocurrency hire, and a Thomson Reuters survey published Tuesday that said one in five firms are considering trading digital currency in the next year, marked a shift in crypto investor sentiment and helped prices, according to Joe DiPasquale, CEO of BitBull Capital.
"As reports continue to show more and more institutions gearing up to participate in crypto markets, valuations are likely to continue to increase in a steady manner," DiPasquale said. "There has been a significant shift in sentiment towards the positive, with Bitcoin's spot price seeing the most notable jump over the last week."
Tom Lee, managing partner and the head of research at Fundstrat Global Advisors, said the Goldman hire is good news for the future of cryptocurrency.
"It's a sign that a major investment bank thinks there's enough clarity, custody and money to be made to actually offer that trading service," Lee told CNBC's Fast Money Tuesday. "I think it's a sign that this is becoming mainstream."
Lee also highlighted an April uptick in Fundstrat's Bitcoin Misery Index. The index is measured out of 100, and shows how happy or sad investors feel owning bitcoin. In February, the index was around 18 which Lee said at the time was the lowest reading since Aug. 2011. As of this week, the index recovered to around 47, Lee said.
Bitcoin reached its highest level since March 14 on Tuesday but is still down more than 30 percent this year, according to CoinDesk.
Much of the digital currency's drop in 2018 was attributed to investors selling to meet U.S. tax obligations, regulatory scrutiny, and major tech companies banning advertisments for cryptocurrencies.
Other digital currencies also outperformed the broader markets, and all of the top ten by market capitalization were trading higher Tuesday, according to CoinMarketCap.com. Ethereum, the second largest cryptocurrency, rose 10 percent, while ripple was up more than 7 percent, according to data from CoinDesk.
WATCH: Bitcoin futures jump
Bitcoin futures jump
Ripple XRP/USD Bitstamp
Ether/USD
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Flight Deal: U.S. to Rome from $360 Round-Trip
by Cassie Shortsleeve
Fly from either U.S. coast to Italy for a steal this winter.
Annnnd the cheap flights to Italy just keep coming. If you weren’t able to scoop up a ticket for this summer or fall, now’s your chance for winter. Norwegian Air is serving up non-stop flights December through March 2018 from Newark, Oakland, and Los Angeles to Rome from $360 and $420 (for both west coast cities), respectively. That's about a third of what you’d normally pay (read: $1,000) for a non-stop, round-trip ticket to Italy that time of the year, according to Scott Keyes of Scott's Cheap Flights, who discovered the deal this afternoon.
What better way to escape those cold weather blues than by bundling up to stroll the Spanish Steps with an espresso in tow; or exploring the intricacies of 600-plus churches in a city that, come winter, becomes quieter, with more locals than tourists?
Of course, while your flight proves to be a steal, your bags will cost you (you can find Norwegian’s bag policies here). Tempted travelers, move quickly. Keyes predicts the deal might only last another 24 hours.
How to book: Search Norwegian’s site (sample search here) to find the cheapest tickets. If you’re flying from Newark, Keyes notes that United flights are available, too. To find them, plug your dates into Google Flights.
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Brits show mastery in Russia's spy vs. spy | Opinion
Poisoning deaths in Britain linked to deadly nerve agent produced by Russian army.
Brits show mastery in Russia's spy vs. spy | Opinion Poisoning deaths in Britain linked to deadly nerve agent produced by Russian army. Check out this story on commercialappeal.com: https://memne.ws/2NLUpOD
Arthur I. Cyr, History Lessons Published 10:00 a.m. CT Sept. 15, 2018
Specialist officers in protective suits prepare to secure the police forensic tent that had been blown over by the wind and is covering the bench where Sergei Skripal was found critically with his daughter on March 4 and were taken to hospital sparking a major incident, in Salisbury on March 8, 2018 in Wiltshire, England.(Photo: Matt Cardy, Getty Images)
Prime Minister Theresa May and colleagues in Britain’s government reconfirm the quality and effectiveness of that nation’s police and intelligence work.
On Sept. 5, the British government issued warrants for the arrest of two Russian nationals, Rusian Boshirov and Alexander Petrov, for attempted murder. Massive evidence has been assembled through high-tech means and old-fashioned, human-insight police work.
The despicable effort in early March to murder Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in England provides a grim reminder that the Cold War may be over, but Russia remains a dangerous and ruthless adversary. A police officer found the father and daughter unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury, a city near London.
The Skripals and the police officer required hospitalization in intensive care. A Novichok nerve agent poisoned them. Novichok is the label for a highly lethal series of nerve agents developed by the Soviet Union, beginning in 1971.
Novichok is an extremely rare chemical not readily available to the public, or even in the criminal underworld. The military nerve agent remains a product of Russia. Four months after the attack, residue of the poison left behind by the attackers struck down two more British citizens, in no way tied to government intelligence or security agencies, one of whom died.
This combination photo made available by the Metropolitan Police on Sept. 5, 2018, shows Alexander Petrov, left, and Ruslan Boshirov. British prosecutors have charged two Russian men, Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, with the nerve agent poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the English city of Salisbury. (Photo: AP)
Boshirov and Petrov flew to Britain two days before the attempted murders. They entered the country on Russian passports. The British government worked quickly, identified them early, and continued to collect evidence.
Skripal worked for the GRU, the military intelligence arm of Russia’s government, until he retired in 1999. Later he confessed to working as a double agent for British intelligence from 1995.
In 2006, a Russia court convicted him and imposed a prison sentence of 13 years. In 2010, authorities freed him as part of a U.S.-Russian spy swap, following the exposure of a ring of Russian espionage agents in the United States.
During Skripal’s trial, Russian media compared the damage done to state security to that of Oleg Penkovsky. That double agent provided important secret data to United States agents regarding Soviet military and intelligence resources.
Information he provided is credited with helping President John F. Kennedy and associates maneuver successfully through the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962. The Soviet state executed Penkovsky in 1963. According to one report, executioners burned him alive in a crematorium, a warning to deter others.
Also in 2006, Russian intelligence defector Alexander Litvinenko mysteriously suffered poisoning in London. On his deathbed, he blamed the Russian government.
In response to the March attack on the Skripals, Vasily Nebenzya, Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, presented a truly strange defense. In a long, rambling statement, he introduced the name of Sherlock Holmes, the legendary fictional British detective.
Nebenzya publicly compared the British government to Inspector Lestrade, the inept police officer regularly bested by the vastly more able Holmes. The Russian diplomat on this occasion proved himself inept, and unintentionally encouraged attention to another poisoning case.
In November 2012, Russian Alexander Perepilichny suddenly collapsed and died while jogging near London. One postmortem test found traces of Gelsemium, a toxic plant.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, was a medical doctor who experimented with a range of chemicals and plants, including Gelsemium. Sir Arthur concluded the plant could alleviate nerve pain but was also dangerous.
Holmes’ genius combines human insight and technical expertise. The British government has done the same in handling the brutal Skripal case.
Arthur I. Cyr is Clausen Distinguished Professor at Carthage College and author of “After the Cold War.” Contact acyr@carthage.edu.
Arthur I. Cyr (Photo: Carthage College)
Read or Share this story: https://memne.ws/2NLUpOD
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Dhara Kivlehan died in September 2010 nine days after giving birth to her son Dior by emergency caesarian section
Dhara Kivlehan (28), a retail manager with fashion retailer Next in its Sligo branch died in September 2010 nine days after giving birth to her son Dior by emergency caesarian section at Sligo Regional Hospital.
She died at Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital after being transferred there in a critical condition.
After a five day hearing before Sligo/Leitrim Coroner Dr Eamon McGowan, the jury of five men and two women expressed their sympathies to Mrs Kivlehan’s husband Michael and his son Dior.
Dr McGowan gave the jury the options of two possible verdicts after lengthy legal arguments, one of ‘medical misadventure’ and a narrative verdict setting out the circumstances of Dhara’s death.
They took just 58 minutes to reach a unanimous verdict that death was by medical misadventure.
The jury added ‘riders’ or recommendations that information on the availability of tertiary beds be made available on a national basis to all hospitals and an onus on doctors to follow up on all blood tests.
They also recommended that all medics in an operating theatre should be included on a register and that they also recommended that staffing levels in hospitals should be monitored.
Earlier Adrienne Egan, counsel for the HSE, had argued in the absence of the jury that a verdict of death by natural causes should have been an option for the jury.
Ms Egan had also asked that the legal argument not be reported, even after the verdict.
Roger Murray, solicitor for the Kivlehan family, said the move was “yet another attempt by the HSE to keep what happened here under wraps”.
However Dr McGowan refused to include a ‘natural causes’ option in the verdicts and said the media could report the HSE’s legal bid after the verdict was delivered.
Speaking after the case was over tonight, Michael Kivlehan told independent.ie: “I am not a person to hold a grudge. All I ever wanted was the truth about what happened to Dhara.
“We’ve now had that truth and I want to thank the Coroner for his conduct of the case and the jury for their verdict as well as my legal team from Callan Tansey solicitors who have worked tirelessly on my behalf.
“This should not be the end of the case however. I am determined that lessons are learned so that no family ever has to go through what we went through.
“I lost my wife and Dior lost his mother. No mother in Ireland should die giving birth to a child.”
Mr Roger Murray, Medical Negligence Solicitor at Callan Tansey, welcomed the jury’s verdict.
Earlier the country’s leading expert on maternity care said that Dhara’s death after giving birth to her first child was a result of deficiencies in her care and she may well have survived had doctors acted differently.
The Clinical Director of the National Maternity Hospital in Dublin Dr Peter Boylan told the hearing: “Having reviewed the medical notes from Sligo and Belfast and having read the statements provided to the inquest by those involved in Mrs Kivlehan’s care, it is clear to me that there were deficiencies both in her clinical care and at a systematic level.”
He noted deficits in clinical care included the attribution of all of Dhara’s medical problems to HELLP syndrome, a severe form of pre-eclampsia.
He criticised the delay in obtaining renal and liver specialist input and the failure to consider the possibility of intra-abdominal haemorrhage after the C-section.
Dr Boylan said another deficit in clinical care was the delay in transferring Dhara from Sligo General to an expert centre which he said was ideally St Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin.
The medical expert said there were three systematic failures in the care of Indian-born Dhara who died from multiple organ failure.
These included the lack of prompt availability of renal and liver specialists at Sligo, the lack of intensive care beds at tertiary hospitals in both Dublin and Galway and the “lack of continuity of care at consultant level due to insufficient numbers of obstetric consultants on staff at Sligo General Hospital.”
Dr Boylan reviewed all of Dhara’s medical notes and made a number of critical comments in his evidence today.
In his summary of Dhara’s care at Sligo General, Dr Boylan noted: “Blood loss as a complication of her surgery does not appear to have been seriously considered despite significant falls in her haemoglobin…her renal function and liver function remained significantly abnormal.”
The medical expert said in his report to the jury of five men and two women: “Mrs Kivlehan presented a very difficult management problem but there was undoubtedly a misinterpretation of her abdominal distension which was incorrectly not attributed to intra-abdominal bleeding.”
He went on: “It is debatable however whether or not earlier intervention to deal with this problem would have made a significant difference in the long-term given the extremely complicated nature of her presentation.
“Nevertheless had this intra-abdominal haemorrhage been recognised and dealt with, and an earlier transfer to a tertiary centre been organised, it is possible the outcome might have been different. This however remains conjecture.”
Dior was born just before 6am on September 21, 2010, the day after Dhara was admitted to Sligo General Hospital.
Asked by Roger Murray, Medical Negligence Solicitor at Callan Tansey, how Dhara would have been treated at the National Maternity Hospital, Dr Boylan replied: “She would have been transferred to St Vincent’s Hospital to a kidney ward, a liver ward or the ICU there, depending on what they (doctors at St Vincent’s) believed.
“We would have had her in St Vincent’s by 10 or 11 o’clock that day.”
He added: “The real problem was that she was not being seen by a kidney or liver specialist.”
Dhara was eventually transferred to a tertiary hospital – Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital – at 10.30pm on September 24.
Under cross-examination by Roger Murray, Medical Negligence solicitor from Callan Tansey, representing Dhara’s husband Michael, Dr Boylan said the mother should have been transferred to a tertiary hospital – preferably St Vincent’s – straight after baby Dior was born.
He said had Dhara been admitted to the National Maternity Hospital “we would have transferred her.”
Dr Boylan said his hospital “had the luxury of being able to do that which is not the case around the country.”
He said Dhara should have had the input of renal and liver specialists on the day of the birth and the decision not to do so for two more days was “an unacceptable delay”.
The independent medical expert also agreed with Roger Murray, Solicitor from Callan Tansey, that staff at Sligo General Hospital had got it wrong when they noted that Dhara’s medical condition was improving.
If you would like to discuss a medical misadventure case with our medical negligence solicitors here at Callan Tansey in complete confidence, please call us on +353(0)71 916 2032.
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History and philosophy of physics and astronomy
I want this title to be available as an eBook
An Autobiography
$45.99 (R)
Part of Cambridge Library Collection - Physical Sciences
Author: Oliver Lodge
Date Published: July 2012
$ 45.99 (R)
If you are interested in the title for your course we can consider offering an examination copy. To register your interest please contact collegesales@cambridge.org providing details of the course you are teaching.
Sir Oliver Lodge (1851–1940) was a physicist instrumental in the discovery of electromagnetic waves: the basis of today's radio and X-ray technology. He came from humble beginnings. After suffering at the hands of violent masters and schoolmates during his childhood, Lodge went on to teach physics and chemistry to young women at Bedford College in London. Later, he was appointed professor of physics at the University of Liverpool, and became known for his public lectures on a vast range of topics, from the comic faults of phonographs to the medical applications of X-rays. Whether seeing the cells of a voltaic battery in a pile of plates or appreciating the enunciation of Alexander Graham Bell, Lodge had a warm enthusiasm that shines through in this touching autobiography, first published in 1931. It remains ideal for general readers as well as students in the history of science.
1. Ancestry and early days
2. Schooldays
3. Relation with other boys at school
4. Education
5. Influence of the Royal Institution
6. Later education in London
7. Reminiscences of Bedford College
8. Scientific work and friends in London
9. Personal retrospect
10. Romance
11. Influence of the British Association
12. Reminiscences of Coopers Hill and assistants and popular lectures
14. Scientific work at Liverpool
15. Scientific work at Liverpool (cont.)
17. Electric waves and the beginnings of wireless
18. Other friends
19. Family life
20. Holidays
21. Side issues
22. Early experiences in psychical research
23. Psychical research
24. Further psychic adventures, and psycho-physical phenomena
25. Reminiscences of my years at the university of Birmingham
26. Birmingham friendships and recollections
27. Scientific retrospect
28. Apologia pro vita mea
An electronic version of this title is available for institutional purchase via Cambridge Core
Cambridge Library Collection gives today’s readers access to books that until recently would have been available only in specialist libraries.
Representing my Views on the Many Functions of the Ether of Space
History of British Space Science
Autobiography of Sir George Biddell Airy
Observing and Cataloguing Nebulae and Star Clusters
From Herschel to Dreyer's New General Catalogue
Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin
An Autobiography and Other Recollections
Unravelling Starlight
William and Margaret Huggins and the Rise of the New Astronomy
Decisive Innovator
The Cambridge Concise History of Astronomy
Babylon to Voyager and Beyond
A History of Planetary Astronomy
Huygens: The Man behind the Principle
Atomic physics, molecular physics and chemical physics
Biological physics and soft matter physics
Planetary systems and astrobiology
Condensed matter physics, nanoscience and mesoscopic physics
Cosmology, relativity and gravitation
Econophysics, financial physics and social physics
Electronics for physicists
General and classical physics
Mathematical and computational methods and modelling
Nonlinear science and fluid dynamics
Optics, optoelectronics and photonics
Particle physics and nuclear physics
Plasma physics and fusion physics
Quantum physics, quantum information and quantum computation
Statistical physics, network science and complex systems
Theoretical physics and mathematical physics
Solar and space plasma physics
Observational astronomy, techniques and instrumentation
Amateur and popular astronomy
Astronomy (general)
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Recommendation Engine: Madison + Vine's Rose Chirillo
by Kathryn Luttner July 14, 2017
This copywriter is partial to "super heavy" TV dramas but will occasionally binge-watch "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" to maintain her sanity.
The Recommendation Engine is Campaign US' weekly feature in which we learn about the media young people in the ad industry are currently consuming. This week, we get to know Rose Chirillo, copywriter at Los Angeles-based digital studio Madison + Vine.
Oh man, what am I NOT watching? I feel oppressed by how much good TV there is right now—I’ve actually had to make a list, so I can keep track.
I’m currently obsessed with "The Handmaid’s Tale," which I watch on Hulu, "The Leftovers," which I watch on my mom’s HBONow account (don’t tell HBO...or my mom), and "Better Call Saul," which I make my boyfriend buy on Amazon because I can’t wait for it to become free on Netflix. I definitely date around streaming services!
As I say this, I’m realizing these shows are all thematically super heavy, so it’s worth mentioning that I also barrel through comedies like "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" or old episodes of "The Office" to maintain my sanity—because when it comes to TV, I’m partial to binging.
When I love music, I tend to listen to it over and over until I’m sick of it, which takes longer than the people around me would prefer. You just notice these subtleties that you might have missed or feel something different depending on your emotional context.
I’ve been listening to Frank Ocean’s "Blond" on repeat. "Self Control" is the song that has me swooning hardest.
I also haven’t stopped listening to Chance the Rapper’s "Coloring Book" since it came out. What he’s done with the genre is so mind-blowing, and I’ve been following his music since his first mixtape that he created when he was suspended from high school for 10 days—aptly called "10 Day."
Actually, "Blond" and "Coloring Book" have some parallels in that they do really interesting things with sound. They manage to make autotune and voice warping really beautiful in a specific way.
Spotify is my platform all the way. Their "Discover Weekly" playlists consistently kill it. And shoutout to KCRW’s "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with JB!
I’m currently reading "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" by Oliver Sacks. This one has been on my list for a while since I love studies into the mind. The stories are fascinating, and I think the concept of personalizing and humanizing neurology is so special and crucial. After all, how can you really separate someone from their brain? It’s an old paperback copy; I can’t get into the e-book thing. I’m too overwhelmed by technology as is.
Who I'm following
So, here’s where the chorus of gasps erupts, but I actually don’t have Instagram, Twitter or Snapchat. I tend to feel like I’m already drowning in distraction without the bombardment of brunch photos and triggering tirades. But I follow a lot of sites for creative inspiration, like Creativity, Dazed & Confused magazine, Fast Company and Adweek.
For news, I read the New York Times and The New Yorker almost daily and enter the New Yorker Caption Contest almost weekly.
For my commute, I rely on my go-to podcasts: Radiolab, This American Life, and You Made it Weird with Pete Holmes because comedy is my lifeblood.
I also count on my more social media savvy friends to consistently supply me with the "dopest memes." I’m a sucker for a good meme.
What I'm ignoring
The advice of everyone around me to not Google my symptoms. And the impending apocalypse.
Agencies Advertising Creative Advertising
Recommendation Engine: m/SIX North America's Sam Grossman
Recommendation Engine: Collective Bias's Grayce Holcomb
Recommendation Engine: Odysseus Arms' Clémence Pluche
Recommendation Engine: MediaMonk's Olivier Koelemij
Recommendation Engine: Quigley-Simpson's Arielle Jessel
Recommendation Engine: Idea Farmer's Jessica Zeller
The Recommendation Engine: Havas New York's Leah Douglas
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Camp Goodtimes
Wigs and prosthesis
Donating shares and other securities
Sponsor a participant
Asian Giving
Leadership Philanthropy gifts
Daffodil Ball
Daffodil Dash
Local priorities
Clinical trial brings new hope for pancreatic cancer treatment
You are here: About us / News / National / 2018 / May / Clinical trial brings new hope for pancreatic cancer treatment
In Summer 2016, Arthur Owtram started experiencing mild jaundice. After undergoing a number of tests, he received a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer which had spread to his liver.
Arthur’s prognosis was not positive. Pancreatic cancer currently has one of the lowest survival rates. Only about 50% of people with pancreatic cancer survive beyond about four months, and five-year survival is only about 7%.
Two years later, Arthur is alive, feeling fantastic, and enjoying walks in the park thanks to a clinical trial through the Canadian Cancer Society-supported Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG) being led by Dr Daniel Renouf.
The trial is testing the combination of two immunotherapy drugs together with standard chemotherapy to treat pancreatic cancer. For Arthur, his decision to join the trial was easy.
“I didn’t have to think too much about the decision,” says Arthur, who lives in South Surrey, BC. “I knew the trial was a good thing to be involved with because my prognosis wasn’t good and I wanted to contribute to pancreatic cancer research in any way I could.”
While results from the trial are not yet conclusive, some patients have seen reductions in tumour size and the amount of tumour markers in their body. For Arthur, he has seen a reduction in the metastases in his liver and the tumour in his pancreas has decreased in size by 38%.
“There has been success in other cancers with immunotherapy treatments, and with this novel combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy, we are hoping to see similar success in pancreatic cancer,” says Dr Daniel Renouf, chair of the trial and co-director of Pancreas Centre BC, at BC Cancer’s Vancouver Centre.
Clinical trials help test new and innovative ways to prevent, detect, treat or manage cancer and can give patients new hope while adding to the progress we’re making against cancer. You can help support clinical trials by making a donation, or purchasing a gift to help fund clinical trials.
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Care2 Causes | An Amazing New Pacific Island Emerges in Tonga
An Amazing New Pacific Island Emerges in Tonga
By: Judy M.
Follow Judy at @judymolland
Planet Earth is constantly shifting and changing: oceans are created and destroyed; mountains are formed under the sea, but then lifted up to great heights. In general, we humans aren’t aware of these shifts, as they take place over millions of years. However, last month the people of Tonga experienced just how geologically dynamic the earth is, as an ongoing volcanic eruption under the ocean created a new cone-shaped island about 40 miles northwest of Tonga’s capital, Nukualofa.
Specifically, experts believe that a volcano exploded underwater and then expanded until an island formed.
Tonga is a Polynesian sovereign state and archipelago comprising 177 islands with a total surface area of about 290 square miles, scattered over 270,000 square miles of the southern Pacific Ocean. Fifty two islands are inhabited by its 103,000 people, and seventy percent of Tongans reside on the main island of Tongatapu.
The new island is about one mile long, eight tenths of a mile wide, and rises over 300 feet above the sea–and it is still growing.
You can see the first amazing photographs of this newly formed island by clicking here. They were taken by G.P. Orbassano, a local man who, along with two others, climbed to the peak of the new land mass earlier this month. Apparently the surface was still hot and the green lake in the crater smelt strongly of sulphur. “It was a perfect day, with fantastic views – bright blue sky and the sea was the same colour as the sky,” Orbassano told Tonga’s Matangi Online.
Orbassano said he believed the island was high enough for it to remain for some time, and potentially attract tourists. “There are thousands of seabirds – all kinds, laying eggs on the island,” he said. This is by no means the first area to witness such an amazing event.
On November 20, 2013, an island of approximately 600 feet in diameter emerged 600 miles south of Tokyo, Japan, in the Ogasawara Islands. This new island, originally called Niijima, was created by volcanic activity along the western edge of the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire.’ A month later, NASA images revealed that the newly formed island had tripled in size. In fact, it kept growing so much that it “ate up” its neighboring island, Nishino-shima, which had formed in 1973. The two islands merged in December 2013. Since then, the island has started producing its own weather, and lava flows have transformed bays into lakes.
Another example of this amazing phenomenon happened recently in Pakistan. You may remember that the country experienced a devastating 7.7 earthquake in September, 2013. After the shaking stopped, the people of Gwadar, on the Balochistan coast, were amazed to see that three new islands had emerged from the Arabian Sea.
Earthquakes and volcanic activity clearly played their part in producing these dramatic changes. The newly emerging islands are also a stunning reminder that our planet is definitely alive, and always shifting!
Photo Credit: Thinkstock.
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GREAT STORY, RIGHT?
Siyus Copetallus4 years ago
Mary B4 years ago
Maybe Earth needs to blow out some molton lava so some of the extra sea water from ice cap melt can flow in to keep the crust stable, and we could also use some new land to hold the extra people. Hopefully, the new race that can live in harmony with our beloved planet. Not all who live here are exploiters. Make a choice, or the choice will be made for you. Either by the Earth, her macrobial populations or your fellow humans.
Jennifer H4 years ago
What an amazing event. I noticed that the pre pics the islands were nice and green and the after pics all islands were barron! I find this even fascinating. Thanks for sharing.
Nikki Davey4 years ago
The Earth isn't static.
.4 years ago
Maggie D4 years ago
Can you read through my bad typing? If they do want habitation on the little island...
I hope it survives but if they it to habitable the little seland the last thing they should do is have tourists walking all over it destroying the chances for life to emerge. The pictures are amazing.
Muriel Servaege4 years ago
M Q4 years ago
Robert O4 years ago
How interesting and remarkable. Long may it thrive.
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Vote Buhari, APC In 2019, Nollywood Actress Tells Nigerians
Funke Adesiyan. Image: Instagram
Nollywood actress Funke Adesiyan has called on Nigerians to vote President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress Congress (APC) in 2019.
Adesiyan also accepted the outcome of the Ibadan South East 2 APC primary which she reportedly won but was handed over to another person.
In a lengthy post on Instagram, she lauded her supporters and fans for standing behind her before, during and after the election.
According to her, “The primary election has come and gone and I have been made to believe and accept the outcome in good fate.
“While I am not quite happy that my hard-earned mandate was taken from me, as this stands against the principle with which I stand for, I can’t go against the wish of our great party, All Progressives Congress (APC).
“I can’t understand why people, who bought forms sold at exorbitant prices, went for primaries and emerged winners only to be told that their names had been swapped for other anointed candidates.”
She added that “There is no better evidence of this than the brazen act of injustice that forced me to surrender my mandate.
I urge all my supporters not to be wary as this is a phase that will soon pass.
Today, I hold in my heart nothing but love for my people as I call on you all to not despair of our present difficulties but to believe, always, in the promise and greatness of our party (APC), Oyo State and Nigeria because nothing is inevitable here.
“I implore you all to go all out and vote for the APC in the 2019 general election and ensure that we record a resounding victory. Thank you and God bless Oyo state.”
Dear friends, We have come to the end of a long journey. A very rigorous and eventful one. The people of Ibadan South East 2 have spoken. They spoke loudly and clearly. The journey of the last one year has been halted, and I thank you all for standing by me. For believing in my vision and for throwing your weight behind me in critical moments. I will never take this significant support for granted. The primary election has come and gone and I have been made to believe and accept the outcome in good fate. While I am not quite happy that my hard-earned mandate was taken from me, as this stands against the principle with which I stand for, I can't go against the wish of our great party, All Progressives Congress (APC). "I can't understand why people, who bought forms sold at exorbitant prices, went for primaries and emerged winners only to be told that their names had been swapped for other anointed candidates". One may be tempted to ask why we had primaries in the first place if the party's hidden agenda was to impose candidates? This is one old injustice that has continued to dwarf the progress and entrenchment of internal democracy, one that has denied many people the full blessings of fulfilling their ambition politically. There is no better evidence of this than the brazen act of injustice that forced me to surrender my mandate. I urge all my supporters not to be wary as this is a phase that will soon pass. Today, I hold in my heart nothing but love for my people as I call on you all to not despair of our present difficulties but to believe, always, in the promise and greatness of our party (APC), Oyo State and Nigeria because nothing is inevitable here. I implore you all to go all out and vote for the APC in the 2019 general election and ensure that we record a resounding victory. Thank you and God bless Oyo state. Funke Adesiyan.
A post shared by FUNKEADESIYAN (@funkeadesiyan) on Oct 7, 2018 at 11:26pm PDT
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Belgian Competition Authority, 2016, leniency guidelines, 1 March 2016
New Belgian Leniency Guidelines Open Door to Individual Applicants* On 1 March 2016, the Belgian Competition Authority (“BCA”) adopted its new Leniency Guidelines (“the 2016 Leniency Guidelines”). The 2016 Leniency Guidelines replace the 2007 Notice of the Competition Council on Immunity from Fines and Reduction of Fines in Cartel Cases (“the 2007 Leniency Notice”). The new guidelines were published in the Belgian Official Gazette on 22 March 2016 and are applicable to leniency applications made from that date onwards, unless an application has already been made in the same case on the basis of the 2007 Leniency Notice (in which case the old guidelines continue to apply). The revision of the Belgian leniency regime mainly aims to deal with the fact that, since 2013, individuals who are not
Ivan Pico
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Ivan Pico, The Belgian Competition Authority adopts new leniency guidelines opening door to individual applicants, 1 March 2016, e-Competitions Bulletin March 2016, Art. N° 80004
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CNN is contacting Jim Jordan’s former staff and interns for dirt on him
Chris Pandolfo · July 11, 2018
Tom Williams | Getty Images
Members of Congress, wrestling coaches, and former wrestlers have defended Rep. Jim Jordan’s integrity amid allegations that the Ohio Republican ignored reports of sexual abuse by the team doctor Richard Strauss while employed as an assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State University.
Despite multiple character witnesses claiming that Jordan is an honest man and that ignoring abuse would be totally out of character for him, the media is now hounding Jordan’s former staffers for “dirt” on him.
On Wednesday, the congressman tweeted that CNN had been contacting his former staff — including interns.
Now @CNN is contacting all 100+ of our former staff and interns asking for dirt on me. Getting desperate! How can you ever trust such #fakenews?
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) July 11, 2018
Several former staffers and interns confirmed that they have been contacted by CNN news editor Laura Ly, according to Rep. Jordan’s office. Jordan’s communications director, Ian Fury, told Conservative Review that if CNN is looking for disgruntled former staff, it won’t find anyone.
“Six wrestling coaches, over a dozen wrestlers, and Congressman Jordan’s colleagues all agree: He is a man of integrity,” said Fury. “We have never had a single staffing incident in the 12 years that Jim Jordan has been in Congress.”
Jordan is accused of being negligent when he was an assistant coach from 1986 to 1994. Eight former OSU wrestlers have come forward and claimed that Jordan knew about Strauss’ sexually predatory behavior toward the wrestlers. Jordan has vehemently denied the accusations, insisting that he never knew of the abuse and that it was never reported to him.
“I am telling the truth,” Jordan said. “I stood up to the speaker of the House from my home state, to the IRS and to the FBI. To think that I would not stand up for my athletes is ridiculous.”
Most of Jordan’s Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives have stood up for his character, including Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc.
“Jim Jordan is a friend of mine,” Ryan told reporters Wednesday. “We haven’t always agreed with each other over the years. … I’ve also known Jim Jordan to be a man of honesty and a man of integrity.”
The House Freedom Caucus, of which Jordan is a member, has also supported him.
Jim Jordan is a man of integrity, and we believe him and stand with him 100 percent. If he had seen or heard something he would have acted. We continue to support his work in Congress to fight for everyday Americans.
— House Freedom Caucus (@freedomcaucus) July 11, 2018
Former OSU wrestlers have also come forward to “refute false claims” against Jordan, according to the #StandWithJimJordan campaign.
One of the original accusers, Michael DiSabato, has a long history of litigation and seemingly a personal grudge against Jordan’s family.
While the accusations should be taken seriously, it’s interesting to note that CNN is diligently digging for dirt to bring down Jordan, while the network has not reported on the shady nature of some of his accusers.
Editor’s note: This piece has been updated to clarify the source of statements made in support of Rep. Jordan.
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Author: Chris Pandolfo
Chris Pandolfo is a staff writer and type-shouter for Conservative Review. He holds a B.A. in politics and economics from Hillsdale College. His interests are conservative political philosophy, the American founding, and progressive rock. Follow him on Twitter for doom-saying and great album recommendations @ChrisCPandolfo.
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The Shark in the Wave: Revealing the Lurking Danger of Slack Data
The Inherent Risks and Challenges of Using the Collaboration App
Hanzo’s Jim Murphy explores the danger of Slack data; voluminous, informal, unstructured and context-dependent, it’s a threat hiding in plain sight at thousands of organizations, and often it’s only in the course of an investigation or e-discovery matter (when it’s too late) that a company recognizes the issue.
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, you encounter one of these shocking — and shockingly common — images. At first, you only see the clear, peaceful ocean and the lone surfer calmly riding a wave… oblivious to the enormous shark tailing just behind. Then you realize that, but for the wave and the perfect timing of the photo, no one would have known the shark was there.
Unfortunately, there may be a shark lurking in the apparently tranquil waters of your organization. That shark is the data in Slack and other collaboration applications, and a compliance investigation or e-discovery matter is the wave that will reveal the previously unseen danger.
The Rise of Slack Data
Collaboration applications like Slack have seen stratospheric growth in recent years. In January 2019, Slack reported that it had 10 million daily active users—double the number from just two years before. Those users are on Slack a lot: one study found that Slack users check in with their communication tools every five minutes throughout the workday.
All of those Slack messages are diverting conversations from email and other more traditional modalities. In 2015, Slack reported that its paid users had experienced a 48.6 percent reduction in email since adopting Slack, accompanied by a 24 percent decrease in meetings. Those discussions didn’t disappear; they’re just happening in Slack. That means that if a litigation opponent or a regulatory agency asks you for them, you’ll need to be able to produce them.
Whereas we’ve all developed methods to manage the retention and supervision of data from other communication methods, most organizations haven’t done the same for Slack.
That, as it turns out, is dangerous.
3 Dangers of Slack Data
Of course, you may not yet realize that you’re in danger. For the moment, you’re still surfing along blissfully — and that right there is the first problem.
1. Slack is frequently off the radar.
The barrier to entry is extremely low with Slack, particularly for employees who use their personal mobile devices to communicate. They can add the Slack app, create a few channels and start chatting about work with colleagues, for free, in just minutes. Yes, this might violate company policy about app use, but guess what? It’s happening anyway.
Often, organizations don’t know that their employees have started using Slack until it comes up in a discussion about an investigation. Even when companies do know about Slack, they may not have had time yet to develop a formal process for how it’s used and how the conversations within it are collected and retained.
There’s another aspect of Slack’s low-key messaging structure that causes problems: Employees on Slack may well forget that they’re discussing work-related matters on a corporate communications platform. That can lead to unprofessional conduct — inappropriate jokes and profanity, for instance — or even illegal behavior like discrimination and harassment.
Together, these characteristics mean that organizations haven’t even tried to capture, retain or supervise their Slack messages, and that they might be horrified by what they find when they do.
2. Slack messages often don’t contain complete thoughts.
Emails, even when abbreviated, follow a standard letter format: there’s a salutation, then the body, then some form of closing. Most emails include enough information to figure out what they’re about, whether it’s a specific project, event or client.
In contrast to that old-fashioned correspondence, Slack messages unfold far more like rapid-fire, in-person conversations. They tend to involve one-liners that refer back to earlier messages or topics. And many “communications” don’t take the form of typed words at all: employees may express themselves on Slack by reacting to other posts with emojis or posting GIFs in response.
That means that — after you realize you need to collect Slack messages and figure out a way to access them — you can’t limit your search to messages that include keywords. You need to capture the surrounding context, both verbal and nonverbal, to ensure you’re getting the full meaning.
3. Slack data is unstructured and unfamiliar.
Email data is neatly structured and organized, and our e-discovery and compliance tools are well equipped to handle it. Its metadata reveals who a message came from and who received it. We know exactly how to preserve, export and search emails for information that could be relevant to a litigation matter or a compliance investigation.
Slack is not like email.
Yes, you can tell who typed a message, but you can’t tell who read it unless they directly replied; anyone who belongs to a channel may or may not have seen the messages in that channel.
And while Slack has created some tools to enable compliance and e-discovery functions with its data, those tools are blunt instruments at best, designed by a company that focuses on collaboration rather than by a litigation support provider. For example, legal holds can be imposed, but they’re not limited to a particular scope: they’re either on, preserving everything, or they’re off. (Oh, and side note: If you’re using the free version of Slack, you’re only granted access to your most recent 10,000 messages anyway — so you’re definitely not preserving everything in an accessible format.)
To make matters worse, Slack exports are unwieldy — there’s a new file generated for each day of messages in each channel, which makes navigation challenging — and they can’t be directly plugged in to review software.
Thankfully, though, there are steps you can take to start conquering the lurking dangers of Slack data.
Best Practices for Managing Slack Data
First, figure out whether anyone is using Slack at your organization. You might circulate a condensed version of your custodian questionnaire, or create an online survey asking employees which apps they use for business communications. If you find that Slack has infiltrated your workplace, add it to your list of official data sources, incorporating it on your legal hold notices and your compliance checklists.
Develop policies for how channels, messages and users can be added and what should — and shouldn’t — be discussed in different forums. Train your employees on those policies and explain why they’re so important. While you’re at it, train everyone at your organization about the do’s and don’ts of written messaging, reminding them that every Slack, text and, yes, email they write could someday be read aloud in a courtroom. Discretion is a virtue.
If you’re using the free version of Slack, upgrade to Enterprise Grid. You’ll unlock not only unlimited message history, but also the ability to access Slack’s Discovery APIs, which enable data exports and other advanced functions.
You don’t have to stay out of the water — or off Slack — to keep yourself and your organization safe, but you do have to take the threat of unmanaged Slack data seriously.
Tags: communications managemente-discovery
Using AI to Spot Patterns Before Risk Butterflies Turn Into Tsunamis
IIA Sets Exposure Period For Proposed Updates to "Three Lines of Defense"
James Murphy is VP of Product at Hanzo, where he is responsible for defining the product vision, strategy, planning and execution. Jim’s fundamental goal is to delight customers by solving their business challenges and providing them with an outstanding experience. To ensure a customer-centric experience, Jim leverages the insights he’s gained from serving as Hanzo’s Director of Service Delivery and his over 19 years of experience working within litigation support, information technology, e-discovery and web archiving. Previous to Hanzo, Jim served as the Director of Professional Services/Operations Engineering with the Merrill Corporation and has held various roles in technical support, business information technology and solutions architecture.
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Label: Connoiseur Remove This Item
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Super ltd. 10” edition, 300 copies. The Cramps live in Sweden, Radio broadcast 1991. Learn More
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Live at the Peppermint Lounge, New York City on Saturday, 26 February 1983. Full show from the second night of the legendary "Smell Of Female" recordings. 300 copies only. Black vinyl, no repress. Learn More
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Three cuts by Cramps guitarist, Poison Ivy. Limited to 300 copies. Learn More
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The Best Cyprus Community
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Cyprus Forum ‹ Politics ‹ Politics and Elections
Hahahaha! Iran is on notice!
Everything related to politics in Cyprus and the rest of the world.
Re: Hahahaha! Iran is on notice!
by Robin Hood » Sat Feb 04, 2017 5:51 pm
Paphitis wrote: That's right. A few years ago under the Shah, Iran was a free society with little adherence to Islamist.
Now it is a Pariah and an Islamic State with ties with Syria, Russia North Korea and Lebanon only
Another failed exercise in US regime change that went disastrously wrong and the Iranian people suffered for 28 years as a result. Organised and implemented by the CIA and MI6 to protect their respective countries/multinationals oil interests to overthrow a democratic government and then created SAVAK to keep the people in line ..... with an iron fist. The SAVAK were trained by the US (CIA) , were notoriously evil and hated by Iranians. Many of them were executed after the revolution ...... often in batches from Coles cranes !!!
FYI: SAVAK was the secret police, domestic security and intelligence service established by Iran's Mohammad Reza Shah with the help of the United States' Central Intelligence Agency.
Location: Limassol
by repulsewarrior » Sat Feb 04, 2017 7:40 pm
yialousa1971 wrote: What a silly little Koala!
Iran FM Javad Zarif responds to a reporter's question regarding Ballistic Missiles
...good post, thanks.
...and yet, i want to remind you, that a Canadian woman died in their prisons from torture, for which they offered no acceptable answer; Canada's relationship with Iran has since then ceased to be one of trust and respect.
...i remember the days of the Shah, i was friends with both sides of the Iranian revolution; in my mind it became a kind of class warfare, who could imagine that a loving neighbour did the unthinkable as work for another man gone too far.
repulsewarrior
Location: homeless in Canada
by Zenon33 » Sat Feb 04, 2017 10:26 pm
yialousa1971 wrote:
The Shah was a very sane man!
Shah of Iran: Jewish Power Control Banks, Media, Finances in U.S.
The Shah was a good man, and Iran was a secular country.
Now is a theocratic regime and women are a second class citizens.
Zenon33
Location: Limassol, Cyprus
Mexico, Australia, Iran, the next will be........Turkey?.
by Robin Hood » Sun Feb 05, 2017 8:05 am
Zenon33:
The Shah was an abuser of his own people. He was hated and this came from his repression which targeted the Muslim majority, through the SAVAK. He impoverished the people but led a very extravagant lifestyle ..... his 'coronation' was a classic example of opulence and extravagance, it cost millions. He spent billions on the military mainly with western manufacturers, who even helped his move toward becoming a nuclear State.
It was and still is a secular country but predominantly Muslim but it was always tolerant of other religions. Saudi in comparison is definitely not. There are Christians and Jews in the Iranian Parliament as well as Clerics. It is a Theocratic regime, you are correct and as such their political structure is different from Western society. Having spent a few years living and working in Iran and later Saudi, the lifestyle, particularly for women is far more Western in Iran than it is in Saudi.
Women drive and can walk the streets without a chaperone; there are more women students in Universities than men and women work and run businesses. You can sit in a coffee bar and there is no segregation, unless the women chose it, as they invariably have 'Women Only' sections. Yes, the way you interact with women when you work with them is different from the relaxed attitude of the West. The women are far more protected .........you do not have cosy little chats in the office or laugh and joke with them because close contact with the sexes is frowned upon, in fact actively discouraged. Like many Muslim countries you never shake a woman by the hand ..... but you can kiss a man!!!!
Life for women in Saudi is very restrictive and your comments would more parallel life for women in Saudi than a much more modern/Western and freer Iran. When I first went to Iran in 1990, we were some of the first westerners that went there after the Revolution and it was at that time, far more repressive than I was used to in Europe. But over the four years or so I was there, things visibly changed and many restriction disappeared. Attitudes were changing and even then, the country was changing.
The people are fiercely patriotic and would like life to be more like that in the west .... but that brings problems. In the West casual sex, binge drinking and a very lax dress code is accepted as the norm .... like it or not. In Iran that part of the free western lifestyle would never be acceptable. To control these excesses of our culture the rules in Iran are stricter but you never see drunk women (in fact you never see drunks)but alcohol is available although difficult to get and very expensive and you never see couples displaying physical affection in public.
IMO: I am sorry but I think your view of Iran and its attitude to women is a bit distorted. There is no doubt It is a different society, but even their society differs in the countryside compared to towns and cities, but that has both advantages and disadvantages ...... but that is true of any society. I found Iran a safe country and a polite, friendly, intelligent although reserved people ........however, I cannot say the same for Saudi.
by Paphitis » Sun Feb 05, 2017 3:40 pm
Zenon33 wrote:
That's correct Zenon!
But because the USA supported the Shah, the looneys support the current Islamic regime which has eroded Iran's secularism and pretty open and free society.
Since the Shah, you have public executions, women have to cover up whereas under the Shah women would wear bikinis and listen to rock, for which they are more likely to be stoned today.
USA supported the Shah because the Shah tried to keep Iran secular. Shah wasn't perfect, but he was certainly a leader of a more open and forward thinking Iran. An Iran that was friendly to the West as well, and a very moderate and progressive Iran too compared to the current Iran.
Paphitis
Leading Contributor
by Robin Hood » Sun Feb 05, 2017 7:56 pm
Paphitis:
Ok .... maybe in your opinion but your opinion is not formed first hand, you have just read it some where!
The US instigated a coup and put the Shah on the throne as Supreme Leader. (Regime change) Before that, under Mosaddegh the elected PM they had a democracy and a secular society but Mosaddegh clipped the wings of the western Multinational oil companies and diverted more of the income from oil to benefit Iran and the population. But that did not suit the US/UK so they got rid of him. The Shah murdered thousands of mainly Muslims even machine gunning Muslims leaving the Mosques after Friday prayers ...... from US supplied helicopters. So not a very nice man at all,
The oppressed (looneys) revolted and drove the Shah and his family out but by then he had already fallen out with the US, as he wanted more for himself, which is why they did not welcome him with open arms. The US welcomed Khomeini’s return to Iran from Paris without any idea of what he presented to the vast majority of the Iranian population. They thought they would soon be able to buy him off. A big underestimate of the man and the strength of the Muslim religion and, as a result, ...... The Islamic State of Iran was born!
Yes it was open and to an extent, free if you were of the Elite classes who benefitted from the Shah’s rule. But the country was slipping into western decadence. Near a city called Ahwaz there WAS a small town that was regarded as the biggest brothel in the Middle East. The whole town was a brothel surrounded by opulent villas of the owners and the Elite. Muslims objected to this spreading corruption and protested, the Shah killed them. The revolutionaries destroyed it within 48 hours and many occupants were never seen again.
You had public executions under the Shah and a lot more that were not public. Women in Tehran can walk alone; wear make-up; wear coloured head scarves; wear high-heals or trainers; they also wear jeans but the dress code is always modest. They are also educated and drive cars .... they even fly aeroplanes!
SAVAK imprisoned and tortured thousands of men and women. People were stoned then ..... in the villages, just as they are now in the villages. You are getting Iran mixed up with Saudi where public executions, amputations and stonings are still public events that all are welcome to attend, even foreigners. I am surprised you were not taken to see this ritual?
The US supported the Shah because he was the route to the oil, it had nothing to do with protecting secularism. The US did what it always does, they put a tyrant into power and made him rich or usually just richer beyond his dreams. That was down to th dominance of the petro-dollar that the US created to pay its vassals ..... and thence the rest of the World.
Assad is also ‘ .....a leader of a more open and forward thinking Syria’ that is also secular and with many social benefits available for all, and it was very similar to modern day Iran until the West decided to destroy it, and yet you are a cheerleader for a Sharia driven Syrian opposition formed of a multitude of extreme Islamic, head chopping terrorists. I fail to see how you can support one but condemn the other!
My personal experiences of Iran over some years says that Iranians are still friendly toward westerners, they were to us but they just have a problem with those governments that continually threaten them. Which is perfectly understandable ...... I mean look at what is happening in the EU with the US. The EU see the US as a threat on a par with Iran and Russia and yet last week they were BFF!
The current Iran is streaks ahead of any other of the Middle Eastern societies even the UAE and Dubai when it comes to being moderate and progressive. It’s all in the propaganda! What you saw and admired in Saudi was the plastic version ..... the poor majority do not lead anything like the lifestyle you experienced in your short visit.
So I disagree with you ...... Iran is like Russia and Assad ..... demonised but with no evidence to support the rhetoric1
by Get Real! » Mon Feb 06, 2017 3:03 am
Funny… everyone else got the impression that it was Australia put on notice!
Get Real!
Location: Nicosia
by Robin Hood » Mon Feb 06, 2017 8:09 am
Get Real! wrote: Funny… everyone else got the impression that it was Australia put on notice!
No they put Australia in their place in the order of things as they were beginning to get self important ideas above their station...... Iran , they 'put on notice' but what that means is a bit vague.
by Get Real! » Mon Feb 06, 2017 10:50 am
Robin Hood wrote:
So Australia got shirt-fronted...
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Chrissy Teigen Asked Twitter for Parenting Advice and the Responses Were Perfect
The model was having a tough day with her daughter so turned to social media for reassurance.
Being a parent isn't easy. Some days are more challenging than others and it's during those moments that you need someone to tell you it's going to be okay, as Chrissy Teigen will surely attest.
After having had a particularly difficult day with her one-year-old daughter, Luna, the model yesterday tweeted her 7.56 million followers asking if they could share their parenting nightmares.
[twitter ]https://twitter.com/chrissyteigen/status/911416720983678976[/twitter]
The responses of parents around the world will no doubt have made Teigen feel a little better. Whether you're a mother or not, these tweets will definitely make you smile.
[twitter ]https://twitter.com/beeboujee/status/911419817655246848[/twitter]
[twitter ]https://twitter.com/eliseblaha/status/911417363190374405[/twitter]
[twitter ]https://twitter.com/jonkimmel/status/911417973193109505[/twitter]
[twitter ]https://twitter.com/AndeWall/status/911418533745233920[/twitter]
[twitter ]https://twitter.com/marykathrrryn/status/911431307321856000[/twitter]
[twitter ]https://twitter.com/emilyhoensch/status/911446491058884608[/twitter]
[twitter ]https://twitter.com/NorahWoodsey/status/911417879462998016[/twitter]
Chrissy, you are not alone.
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Knights Buying Into New Coach’s Plan
| Ellington
The Ellington girls' basketball team improved to 8-2 after an overtime 29-20 win over Windsor Locks on Jan. 14.
First year coach Teighlor Clare-Kearney said her team has been giving superb effort.
“They work extremely hard,” she said. “I feel like they would run through walls for me. I think they are starting to trust me and buy into what I’m saying, so things are clicking out here on the court for us.”
Mostly, that’s about defense.
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“From day one I’ve preached defense, because that’s who I was as a player. I told them that if it’s not happening on the defensive end, I can’t function,” Clare-Kearney said. “It’s clicking and it’s coming together. They know how I feel about defense and how you earn those minutes is on the defensive end.”
Clare-Kearney said junior Sam Curtis is “always, top-to-bottom, the hardest-working kid I know,” and freshman guard Julia Sternat has redeemed herself at the foul line.
“She went 8-for-8 or 9-for-9 tonight,” the coach said. “Our first loss actually came down to free throws, and she was at the line and missed them.”
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Clare-Kearney played basketball at Manchester High School before graduating in 2009, then at the Community College of Rhode Island. She coached freshmen for a year at East Catholic, and JV for the past two years at Granby Memorial.
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GWB investigative committee files suit to get Kelly, Stepien to comply with subpoenas
The joint legislative committee investigating the closing of access lanes to the George Washington Bridge in Septembe...
GWB investigative committee files suit to get Kelly, Stepien to comply with subpoenas The joint legislative committee investigating the closing of access lanes to the George Washington Bridge in Septembe... Check out this story on courierpostonline.com: http://on.cpsj.com/1bnJiDn
By Ken Serrano;, Asbury Park Press; Published 12:00 a.m. ET Feb. 20, 2014 | Updated 12:12 a.m. ET Feb. 20, 2014
The joint legislative committee investigating the closing of access lanes to the George Washington Bridge in September went to court Wednesday to force Bridget Anne Kelly and Bill Stepien to turn over documents to the committee.
Attorneys for the New Jersey Legislative Select Committee on Investigation filed complaints seeking court orders in Superior Court, Mercer County.
“Today’s court filings are an unfortunate but necessary step to further the committee’s work. The committee remains confident in its legal position. We will now let the judicial process play out,” the committee’s co-chairs, Assemblyman John Wisniewski, D-Middlesex, and Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, said in a prepared statement.
Both Kelly, Gov. Chris Christie’s former deputy chief of staff, and Stepien, Christie’s former campaign manager, have cited constitutional protections against self-incrimination and unreasonable search and seizure in refusing to turn over records. Both were issued subpoenas several weeks ago seeking documents related to the lane closures.
The attorneys for the committee said the court should reject their arguments.
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“But I look forward to litigating these issues in court,” he said.
Kevin Marino, Stepien’s attorney, also said he has yet to see the court filings.
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Covestro and Swiss Consulate to celebrate Solar Impulse’s arrival in NYC with ‘Science Day at JFK’
Hundreds of NYC students meet clean-tech aviation pioneers and tour plane
New York, NY, June 15, 2016 — Today, more than 300 New York City elementary, middle- and high-school students joined Covestro and Swiss Consulate representatives at JFK International Airport to welcome the history-making Solar Impulse airplane (Si2) — and the clean-tech pioneers who conceived it — to New York. The plane flew into NYC on Saturday, marking the final U.S. stop in the first solar-powered flight around the world.
“Science Day at JFK” was co-hosted by Covestro as part of its i3 (ignite, imagine, innovate) STEM initiative and the Swiss Consulate, in collaboration with United Nations Environment Programme and the New York City Department of Education. The event provided a unique educational platform for Solar Impulse co-founders and pilots Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg, who shared their scientific adventures firsthand with students from six schools across all five NYC boroughs. Represented at the event were Ditmas Intermediate School 62 and Brooklyn Science and Engineering Academy (Brooklyn), United Nations International School (Manhattan), Aviation High School JFK Annex (Queens), Tottenville High School (Staten Island) and Baychester Academy (Bronx).
The students experienced the excitement of the record-breaking expedition, engaging in an interactive discussion with the pilots, exploring the plane up close and learning more about the high-tech materials used onboard from ground crew members, like Paige Kassalen. Kassalen is Covestro’s 23-year-old electrical engineer who has been part of the Solar Impulse journey since it left Hawaii on April 21 for Moffett Airfield in California. She is the first and only American female engineer on the team.
Students from Ditmas IS who are sustainability leaders in their school also participated in hands-on science demonstrations led by Covestro i3 STEM volunteers.
Covestro, a leading polymer materials supplier, has been a Solar Impulse partner since 2010. Its advanced technologies played a large role in transforming Solar Impulse from a vision to a reality, helping to create a lightweight and energy-efficient plane that can fly day and night without fuel.
“The achievement of Si2 highlights the enormous promise of clean technologies that we hope will unleash the potential of today’s students as the clean-tech pioneers of tomorrow,” said Richard Northcote, Chief Sustainability Officer, Covestro. “Solar Impulse embodies Covestro’s commitment to sustainability and advancing STEM education. ‘Science Day at JFK’ was an opportunity to bring it all together in a fun and exciting way, with the hope of inspiring a cleaner, brighter future.”
About Solar Impulse:
Swiss pioneers Bertrand Piccard – Initiator and Chairman – and André Borschberg – CEO and Co-Founder – are the pilots and driving force behind Solar Impulse, the first airplane able to fly day and night without a drop of fuel – propelled solely by the sun’s energy. Supported by Main Partners Solvay, Omega, Schindler, ABB, Official Partners Google, Altran, Covestro, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, Swisscom and Moët Hennessy, and Host Partners, Masdar in Abu Dhabi and Foundation Prince Albert II in Monaco, they are attempting the first Round-The-World Solar Flight with Solar Impulse 2 (Si2) – demonstrating that clean technologies can achieve the impossible.
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South Korean man arrested for threat to kill US envoy
South Korean police had arrested a 33-year-old man for threatening to kill the US Ambassador to Seoul
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A senior official at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said the man, identified by his surname Lee, had included the threat in a post written on the White House website.
Police gave no details on the contents of the "incoherent" posting, which was written in English.
The man was arrested on July 14 following a tip off from the US Embassy in Seoul.
On his confiscated laptop, records of access to the White House homepage were found, as well as a draft of the posting and a screen capture, police said.
Lee, who police described as jobless, living in seclusion and spending most of his time surfing the Internet, denied authorship of the posting.
Another man, Kim Ki-Jong, 56, has been charged with attempted murder for his March assault on Ambassador Lippert at a breakfast function in Seoul that left the ambassador needing 80 stitches to a deep gash on his cheek.
Kim told investigators the ambassador was the "symbolic" target of his opposition to annual US-South Korea military exercises, which he blames for blocking dialogue with North Korea.
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The incredible 'bendy bicycle': British designer, 21, invents a bike you can FOLD around a lamp post
Created: 02:03 EDT, 8 July 2010
A young designer has invented a revolutionary folding bicycle that will stop thieves in their tracks.
Kevin Scott, 21, designed the space-age bike that wraps around a lamp post so it can be locked-up safely - without the need for a lock or chain.
The De Montfort University graduate used a ratchet system built into the frame of the bike to allow it to wrap around a pole, enabling the lock to be wrapped through both wheels and the frame.
Revolutionary: Designer Kevin Scott, 21, rides on what appears to be an ordinary bicycle, before showing the easy mechanism for allowing the frame to bend
Securely locked: The bendable frame now allows the bike to be wrapped around a lamp post, with a regular bike lock able to secure the frame and both wheels
Securing all the bike's components within the lock was his aim in creating the new bike. It also allows the bike to be stored in small spaces.
The frame can be ratcheted tight to allow the bike to be ridden like a normal bike, but it can be quickly loosened to allow the frame to be bent back on itself.
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As such, finding a spot to lock it up on London's busy streets is a cinch - you simply wrap it around the nearest lamppost.
Mr Scott's creation is currently on show at the New Designers show at the Business Design Centre in Islington, north London.
He is hoping that his unusual cycle will catch the eye of a bike loving backer who will enable him to develop it further.
More than 52 bikes are stolen in London every day, according to official figures.
A total of 23,748 bikes were reported stolen in London in 2009-10 — up 27.8 per cent on the previous financial year — but police believe that the true figure could be double that.
Experts recommend that users should spend around 10 per cent of their bike's value on a decent lock - ideally two - and always lock it to a solid object through the frame.
Young designer puts a new twist on folding bicycle idea
Well done Kevin. British inventiveness at its best...
by kaptainkronos 172
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A dream for Team Adam Levine! Tessanne Chin is crowned winner on The Voice as her coach celebrates victory for the second time around
Published: 23:08 EDT, 17 December 2013 | Updated: 09:38 EDT, 18 December 2013
A stunned Tessanne Chin was crowned the new winner of The Voice on Tuesday in a star-studded season finale that featured performances by Lady Gaga and Celine Dion.
The Jamaican-born powerhouse beat out rivals Jacquie Lee and Will Champlin to win the fifth season of the television singing contest after a series of stunning vocal performances.
Tessanne, 28, looked like she was about to faint when the results were read out - and jumped in fear when a loud firework went off behind her to mark her victory.
Scroll down for videos...
Big winner: Tessanne Chin clutched her trophy on Tuesday after winning The Voice and making Adam Levine the winning coach for the second time
Congratulations champ! Adam Levine gave his singer Tessanne a peck on the cheek after she was named The Voice
'The winner of The Voice is… Tessanne Chin!' said host Carson Daly at the end of a two-hour live finale.
But she had no time to celebrate, for it was straight to work, singing to close out the show.
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Tessanne, who was coached by Adam Levine, screamed and looked like she was going to drop to her knees as her husband Michael was seen yelling with joy in the audience as fireworks went off.
She did it! Tessanne Chin was named The Voice winner on Tuesday during a star-studded final show that saw Adam Levine become the winning coach for the second time
She earned it: Tessanne overcame some personal issues down the stretch to win The Voice
So proud: Adam Levine gave his singer Tessanne a big hug after she was crowned season five champion
The singer cried as she struggled to process the news as Michael and her mother Christine embraced.
Rival mentor and judge Christina Aguilera got on stage and hugged her, saying: 'You deserve it.'
Coach Adam then gave her The Voice trophy before she got to sing the song that was penned for the winner, and which will be her debut single, Tumbling Down.
To the victor: Tessanne received The Voice trophy from her coach Adam and host Carson
Raining confetti: Tessanne performed her new single right after being crowned The Voice champion
'Back to business, it's time to start working,' Carson joked.
She fought back tears as she began to sing, ever the pro, while her husband and mother watched on just steps away, as ticker tape rained down around her while she sang in a black and silver dress.
Team Adam's other finalist, 30-year-old Will Champlin was in third place, while 16-year-old Jacquie Lee, who was on Team Christina, was voted the runner-up.
Awaiting their fate: Jacquie Lee, Will Champlin and Tessanne stood together waiting for the results
She hugged Tessanne as she learned the news.
Will put on a brave face as his wife and baby daughter, who was fast asleep in her arms, applauded in the audience with his dad, while Adam urged everyone to get up and cheer him on.
'That leaves Tessanne and Jacquie,' said Carson. 'Ladies, one of you is The Voice.'
Last two: Jacquie and Tessanne were the last two singers left after Will finished third
'Months of grueling competition and outstanding performances come down to tonight,' said Carson at the start of the show, which came to an end after 12 weeks on screens.
Dubbed the 'biggest finale ever' it featured performances from the likes of Lady Gaga and Celine Dion, and One Republic - and a stunning outfit from CeeLo Green.
The night kicked off with the final three being reunited with the 'top 20 artists' from the series as they sang a rousing Tonight is the Night by Outasight.
Getting ready: Cee Lo Green shared a pre-show photo of himself with fellow judge Blake Shelton on Instagram
A 'snazzy' looking Adam Levine - who won the first season of the show but then lost three in a row to rival judge Blake Shelton - said: 'I'm proud of all three of them.'
'How do you describe that outfit?' Carson asked Cee Lo Green, who looked like he was wearing one of Elton John's most outrageous cast-offs. 'It's magnificent.'
'Disco balls,' purred the R&B star as he showed off the glittering striped top and bow tie, with matching oversized sunglasses.
'I don't know if you're sparkling on TV as much as you are in real life,' said Carson. Joking that he could replace the traditional New Year's Eve ball in New York City, he added: 'From Times Square we could just drop you.'
Festive wear: Cee Lo described his glittering outfit as 'disco balls'
Cee Lo praised the contestants for having 'endured' this long.
Christina Aguilera, who looked stunning in a silver halter neck top and showing off big 70s style hair, said: 'It would be amazing [to win].
'It's been an incredible journey.'
'As always me and Cee Lo, great minds think alike,' she joked about the pair's almost matching outfits.
Great minds: Christina noted the similarity between her outfit and Cee Lo's ensemble
Divas at work: Lady Gaga and Christina teamed up to sing Do What U Want off of Lady Gaga's Artpop album
Blondes having fun: Lady Gaga and Christina got close during their duet
New friends: Lady Gaga and Christina couldn't get any closer during their song
Blake said he had Christmas gifts for the other judges, but admitted he struggled to find something suitable for Christina.
'There's a whole bunch of crap in there,' he said.
'Literally, probably,' she hit back.
Jacquie brought back the artists she bonded with most - Matthew Schuler, Caroline Pennell, Cole Vosbury and James Wolpert to sing an edited version of Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen.
Group song: Jacquie brought back some of her favorite contestants for the finale
She said she'd got especially close to Matthew - and praised James for his 'theatrics'.
The others sang in unison at the start before the camera panned over to James, who was sitting among the audience, as was Caroline, before Cole stood on top of a piano playing the track's guitar solo, while Caroline and Jacquie looked like they were having a great time.
Earlier Tessanne was moved to tears when she learned she would be singing with her 'personal hero', Celine Dion.
Star-studded performances: Celine Dion took The Voice stage for the first time and performed during the season's final show
The pair teamed up to sing the star's hit, Love Can Move Mountains. And video shot earlier showed Tessanne crying when she found out.
'You don't understand,' she said, explaining she'd always looked up to Celine.
Celine, 45, was stunning in a little white dress as she took to the stage with Tessanne, in an elegant black evening gown for the uptempo track.
'Everybody's on their feet!' said Carson at the end as the duo hugged.
Dream come true: Celine Dion thrilled Tessanne by singing a duet with her
Feeling it: Tessanne cried when she found out she'd be singing with Celine
Colorado rockers OneRepublic performed their new single I Live as it was revealed that frontman Ryan Tedder - an in-house producer and songwriter on the show - had penned the new track for the winner to sing.
'It's kind of a moving target. We still don't know who's going to win,' he said later of trying to write the song.
'[It's] about love and heartbreak.'
Singer and writer: Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic performed during the finale and wrote the winner's first single
Former hopefuls Ray Boudreaux, Preston Pohl, Matthew Schuler, Josh Logan and Nic Hawk had a ball as they teamed up and to sing Bruno Mars hit, Treasure.
And for his 'bring back' performance, Will opted to return with Cole Vosbury, Caroline Pennell, Jonny Gray and Austin Jenckes to sing country hit, Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show.
'Cole and I share a sort of music parallel,' Will said. 'We're going to have a blast.'
Will took care of banjo duties while Cole, Jonny and Austin showed off their guitar skills.
Country song: Will brought back his favourites to sing Wagon Wheel
Jacquie then joined rockers Paramore and flame-haired singer Hayley Williams and Paramore to sing Ain't It Fun, while Jacquie briefly flashed her underwear at the cameras as she pirouetted around in a short blue dress during the high-octane performance.
Next it was time for some girl power as some of the top female contestants of the season joined forces.
Shelbie Z, Amber Nicole, Tamara Chauniece, Stephanie Anne Johnson, Kat Robichaud and Grey belted out Kelly Clarkson's rocky anthem, My Life Would Suck Without You, as each woman showed off her mic skills as the judges stood up to applaud them.
Girl power: The ladies from season five belted out Kelly Clarkson's My Life Would Suck Without You
Teen sensation: Jacquie performed with Paramore and flame-haired singer Hayley Williams
Meanwhile the finalists got treated to a tour of the other lots on Universal Studios close to where the show is filmed as a treat to help them relax.
Jumping aboard a tour trolley, special effects made it look as if they would be struck by a flash flood and saw a Christmas display featuring the Grinch and Carson - before they learned they had each won a free car from Kia Motors, causing them to look totally gobsmacked.
'I think my jaw dropped to the ground,' said Tessanne, while Will picked out an SUV for him and his wife and their baby daughter.
'We have the worst roads [in Jamaica],' joked Tessanne who had her eye on a 4WD.
Christmas treats: Jacquie, Will and Tessanne each won a new car from Kia Motors
Celine Dion then came back with R&B star Ne-Yo as they dusted on new dance ballad, Incredible.
The singer showed off her figure in an even smaller black dress which was appeared to be cut off to reveal her lacy bra.
Will Champlin tapped one of his favorite performers, singer Aloe Blacc to duet on Wake Me Up by Avicii, on which Aloe sang lead vocals.
New single: Celine and Ne-Yo performed their new dance ballad Incredible
And next up Tessanne returned with some of her 'most powerful' friends - James Wolpert, Preston Pohl, Olivia Henken and Grey.
They sang soul hit Hold On I'm Comin' by Sam and Dave for her 'bring back'.
'James is the sweetest guy,' she said before singing the praises of Preston's voice.
'This is going to be just electric,' she said.
Good times: Carson said he was having fun watching the performances
'That was fun,' said Carson as the electric performance came to an end.
'You have watched these three incredible artists outsing their competition. Now the time has come,' said Carson as he got ready to announce the results.
Jacquie told Christina: 'You know that I love you.
'You helped me not only be a better vocalist but a better person.
'And in this industry that's so important.'
Better [person: Jacquie thanked her coach Christina for making her a better singer and person
And Will told Adam: 'I am just honored to be in your presence. It's been an awesome ride.'
Meanwhile Tessanne told Adam: 'A better coach for me I could not find. It has been an absolute pleasure. You are just a great, solid guy.
'You've been a shoulder to cry on, you've been a friend. I love you. I trust you.'
Good year: Adam was named Sexiest Man Alive earlier this year by People magazine and now he's the winning coach on The Voice
The episode also featured 'confessionals' in which the hopefuls and judges revealed their feelings.
And the parents of the finalists - Chicago rocker Bill Champlin, Denise Lee, and Tessanne's mother Christine - joined Carson Daly as they told how proud they were.
Christine said she'd been watching the show from England to see her daughter, tuning in in the middle of the night to catch it.
'We've been proud of Will for years. Now we've just got more company,' said Bill.
US Winter Olympic hopefuls figure skaters Ashley Wagner and Adam Rippon, and bobsleigh star Jazmine Fenlator, were also in the audience for the NBC network show.
NBC will be showing the 2014 Winter Olympics along with Yahoo in February.
And fans sent in videotaped impressions of the judges - including financial guru Suze Orman.
Dead ringer: Financial advisor Suze Orman sent in her impersonation of Christina
Tessanne Chin is crowned winner on The Voice as Adam Levine celebrates
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Diavolo-Architecture in Motion is 8 p.m. Feb. 23, Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts in Detroit
Author Willie Payne gives a multimedia presentation on Michigan’s Underground Railroad Stops Feb. 28 at Ferndale Area District Library.
Southeast Michigan entertainment Feb. 22-28
• "Natural Forms": work by Ann Kelly, Nora Venturelli, and Fran Wolok: through Feb. 23, Northville Art House, 215 W. Cady in Northville, 248-344-0497, northvillearthouse.org.
• Student Works Competition: through Feb. 28, Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center, 1516 S. Cranbrook Road, Birmingham, bbartcenter.org.
• "Colored Pencil Society" exhibit: through Feb. 28 at the Costick Center’s City Gallery, 28600 W. 11 Mile Road in Farmington Hills, presented by the Cultural Arts Division, which coordinates art, theater and music programming through events and activities, 248-473-1800, fhgov.com.
• "In No Particular Order": Ian McDonald, artist-in-residence through March 10, Cranbrook Academy of Art, 39221 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills, 248-645-3323, cranbrookartmuseum.org.
• Anthony R. Brass: through March 17, Ferndale Area District Library, 222 E. Nine Mile Road, Ferndale, 248-546-2504, ferndalepubliclibrary.org.
• Conrad Egyir, Sheida Soleimani: through March 23, Library Street Collective, 1260 Library St., Detroit, lscgallery.com.
• Three new exhibits: “Jehovah’s Witnesses-Faith Under Fire,” “Rwanda: Personal Images” and “The Tragedy of War-Japanese American Interment,” through April 1, The Holocaust Memorial Center, Zekelman Family Campus, 28123 Orchard Lake Road, Farmington Hills, holocaustcenter.org, 248-553-2400.
• "Eyes as Big as Plates": through April 5, Detroit Center for Design + Technology’s Woodward Gallery, 4219 Woodward Ave., Detroit, detroit.design.
• “From Camelot to Kent State-Pop Art, 1960-1975”: through Aug. 25, Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit, 313-833-4005, dia.org.
• Drawing in the Galleries: Open studio noon-9 p.m. Feb. 22, noon-4 p.m. Feb. 23-24, Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit, 313-833-4005, dia.org.
• Cell Phone Sleeping Bags: Drop-In Workshop 6-9 p.m. Feb. 22, noon-4 p.m. Feb. 23-24, Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit, 313-833-4005, dia.org.
• Free Senior Expo: 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. March 4, Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit, 313-833-4005, dia.org, free coffee, bagels, giveaways, special programs, senior help organizations.
Ballet/Dance
• A Very Loving Pop-Up: Comedy & Dance Party, 9 p.m.-midnight, Feb. 22, Ponyride, 1401 Vermont St., Detroit, awoltheater.com, 586-212-8848, $10.
• Celtic Nights-Irish music, songs, and dance: : 7:30 p.m. Feb. 22, Macomb Center for the Performing Arts, 44575 Garfield Road, Clinton Township, 586-286-2222, macombcenter.com, $43+, $29 ages 12 and younger.
• Diavolo-Architecture in Motion: 8 p.m. Feb. 23, Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts, 350 Madison Ave., Detroit, musichall.org, 313-887-8501, $30-$50.
• “Rhythm Of The Dance, A Celebration of Celtic Dance”: 8 p.m. March 1, Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts, 350 Madison Ave., Detroit, musichall.org, $30- $50.
• Shen Yun: High-flying leaps, ornate costumes, animated backdrops, thunderous drums and live orchestra music, March 1-10 at Detroit Opera House, 1526 Broadway, Detroit, 844-647-4697, shenyun.com/detroit/detroit-opera-house, $80+.
• Friday Night Live! The Music of J Dilla: 7 p.m. Feb. 22, Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit, 313-833-4005, dia.org.
• Ben Sharkey: 8-10 p.m. Feb. 22 at 20 Front Street, 20 Front St., Lake Orion, 248-783-7105, 20frontstreet.com, $20.
• Derrick Benford Quartet: 9 p.m. Feb. 22, Aretha’s Jazz Cafe at Music Hall, 350 Madison Ave., Detroit, musichall.org, $10.
• Mother Mother: 7 p.m. Feb. 22, Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, thelovingtouchferndale.com, all ages, $15.
• Grateful Shred tribute band, Mapache: 9 p.m., Feb. 22, The Parliament Room at Otus Supply, 345 E. Nine Mile, Ferndale, otussupply.ticketfly.com, $18.
• The Proud Naturals Album Release, Stella Noon: 8:30 p.m. Feb. 23, The Parliament Room at Otus Supply, 345 E. Nine Mile, Ferndale, otussupply.ticketfly.com, $10.
• A Bowie Celebration: David Bowie Band Alumni Tour: 7 p.m. Feb. 23, Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W. Fourth St. all ages, 248-399-2980 or royaloakmusictheatre.com, $35-$65.
• Remembering Patsy Cline: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 23, the PIX Theatre, centerfortheartslapeer.org, $16-$18 adv.
• Official Blues Brothers Revue: tribute band 7:30 p.m. Feb. 23, Macomb Center for the Performing Arts, 44575 Garfield Road, Clinton Township, 586-286-2222, macombcenter.com, $43+.
• Zenith Brass: 24th annual winter concert 4:30 p.m. Feb. 24, St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, Harmony in the Hills Concert series, 620 Romeo Road, Rochester, free.
• Kitty Donohoe: Sterling Coffeehouse concert 3 p.m. Feb. 24, Recreation Center at Fillmore Elementary School, 8655 Irving Road, Sterling Heights, 586-446-2700, sterling-heights.net/339/Parks-Recreation, tickets $16 residents, $20 nonresidents, adv.
• The Neal Morse Band: 7 p.m. Feb. 24, The Crofoot Ballroom, 1 S. Saginaw St., Pontiac, thecrofoot.com, all ages, $35.
• James Umble: saxophone 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26, Oakland University Varner Recital Hall, Rochester, oakland.edu/mtd, free.
• Set It Off, With Confidence, Super Whatevr, L.I.F.T: 6 p.m. Feb. 27, The Crofoot Ballroom, all ages, $18+ adv.
• We Banjo 3: 8 p.m. Feb. 27-28, doors at 7:30 p.m., The Ark, 316 S. Main St., Ann Arbor, 734-761-1451, theark.org, $25+ adv.
• Cold Cave, Adult., Vowws: 7 p.m. Feb. 28, The Majestic, 4140 Woodward Ave, Detroit, majesticdetroit.com, all ages, $20 adv.
• Schedule IV: Post-punk/goth-industrial quintet 8 p.m. March 1, Ferndale Area District Library, 222 E. Nine Mile Road, Ferndale, Doors at 7:30 p.m., 90 minutes after the library closes, ferndalepubliclibrary.org.
• Maddie & Tae: March 2, at The Emerald Theatre, 31 N. Walnut, Mount Clemens, 586-630-0120, TheEmeraldTheatre.com, 18+, $25 adv.
• Jim McCarty & Friends, John Nemeth: 8 p.m. March 2, Callahan's Music Hall, 2105 South Blvd., Auburn Hills, atcallahans.com, 21+, $20-$25.
• Alexander Zonjic: The Fifth Annual Cabin Fever Jazz Festival 1-9 p.m. March 2, Ford Community and Performing Arts Center, 15801 Michigan Ave., Dearborn, $45, doors at noon, food and beverages to purchase, 419-280-1073, dearborntheater.com.
• Farmington Community Band- “Textures and Tones”: 3 p.m. March 3, Harrison High School Auditorium, Farmington Hills, free admission.
• Elvis to the Max: March 22, Andiamo Celebrity Showroom, 7096 E. 14 Mile Road, Warren, 586-268-3200, andiamoshowroom.com, $28-$62.
Black History Month events
• Jean Alicia Elster, ”The Colored Car”: reception 1-3 p.m. Feb. 23, Pontiac Creative Arts Center, 47 Williams St., Pontiac, 248-333-7849, PontiacArts.org. A second event 5-8 p.m. Feb. 23, in conjunction with Tina Randle, a Michigan poet, singer, and songwriter, includes spoken word, poetry, drumming, singing, dancing with John Valiant Boyd, Danielle Boyd, MookStar Dash, Ashlee Moss, Lakita Patton, Kid B, Larry Watkins, and Kaylin Armstrong, 248-333-7849, PontiacArts.org.
• Willie Payne on Michigan’s Underground Railroad: Author gives multimedia presentation 7 p.m. Feb. 28, Ferndale Area District Library, 222 E. Nine Mile Road, Ferndale, ferndalepubliclibrary.org, 248-546-2504.
• The Secret Society of Twisted Storytellers: Six storytellers share personal stories of black history, hosted by Satori Shakoor, performances by musical guests Dwayne Brown and the Omowale Cultural Society, vendors, cash bar and food to purchase, 7 p.m. Feb. 28, Southfield Pavilion, 26000 Evergreen Road, Southfield, doors 6 p.m., 248-796-4620, cityofsouthfield.com, $10.
• Revving Robots Storytime and Crafts with Cowboy Alex: 11-11:45 a.m. Feb. 23, Royal Oak Senior Community Center. 3500 Marais, Royal Oak, geared for ages, 248-246-3180, royaloakrec.com, 3-8, $5 per child.
• Tom Stanton author of “Terror in the City of Champions”: 7 p.m. Feb. 28, Franklin Public Library, 32455 Franklin Road, Franklin, 248-851-2254, franklin.lib.mi.us, free event. Michigan author and journalist.
• American Panorama-“West Side Story”: Feb. 22, Detroit Symphony Orchestra at Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center, 3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit, dso.org, $15-$100 each.
• Vivaldi's “Four Seasons” Detroit Symphony Orchestra: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 28 at The Berman Center For The Performing Arts, West Bloomfield Township, $25, students-$10; 8 p.m. March 1, Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church, Plymouth, $25, students-$10; 8 p.m. March 2, Kirk in the Hills Presbyterian, Bloomfield Hills, $30, $10-students; 3 p.m. March 3, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Grosse Pointe Woods, $25, students-$10.
• Nas with Detroit Symphony Orchestra: 7:30 p.m. March 5, presented by the Detroit Pistons as a culmination of Detroit Pistons Black History Month festivities at Orchestra Hall within the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center, Detroit, Ticketmaster.com, 800-745-3000. $65+.
• Jon Houser and Lauren Uchalick: Feb. 22-23, Holly Hotel, 110 Battle Alley, reservations recommended, hollyhotel.com, 248-634-5208, adults only, $15+.
• Sam Morril: Feb. 22-23, Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle, 310 S. Troy St., Royal Oak, 248-542-9900, comedycastle.com, 18+.
• Jeff Shaw: Feb. 22-23, One Night Stan’s Comedy Club, 4761 Highland Road, Waterford Twp., 248-875-6524, onenightstanscomedyclub.com, $12+.
• Gilda’s LaughFest: March 7-17, the Waters Building, Lyon Street entrance at 161 Ottawa Ave NW, Suite 106, Grand Rapids, gildasclubgr.org.
• Dane Cook: 8 p.m. March 8, Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort, 6800 Soaring Eagle Blvd., Mount Pleasant, 888-732-4537, soaringeaglecasino.com, $72-$98.
Festivals/Shows
• “Stay As Dead As You Are”: murder mystery dinner show performed by the Romeo High School Drama Department, themed dress encouraged, 7 p.m. Feb. 22, Greystone Golf & Banquet, 67500 Mound Road, Washington Twp., rwchamber.com, 586-752-4436, $60 or 2 for $100, open bar, dinner, entertainment and music.
• The Dinner Detective Murder Mystery Show: 6-9 p.m. March 9 and March 23, The Embassy Suites Troy, 850 Tower Drive, Troy, 866-496-0535, thedinnerdetective.com/troy, info.try@thedinnerdetective.com, $65+, includes dinner, 248-879-7500.
• "Greta": midnight, March 1, Main Art, 118 N. Main St., Royal Oak, landmarktheatres.com/detroit, $5.
• "Tapestry-A Musician’s Journey of Adoption and Redemption": Feb. 15, Rochester Hills Museum Calf Barn, register at rochesterhills.org/musprograms or 248-656-4663, $5.
• "Tommy Battles the Silver Sea Dragon": premiere Feb. 15, Emagine Novi, 44425 W. 12 Mile Road, Novi, emagine-entertainment.com/locations/novi.
• "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”: 8 p.m. Feb. 15-16 and 2 p.m. Feb. 16., Redford Theatre, 17360 Lahser Road, Detroit, redfordtheatre.com, $5.
• 2019 Academy Award Nominated Short Films: through Feb. 28, Detroit Film Theatre, 5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit, $11.
• Emagine Academy Awards watch party: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 24, Emagine Birmingham and Emagine Rochester Hills, emagine-entertainment.com/awards2019; free, VIP tickets $18.
• Oscars Watch Party: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 24, The Maple Theater, 4135 W. Maple Road, Bloomfield Township, themapletheater.com.
• “The Wizard of Oz”: March 3, Emerald Theatre, 31 N. Walnut, Mount Clemens, TheEmeraldTheatre.com, 586-630-0120, $5, 12 and younger free.
• One Act Fundraiser: six 10-minute plays by local writers, performed by the Ridgedale’s Reader’s Theater group, 8 p.m. Feb. 22-23, Ridgedale Players, 205 W. Long Lake Road, Troy. Doors open at 7:30 p.m., tickets@ridgedaleplayers.com, 248-988-7049, $11.
• #SWT Heartbreakers 2019 Comedy Event: to benefit Save A Soul Sanctuary & Rescue, LuvUm All Animal Rescue Great Lakes Burn Camp & Sparkle Network's Prom Closet Project program, 7-11:45 p.m. Feb. 23, The Emerald Theatre, 31 N. Walnut, Mt. Clemens, 586-630-0120, sparklenetwork.org.
• “Love in Motion”: food from Slows Bar BQ, craft beers and coffee, live music and fashion show for Mend on the Move, Metro-Detroit nonprofit that employs women survivors of abuse in jewelrymaking, 6:30-9 p.m. Feb. 28 at Will Leather Goods, 4120 Second Ave., Detroit, $45at eventbrite.com or at the door, mendonthemove.org.
• “Dancing with the Stars”: Faith in Action of Oakland County hosts local celebrity dancers 7-11 p.m. March 9, at the San Marino Club, 1685 E. Big Beaver Road, Troy, to benefit local seniors; $75, appetizers, open bar, faithinactionoakland.org.
• “Hamilton” premiere fundraiser: Congregation Shir Tikvah of Troy, Upland Hills School of Oxford and Congregation Beth Shalom of Traverse City host fundraiser for arts and culture education, membership support and facility enhancements, March 12, Fisher Theatre, Detroit. For tickets, visit shirtikvah.org/hamilton or email hamilton@shirtikvah.org, 248-581-4080.
• “Elizabeth Dennison Forth - Emancipated Woman”: 2 p.m. Feb. 24, Oakland County Pioneer and Historical Society Pine Grove Historical Museum, 405 Cesar E. Chavez Ave., Pontiac, Rosie Richardson will speak on Forth's rise from slavery, to land owner in Pontiac, 248-338-6732, ocphs.org, $7 at the door.
• Henry Ford-”Relationships with Early & Vital Employees”: Lecture Series, 7-9 p.m. Feb. 27 at Mill Race Village, 215 Griswold St., Northville, free, donations accepted, millracenorthville.org, 248-348-1845.
• Chi-Town Union Station: O Scale Model Railroad and Train, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, through March 3, 8275 Cooley Lake Road, Commerce Township, chi-townunionstation.com, $5 ages 18+, $3 ages 5-17, free to 4 and younger with adult ticket.
• Doom of the Dinosaurs-Are We Next?: through Sept. 1, Cranbrook Institute of Science, $6-$8 plus museum admission, science.cranbrook.edu/explore/exhibits/doom_of_the_dinosaurs.
• Citizen, Knuckle Puck, Hunny, Oso Oso: June 15, Majestic Theatre, Detroit.
On sale at 10 a.m. Feb. 22
• David Feherty: 7:30 p.m. June 27, the Fox Theatre, Detroit, $55.
• Breaking Benjamin: July 24, DTE Energy Music Theatre, Independence Township, $29.50+.
• Young The Giant and Fitz and the Tantrums: June 29, Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill, Sterling Heights, $29.50.
• Thomas Rhett, Dustin Lynch, Russell Dickerson, Rhett Akins: June 20, DTE Energy Music Theatre, Independence Township, $35.50+.
• Dave Matthews Band: July 9, DTE Energy Music Theatre, Independence Township, $45+.
• Intocable: April 12, The Fillmore Detroit.
• Ben Platt: May 4, Fisher Theatre, Detroit.
• DaBaby: April 9, The Shelter, Detroit.
• Johnny Marr: May 11, Saint Andrews Hall, Detroit.
• The Lonely Island: June 26, Fox Theatre, Detroit, $35+.
• Rob Lowe: June 14,Sound Board at MotorCity Casino, Detroit, $43+.
• Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band: June 6, June 8, June 12, DTE Energy Music Theatre, Independence Township. Fan club members had access to purchase tickets prior to general on sale date, $50+.
• Kingz of Trap, 2 Chainz, E-40, Plies and Young Dro: May 18, Fox Theatre, Detroit, $65+.
Night of Knockouts XVI: June 7, Sound Board at MotorCity Casino, Detroit, $28+.
On sale at 10 a.m. March 1
• Rob Thomas, Abby Anderson: June 1, Meadow Brook Amphitheatre, Rochester Hills, $33+.
• Florida Georgia Line, Dan + Shay, Morgan Wallen and Hardy: Aug. 10, DTE Energy Music Theatre, Independence Township, $36+.
Tickets on sale at box office without service fee, or at Ticketmaster locations, Ticketmaster.com or 800-745-3000, Livenation.com, 313Presents.com.
• "Poetry is Art/Art is Poetry": 12:15 p.m., 1:15 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. Feb. 24, Detroit Institute of Arts GM Center for African American Art, 5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit, free with museum admission, dia.org.
• Toy & Comic Expo: Buy, sell or trade comics, collectibles and memorabilia 9 a.m.-3 p.m. March 2, Orion Center, 1335 Joslyn Road, Lake Orion, 248-391-0304 ext. 3500, orionparks.com, free parking and free admission, oriontownship.org.
Theater-Community
• "Much Ado About Nothing": 8 p.m. Feb. 22-23 and 3 p.m. Feb. 23, First Presbyterian Church-Farmington, 26165 Farmington Road, Farmington Hills, presented by Thistle Rose Academy of Arts, thistleroseacademy.org, 248-579-5719, $20.
• "As Bees in Honey Drown": through Feb. 23, Farmington Players Barn, 32332 W. 12 Mile Road, Farmington Hills, farmingtonplayers.org, 248-553-2955, $18, students and seniors $16.
• "Stitches": musical comedy through Feb. 24, Central United Methodist Church, 3882 Highland Road, Waterford Township, Lakeland Players, lakelandplayers.net.
Theater-Professional
• "Under the African Sky": Feb. 22-23, Towsley Auditorium Morris Lawrence Building, Washtenaw Community College, 4800 E. Huron River Drive, Ann Arbor, 734-995-0530, wildswantheater.org, $12, $10 youths and seniors, geared to ages 3-9.
• “The How and the Why”: through Feb. 24, Theatre NOVA, 410 W. Huron, Ann Arbor, performances are Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. $22, also pay-what-you-can for those in need, TheatreNOVA.org, 734-635-8450.
• "The Play That Goes Wrong": through Feb. 24, Fisher Theatre, Detroit, broadwayindetroit.com.
• "The Lightning Thief-The Percy Jackson Musical": Feb. 26-March 9, Fisher Theatre, Detroit, broadwayindetroit.com.
• "The Last Five Years": through March 3, Tipping Point Theatre, 361 E. Cady St., Northville, TippingPointTheatre.com, 248-347-0003, $25+.
• "The Spitfire Grill" musical: through March 10, Meadow Brook Theatre at Oakland University in Rochester, 248-377-3300, mbtheatre.com, $30+.
• “Never Not Once”: through March 16, The Purple Rose Theatre Company, 137 Park St., Chelsea, discounts for students, seniors, teachers, military members and groups of 12, 734-433-7673, purplerosetheatre.org.
Theater-Student
• “Beauty and the Beast”: Troy High Theatre Ensemble musical March 1-10, Troy High School, 4777 Northfield Pkwy., Troy, ttensemble.weebly.com, $15 for adults, $10 for students (under 18) and seniors (60+).
Submit events to The Oakland Press submission form online at bit.ly/1iUM73e
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"> The Price(s) of Liquid Coal in Kentucky - Daily Yonder
The Price(s) of Liquid Coal in Kentucky
BioFuels and Energy
Kentucky officials, energy companies and Eastern Kentucky citizens wrestle over the prospect of heavier coal production and proposed tax incentives for plants that will liquify it into fuel.
In Washington D.C. and the Kentucky state capitol, liquid coal incentives are environmental questions, matters of national security. But in Eastern Kentucky, jobs and community impact are at issue. With no major industry besides coal here, new technology and demand for minerals could revitalize the region’s economy. At least, that’s the coal and energy companies’ message.
Peabody Energy is considering locating a new plant in Pike County, and on June 18th Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, a statewide grassroots organization, held a protest in Pikeville against coal-to-liquid incentives. Across from the hotel where Kentucky Senator Jim Bunning joined Governor Fletcher for an energy symposium, more than forty individuals stood in blistering ninety-degree weather. The theme was consistent: Say no to liquid coal and big business.
Sam Gilbert of Letcher Co.
spoke against state backing
for coal-to-liquid fuel plants
Photo: Stefanie Feldman
The promises of economic revitalization and jobs have been made before, said Carl Schue, a third generation coal miner from Harlan County. “They are consolidating our schools. People are leaving,” Schue told the crowd outside. “We have the highest cancer rate in the nation, the highest diabetes rate in the nation. Guys, I’m really not sure coal is the answer.”
Another protester, Erica Urias, expressed disgust that in a county where many households still lack safe drinking water, the government might subsidize a technology that requires 7.3 barrels of water to produce one barrel of fuel.
Sam Gilbert from Letcher County said that coal-to-liquid plants would intensify the harmful effects of mining on the region. Manufacturing liquid coal would require increasing the nation’s coal output — by 40%, if the US replaced just 10% of transportation fuel with coal-to liquid, according to a National Coal Council study. Gilbert added his concern that if the state supports liquefaction technology, enforcement of existing mine safety and environmental regulations will suffer. “The government is not going to let laws slow down the mining process to keep this plan from getting all the coal they can slide through,” he said. “For that, you are going to see more and more bloodshed from deep mining and strip mining.”
“They don’t care,” Gilbert added. “We are throw away people.”
Two speakers voiced disappointment that more of their neighbors hadn’t attended the rally. According to one Kentuckians for the Commonwealth organizer, many in the region support coal-to-liquid because they believe it will provide much needed jobs — or fear they will lose the jobs they have by speaking out against the coal industry.
More than 25% of the nation’s coal mines are located in Kentucky. Eastern Kentucky produces about 78% of the state’s coal. Peabody Energy estimates that a coal liquefaction plant will provide 500-1,000 construction jobs and 375-800 fulltime jobs in the plant and mine.
The debate continues on July 5th when state legislators return to Frankfort.
Topics: BioFuels and Energy
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Routier jury shown party at son's grave
Filed under Courts at Jan 1997
Steve Scott
Connect with Steve Scott
KERRVILLE, Texas - Jurors in Darlie Routier's capital murder trial watched television news footage Friday of the Rowlett homemaker smiling, singing and spraying Silly String at a graveside
birthday celebration for one of her two slain sons.
A KXAS-TV (NBC5) news crew shot the 20-minute tape eight days after Ms. Routier's sons, 5-year-old Damon and 6-year-old Devon, were fatally stabbed while sleeping in their living room.
The tape included interviews in which Ms. Routier and her husband, Darin Routier, talk about the boys and their feelings of grief.
"Even though we're sad that Devon and Damon aren't here, we try to hang on to what we can to get us through this time," Ms. Routier says on the tape. Later, she adds, "We get sad. We cry a lot. We
get sick. We're very angry."
Ms. Routier also told KXAS reporter Joe Munoz that she believed her sons' killer would not remain free for long.
"I think he's a coward," Ms. Routier says on the tape. "He went after something so innocent that couldn't fight back."
But prosecutors said that the jovial and relaxed nature of the graveside ceremony shows a lack of grief and remorse on Ms. Routier's part.
"In my line of business, I see grieving families all the time," Assistant District Attorney Greg Davis said, "and, trust me, I have never see a quote-unquote victim grieve by going out to a grave
site and cutting up and laughing and shooting Silly String. It's grotesque."
Defense attorneys said the tape simply shows a family trying to cope with its grief.
"That was good for us," defense attorney Doug Mulder said. "I don't think it's anything that won't be ultimately explained and well-received."
Attorney Richard Mosty said the defense will show that the celebration began with a prayer ceremony led by a Baptist minister.
Ms. Routier, 27, is accused of fatally stabbing Devon and Damon on June 6. She is standing trial in Damon's death and faces a potential death sentence if convicted. Ms. Routier has said an
intruder broke into the home, stabbed the boys and attacked her before fleeing through a garage window.
Prosecutors played the videotape Friday morning, in the midst of testimony from a woman who once called herself Ms. Routier's best friend. Barbara Jovell told jurors that Ms. Routier was emotionally unsteady in the months before the killings, and had told her of an attempted suicide less than a month before the attack.
On cross-examination, Ms. Jovell called Ms. Routier a good mother who welcomed her sons' neighborhood pals into her home, disciplined her children fairly and made sure her boys were
well-fed and always had the latest toys.
Ms. Jovell told jurors that she met Ms. Routier in 1987, while working with Darin Routier. She told jurors that she eventually went to work for Routier in 1992 at his new electronics testing
firm.
As the new company thrived, Ms. Jovell said, Ms. Routier became more materialistic and devoted more and more time to shopping. Prosecutors introduced bank documents on Friday showing that in addition to their home mortgage, the couple owed monthly payments of more than $800 on a variety of loans. The couple's June 1996 checking account statement showed $68 in their account.
By late 1995, Ms. Jovell told jurors, none of the profits from the company, Testnec Electronics, were being reinvested in new equipment.
"There was nothing more going into Testnec," Ms. Jovell said. "It was all going to Darlie."
Ms. Jovell later acknowledged on cross-examination that Routier had purchased fax machines and a computer for the company's office.
Ms. Jovell said that as the bills mounted and the family business slumped in late 1995, Ms. Routier grew increasingly nervous, depressed and angry. In May 1996, Ms. Jovell said, Ms. Routier told her that she had tried to commit suicide.
She said Ms. Routier told her that she had taken several pills from their wrappers and was preparing to write a note but abandoned the attempt when her husband came home and interrupted her.
"She said that sometimes she felt strange and that things were too much for her," Ms. Jovell told jurors. "She said sometimes she just wanted to end it all."
Defense attorneys had hoped to undermine Ms. Jovell's testimony about the alleged suicide attempt by questioning her about her own history of treatment for depression. Mosty said lawyers wanted to show that Ms. Jovell had projected her own experience with depression onto Ms. Routier.
Visiting State District Judge Mark Tolle did not allow the testimony, saying it was not relevant in deciding whether Ms. Jovell was telling the truth.
In other testimony, Ms. Jovell said that Ms. Routier gave another version of the attack several days after the incident.
In that version, Ms. Routier told the woman that she awoke to find the attacker sitting on top of her, gently stroking her face with a knife blade. Ms. Jovell also told jurors that Ms. Routier,
while still in the hospital for her own knife wounds, fretted that police searching her home would find her sex toys.
"I said, My God, the babies have been killed, you were almost killed,"' Ms. Jovell recalled telling Ms. Routier. "Nobody's going to worry about that." '
Also on Friday, jurors heard testimony from Kathryn Long, a forensic serologist from the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Science.
Ms. Long told jurors that she retrieved blood samples from the kitchen and family room of the Routier home. On cross-examination, she testified that blood evidence on Ms. Routier's nightshirt could have been contaminated when police left the still-damp shirt wadded in a paper bag to keep as evidence.
The trial was recessed until Monday, when testimony will resume.
From the archives: A look back at the Darlie Routier murder case
Did Darlie Routier kill her kids? Doubts remain two decades later
Court grants Routier DNA evidence testing she seeks to prove intruder murdered sons in 1996
Time doesn't heal the wounds Rowlett: A decade later, officers reflect on Darlie Routier's murder of 2 sons
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Saints star North suffers another injury blow
George North has been ruled out for three weeks (picture: Sharon Lucey)
Published: 15:28 Wednesday 03 January 2018
George North has suffered another injury blow after being forced off at Twickenham last Saturday.
The Wales star will now be out for the next four weeks after sustaining another knee problem during the 50-21 defeat to Harlequins.
North was making his first appearance since the defeat to Saracens in October, during which he sprained his posterior cruciate ligament.
But after being introduced off the bench in place of Ahsee Tuala, who hobbled off on 25 minutes, North took a knock to the same knee he injured against Saracens and was limping.
He eventually left the field 15 minutes from the end of the match, being replaced by scrum-half Cobus Reinach.
And North, who is leaving Saints to return to Wales at the end of the season, will now be forced to spend more time on the sidelines as he recovers.
Saints coaching consultant Alan Gaffney said: “While it’s disappointing that George will be missing ahead of Saturday’s game (at home to Gloucester), this injury means an opportunity for another player in the squad to step up to the plate.
"I’m sure George will be diligent in his rehab and we all wish him a swift recovery.”
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Suspect in Frisco officer-involved shooting…
Man shot by Frisco officer in Whole Foods parking lot identified
Derek Baker was transported to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the arm
By Jackson Barnett | jbarnett@denverpost.com and Kieran Nicholson | knicholson@denverpost.com | The Denver Post
PUBLISHED: January 15, 2019 at 2:57 pm | UPDATED: January 31, 2019 at 10:13 am
Colorado correctional officer charged with attempted pimping.
A man shot by police in a Frisco Whole Foods parking lot Monday night was identified as Derek Perry Baker of Loveland by the Summit County District Attorney’s Office.
The incident, at about 7:30 Monday night, followed a 911 call about a man acting “erratically” in the store, according to a news release. A police officer shot Baker, 33, in the arm and he was taken to St. Anthony Summit Medical Center, treated and released back to police.
Summit County District Attorney
Derek Baker
Baker was booked into the Summit County Detention facility on suspicion of attempted vehicular assault, menacing, eluding and disorderly conduct. Baker was due for court advisement on Tuesday, but due to a medical issue, not related to the incident, his hearing was postponed, District Attorney Bruce Brown said in the release. His advisement hearing will be rescheduled when he’s “capable” of appearing in court.
The Frisco officer, who fired two rounds, was not identified. Baker allegedly “threatened the officer’s personal safety with the vehicle he was driving,” according to the news release.
The officer-involved shooting is being investigated by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. The officer who shot Baker is on administrative leave, a standard practice during such investigations.
officer-involved shooting
Jackson Barnett
Kieran Nicholson
Kieran Nicholson covers breaking news for The Denver Post. He started at the Post in 1986, at the old building on 15th and California streets. Nicholson has covered a variety of beats including suburbs, courts, crime and general assignment.
Follow Kieran Nicholson @kierannicholson
Team of nine Broomfield residents indicted for allegedly stealing from 77 victims, 52 companies in the Denver area
A group of nine Broomfield residents face a total of 126 felony counts for stealing money, cars and identities from at least 77 people and 52 companies.
Suspended male correctional officer at Denver women’s prison charged with attempted pimping
A suspended corrections officer who worked at the Denver women's jail has been charged with two counts of attempted pimping.
Utah killer extradited to Jefferson County for allegedly shooting Golden man with a crossbow before slitting his throat
Drawn to Colorado by the lure of legal marijuana, Austin Jeffrey Boutain and his wife took a bus ride to Denver from Long Beach, Calif., before launching what police allege was a month-long, two-state crime spree that left a Golden man and a Utah college student dead, Golden police records said.
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Kiszla: What do Nuggets have in Michael Porter…
Kiszla: What do Nuggets have in Michael Porter Jr? The next Kevin Durant? Or a cracked Faberge egg?
Nuggets sit out madness of free agency, betting big on their long-sidelined young prospect
Michael Porter Jr. of the Denver Nuggets poses for a portrait on Monday, Sept. 24, 2018.
By Mark Kiszla | mkiszla@denverpost.com | The Denver Post
PUBLISHED: July 1, 2019 at 7:06 pm | UPDATED: July 2, 2019 at 12:52 am
It’s time to take the bubble wrap off Michael Porter Jr.
He’s the big Faberge egg in the Nuggets’ basket. Hold your breath, and hope Porter doesn’t break.
The Nuggets aren’t ready to say this, so I’ll crank up the hype machine: When you look at the 6-foot-10 Porter effortlessly drain a jumper from beyond the 3-point arc, you can dream of Kevin Durant.
Yes, Durant has an MVP trophy, two league championships and nearly 23,000 regular-season points on his resume, not to mention a standing reservation at the Hall of Fame, even if the 30-year-old forward never fully recovers from the Achilles injury suffered during the NBA Finals.
Am I suggesting Porter can match any of that? Nope. But the Nuggets believe Porter has Durant-like tendencies and could provide the magic that makes the first championship in franchise history more than a pipe dream.
RELATED: Michael Porter Jr.: An oral history of the Nuggets’ draft-night steal
But it’s a fragile magic. If the rigors of this game broke Durant, it could certainly break Porter before Denver sees any of his immense potential reach fruition.
With back issues that have dogged him since his lone season at the University of Missouri, Porter slid to Denver as the 14th overall pick in the 2018 draft, then didn’t play a minute as an NBA rookie. The twists and turns of his young career have tested his resolve.
“I was patient at first, then I would get mad, then I had to be patient again,” Porter said. “It was a roller coaster. But I’m ready.”
I asked Porter if he liked roller coasters.
“I did as a kid,” he replied. “Not no more.”
For those of you keeping score on the NBA’s silly season, the Los Angeles Lakers have added all-star forward Anthony Davis. Utah, which was the fifth seed in the West despite finishing only four games behind Denver in the standings, reshaped its roster in a major way by adding point guard Mike Conley, sharp-shooter Bojan Bogdanovic and gritty rebounder Ed Davis. Portland reportedly has acquired a new rim protector in Hassan Whiteside. While the Warriors have said goodbye to Durant and Andre Igoudala, they stockpiled new talent in all-star guard D’Angelo Russell, who could be flipped as a valuable trade chip.
The Nuggets’ answer to all of that?
Porter.
After picking up the $30 million option on veteran Paul Millsap, the Nuggets have sat out free agency, even as everyday NBA working stiffs such as Jeremy Lamb, Al-Farouq Aminu, Trevor Ariza, JJ Redick and Taj Gibson have signed elsewhere.
Hasn’t it become obvious? The Nuggets big bet in 2019 is on Porter.
“I want to be the best player on the floor every time I step out there. That hasn’t changed,” said Porter, setting the bar at the ceiling for his upcoming debut at Summer League in Las Vegas. “I don’t want to start slow. I’m expecting to dominate.”
While the Nuggets have tried to soft-pedal the expectations for Porter, they need him to be all that and a bag of chips. Although Denver investigated a trade for Davis and poked around the free-agent market in hopes of making a splash, the biggest way for this team to improve is Porter.
The Nuggets won’t rush him. But neither can they treat their prized rookie with kid gloves.
“Too much praise for a person is bad, and too much hate for a person is bad,” Porter said.
So what’s fair to expect from him? It doesn’t have to be opening night of the regular season, but sooner rather than later, Porter needs to earn 25 minutes a night as the starter at small forward. If he really has the talent of a top lottery pick, it’s not too much to ask.
And what’s the best-case scenario? When the playoffs begin again, Porter will join Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray to give the Nuggets a legit big three that can carry the team into June.
Will he prove to be as fragile as a Faberge egg? Hey, stuff happens. But the Nuggets need Porter to be as solid as a linchpin to keep their bandwagon rolling.
Mark Kiszla
Nikola Jokic
Mark Kiszla is a sports columnist for The Denver Post.
Follow Mark Kiszla @markkiszla
More in Sports Columnists
Newman: If German Marquez doesn’t quickly return to ace form, Rockies have no chance to make playoffs
The 24-year-old signed a five-year, $43 million extension with the Rockies on April 2, and after being solid early on, the Venezuelan is now stuck in a rut.
Newman vs. Kiz: Will Charlie Blackmon win the National League batting title again?
Since joining the National League in 1993, there have been nine -- count 'em, nine -- different Colorado hitters to lead the league in batting average.
O’Halloran: Exit of Shaq Barrett, Shane Ray provide Broncos training camp chance for undrafted rookie Ahmed Gooden
Can Ahmad Gooden rise from undrafted rookie to overtake Jeff Holland and maybe Aaron Wallace to claim one of the Broncos’ back-up outside linebacker spots? We'll start to find out when practice opens Thursday.
Kiszla: Big reason the shine is off Rockies’ season? D.J. LeMahieu, the all-star Jeff Bridich foolishly let get away
Nolan Arenado is the best reason to smile during a disappointing 2019 for the Rockies, while DJ LeMahieu has made himself at home in New York, as the new pride of the Yankees.
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SAP Enhances SAP Digital for Customer Engagement
SAP today released a new version of its SAP Digital for Customer Engagement solution.
This digitally native offering is a simplified cloud CRM solution. The enhancements in the latest release fully integrates sales, marketing, and services capabilities for an all-in-one, end-to-end customer experience.
SAP Digital for Customer Engagement was originally introduced in May. It enables users to better manage connections, reach more customers, and get better business insights powered by the SAP HANA platform. New features and capabilities provide a seamless connection to every customer and every sale, all in one place. They include the following:
E-mail marketing functionality;
Sales forecasting capabilities;
Access to a social help desk via Twitter, for online collaboration and feedback to questions via the community of real-world users;
Nnative mobile apps, now for iOS and Android devices, in addition to the previously available support for Windows devices;
Easier onboarding and enhanced data-access management options; and
Built-in reports that provide insights into sales and service issues.
SAP Digital for Customer Engagement is available exclusively at SAP Store, for purchase or as a free30-day trial. After the trial period, it is priced at $29 per user per month. Access to data is available anytime, anywhere, and on mobile devices at no additional cost. An individual sales manager can import customer data from disparate systems, including Outlook, Google or CSV files, and immediately begin tracking and managing all customer interactions in one place.
SAP and Accenture Expand Collaboration on SAP S/4HANA
The collaboration between SAP and Accenture seeks to build on platform development and go-to-market strategies.
CenturyLink and SAP Announce Partnership
The agreement brings CenturyLink's services to the SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud.
SAP Announces SAP XM Online Media Network
The new platform seeks to build a direct connection between advertisers and publishers.
At Sapphire Now, SAP and Microsoft Usher in New Partnership
The partnership between SAP and Microsoft brings SAP enterprise apps to Office 365.
SAP Expands Its Analytics Capabilities
SAP is adding more predictive and machine learning capabilities and unifying its analytics solutions under the BusinessObjects brand.
SAP Launches Innovation Services for Leonardo
The services aim to help companies quickly build, test, and implement solutions on the Leonardo platform.
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Dragon Quest XI seems well worth the wait
15 minutes just wasn't enough
E3 is a rather lousy place to play Dragon Quest XI for the first time. Sessions are limited to just 15 minutes, and with two small maps to explore with a bevy of points of interest, a single session isn't even a proper amount of time to scratch the surface of the game.
In my lone hands-on with it, I don't think I saw a tenth of everything the demo had to offer. But even with just a tiny bit under my belt, I'm enthralled by nearly every facet of Dragon Quest XI.
Of the two locations available, I go with Gallopolis, a sprawling desert area with a multitude of ways to proceed. With no time to dwell on my decision, I choose to play the demo straight and hunt down the Slayer of the Sands. This massive beast has been causing a row and somebody needs to put it in its place.
The beast is quite a distance away, but my noble steed makes the journey fly by (and also completable in my limited allotted time). My horse also allows me to avoid combat. With no random encounters in the game, I can skip fights by plowing through enemies at the expense of gaining experience points. Because I don't know exactly how much time I'll have here, I avoid almost all fights.
Those few bouts I do engage in are classic Dragon Quest. I can set tactics for my entire team, leaving actions up to the AI, or pick and choose their moves individually. I can also switch between keeping my characters stationary or moving them freely around the map. The latter option provides no tactical advantage but does do a nice job of showcasing the lovely environments.
There's a little bit of story during this quest, something to do with a prince, but I don't pay attention as I'm distracted by the voice acting. When it releases in North America, Dragon Quest XI will feature full English voiceover. From what I've heard it's not exactly stellar. I appreciate the flamboyant inflections of party companion Sylvando, but the rest of the cast doesn't quite hit the mark.
Near the end of my demo I finally face off with the Slayer of the Sands, a gigantic scorpion capable of dealing incredible damage to my entire team. It takes me almost five minutes to win, nearly falling to the foe a few times before it's bested. All-in-all a classic Dragon Quest battle.
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age isn't setting out to rewrite the manual for the series. It's classic, just the way I like it. While overuse of the horse may leave players grinding if they fail to adequately level their team, this soupcon of the final product has me confident Square Enix has made itself a game for the ages.
Dragon Quest XI launches September 4, 2018, on PlayStation 4 and Windows PC.
Also on Destructoid: Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Exclusive Age (9) From our database:
Dragon Quest XI won't be open world because of development costs, story focus - Chris Carter
Dragon Quest XI's western release is adding a lot more than English voice acting - Rich Meister
Dragon Quest XI set for September release in the West on PS4 and Steam, but not the 3DS - CJ Andriessen
Surprise! Dragon Quest XI is selling like hotcakes in Japan - CJ Andriessen
Dragon Quest XI will be the first mainline game in 12 years to launch internationally on a PlayStation console - Mike Sounders
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age releasing outside of Japan in 2018 - Mike Sounders
Filed under... #Dragon Quest #E3 #Previews #Square Enix
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The UK’s Changing Democracy: The 2018 Democratic Audit
Past reports and publications
The 2017 Audit of UK Democracy
The 2012 Audit
2016 Scottish Parliament Election Previews
Democratic engagement in the local NHS
Engaging young voters with enhanced election information
The creation of an English Public Services Ombudsman: mapping a way forward
Parliamentary select committees: who gives evidence?
Should the UK lower the voting age to 16?
The Political Inclusion of Young Citizens
Transitioning to a new Scottish state
Corporate power and democracy
Quangos
Who governs Merseyside?
Contact Democratic Audit
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Author Archive: Democratic Audit UK
The politics of language and prejudice: How the New Primary Curriculum for English is outdated
Matt Carmichael argues that Conservative policy regarding language tests in English is outdated. The social attitudes which underpin the tests are divisive and dangerous and have the effect of promoting prejudice. Similar PostsPromoting English learning is an important first step, but much more needs to be done to support integrationBook Review: Class by Will AtkinsonEuropean elections 2019: […]
By Democratic Audit UK 03/08/2016 13 Comments Read More →
Thanks to the referendum, the tyranny of the majority has prevailed
Many people living in the UK, and some Britons outside it, had no vote in the referendum. Scotland and Northern Ireland chose to Remain but will be forced to leave. Arash Heydarian Pashakhanlou argues the UK has succumbed to the tyranny of the majority thanks to the decision to put EU membership to a referendum. […]
Using technology to inject the demos back into democracy
Possibilities to ‘take action’ and participate in our current system may exist, but they are rarely effective.While individuals may be able to express their opinions, there is no mechanism in place for translating those opinions into action. In this light, Roslyn Fuller writes online deliberation allows us to take a leap towards much deeper democracy. Similar PostsMost […]
As both major parties struggle with internal divisions, it is crucial to engage with different facets of party cohesion
As both the Conservatives and Labour are confronted with ideological and organisational divisions that undermine their efficiency and jeopardise the foundations of the responsible party model, Caroline Close writes that understanding how (old and new) values, ideas and conception of democracy affect party members’ relationship to their party, within and beyond the legislative arena, is […]
Designing a new parliament with women in mind
Following the appointment of the UK’s second female Prime Minister, Jennifer Thomson assesses progress on gender equality in British politics. In particular, she considers how a restored and renewed Palace of Westminster could introduce changes to both the physical environment and political norms which could help address historical underrepresentation of women in Parliament. Similar PostsThis May be Tory feminism: […]
Why applying for citizenship is an anxiety filled process – and not just for applicants
As we consider what post-Brexit citizenship might look like, it is crucial to understand the pervasiveness of anxiety and its integral role in shaping policy processes. Here, Anne-Marie Fortier discusses how anxiety is attached especially to English language ability for applicants, whilst also highlighting the role it plays for those on the other side of the process: the registrars checking applications for […]
From “Watchdog” to “Attackdog”: Media depictions of Jeremy Corbyn are an affront to democracy
A healthy democracy requires a watchdog in its press — not an ‘attackdog’, ‘snarling’ and ‘barking’ at an elected politician. Yet this is how Jeremy Corbyn is being treated by the media, explains Brooks DeCillia. He outlines the findings of LSE research that show how the Leader of the Opposition is being delegitimased by the British […]
Is there a future for referendums?
The EU referendum has led to doubts about referendums as an instrument of public policy. Albert Weale suggests that the good conduct of referendums depends on the question being clear and voters having easy access to the relevant evidence. The EU referendum failed both of these tests. Future referendums should be on well-defined questions and steps should […]
Anti-corruption after Brexit: What is left of David Cameron’s legacy?
David Cameron’s government frequently emphasised the need to tackle corruption, both within the UK and abroad. Daniel Hough assesses how this picture is likely to change following Britain’s decision to leave the EU and the appointment of Theresa May as Prime Minister. He writes that with Brexit posing a number of challenges for May’s government, […]
‘Post-truth’ politics are a debasement of standards in public life
Verbal dexterity, inconsistency and ‘spin’ are part and parcel of normal politics but the exaggerations and distortions of the EU referendum campaign has led to concerns about ‘post-truth’ politics. Nicholas Allen and Sarah Birch write there is a need for someone to provide a moral lead, and argue the Committee for Standards in Public Life […]
Democratic Audit's core funding is provided by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Additional funding is provided by the London School of Economics.
Book Review | Heroes or Villains? The Blair Government Reconsidered by Jon Davis and John Rentoul
Republicans give more to charity – but not because they oppose income redistribution
Is the EU really run by unelected bureaucrats?
This work by Democratic Audit is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 UK: England & Wales.
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“Australia’s proximity to Asia and history of European settlement, coupled with a strong Aboriginal art and culture scene, make it a unique destination,” said Jane Whitehead, regional general manager, Americas for Tourism Australia.
Australians also know how to celebrate their creativity and robust heritage.
“Australia has a strong track record when it comes to festivals in particular, showcasing everything from the winter lights of Vivid Sydney on the east coast to wines, truffles and produce of the Margaret River Gourmet Escape in the west,” Whitehead said.
DMCs like Ovation Australia can offer bespoke experiences throughout the country as well.
“Adding a cultural element into an event
is very popular especially if it allows the
delegates to immerse themselves into the
Australian culture and heritage,” said Sonja
Soderbom, director, destination man-
agement, Ovation Australia. “Examples
include bringing an Australian indigenous
artist to the event and creating a group
masterpiece with all delegates either par-
ticipating in a dot painting or handprint.”
Sydney, capital of New South Wales, stands as a beacon of the country’s arts scene.
“From cultural institutions to annual festivals and major events, Sydney’s arts and cultural scene is easily found on the foreshores of Sydney Harbour, offering stunning water and city views,” Whitehead noted.
“Take for example the international-
ly renowned Sydney Opera House,” she
continued, “which offers unique function
spaces, many of which have Harbour views,
Another main event is an annual Handa
Opera production, performed on a unique
floating stage in Sydney Harbour.
Other key cultural venues include the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) and the Art Gallery of New South Wales, which can host cocktails for up to 900 and seated dinners for up to 350. MCA offers venues with private outdoor terraces overlooking Circular Quay.
Aboriginal cultural cruises on Sydney Harbour are available with the company Tribal Warrior, offering sails on its Mari Nawi. Onboard, attendees hear stories of the various local Aboriginal tribes and
On the surface, Australia’s outer beauty—its fuzzy-eared koalas, bronzed surfers, sprawling beaches and postcard-ready city skylines—form its iconic image. But it’s the collective creative output from its people that leaves an indelible image, whether at a modern art gallery in Sydney or theatrical
performance in Melbourne. Australia’s Aboriginal culture, dating at least 50,000
years, is also a core part of the country’s fabric, bringing to the mainstream its
endemic instrument, the didgeridoo, and dot paintings among other forms of art.
CARMEN, HANDA OPERA, SYDNEY HARBOUR
Australia wows groups
with its plethora of
cultural outlets BY MARLENE GOLDMAN
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Port Norfolk Civic considers billboard deal
By Nate Leskovic
Plans to erect a new billboard on the Southeastern Expressway stalled this week after Port Norfolk neighbors demanded more time to review the proposal, which would divert an unspecified percentage of profits back into the community in return for their acceptance.
The Port Norfolk Civic Association chose not to decide about the plan presented by Sullivan & McLaughlin electrical company at its Jan. 20 meeting. The billboard would be built at 84R Tenean St. off the southbound lane of the highway in between a two-story home and a blue metal warehouse. The property is owned by Sullivan & McLaughlin and used for commercial purposes.
Dan McDevitt, an attorney representing Sullivan & McLaughlin, said the sign's total height would be 60 feet and the two-sided billboard within the 14 foot by 48 foot state size limit.
"This section of Port Norfolk is clearly 100 percent commercial," said McDevitt when proposing the project. "There are no residences there."
McDevitt said the billboard would not be seen from the neighborhood because it is on the opposite side of the highway.
Part of the meeting was held b ehind closed doors and Port Norfolk Civic Association leaders would not reveal to the Reporter what percentage of profit was being considered in negotiations. It would be an annual payment for 20 years. The group had previously requested 10 percent of another billboard proposal, though talks on that project have stalled.
"It's probably more money than we can deal with ourselves," said Mary McCarthy, Port Norfolk Civic Association president. "We probably would need to set up a nonprofit."
Reaction from meeting attendees was mixed. Some argued billboards, especially in a commercial location like Tenean Street, have little impact on the community, particularly signs situated on the highway. Others welcomed the potential income stream.
Some were concerned with the impression it creates for the neighborhood in the eyes of passing motorists, and believed more signs made it less inviting. One man wanted assurance that offensive ads would be promptly removed. Another thought they were dangerous distractions to drivers.
"We want to create a win-win situation," said John Rudicus of Sullivan & McLaughlin. "We have no interest in rolling a ball uphill. We heard there was a sign in the works and we wanted to bake a better cake. We live here, we work here, and our intention is to be responsive with our neighbors. I don't want my car egged."
Billboards are big business and good placement off I-93 can generate as much as tens of thousands each week in rent. McDevitt estimated the project would cost $350,000 to build.
An effective obstacle was established against new billboards in the 1990s, however, after regulations changed. One rule required property owners to get a city zoning variance for billboards within 660 feet of a federally assisted roadway.
With the change, developers were forced to seek approval of neighborhood civic associations before bringing their case before the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). The controversial billboards had long been opposed by civic associations at the time.
"I think they're stupid if they allow it," said Joe Chaisson, longtime anti-billboard activist who helped bring about the regulation changes. "Back in the 1980s, myself and a lot of others spent a lot of time to defeat a billboard for the same location."
Sullivan & McLaughlin have already filed with the ZBA for a hearing, but would likely require a go ahead from the Port Norfolk Civic Association to be granted a variance.
Billboard builders have tried to convince civic groups to support their projects in recent years, such as a promise to give over an empty building at 215 Sydney St. to community use and a 2007 ZBA-denied plan to replace the 415 Neponset Ave. billboard on the condition that its owner spruce up Neponset Circle.
Things took a turn last year, however, when property owner Arthur Murphy offered a $150,000 donation to St. Brendan's School Guild in return for Cedar Grove Neighborhood Association support of two existing Clear Channel billboards above Windy City Pizza in Adams Corner.
"They've tried everything possible," said Chaisson. "Now they're offering money. To me, that's bribery in every sense."
After Clear Channel's offer the ZBA allowed the signs to stay, setting a new precedent in the neighborhood. With money for communities now part of the equation, the Port Norfolk Civic Association responded to a proposal for a billboard at Signs By J Inc. at 100 Tenean St. this summer by proposing Clear Channel annually divert 10 percent of its profits back to the community in return for the civic's acceptance.
McCarthy said Clear Channel has not responded since the offer was made.
Clear Channel is also attempting to lease space for a billboard behind 50 Redfield St., property owned by John McGrail of the Mayo Group. A 2005 attempt to build at the location was blocked by residents.
Some possible uses for billboard income in Port Norfolk include a new bathhouse for Tenean Beach, a maintenance fund for the Daniel O'Connor Park or a donation to the Mike Leahy Fund.
Port Norfolk
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Technical University of Denmark News DTU professor receives Danish gas award
Technical University of Denmark News DTU professor receives Danish gas...
DTU professor receives Danish gas award
Energy Bioenergy Energy systems
Friday 16 Jun 17
Poul Erik Morthorst
pemo@dtu.dk
The Danish Gas Award
Presented by the Danish Gas Technology Centre, the award was first made in 1989. The prize is awarded once a year to one or more persons who have made a notable contribution to gas technology development in Denmark.
The gas award targets focus areas such as teaching, information, research and development—or special gas technology solutions.
The Gas Award for 2017 went to Professor Poul Erik Morthorst from DTU Management Engineering for his extraordinary work in gas development research.
Professor Poul Erik Morhost was presented with the Danish Gas Award for 2017 for his extraordinary work in the research project Future Gas which brings together industry and researchers across several European countries. The project examines how the Danish gas system can be best utilized in Denmark’s transition towards becoming a fossil fuel-free society.
In his capacity as Deputy Board Chairman of the Danish Gas Technology Centre Anders Vikkelsø explained the Centre’s justification for making the award:
“In 2014, on Poul Erik Morthorst’s initiative, the gas sector and DTU, sought to jointly define and apply for a research project intended to identify the gas and energy systems of the future. After two years’ work, Innovation Fund Denmark granted funding for a temporary four-year project called Future Gas. Future Gas ensures coordinated research and development across the gas sector and one of its chief objectives is to analyse how we can use gas in the future to ensure maximum benefit for society.”
Joining forces across research and industry
The Future Gas project brings together researchers from the Netherlands, the UK, Italy, and Sweden. Together with the gas industry, the goal is to find economic and effective solutions that make gas a viable alternative to fossil fuels—including how we promote the transition to biogas.
“We are working along several professional tracks. DTU’s contribution is primarily within systems analysis, where we are trying to refine models for the entire gas system which take into account the distribution and purchase and sale between countries, storage, green technologies, coherence with electricity and the district heating system, and—of course—how we use the gas in the smartest possible way,” says Poul Erik, who is proud to have received the gas award.
Gas as part of the green transformation
Gas can be used as a source of energy in industry, for CHP—but also as fuel in the transport sector The advantage of gas is, among other things, that the gas infrastructure already exists in Denmark with pipes in the ground and storage facilities, but there are still several challenges that need to be addressed before gas can be used in the green transformation.
“One of the challenges is quality. You can’t just replace natural gas with biogas, which is why, among other things, the project is examining how we can upgrade biogas to natural gas quality in an efficient and financially sound way—but we’re also looking at when it’s most appropriate to use biogas directly,” says Poul Erik.
The Future Gas project is supported—among others—by Innovation Fund Denmark and will run until 2020.
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https://www.dtu.dk/english/news/2017/06/dtu-professor-receives-danish-gas-award?id=ac3c5866-249e-4686-ac71-55b5a68b8813
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Some of the models during the event.|EastMojo Image
Leading model Amrita Dutta to be ‘Face of Preview S3’
Season 3 of Preview started with an interactive session in Guwahati where some leading professionals from industry met for one-to-one discussion on the event.
Ananya Bhattacharjee
Guwahati: Leading model and winner of Mrs West Asia Universe and Mrs Universe Fabulous, Amrita Dutta, will be the “Face of Preview” this time as the third season of the event kicked off with an interactive session at Guwahati Institute of Fashion Technology (GIFT), where some of the leading professionals from fashion industry met for one-to-one discussion on the event.
Fashion to me is comfort, says actress Sanya Malhotra
The third season of the event, Preview S3, will be held in the month of June. Designers and models from the industry came in for the interactive session where they had a discussion on crucial aspects of the upcoming show like vision, perspective and awareness. The Preview show, which started out in the year 2017, is eagerly looking forward to its third line-up. This season, the event is aimed at appreciating women’s participation in the handloom sector and recognizing the efforts of the weavers who also pay an equally important role in the process. The founders, designer Paplee Gogoi and Deepjyoti Baishya, have roped in Amrita Dutta, Mrs West Asia Universe and Mrs Universe Fabulous as the “Face of Preview” for this season.
“The interactive session we conducted was to share opinions, ideas about how the Preview event can be made a successful one. Preview is not about quantity, it is about quality. Designers are welcomed to showcase their creations and exhibit at the Preview store we will launch later this year,” said Paplee Gogoi, manager and co-founder, Preview.
Karisma Kapoor wins hearts in Assamese ‘mekhela chador’ at LMIFW
“Preview was not conceived as a fashion show, but was conceptualised as a store where upcoming designers and existing designers will be able to exhibit their designs for the audience. There are many designers who cannot afford to open up a boutique, Preview will be platform for them. Before opening up of the store, we decided to conduct a fashion show to let the people know about the concept. This is how the Preview event came into being,” stated Deepjyoti Baishya, co-founder and creative head, Preview.
The interactive session held on Saturday also witnessed the presence of designers like Kamal Lochan Borah, Sangita Kalita, Pratishruti Baruah, Madhumita Sarmah, Ankita Choudhury Mahanta, Moushumi Borah, Kalyani Das and Jahnabi Swargiyari.
Amrita DuttaMrs West Asia UniverseMrs Universe FabulousGuwahati Institute of Fashion TechnologyPreview S3
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BASEBALL: Potters extend Pekin’s losing streak
By Steve SteinTimes Correspondent
It doesn’t appear the defending Class 3A state champion Morton baseball team has lost any of its momentum from last season.
The Potters pounded Pekin 14-2 Monday in a Mid-Illini Conference game at Harry Anderson Field that lasted just six innings because of the run rule.
It was the fourth straight loss for the Dragons (3-4, 0-3), who opened the season with three impressive wins.
“We need to learn to forget that we won three in a row or lost four in a row and move on to the next game,” said Pekin coach Larry Davis. “Good teams do that.”
Morton had 12 hits off three Pekin pitchers. including starter Evan Pogioli, who allowed seven runs and seven hits in 2 2/3 innings.
“Evan wasn’t able to hit his spots like he did in his solid outing last week against Dunlap,” Davis said.
Zach Peak had an RBI single and Max Jones drove in a run with a groundout for Pekin and Ethan Sullivan had two hits.
Nick Guerra was the winning pitcher for Morton (10-1, 3-0). He went five innings, giving up two runs and three hits.
Ashton Holcomb led the Potters’ attack. He went 4-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and three runs scored.
Steve Stein can be reached at (248) 224-2616 or stevestein21@yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpartanSteve.
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Using edge platforms to streamline and secure data delivery
June 18, 2019 //By Rich Pell
Cloud service provider Akamai Technologies (Cambridge, MA) has introduced a solution that it says leverages its edge platform to streamline and secure the delivery of data to IoT connected devices and in-application messaging at scale.
The IoT Edge Cloud , says the company, is designed to serve the needs of businesses bringing billions of endpoints online as part of the IoT connected device revolution and further boost the adoption and power of in-application messaging.
"Akamai is investing to extend its network capabilities with the goal of meeting the unique needs of the growing IoT device and application messaging markets," says Craig Adams, senior vice president and general manager, Web Performance and Security, Akamai Technologies. "Delivering massive amounts of data across the globe securely is in Akamai's DNA. We are focused on developing technology designed to scale, simplify and secure the way IoT and application data is delivered to endpoints."
IoT Edge Connect, the newest product in the Edge Cloud solution line, enables real-time messaging and reliability to millions of IoT and application endpoints. With IoT Edge Connect, both resource-constrained IoT devices and applications using MQTT for messaging can send or publish information about a given topic to a server that functions as an MQTT message broker.
With IoT Edge Connect, says the company, developers can enable low-latency interactions with millions of endpoints and process data in real-time. Users of the service can reduce network, compute, and database build out, reduce security breaches, and improve manageability, avoiding the need to develop and maintain proprietary and costly IoT and in-app messaging networks.
"Akamai believes that we are offering the next generation of messaging with scalability, operational simplicity and security, providing a turn-key solution that allows customers to focus on their core business rather than integrating and managing discrete but necessary components for messaging," says Lior Netzer, vice president and CTO, IoT, Akamai. "With the launch of IoT Edge Connect, we're harnessing the power of the Edge and bringing it to the next frontier of connected devices and applications."
Akamai Technologies
Microsoft, Dell team on IoT edge-to-cloud solution
Amazon AWS boosts IoT clout with slew of
Less cables in your car - safe driving with in-vehicle wireless charging
HCC Embedded adds distributors in France, Turkey
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The Wicked Player Piano
By Fred von Lohmann
When considering what to make of the recording industry's current rants against peer-to-peer file sharing software, it may help to remember how the record industry got its start -- by pirating the works of famous American songwriters. Consider this article, written by John Philip Sousa in 1906:
"I foresee a marked deterioration in American music and musical taste, an interruption in the musical development of the country, and a host of other injuries to music in its artistic manifestations, by virtue -- or rather by vice -- of the multiplication of the various music-reproducing machines."
"[F]or the life of me I am puzzled to know why the powerful corporations controlling these playing and talking machines are so totally blind to the moral and ethical questions involved. Could anything be more blamable, as a matter of principle, than to take an artist's composition, reproduce it a thousandfold on their machines, and deny him all participation in the large financial returns...?"
He was complaining about player pianos, the genesis technology for the recorded music industry.
Sousa's fix? He supported a bill introduced in Congress on June 6, 1906 that would have amended the Copyright Act to give copyright owners like Sousa a monopoly over all machines capable of reproducing sound.
Specifically, the bill proposed that "the copyright secured by this Act shall include the sole and exclusive right to make, sell, distribute, or let for hire any device, contrivance, or appliance especially adapted in any manner whatsoever to reproduce to the ear the whole or any material part of any work published and copyrighted after this Act shall have gone into effect, or by means of any such device or appliance publicly to reproduce to the ear the whole or any material part of such work."
Fortunately for the American public and the nascent recording industry, Congress chose a different path, adopting a compulsory license that ensured that composers receive fair compensation -- and without squelching innovation.
The kicker is that recording industry has been taking advantage of this compulsory license from song-writers ever since (the compulsory license is now Section 115 of the Copyright Act).
Makes the RIAA's attacks on compulsory licensing -- and voluntary collective licensing, EFF's preferred solution -- ring more than a bit hollow.
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Liquid Jade: The Story of Tea from East to West
By Beatrice Hohenegger
Cooking : Beverages - Coffee & Tea | Cooking : History | History : Social History | History : World - General
Traveling from East to West over thousands of years, tea has played a variety of roles on the world scene - in medicine, politics, the arts, culture, and religion. Behind this most serene of beverages, idolized by poets and revered in spiritual practices, lie stories of treachery, violence, smuggling, drug trade, international espionage, slavery, and revolution.
Liquid Jade's rich narrative history explores tea in all its social and cultural aspects. Entertaining yet informative and extensively researched, Liquid Jade tells the story of western greed and eastern bliss. China first used tea as a remedy. Taoists celebrated tea as the elixir of immortality. Buddhist Japan developed a whole body of practices around tea as a spiritual path. Then came the traumatic encounter of the refined Eastern cultures with the first Western merchants, the trade wars, the emergence of the ubiquitous English East India Company. Scottish spies crisscrossed China to steal the secrets of tea production. An army of smugglers made fortunes with tea deliveries in the dead of night. In the name of "free trade" the English imported opium to China in exchange for tea. The exploding tea industry in the eighteenth century reinforced the practice of slavery in the sugar plantations. And one of the reasons why tea became popular in the first place is that it helped sober up the English, who were virtually drowning in alcohol. During the nineteenth century, the massive consumption of tea in England also led to the development of the large tea plantation system in colonial India - a story of success for British Empire tea and of untold misery for generations of tea workers.
Liquid Jade also depicts tea's beauty and delights, not only with myths about the beginnings of tea or the lovers' legend in the familiar blue-and-white porcelain willow pattern, but also with a rich and varied selection of works of art and historical photographs, which form a rare and comprehensive visual tea record. The book includes engaging and lesser-known topics, including the exclusion of women from seventeenth-century tea houses or the importance of water for tea, and answers such questions as: "What does a tea taster do?" "How much caffeine is there in tea?" "What is fair trade tea?" and "What is the difference between black, red, yellow, green, or white tea?"
Connecting past and present and spanning five thousand years, Beatrice Hohenegger's captivating and multilayered account of tea will enhance the experience of a steaming "cuppa" for tea lovers the world over.
Liquid Jade: The Story of Tea from East to West ePub (Adobe DRM) can be read on any device that can open ePub (Adobe DRM) files.
Beatrice Hohenegger
The World in the Curl: An Unconventional History of Surfing
Peter Neushul & Peter Westwick
Ames Family History and Genealogy
Douglas M. Dubrish
Hubris: The Tragedy of War in the Twentieth Century
What's Tha Up To?: Memories of a Yorkshire Bobby
Martyn Johnson
Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and The Dawn of the Modern Woman
Sam Wasson
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Norwegian group claims world’s first seabed energy storage technology
Norwegian research scientists claim to have devised the technology that will make it possible to store energy on the seabed for later use in an electrical power grid. Their announcement comes on top of a similar announcement from a Toronto company, backed by the MaRS Cleantech Fund, which is working to bring the same concept to market. The main difference between the two techniques is that the Toronto group’s model works by using compressed air, while the Norwegian model uses the difference in pressure between the surface and the seabed.
The German inventor and founder of Subhydro AS says that his concept makes use of the enormous energy potential that exists in the weight of the seawater. As an example of the force, he used the opening of a submarine hatch. “The water will flow into the submarine with enormous force. It is precisely this energy potential we want to utitilze.”
Acknowledging that “many people” have worked on the idea of storing energy by exploiting the pressure of the seabed, Rainer Schramm claims that “we are the first in the world to apply a specific patent-pending technology to make this possible.”
The work is being done at SINTEF, a research facility with experts in energy generation, materials technology and deep-water technology. The process they describe converts the mechanical energy of the water pressure at the seabed by a “reversible pump turbine” as is used in a regular hydroelectric plant. The turbine is fitted with a valve; when the valve is opened, water flows in and turns the turbine, which drives a generator to produce electricity. The number of turbines connected together is potentially limitless. The greater the number of tanks connected, the more electricity they can generate.
The deeper the turbines are placed, the better they work, as the pressure will be greater. The greater the pressure difference between the sea surface and the seabed, the more energy is stored in a single tank.
As each water tank fills with water, the turbine must be run in reverse to empty the tanks, meaning that the tank functions as a pump. While the process of emptying the tanks consumes energy, Schramm says that the degree of electric storage efficiency is approximately 80 per cent.
The Toronto version of water-pressurized energy storage uses pressurized air stored in large receptacles on the seabed. When the stored energy of the compressed air is required, the air is pumped to the surface by means of the water pressure, where it drives an “expander” that generates electricity.
Construction industry will boom in Northern Ontario, GTA: report
Thousands of construction workers needed but interest low among young
Calgary tech company says radio frequency oil extraction tests were successful
GE Aviation opens new robotics facility in Quebec
Bombardier to hit business jet targets: aiming for US$8.5 billion annually by 2020
US could be free of non-North American oil by 2020
100,000 watt laser firing 10,000 pulses per second would "deorbit" tons of dangerous space debris
Flying car maker looking for first orders for its sports car/gyrocopter PAL-V
World's largest twin engine Airbus A350-1000 passes extreme weather tests for hot weather above 40 degrees celsius
Manufacturing sales rose sharply in some sectors in January: Statistics Canada
Bombardier CSeries finally flies the skies of Paris
Most important auto tech of all: safety. 2017's safest cars according to IIHS and a quick look back at 1959
Transportation workers urge quick response to Lac-Megantic report
Shed a tear for science? University researchers in Ireland harvest electricity from tears
Diesel Outlook Not So Grim, Says GM Executive
Bombardier Competitor Comes to Toronto
Rapid growth of solar power a challenge for utilities
Manufacturers and employers win with new Labour rules in Ontario; jobs did increase 17,600 in January 2019
Technicians, technologists enjoy good jobs prospects, higher than average earnings
US resumes exports of LNG
Magna unveils newest concept car, posts strong Q4 profits
Containment system can trap offshore oil leaks, protect environment
Bankrupt hockey skate manufacturer bought by Canadian investors
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True Detective Fans Are Convinced They Know the Killer's Identity
Here is Season Three's most passionately debated theory.
By Matt Miller
At this point, considering there have been no major breaks in this case after five episodes, anyone could be the killer in True Detective Season Three. And, if you look over at the True Detective subreddit, you'll see a lot of theories that Amelia—Wayne Hays's wife—is the real killer.
This theory first emerged early in the season when Amelia and Hays are on their first date back in 1980. During their dinner, she begins at one point to say: "The way they put Will... Like you said about the toys, it shows care." But she quickly changes the subject. As fans have pointed out, it appears that she stopped herself because Hays hadn't yet shared with her the information about how Will's body was placed when he was found.
Listen to the Pivotal Phone Call on True Detective
There's One Big Clue In 'True Detective' Episode 4
As the season has progressed, fans have latched onto this theory, applying it to every other piece of evidence—no matter how small. Some fans think that Hays actually botched the case intentionally because he found evidence that implicated his wife. They argue that his knowledge of her involvement is what causes the tension in their marriage and explains her obsession with writing about the case—including how she has so many private details in the book. In Episode Five, Hays reads her book for the first time and finds a quote from Lucy Purcell that comes directly from the mysterious ransom note.
But, as passionate as the Amelia Truthers are, there's an opposite movement of fans online proving that it couldn't possibly be Hays's wife behind the murder. Take for example, this user, who put together a number of quotes about Season Three that seem to explain why they wouldn't possibly make Amelia the killer.
Another reading of the first five episodes goes as far to say that Amelia not only had no involvement with the murder, but she's in fact the real True Detective here:
Amelia seems to be the one shut down again and again when it comes to her ideas about the case. I know we take Wayne's side that she is voyeur and excited about something he wants to move on from. But she is the one who finds the little boy to recognize the dolls. She is the one who asks whether or not Julie's fingerprints were behind the counter. She is the one mentions the feeling of affection for Will in how he was laid to rest. She even says during dinner if they have looked for Julie at a women's shelter. Yet she is shut down and shut out. Wayne doesn't even read her book.
I feel like Amelia is NOT in on the murders or connected. I feel like she is the true detective in this story and we can't see it because we are so enamored with Wayne and Roland, so invested in them solving and figuring out this case. I even feel like the connection between Wayne and Amelia (and they are connected, holding hands, finding space to love each other despite the difficulties) is because they see this laser focus and this tracking ability in each other. Notice how she watches him, just as intensely as he initially watches her. And there's a parallel in how she mistakes and pushes too far with Lucy Purcell and how Wayne pushes too far with Tom.
I think its wrong to characterize her as suspicious. In Season 1, who ended up being the real catalyst between Marty and Rust? Maggie. And Maggie showed that she like Rust and Marty could refrain from telling the whole truth about what happened in the past. I think we are missing the subtlties of the story and unfairly casting Amelia in negative light. And wouldn't be deeply ironic if we found out the Wayne left the force to save his marriage because he couldn't solve the case, when what he needed (to work with Amelia) was right there all along?
That's a pretty cool reading of the story, one that really highlights what a jealous, incompetent asshole Hays has been through all of this.
But for anyone looking to really put this theory to bed, there's one quote from creator Nic Pizzolatto on Instagram that directly addresses Amelia's guilt. A fan asks how Amelia knew how Will's body was positioned when he was found. Pizzolatto responds:
He mentioned it broadly to her; that Will was laid in a cave and posed as if at peace. The exact line got cut for time. Not a slip up! She's a good person!
Seems pretty clear to me. But then again, this show is full of red herrings everywhere else.
Matt Miller Culture Editor Matt is the Culture Editor at Esquire where he covers music, movies, books, and TV—with an emphasis on all things Star Wars, Marvel, and Game of Thrones.
More From True Detective
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True Detective Sneakily Revealed Its True Villain
The True Detective Twist Proves the Theories Right
True Detective Has Another Callback to Season One
'True Detective' Turns the Investigation Onto Hays
Here's the Best 'True Detective' Theory So Far
This Is the Likely Identity of the Killer on 'True Detective' Season 2
Mahershala Ali To Star in True Detective Season 3
The 'True Detective' Season 3 Timeline Explained
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Daily Byte: Friday, December 21, 2018
Frederick Reese December 21, 2018 5:58 PM
Facebook reportedly pursuing stablecoin, pro-crypto Congressmen seek to change securities laws, and Chinese financial news organizations take on plagiarism.
Bloomberg: Facebook Developing Cryptocurrency for WhatsApp
In recent months, the crypto community has watched with bated breath as Facebook revved up its crypto strategy – first with the hiring of blockchain engineers and developers and then feeding the speculation that the social media giant may be developing a cryptocurrency.
As it turned out, the rumors surrounding Facebook were not just hype, at least according to the anonymous sources cited in a report by Bloomberg. Facebook, they say, is working on a stablecoin. The coin is currently only in the strategy plan, with Facebook working on a plan for custody assets – the real-world assets that will be held as collateral to back the cryptocurrency.
In May, David Marcus, formerly of PayPal, became the head of Facebook's blockchain initiative. Facebook will reportedly focus on the remittance market in India, where users can send payments in the cryptocurrency using messaging app WhatsApp, owned by Facebook.
"Like many other companies, Facebook is exploring ways to leverage the power of blockchain technology," a company spokesman said in a statement, per Bloomberg. "This new small team is exploring many different applications. We don't have anything further to share."
US Lawmakers to Consider Changing Securities Rules to Exclude Crypto
If two representatives have their way, Congress will vote to remove cryptocurrency from the US definition of a security.
The "Token Taxonomy Act" – introduced by Representatives Warren Davidson (R-OH) and Darren Soto (D-FL) – would amend the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to define "digital tokens" and "[clarify] that securities laws do not apply to companies that use blockchain once they reach their goal of becoming a functional network."
The SEC currently uses the Howey Test to determine if coins should be treated as securities. While Davidson and Soto want to change that, the bill is more a signal of intent from the representatives, both of whom have recently introduced other crypto legislation: If not taken up today, the last day Congress is likely still in session, it will have to be reintroduced next year.
Chinese Media Alliance to Use Blockchain for Copyright Protection
Chinese state-owned news outlet International Finance News is reporting that a media copyright protection alliance has been established using blockchain. The Beijing-based group – the China Financial Media Copyright Protection Alliance – will include more than 30 financial media outlets, such as China Business News and Beijing Business Daily.
The alliance will use blockchain to "to provide original authentication and copyright protection for original works." The technology would embed a "DNA" identifier in alliance members' articles, and the platform will be able to trace copied articles to the original, regardless of where they are published online.
This effectively creates a check against online plagiarism, providing both a detection system and an evidence-gathering device for the publishing firms.
Have a Merry Christmas. We will be back Wednesday with your Daily Byte.
Frederick Reese
Frederick Reese is a politics and cryptocurrency reporter based in New York. He is also a former teacher, an early adopter of bitcoin and Litecoin, and an enthusiast of all things geeky and nerdy.
Like what you read? Follow us on Twitter @ETHNews_ to receive the latest Daily Byte, Facebook stablecoin or other Ethereum world news.
Daily Byte
Facebook stablecoin
Facebook blockchain
Token Taxonomy Act
Warren Davidson
Darren Soto
Securities Act of 1933
China Financial Media Copyright Protection Alliance
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Maks Chmerkovskiy and Vanessa Lachey Hug After 'DWTS' Rehearsal Following Reported Feud -- See the Pic!
By Jennifer Drysdale 2:39 PM PDT, October 7, 2017
instagram.com/maksimc
Maks Chmerkovskiy and Vanessa Lachey are hugging it out.
The Dancing With the Stars partners were photographed in an embrace after leaving rehearsal in Los Angeles on Saturday, following their reported feud.
Splash News
Chmerkovskiy apologized to Lachey on Twitter on Wednesday after he skipped Monday night's DWTS due to what co-host Erin Andrews called a "personal issue." A source later told ET that he actually refused to rehearse with Lachey earlier in the week, forcing Alan Bersten to fill in for him.
As you are all aware, I had to leave the show last week to take care of some personal issues. I take full responsibility for my absence....
— Maksim Chmerkovskiy (@MaksimC) October 4, 2017
.... and want to apologize to my partner Vanessa. We are both looking forward to dancing for our fans next week!
RELATED: Maksim Chmerkovskiy Apologizes to Vanessa Lachey For 'DWTS' Absence: 'I Take Full Responsibility'
According to ET's source, however, switching partners permanently isn't an option.
"The producers wouldn't switch partners because two people aren’t getting along, it’s just par for the course," the source said. "Drama is expected and part of the show. When you train with someone for so many hours so intensely, tensions can run high -- for better or worse. In this case, the intensity led to bickering."
"He realizes that he messed up," the source claimed. "Vanessa isn’t afraid to stand up to him. She’s a very strong woman."
See more in the video below.
'DWTS' Drama! Will Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Vanessa Lachey Switch Partners Following Reported Feud?
Vanessa Lachey
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Sport / Dundee United
Queen of the South boss Gary Naysmith ‘surprised’ to sign Fraser Aird from Dundee United
by Stephen Eighteen
Fraser Aird
Sign up to our Sport newsletter
Dundee United midfielder Fraser Aird has joined fellow Championship side Queen of the South.
Aird was a key player for United earlier in the season, contributing three goals and 12 assists in 22 games, but has fallen out of favour since Robbie Neilson took the reins.
The 23-year-old Canadian has gone to Dumfries on loan until the end of the season.
Queen of the South boss Gary Naysmith said: “I am delighted and also a little surprised that we have managed to bring Fraser to the club.
“With Dundee United changing their manager recently and Robbie wanting to bring in his own players, Fraser has found himself on the outside looking in in recent weeks and once we thought we had a chance of getting him we moved quickly to add him to the squad.
“He is only 23 and is a current Canadian international, who was in outstanding form for Dundee United earlier in the season.
“He has three goals and twelve assists from 19 games this season and is someone who will add another dimension to our attacking threat.
“Fraser is comfortable playing on either wing, he has a lot of experience for someone his age having played over 150 games for Rangers, Vancouver, Dunfermline, Falkirk and Dundee United as well as having eight caps for Canada.”
Gary Naysmith
Robbie Neilson
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Football rumours from the media
Dundee woman who claimed more than £22k in benefits and told DWP she was single dodges jail term
Dundee mum of tragic 11-year-old girl killed by two Rottweilers insists reform is needed
Prostitute and partner face jail for robbing Dundee man and threatening to cut his penis off
Dundee creep who attacked and exposed himself to kids at park is bailed prior to sentencing
Dundee taxi boss defends ‘headhunting’ city drivers using personal information from council
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Faces of EVE University: Jilokari Kurvora
The Faces of EVE University are colorful and intriguing. With this interview series we want to bring to light some of the personalities that make up the staff of our alma mater, who tirelessly work to the advancement of learning.
For this installment of our series we sat down to talk to our Director of Human Resources: Jilokari Kurvora. He enlightens us about how he became a director, what his work entails and how the departments he oversees work together.
Hideo Date: For those who don’t know you, who are you and what do you do in New Eden and in EVE University in particular?
Jilokari Kurvora: I am Jilokari Kurvora, Jilo to my friends (pronounced GeeLo). I’ve been alive since 8th November 2014, I am a Wormhole Dweller, and love to do solo exploration especially because I never know where I’ll end up. In EVE University I am the Director of Human Resources overseeing and setting policies for the the Recruitment, Orientation, Mentor, and Titles Departments.
Hideo: How did you start off playing EVE and how did you become part of the Uni?
Jilokari: Well I did try to get into EVE earlier, but my PC wasn’t really up to the challenge. I was always really inspired by the videos for EVE Online, the whole pioneer spirit of the game and I was especially drawn to the sandbox element. All those unscripted player generated actions and impacts fascinated me. So when I finally got myself a decent gaming PC in November 2014, I downloaded EVE online and chose a Caldari character (Who doesn’t love a bit of space capitalism). Off I went into the cold hard space only to get blown up in a ball of fire 3 jumps from the starter system. After a few days in game I came across EVE Uni, thought this is the place for me and never looked back.
Hideo: Could you tell us a bit about how you managed to climb the ranks to the heights of Director of HR?
Jilokari: I’m a highly qualified assassin and I got better shoes out of it.
But seriously, since you asked nicely Hideo, I actually started off my EVE Career by becoming a Personnel Officer. I mainly did it because I was fascinated on the inner workings of Corporations in EVE, specifically how they reflected real life, just with more spreadsheets. From there I became a Senior Personnel Officer, I’m told in the fastest time ever for a promotion, so I must have done something right. A few months passed and the opportunity arose for me to move into Personnel Management. First as Assistant Manager then Personnel Manager, which I thoroughly enjoyed because my PO’s and SPO’s are awesome guys and gals. In 2018 I was honored to be asked to become Director of Personnel, a role which I only held for a few months before stepping into Director of HR when our last Director of HR, Dune Barphsaq, stepped down.
Hideo: So as you are newly inducted into the role of HR Director you must have a pretty fresh view on things. Could you give us a glimpse into your daily workload?
Jilokari: Well at the moment it’s quite busy, as Director of Personnel I had two departments under me, Personnel and Orientation. At the moment I haven’t backfilled the Managers in those departments so I’m doing the daily manager tasks, such as monitoring the queue levels, answering questions of officers and members, and keeping the departments records up to date. I also check into all the slacks to see what the conversation is across the Uni and try to keep up to date. You can also usually find me trawling through the forum, keeping up to date on developments there. In addition to that I’m getting to know my other departments, Titles and Mentors, reviewing feedback and looking for ways that we can make the service we offer better for our members.
Hideo: Your Directorate in particular seems to have a lot of varied departments under it, how does it all fit together in your mind?
Jilokari: A great question! I think the simplest way to look at it is my Directorate inducts, orientates, supports, and marks progression of Members in the University. We are the first people they interact with when joining and a constant presence as they progress.
Hideo: How is the relationship between the departments?
Jilokari: It’s all about the relationship for me! I’m a massive people person, and I think that some of our best work gets done when we all work together as a single unit. Each of my departments impacts on the other in some way, whether that be Personnel creating work for Orientation, Orientation driving titles or mentor applications, it’s all interconnected. Do I think we have it nailed just yet? No, but I do know that the folks of the HR directorate are awesome and we have begun to make small changes to improve communication between the departments, which can only serve to improve the members experience.
Hideo: How do you keep track of the different departments?
Jilokari: Well lucky for me I have a great team of Managers and Assistant Managers who keep me updated with what’s happening in their respective areas. Besides that I have the slack channels to keep up to date with the day to day information as well as the awesome portal that our Director of Web Services has been building and I have a tonne of spreadsheets. Seriously I have so many spreadsheets…
Hideo: How did you handle the change over from Manager to Director? I assume the time you need to put in now is much increased?
Jilokari: There is certainly a lot more to be aware of, and an increased sense of responsibility. I’ve definitely seen an increase in the amount of time I spend looking through the forum, discussions on slack, actions like removing inactive members, and applying in game titles etc. It can sometimes feel like a second job, but I wouldn’t change it for the world! One of the more interesting things for me is trying to become more visible to members. Gone are the days when I could just not log on for a few days because I felt like it, or stick purely to exploration. As a Director I think there is an expectation from our members that I be seen participating, which is great, but just as an advanced warning to our members and FC’s: beware my PvP foo is not strong.
Hideo: You’ve already made a few internal changes as well as introduce a significant change to the titles within EVE Uni. You also were quite busy with the recent introduction of the new EVE Uni Portal. Would you care to elaborate on what has happened so far during your tenure?
Jilokari: Oh I think you pretty much covered it there. We are still in the process of rolling out our new University Portal which is looking awesome and will make life so much easier. I stepped into the role fresh off the back of the Uni wide survey, and it was clear that there were areas that our members felt we could evolve and I agreed! I’d say the biggest changes were allowing alpha clones to apply for the Freshman progression title, and allowing members who returned to the Uni or swapped their character to transfer any progression title they held over. We have lots of good ideas on where we can take the HR Departments in the future so watch this space.
Hideo: Is there pressure from students, prospective members, or upper management to shift the bureaucratic nature of EVE Uni’s recruitment either way? If so, how do you balance your own goals and vision for the department with those outside perspectives?
Jilokari: Internally I don’t see there being any pressure really, we can get a bad rep externally sometimes though. I think EVE Uni’s recruitment process is a bit like marmite. (the food – if you can even call it that, not the alliance) Some people love it, some people hate it. Ultimately it is there to ensure that someone is right for us and we are right for them. When I first joined the Uni it was almost a 2 week wait, now on average it takes 4 days from application to accept for an applicant with an average wait time of 4 hours in our queue. Do I think we can improve on the process? Sure and it’s something that I will be looking at closely. I’d also point out that while people are waiting to join they can still take advantage of our Wiki, and our classes which are both publicly available.
Hideo: The introduction of officers dedicated to orientation is a relatively recent addition to HR. Has the program been as successful as management hoped?
Jilokari: I wouldn’t call Orientation new really, it is the youngest of our Departments and I would say they have done an amazing job! The challenge we have as a teaching corp is that we share so much information it is too easy for our new members to get lost. Orientation helps to focus a player on some specifics that may be useful for them based on the play style and interaction they have had with our community at 7 and 28 days, making it a little bit easier to assimilate into Uni life. I think it’s also important that we balance that out though, because EVE is a harsh game, and people need to learn how to be somewhat self sufficient. To quote my bio “Education is not the training of facts but the training of the mind to think!”
Hideo: How do you personally see the importance of mentors for the experience new players in EVE University get?
Jilokari: Oh I think mentors are really important for newer players. EVE is such a complex and varied game, I regularly come across applicants who want to learn everything. Mentors can help hone their knowledge and help them get more out of this wonderful game. I think that Mentors contribute highly to people sticking around and not getting burnt out or frustrated. I wish we had more Mentors.
Hideo: What would you say is the biggest hurdle EVE University, and your directorate in particular, will have to overcome in the next year?
Jilokari: Honestly, the biggest hurdle for the HR Directorate is staffing. We have some amazing people who do great work but people move on, find other interests which means we are always recruiting. I am passionate about keeping our wait times for interview and titles low, as well as having mentors to spare. I also want the HR Staff to actually enjoy EVE and not have to spend all their time doing space admin, so yeah, we need to keep a good flow of new staff.
Hideo: Well that’s it for my questions so far. Do you have anything else you want to talk about or any closing statements?
Jilokari: Thank you for the opportunity to discuss the HR Directorate, I would say that my door is always open so if anyone needs or want to raise anything about the HR Directorate they can contact me wether in Slack or via forum message.
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Faces of EVE University: Seamus Donohue
For this installment of our series we sat down to talk to one of our valued teachers and EVE Uni veteran: Seamus Donohue. Famous for his educational videos, especially his signature series “How to survive EVE Online”. He recently redid the whole series and improved it for the 2018 experience! He also finished up a new series on the Sisters of EVE epic arc “The Blood Stained Stars”
As part of the EVE University faculty he is also known for his encyclopedic knowledge. Every week he hosts a game mechanics Q&A on our public mumble and answers questions about any topic pertaining to EVE. Six years ago he started his first iteration of “How to survive EVE Online” and since then he has made countless videos about a huge range of topics. Always focused on clear and concise information understandable by even the most inexperienced EVE player.
How to Survive EVE Online
Hideo Date: Thank you very much for taking the time, it is much appreciated!
Seamus Donohue: Not a problem! Glad to be here!
Hideo: For those who don’t know you, who are you and what do you do in EVE in general and in EVE University in particular?
Seamus: I am Seamus Donohue. I’m a High Security missionrunner and incursionrunner, and I’m also a member of the Education Department at EVE University. I teach a regular “Game Mechanics Q&A” session, and I produce YouTube videos on behalf of EVE University, most notably my “How to Survive EVE Online” series which introduces EVE Online gameplay to people who have never seen the game, before. (Very similar to Paul Soarez Junior’s “How to Survive Minecraft” series, which is what inspired me years ago.)
Hideo: Was that the only push you needed to start up your signature series? Did you just always want to make videos on EVE?
Seamus: That was the push, yes. Back in 2011, some fellow Unistas were starting to play Minecraft (which was new at the time), so I was starting to look into whether or not I wanted to buy the game. At the time, minecraft.net had Paul Soarez Junior’s videos linked on their page, and after watching the 23 episodes that existed at the time, I decided “Yes, I want to play Minecraft!” I’ve been playing that off and on ever since. But almost immediately afterwards, it got the idea into my head that I could make a similar series for EVE Online.
Hideo: That is wonderful! Now that you redone your original series and updated it for 2018, what are your plans moving forward?
Seamus: I’m trying to get back into making videos on a regular basis, again. As a personal effort (separate from the University), I’m also expanding into instructional videos about other games. So, my most recent videos are about how to visit the Voyager 1, Voyager 2, and new Horizons ancient probes in Elite: Dangerous (not a trivial task). But, I’m also working on a video explaining turret mathematics in EVE Online. [Editor’s note: That video was uploaded after this interview was conducted, and can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEWJMHkK7fc ]
Teaching in EVE University
Hideo: You are not only known for your videos, but as you stated earlier you are also part of our faculty, how did you become a teacher in EVE University originally?
Seamus: Let me think. [pause] I started the game early September 2009, during Apocrypha, and first joined E-UNI just before the end of that same month. I think I joined the faculty in 2010.
Around that time, I had been acting as a defensive scout/picket for E-UNI daytripping fleets in wormhole space, scanning down sites to run and being on the lookout for other players who might try to ambush us. After some small number of months doing that, I created (and started teaching) a “Scouting in Wormhole Space” class, based on my experiences.
When I started actually teaching that first session is when I was surprise-inducted into the Education Department by Deirdre Vaal, then Director of Education. I’ve been a member of the department ever since. I was actually surprised to learn, recently, that I’ve been with E-UNI for 60% of it’s history.
Hideo: It seems that you build your vast knowledge very much from personal, hands-on experience. Is that the case for all of it? Especially with regards to your Q&A session where you answer questions about any and all topics.
Seamus: Part of it is hands-on experience. Part of it is taking the time, over years, to browse the different item types in the Market (because the Market almost doubles as an encyclopedia of item types in the game) and the different skills available in the Character Sheet. [stops to think further]
The rest is stuff I’ve learned from other Unistas secondhand, for the most part. I’ve only very rarely been in player-sovereign space, and never involved in sovereignty battles, for example. I don’t usually go on PvP roams, though I’ve been on a couple of Dragonslayer operations and a wormhole POS bash. Things like that.
Hideo: Alright. What do you find interesting or appealing about doing your Q&A sessions?
Seamus: When I started the sessions, it was just a formalized form of what I had already been doing in the Mumble: answering questions that sometimes come up. So, it was a natural extension of my existing EVE Online activity.
Hideo: So I am sure you are constantly giving players much appreciated information and advice. But I am going to put you on the spot: If you could give new players one piece of advice, what would it be?
Seamus: Do I go with the standard that everyone always gets? Don’t fly what you cannot afford to lose? Always important. But new players will be likely to hear that from someone pretty quickly. So I think I’ll go with an equally important piece of advice, which might be less commonly heard:
Experiment around a little bit, see what you like doing in-game. Then find a group of like-minded players that you can get along with and (very importantly) trust.
Hideo: So to wrap up, I just have a few more questions:
Seamus: Certainly!
The Fanfest Experience
Hideo: Except your teaching experience and your video making, are there any other projects you are currently, or have ever been, involved in with regards to EVE?
Seamus: The only one I can think of was that I once taught an E-UNI class as a FanFest presentation. “A Study of Geometry in EVE Online” I had originally titled it “The Shape of Things That Are”, the joke being that Fanfest was about seeing the shape of things to come. Other than that, I can’t think of anything off the top of my head.
Hideo: Last question, looking at recent events: you actually attended Fanfest together with a delegation of other Unistas this year. I heard quite a few great remarks about your singing at both the karaoke night as well as the wedding ceremony for Irma and Tairon [Editor’s note: here is is a time-stamp on a video where you can actually hear Seamus sing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=823&v=XM7If2z6kQo]. I am curious: do you have any formal training or experience in singing?
Seamus: Experience in singing, yes. “Formal training” depends on how you want to define that. I’m a member of a church choir in Real Life™, and we’re very lucky to have as our choirmaster someone who /also/ works as a professional operatic voice coach. He teaches professional opera singers how to sing. He once told me that I’m what is known as a “serious amateur”.
Hideo: Alright. Then thank you very much for your time. And continue to be the great asset, that you are to the Uni!
Seamus: You’re welcome, and thank you for your effort in organizing and conducting these interviews!
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Fanfest Reflections
This year’s Fanfest was a special one: it was the 15th anniversary of EVE Online and full of amazing announcements! Ranging from quality of life improvements to PI, to a completely new kind of space, with a new faction, ships, as well as weapons.
In the midst of it all were a number of our Unistas. Some of them (Knicpaw and Titus Tallang) even active as official volunteers to make the whole affair smooth sailing.
We asked our attendees to write something about their best memory from Fanfest 2018. Most of them supplied us with some neat tales after our CEO poked them enough. So without further ado, we present to you the stories of our Unistas:
Morphoze
Sophomore, Highsec Campus member:
“The most memorable event at Fanfest 2018 for me was meeting other EVE players and especially the other EVE Uni players. Being able to nerd out about EVE with other people who know what you’re talking about is great and no-one looks at you strangely (most of the time). Have you heard about PI?”
Dunar Dolorgiet
Graduate, Director of Education, omnipresent on all campuses:
“Community once again came together to celebrate, not the game, not the publisher but what they’ve achieved over the years. Not as individual factions in the game but as the community that carries the game and each other.”
Mhzentul Lafarius
Sophomore, Wormhole Campus member:
“During the opening keynote address at the 2018 Eve Fanfest, a new exotic ship came into view cradling in its three-fingered claw-like hull a menacing ball of pulsating energy. Floating weapon turrets unlike any I had seen before came alight shooting a single searing beam of destruction with increasing power. I was hooked. Throughout the conference more details were revealed about the new Triglavian Collective, their ships, where to find them in dangerous unique Abyssal deadspace full of environmental threats and their treasures including mutaplasmids which transform the attributes of modules. I was determined to learn all I could, and seek them out in game as soon as they appeared.“
Seamus Donohue
Graduate, Professor, omnipresent on all campuses:
“I sang Latin for an Amarrian wedding officiated by the Space Pope at FanFest 2018. I met Max a few years ago at one of the FanFests. So, this year, when I heard that he was doing a wedding as The Space Pope, I asked him if he needed someone who could sing Latin. I did a brief audition for him and some of this companions. They immediately thought that I was incredible, and started making arrangements to include me in the wedding procession.”
Edward Audeles
Graduate, Project Solitude officer:
My first Fanfest was awesome from start to finish, and it seems unfair to single out one thing as the best. The various presentations and roundtables were great, but CCP Games Games was as unexpected as it was hilarious, starting out as a cheesy 70’s quizshow and ending up as a Japanese crazyshow. The Party At The Top Of The World with Permaband and Basshunter was a perfect end to it all, with crazy EVE’rs both on stage and on the dancefloor.
However, the thing that truly made Fanfest shine for me was the people. I loved meeting up and hanging out with fellow unistas, as well as having discussions about the weirdest of topics, be it with goons, pirates, industrialists or whoever. It was hard not being a bit starstruck when meeting well-know CCP’ers and major players in the game, and where else can you suddenly discover that the guy you’re chatting with over breakfast is the same guy whose blog you’ve been reading for 3 years?
So, Fanfest – come for the events, but stay for the people, that’ll have to be my biggest takeaway from it all!
Raven Luna
Highsec Campus member:
The most memorable event of Fanfest 2018 for me was getting to participate in the Streamfleet roundtable with CCP Guard and the streamers who literally introduced me to the EVE universe and to EVE University. It gave me a chance to say “thank you” to just a few of the people who work so hard to promote the game.
Knicpaw
Freshman, Nullsec Campus member:
“What is my most memorable event of FF 2018?” It may be cliche to say, but it was VERY MUCH the people. I was also lucky this year that I got to see the event from the point of view of a Volunteer; I was able to meet almost everyone during check-in, and was available to help those who had questions.
Everyone was excited and friendly, and willing to interact with those outside their own group/circle because we have SO MUCH in common (aka Internet Spaceships). Players were “Jove”-vial (pun), telling stories about their best (and most embarrassing) moments, and poking fun at each other while accepting all styles of gameplay. Also, there was A LOT of attempted recruitment.
Personally, I enjoyed the roundtables and player speeches/panels; I learned SO MUCH about ESI and 3rd-Party applications that I think I will forge into that arena with my own app (eventually, as there is a bit of a learning “cliff”).
Reykjavik and Iceland are BEAUTIFUL, and the people are friendly with almost no language barrier. It is the perfect destination for a vacation, and for those who have a spouse/partner, there is plenty for them to do while we capsuleers are nerding-out.
This was my 2nd FF; I knew after my 1st that I wanted to return. I still feel that way; and although there won’t be a 2019 FF, I am eagerly awaiting FF 2020 tickets to go on sale.
Laura Karpinski
CEO of EVE University:
As far as arranged events, the standout ones for me were Elise Randolph and Hedliner’s talk on ‘A History of Fleet Commanders’ – which was one of those things like the ‘This is EVE’ video that just make you go “Wow – I remember why I love this game”, and the CCP Games Games, which had me in stitches. But it was also wonderful to meet up with some of the lovely people I met at last year’s Fanfest and also meet some new people, who I hope to see again at the next one.
Thank you for an amazing Fanfest 2018!
We would like to express our sincerest gratitude to our attendees for holding up the flag of EVE University at Fanfest 2018 and of course to CCP and everyone who made this wonderful event possible!
Next year will have no traditional Fanfest, but you can count on our members showing up at meet-ups all over the world!
We will actually have an EVE University meet of our own in London on June 30th this year, so you can look forward to hearing more about that in the near future.
Faces of EVE University: Laura Karpinski
For our second interview we had the chance to talk with the current CEO of EVE University: Laura Karpinski. She has been CEO for about one year now and gives us an amazing insight into the inner workings of the organisation. She also shares some personal experiences and talks about how she ended up in her leadership role.
How to become CEO
Hideo Date: So first off, thank you very much for taking the time to sit down and talk for a bit!
Laura Karpinski: That’s quite alright.
Hideo: For those who do not know you, could you tell us quickly who you are and what you do in EVE?
Laura: Sure. I’m the CEO of EVE University, which means I set the overall direction for the corporation and try and keep everyone going in that direction. I have a team of Directors who each look after their particular area of the corporation, and I keep in touch with all of them and make sure we are all on the same page.
Hideo: How did you find your way into EVE and then into the Uni?
Laura: My RL ex-boyfriend introduced me to the game. I wasn’t convinced it was the kind of thing I’d enjoy but I figured I’d give it a go. Six years later I’m still here. I joined EVE University because I was overwhelmed by the amount of information and the complexity of the game and I thought it would help me find my feet.
Hideo: So you stumbled into the game like every other player as well, that is kind of comforting. And now you are the CEO of EVE University. How did you end up taking this job?
Laura: I was Director of Operations to the previous CEO Azmodeus Valar for a year before I became CEO. That enabled me to learn the ropes under Azmo’s guidance. It meant that when Azmo decided to step down as CEO I was in a position to step into his shoes.
Hideo: To elaborate on that: What prompted you to take on a leadership role in the Uni in the first place?
Laura: Well it wasn’t what I set out to do. I joined EVE University twice. The first time I didn’t really engage with the community and didn’t learn very much. So the second time around I resolved to do things differently and to get involved as much as I could. That prompted me to apply to first join the staff as a personnel officer. I absolutely loved doing the work and as people moved on I was happy to take on more responsibility. So I became a senior personnel officer, assistant personnel manager, personnel manager, personnel director and ultimately director of human resources before moving to director of operations and then CEO.
Hideo: Looks like a nice career path to follow for aspiring members!
A glimpse into the University
Hideo: Let’s move on to the corporation it self. You kind of answered this in shorthand already, but maybe you want to elaborate: Could you give us a short overview of the structure and procedures in EVE University? And what is the focus of your daily work? A glimpse into the inner workings of the Uni so to speak.
Laura: Sure. So we have 9 Directors who are each responsible for their own area, for example education, logistics, human resources. Most have several departments or campuses that report to them, each headed by a manager. Of those, most departments and campuses also have staff who carry out the day to day work. What that means from a member’s point of view is that we can offer classes, mentors, hangars, ship replacement etc.
For me, my daily work mostly involves reading things. I try and keep an eye on all our Slack channels, chat channels and what is going on on the forum. I am the ultimate lurker, I like to know what is happening. Then a lot of my job is talking to people, either planning for the future with directors or trying to help resolve or prevent problems. There is always a lot of discussion going on behind the scenes, behind every change or decision.
Hideo: Ok, so as you have experience with this on all levels I would also like to ask you about one specific area: How does the recruitment process of the Uni work? And what do you look for in applicants?
Laura: Applicants put in an application to join. Like most other corps, this involves them giving us an API and filling out an application. We then have a two stage review process. Every application is given an initial review by one of our personnel officers, who may decide in some cases to accept them based on the application. If the personnel officer feels it would be beneficial to ask the applicant some more questions, they will place them in a queue for an interview. When the applicant gets to the top of the interview queue, they will speak to a personnel officer, who will then decide based on the interview whether to accept or reject the application. We accept the majority of applications, provided we don’t think the applicant is intending to do us harm, and provided they will fit into the community and benefit from being a member.
Hideo: So just as an aside: I happen to know about rumors that you are still in there and doing interviews yourself. Are you even now trying to get up your stats? Do you care to comment?
Laura: Haha they can’t keep me away from doing interviews, I love it too much.
Hideo: That is good to hear!
Learning Corporations
Hideo: Onto the next topic: What do you personally find appealing about a corporation focused solely on learning and teaching?
Laura: EVE is a complex game, no way about it. CCP are improving the new player experience but its still super overwhelming for new players to join in this massive universe where everyone seems to know everything. EVE University is one little oasis where new players can admit they don’t know stuff, and can learn it in an environment where people are not trying to screw them over, until they are ready to move on. I really like that.
Hideo: How do you see EVE University in relation to other learning corps? Is there a sense of competition, or more of coexistence?
Laura: Its an interesting development. When EVE University was first established 14 years ago there were not a lot of other corps teaching people to play the game. That has now changed completely, especially since the introduction of alpha clones. A lot of null sec blocs have their own teaching corp, which is great because it really brings the focus on new players and helping people get into the game. EVE University has always aimed to be neutral, for the reason that we want our graduates to have the widest choice of corporations to move on to when they leave us. So in that sense we offer something different from a lot of other teaching corps – a place to learn without pinning your colours too soon. So there’s not really a sense of competition for us. If a new player wants to live in sov null immediately we are not the best place for them, and we are happy to tell them that.
Hideo: What do you think are essential hallmarks for a successful learning corporation?
Laura: Every person learns differently, so I guess it is pretty subjective. I find EVE University tends to attract people who like to read up on things before doing them (our wiki is often the first way people hear about us), and who like to find their feet before they pick a side. But other teaching corps pride themselves on diving in, throwing caution to the wind and sometimes making mistakes, and have been very successful. That’s also absolutely fine. I don’t think there’s any one particular answer.
Hideo: Ok, so to wrap up: With the recent 14th anniversary of the Uni also marking your own first anniversary as CEO of our organisation, how do you look back at your term so far? What are the most important developments in the last year?
Laura: I’ve had a great time as CEO. I love the corp, I love the people and I love the game. My first year as CEO has involved a lot of learning, and lots of smaller changes to standardise things, or improve how they are done. There have been a few bigger changes as well. The Street Team is a great example – EVE University has recently had a fairly lowkey social media presence but the Street Team are really turning that around, getting out there and telling people about who we are and what we do. Another big change for us has been the trial of altered rules for attacking and defending structures, which has allowed our members to explore different areas of the game. The trial is still going on at the moment and we’re keeping an eye on how things go.
Hideo: Well, thank you very much for that encouragement, I think the whole team will be very pleased to read this! Lastly: Did you have any particular challenges to overcome as CEO?
Laura: I’m a bit shy and not too confident with speaking to large groups of people, so the first few times I held a management meeting or one of our Ask the Management Q&As were a bit nerve-wracking. I’ve done enough of them that I’m much more comfortable with it now, though.
Hideo: So do you have any closing statement to conclude our interview?
Laura: Nothing aside from thanks for taking the time to do these interviews, it’s a great chance for people to look behind the curtain and get to know the people who keep this corporation running.
Hideo: Well, thank you very much for taking the time to answer all my questions so openly!
14th Anniversary & CEO Statement
For the anniversary of EVE University our CEO, Laura Karpinski, issued the following statement:
“EVE University is now 14 years old. The game has changed a huge amount in that time, and many people have come and gone. But EVE University is still around and still providing a valuable service to the EVE Online community. I am beyond proud of our members who put in so much of their time to make a success of this corporation and educate other players about the game. I look forward to many more years.”
Today not only marks the day of the 14th anniversary of EVE University, but also Laura’s first anniversary as CEO. We are grateful for the enormous amount of time, effort and love she, and the rest of our staff, puts into EVE University every day and we would like to thank everyone that put together such a great anniversary event!
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Faces of EVE University: Turlough Dominian
To kick off our series, we want to start with a member of staff who is instrumental in the planning of the upcoming 14th anniversary of EVE University: Turlough Dominian, our events manager. As one of the most approachable people in EVE University, he was a crucial contact for the Street Team, our PR special interest group, right from the start and always had great advice. We continue to work closely together and we are all honored with the time and effort he devotes to the Uni.
Hideo Date: Thank you very much for taking the time.
Turlough Dominian: No problem at all, please be gentle!
Hideo: For those who do not know you, could you briefly tell us who you are and what you do in EVE University?
Turlough: Well EVE wise I am Turlough Dominian, also known as Turtle. The things I enjoy mainly are blowing people up and watching people blow up. Not a big fan of mining yucky rocks. I have been playing on and off since 2011, always in EVE University as the player-owned organisation I live with, as they are awesome for helping new players, and I enjoy the content and community. As for what I do? I am the events manager, previously the assistant manager. I basically help organise people to run their events, if they need help, and encourage others to do the same thing. We have our own department with a number of really good staff who make unique events, there is a lot more to it than that but the main thing is helping to get more events out there for content and learning.
Hideo: With the 14th anniversary of EVE University coming up, I think it is a good time to reminisce. Looking back at your own time in EVE University, do you have some highpoints and special memories you remember fondly?
Turlough: There is a huge list. For sure a high point probably being one of the Red vs Blue wars where I got to murderise a lot of them. But don’t get me wrong – I died a good bit, and it was a good consensual war that was 3 or 4 years ago. As for special memories, a good few as well, but the first main one is Korr’Tanas: that dude was my first FC and lead us many many times to our death.That was a really good experience. He also loved doing weird things like conga lines and shooting fireworks. Perhaps he is my inspiration.
Hideo: We realize that our staff dedicate a lot of man hours on a volunteer basis and that its always a labor of love. What is it about Eve University that always makes the work worthwhile?
Turlough: I suppose like a lot of EVE Online topics, it depends. For myself, I still recall being a helpless noob. Like, man, I did every mistake you could think of, so so many mistakes, and like many others I try to help other people avoid as many of my mistakes as possible. Another thing for me would be that EVE is like a hobby at this stage. It gives me something to do and relax in my down time, I do like chatting a lot, it is definitely not the pay that’s for sure – 0.0000 ISK! – but still worth while!
Hideo: So could you say the people of EVE University make it worthwhile for you?
Turlough: In a sense yes, they give me something to do and I enjoy helping people, a beacon of light in the darkness of space!
Hideo: Ok, now looking towards the upcoming event: You got the most trusted person in all of EVE to show up on our 14th anniversary, could you enlighten us how you got in contact with Chribba and persuaded him to grace us with his presence?
Turlough: Short story, really: I got in contact with one of my long-term friends and previous EVE University member Danielle en Divalone. She happens to be the CEO of Licence To Kill now. She is good fun and mad as a march hare! So for a few weeks we shared mails back and forth while she got in touch with Chribba for me; she knows a lot of cool people. Then myself and Chribba got talking. No persuading was needed – he was up for it right from the start. Again another EVE Online player who loves to chat and help others.
Hideo: Wonderful to hear that this great icon is so approachable! Do you have anything else you would like to tell us about the upcoming anniversary?
Turlough: Lots of fireworks! Pretty sure I am taking some people into lowsec, those poor poor souls. We are all going to die in a great ball of fire. It is a weekday this year so that is bad timing for many people big sorry to those who got to work that day.
Hideo: Alright, thank you very much for your time! I am looking forward to see the events unfold. Thank you for all the heart and soul you put into the events department!
Turlough: No problem at all. My next event will be “Awox the Hideo Date.” Have a nice day, buddy.
Mental health and EVE Online
Nine Day Camping Trip in a Small Shattered Wormhole
Part three: Reflecting on more than two years of EVE University
Part two: Reflecting on more than two years of EVE University
Part one: Reflecting on more than two years of EVE University
EVE UniversityFollow
EVE University@EVEUniversity·
Join us for this class taught by one of our great teachers!
PsychoticFickity@PFickity
@Eveuniversity has an Intro to Mining class happening in 10 minutes ( 19:00 eve time) https://t.co/4759UJg9RO #Eveuniversity #eveonline #Mining #Class
Look after yourself. Look after each other. Read our short guide to Mental Health and EVE Online: https://t.co/dMnNPYy2ba #broadcast4reps
EVE University 2019 meet up is happening today in London. Can't wait! #EveOnline
Thanks for the shout out @CCP_Falcon - NPE is so important and our wiki is there to help #EVENorth
Loads of EVE Uni members at EVE North 2019. Have a wonderful time, stay warm, don't tackle the gate ♥ #EVENorth #eveworldtour
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Dan J. Marlowe and Earl Drake, 5: Collecting the Man with Nobody's Face, inc. Bibliography
(NB: A version of this post also appears on The Violent World of Parker blog.)
For Part 1, go here; for Part 2, here; for Part 3, here; and for Part 4, go here.
Dan J. Marlowe's final Earl Drake espionage adventure, Operation Counterpunch, appeared in 1976, by which point the series numbered twelve volumes, including the initial two hard-boiled crime works, The Name of the Game is Death (1962) and One Endless Hour (1969). In the States all of the novels had been published as paperback originals by Fawcett Gold Medal, which meant that in the UK, Hodder Fawcett/Coronet had acquired the rights (much as Coronet had begun publishing Richard Stark's Parker novels once Fawcett in the US picked up the rights as of 1967's The Rare Coin Score). But as it happened, Coronet wasn't the only publisher to issue the Earl Drake novels in Britain in the early '70s...
In 1973, British publisher Gold Lion (no relation to Gold Medal... I don't think) issued the initial six Earl Drake novels over successive month... all of them in hardback with dustjackets – the only time any of Marlowe's novels have appeared in that format. Evidently Gold Lion – a publisher which would only exist for a couple of years – were on something of an American crime thriller acquisition spree at that juncture, because in the same year they also published three Parker novels as hardbacks – see this post from last year. Like those three Parkers, the dustjacket designs on the Drakes were variously illustrative and photographic – perhaps the most striking being the photo covers of The Name of the Game is Death (the interior of which is the revised 1973 Gold Medal text) and Operation Fireball – and also like those Parkers, all of the Drake hardbacks have since become incredibly scarce. To give you an indication, at present AbeBooks has just four Drake Gold Lions listed, three of those being copies of the same book, Operation Breakthrough.
Over in the States all twelve of the Fawcett Gold Medal paperbacks – two of which, Operations Fireball and Flashpoint, boast Robert McGinnis cover art (the latter of those, in its 1972 retitled edition, I nabbed at November's London Paperback & Pulp Bookfair) – can be acquired fairly easily online, although if you're seeking first editions, it can be a bit of a minefield working out which are first printings and which are later printings. One thing to bear in mind especially is which version of the debut Drake, The Name of the Game is Death, you want. As I outlined in the previous post, for hard-boiled crime aficionados, the original 1962 printing is probably preferable (if pricey; a cheaper alternative is the later Black Lizard edition of that version), while for those with more of an interest in the Earl Drake series as a whole, the 1973 revised edition may well suit.
In the UK, only the revised edition was ever published, in hardback by the aforementioned Gold Lion in 1973 under the novel's original title, and in paperback by Coronet that same year under the new title Operation Overkill, although retaining the interior running head The Name of the Game is Death:
Coronet issued all of the Drake novels – bar the final one, which to my knowledge they never published – from 1972 to 1977, although not always in the correct order (I believe they actually began with the sixth one, Operation Drumfire). They did, however, add the appellation "Operation" to all of the titles, even One Endless Hour, which became Operation Endless Hour. The covers of the Coronet editions are all variations on the same theme, a curious mixture of photography and illustration, with a photo of leggy model – the same model on each cover, I believe – collaged into line-and-wash artwork, all set against a white background. I rather like them.
Most of the Coronet editions are in relatively plentiful supply online, apart from the first two, Operation Overkill and Operation Endless Hour, which are becoming uncommon, and the final Drake novel Coronet published, Operation Deathmaker, which is highly uncommon. As for the final Drake novel overall, Operation Counterpunch, the only option there if you want a copy is the US Gold Medal edition.
Mind you, I say the final Drake novel overall: there's a level of disagreement online as to the correct running order of the entire series. Each of the four bibliographies I've been referring to throughout this run of posts – Mystery*File, Thrilling Detective, Fantastic Fiction and Spy Guys & Gals – has the books in a slightly different order. This confusion seems to have arisen because Gold Medal, who originally didn't number the books at all, introduced a numbering system midway through the run, adding numbers to the covers of the earlier volumes as they reprinted them. But then to add to the muddle, it appears as if the publisher numbered some volumes earlier or later than where in the sequence they originally appeared.
For my Earl Drake bibliography I've gone with the Spy Guys & Gals running order, even though the copyright dates given suggest that Spy Guys & Gals used the later Gold Medal numbering. I've done this partly because, broadly speaking, I've found the site to be accurate in matters to do with spy fiction (although I'll happily revise the running order if a compelling case to do so is presented to me), but also because their list handily includes pithy synopses of all of the novels and a fair-minded overview. The Gold Medal pub dates I've chiefly taken from the Mystery*File bibliography (which in turn was adapted from Allen J. Hubin's Crime Fiction IV), while the Gold Lion and Coronet pub dates I researched myself.
(UPDATE: It's since been pointed out by Violent World of Parker reader Jason that the Thrilling Detective running order is the correct one, so I've changed the below bibliography accordingly.)
DAN J. MARLOWE'S EARL DRAKE NOVELS: A BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. The Name of the Game is Death (US Fawcett Gold Medal PB, 1962; revised edn. 1973 / UK Gold Lion HB, 1973) / Operation Overkill (UK Hodder Fawcett Coronet PB, 1973)
2. One Endless Hour (US Gold Medal PB, 1969 / UK Gold Lion HB, 1973) / Operation Endless Hour (UK Coronet PB, 1975)
3. Operation Fireball (US Gold Medal PB, 1969 / UK Gold Lion HB, 1973 / UK Coronet PB, 1974)
4. Flashpoint (US Gold Medal PB, 1970) / Operation Flashpoint (US Gold Medal PB, 1972 / UK Gold Lion HB, 1973 / UK Coronet PB, 1973)
5. Operation Breakthrough (US Gold Medal PB, 1971 / UK Gold Lion HB, 1973 / UK Coronet PB, 1973)
6. Operation Drumfire (US Gold Medal PB, 1972 / UK Coronet PB, 1972 / UK Gold Lion HB, 1973)
7. Operation Checkmate (US Gold Medal PB, 1972 / UK Coronet PB, 1973)
8. Operation Stranglehold (US Gold Medal PB, 1973 / UK Coronet PB, 1974)
9. Operation Whiplash (US Gold Medal PB, 1973 / UK Coronet PB, 1974)
10. Operation Hammerlock (US Gold Medal PB, 1974 / UK Coronet PB, 1975)
11. Operation Deathmaker (US Gold Medal PB, 1975 / UK Coronet PB, 1977)
12. Operation Counterpunch (US Gold Medal PB, 1976)
Next up on Existential Ennui: the return of Raylan Givens...
Labels: book collecting, Coronet Hodder Fawcett, cover design, crime fiction, Dan J. Marlowe, Earl Drake, Gold Medal, paperbacks, Parker, publishing, Richard Stark, Robert McGinnis, spy fiction, The Violent World of Parker, thrillers
David Plante 2 July 2012 at 04:14
I'm rereading the Drake books. You mentioned Drake as sort of the Parker of spy fiction. Don't know if I'd agree with that; Drake can be surprisingly sentimental when the mood strikes, as in Flashpoint, when he "adopts" the teenage runaway. Something Parker wouldn't have the least inclination in the world of doing.
Marlowe's first two or three Drake books are very fine indeed, but the quality does drop noticeably when Drake becomes more spy than thief. I think if Marlowe had kept Drake a career criminal the series would have been much more to my liking, but the later books are still very well written.
Ever notice how many novels there are about thiefs who are forced to become spys? Lawrence Block's Evan Tanner starts out as a thief, Spillane's Morgan the Raider as well. Ritchie Perry's Philis. One series I want to check out when time permits is the Spider Scott series by Kenneth Royce. They even made a TV series in Great Britain featuring the character. Are you familiar at all with this series, Nick? Worth my time tracking down?
Louis XIV, "The Sun King" (Nick Jones) 2 July 2012 at 09:25
No idea, David: that's a new one on me. I might have to add them to my ever-growing list though...
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With such a variety of colours, shapes and sizes, fish make great pets for both children and adults. Greencross Vets veterinarian Dr Aivee Huynh explains why they are an ideal first pet and how best to look after them. "For children, fish are a fantastic way to teach them responsibility," she said. "Kids can even teach fish tricks such as swimming through hoops and some fish even enjoy pats and scratches." Certain species can even have quite unique personalities, Dr Huynh said. "I once met an Oscar fish whose favourite movie was Titanic and he was completely fixated on the screen when it was on." These benefits extend to adults, and additionally there are studies which have shown watching fish can be therapeutic and a great stress reliever. "Fish are not only a fantastic hobby, but they also make for a beautiful centrepiece in a home and are great conversation starters," Dr Huynh said. A great place to start is to talk to an aquatic veterinarian, Dr Huynh said. "They will be able to recommend suitable fish for your situation, including if you want a low maintenance fish and which species co-habit well together." "They will also be able to provide advice on what aquarium is best for your fish and can tailor to your needs and preferences," Dr Huynh said. "Always consult your vet in regards to your aquarium to keep your fish, healthy and happy." The cost will vary depending on species and requirements, such as the tank size and quality, water quality testing kits, decor, food and so on. A basic set up can start from around $50, while a more elaborate tank or pond with valuable fish can cost up to $1000. Maintenance is low cost unless your fish gets sick and requires medical attention. "It is cheaper and better to treat the disease early than leave it to worsen," Dr Huynh said. "We recommend always seeking medical advice from a qualified veterinarian if your pet fish does become ill. "Fish can feel pain, they may show it differently to humans, such as hiding, swimming slowly or erratically, eating less and not interacting with its school." Tropical fish require warm water and heaters are needed to maintain temperatures of 24 to 30 degrees Celsius depending on species. Goldfish usually do not require a warm tank, but it does depend on where you keep them, for example in colder climates, indoors or outdoors. "The terms to know are tropical versus temperate and freshwater versus saltwater, Dr Huynh said. "Saltwater fish are much more complicated to care for than freshwater. I would recommend only starting a saltwater tank if you're a very experienced aquarist." Dr Huynh cautioned against undersized tanks. "Although very popular for goldfish and betta, please do not place any fish species in tiny tanks," she said. "The minimalist appearance may be fashionable, but it is cruel to fish. The more elaborate the tank, the more stimulus your fish will have and generally a better quality." The level of maintenance involved will depend on the species. However it is recommended that you make frequent and regular changes of around 10 to 20 per cent of the tank water weekly. The most important thing is not to change 100 per cent of the water. "I would recommend a biofilter, a living life support system full of good bacteria to keep your tank healthy," Dr Huynh said. You'll also need to work out how much to feed your scaly friend. "As a general rule of thumb a fish should be fed 1 per cent of its body weight and feeding intervals depend on your species and your lifestyle," Dr Huynh said. There are some fish that need to be fed daily, while others only every third day. Dr Huynh said the best thing to do was read up on your particular species. Fish can live to between one and 50 years of age. "Some species are a lifetime commitment, such as koi which are sometimes passed to subsequent generations of the family," Dr Huynh said. Dr Huynh recommended checking out The Fish Vet on YouTube, as it is "a fantastic resource with professional and accurate advice".
https://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/EPJMFvETpvLvtfsQ9ZEeUX/1e341410-456d-41ef-a572-039d92d9f581.jpg/r0_143_2808_1730_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg
Why fish make great pets
Dayle Latham
AT HOME AQUARIUM: Veterinarian Dr Aivee Huynh suggests a biofilter, a living life support system full of good bacteria to keep your fish tank healthy. Photo: Petbarn
With such a variety of colours, shapes and sizes, fish make great pets for both children and adults. Greencross Vets veterinarian Dr Aivee Huynh explains why they are an ideal first pet and how best to look after them.
"For children, fish are a fantastic way to teach them responsibility," she said.
"Kids can even teach fish tricks such as swimming through hoops and some fish even enjoy pats and scratches."
Certain species can even have quite unique personalities, Dr Huynh said.
"I once met an Oscar fish whose favourite movie was Titanic and he was completely fixated on the screen when it was on."
These benefits extend to adults, and additionally there are studies which have shown watching fish can be therapeutic and a great stress reliever.
"Fish are not only a fantastic hobby, but they also make for a beautiful centrepiece in a home and are great conversation starters," Dr Huynh said.
A great place to start is to talk to an aquatic veterinarian, Dr Huynh said.
"They will be able to recommend suitable fish for your situation, including if you want a low maintenance fish and which species co-habit well together."
"They will also be able to provide advice on what aquarium is best for your fish and can tailor to your needs and preferences," Dr Huynh said.
"Always consult your vet in regards to your aquarium to keep your fish, healthy and happy."
The cost will vary depending on species and requirements, such as the tank size and quality, water quality testing kits, decor, food and so on.
A basic set up can start from around $50, while a more elaborate tank or pond with valuable fish can cost up to $1000.
Maintenance is low cost unless your fish gets sick and requires medical attention. "It is cheaper and better to treat the disease early than leave it to worsen," Dr Huynh said.
"We recommend always seeking medical advice from a qualified veterinarian if your pet fish does become ill.
"Fish can feel pain, they may show it differently to humans, such as hiding, swimming slowly or erratically, eating less and not interacting with its school."
Housing your fish
Tropical fish require warm water and heaters are needed to maintain temperatures of 24 to 30 degrees Celsius depending on species.
Goldfish usually do not require a warm tank, but it does depend on where you keep them, for example in colder climates, indoors or outdoors.
"The terms to know are tropical versus temperate and freshwater versus saltwater, Dr Huynh said.
"Saltwater fish are much more complicated to care for than freshwater. I would recommend only starting a saltwater tank if you're a very experienced aquarist."
Dr Huynh cautioned against undersized tanks.
"Although very popular for goldfish and betta, please do not place any fish species in tiny tanks," she said.
"The minimalist appearance may be fashionable, but it is cruel to fish. The more elaborate the tank, the more stimulus your fish will have and generally a better quality."
GREAT FIRST PET: Keeping fish is a fantastic way to teach children responsibility. Photo: Petbarn
Tank maintenance
The level of maintenance involved will depend on the species.
However it is recommended that you make frequent and regular changes of around 10 to 20 per cent of the tank water weekly.
The most important thing is not to change 100 per cent of the water.
"I would recommend a biofilter, a living life support system full of good bacteria to keep your tank healthy," Dr Huynh said.
Feeding your fish
You'll also need to work out how much to feed your scaly friend.
"As a general rule of thumb a fish should be fed 1 per cent of its body weight and feeding intervals depend on your species and your lifestyle," Dr Huynh said.
There are some fish that need to be fed daily, while others only every third day. Dr Huynh said the best thing to do was read up on your particular species.
How long will my fish live?
Fish can live to between one and 50 years of age.
"Some species are a lifetime commitment, such as koi which are sometimes passed to subsequent generations of the family," Dr Huynh said.
Dr Huynh recommended checking out The Fish Vet on YouTube, as it is "a fantastic resource with professional and accurate advice".
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FarmerGigi.com
Growing Soil
My farmer friend, Keith brought his monster tractor to help us get our beds started
The living portion of soil is made up of plant roots, and of the numerous microbes and other living organisms that improve soil structure by breaking down organic material.
The recently dead components include deceased soil organisms, green plant material and fresh manures. They decompose readily, and release nutrients quickly.
The very dead portion is humus, the final residue of organic matter breakdown that’s important for soil structure and disease suppression. For fertile soil, all three forms of organic matter should be present at all times. It's easy to get started to build, restore and grow soil!
In the simplest tradition of organic and natural methods, add a little mulch or compost, and you’re well on your way to make good soil for your homegrown vegetables. In the long run, success in your garden depends on making healthy garden soil. The more you can do to keep your soil healthy, the more productive your garden will be and the higher the quality of your crops…. or so they say, and we are about to find out on our one-acre farm… with the development of our very own crop farm! Some people start with a layer of newspaper or cardboard over a mowed area as a weed barrier.
Good soil care methods imitate natural soil communities. Here we include protecting soil structure, feeding the soil with nutrients from natural and local sources, and increasing the diversity and numbers of the microbes and other organisms that live in the soil.
How so we achieve these goals? Although there are many ways to do this, they all revolve around two basic concepts:
For more fertile soil, you need to increase organic matter and mineral availability
Whenever possible, you should avoid tilling the soil and leave its structure undisturbed
Add Organic Matter for the best soil, sources of organic matter should be as diverse as possible.
Some people use layers with manure to build topsoil
1. Add manures for nitrogen. All livestock manures can be valuable additions to soil — their nutrients are readily available to soil organisms and plants. In fact, manures make a greater contribution to soil aggregation than composts, which have already mostly decomposed.
You should apply manure with care. Although pathogens are less likely to be found in manures from homesteads and small farms than those from large confinement livestock operations, you should allow three months between application and harvest of root crops or leafy vegetables such as lettuce and spinach to guard against contamination. (Tall crops such as corn and trellised tomatoes shouldn’t be prone to contamination.)
The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) wants to see more farmers recycle manure instead of buy commercial fertilizer products, and the agency has launched a manure resource page to encourage using the natural plant food. Local farmers have welcomed the new resource the MDA refers to as “Manure Happens.”
2. Try compost. Compost is a means of recycling almost any organic wastes. It reduces the bulk of organic materials, stabilizes their more volatile and soluble nutrients, and speeds up the formation of soil humus. Regular applications of modest amounts of compost — one-quarter inch per season — will provide slow-release nutrients, which will dramatically improve your soil’s water retention and help suppress disease. We recommend using only vegetable matter if you decide to try building a compost heap yourself.
3. Mine” soil nutrients with deep rooted plants. When you first start gardening, it may be necessary to use rock dust, bio-char (ashes from a wood stove) and other slow-release sources of minerals, to correct mineral deficiencies in the soil. In the long run, however, you can supply minerals without purchasing inputs. The organic materials we add to our soil supply most of the minerals healthy crops need. In addition, we can plant “fertility patches” to grow a lot of our own mineral supplements.
Fertility patches include plants that function as “dynamic accumulators.” That is, their roots grow deep, and “mine” mineral reserves from the deeper layers of subsoil, where it has weathered out of the parent rock. The roots of comfrey, for instance, can grow 8 to 10 feet into the subsoil. Stinging nettle is another extremely useful dynamic accumulator. Both nettle and comfrey, in addition to high mineral content, are high in nitrogen. They make excellent additions to a compost heap or can be used as mulches.
Seeding rows in new beds of compost
My red Russian kale intensively planted with straw in aisles between the rows.
4. Plant cover crops. Growing cover crops is perhaps the most valuable strategy we can adopt to feed our soil, build up its fertility and improve its structure with each passing season. Freshly killed cover crops provide readily available nutrients for our soil microbe friends and hence for food crop plants. Additionally, the channels opened up by the decaying roots of cover crops permit oxygen and water to penetrate the soil.
Legumes (clovers, alfalfa, beans and peas) are especially valuable cover crops, because they fix nitrogen from the atmosphere into forms available to crop plants. Mixes of different cover crops are often beneficial. For example, in mixes of grasses and clovers, the grasses add a large amount of biomass and improve soil structure because of the size and complexity of their root systems, and the legumes add nitrogen to help break down the relatively carbon-rich grass roots quickly.
Here, on a large tractor farm, the new corn crop is no-till seeded into the mowed down cover crop as it composts
5. Cover the soil with mulch. An obvious way to keep the soil covered is to use organic mulches. Some people advise against using high-carbon materials such as straw or leaves, since soil microbes “rob” available nitrogen from the soil in order to break down the excess amounts of carbon. This is only true, however, if we incorporate these high-carbon sources into the soil. I once tilled in some coarse compost containing large amounts of oak leaves not yet fully decomposed, and found that crops grew quite poorly there the entire season.
However, if high-carbon materials are laid down on top of soil as mulches, there won’t be any problem. The mulch retains soil moisture and protects against temperature extremes. Microbes, earthworms and other forms of soil life can “nibble” at the mulch, and slowly incorporate their residues into the topsoil. Actually, high-carbon mulches are preferable for weed control to materials that decompose readily, since they persist longer before being incorporated into the soil food web.
Our teen volunteers harvest Hakurei turnips.
6. Use permanent beds and paths. A key strategy for protecting soil structure is to grow in wide permanent beds and restrict foot traffic to the pathways — thus avoiding compaction in the growing areas — and to plant as closely as possible in the beds. Close planting shades the soil surface, which benefits both soil life and plants by conserving moisture and moderating temperature extremes.
You also can use paths to grow your mulches, or mulch the paths and take advantage of foot traffic to help shred or grind materials such as straw or leaves. From time to time, this finely shredded material can be transferred to the beds, where it will break down much more readily than in its coarser forms.
7. Try low-tech tillage. There are almost always better alternatives to tillage, especially power tillage, which inverts and mixes the different layers in the soil profile, disrupts the soil food web and breaks down the “crumb” structure we have worked so hard to achieve. Even in the case of cover crops, which must give way to the planting of a harvest crop, it is not necessary to turn them into the soil, as usually recommended. Instead, consider these alternatives.
You can bury the cover crop under a heavy mulch to kill it. If the soil is in loose, friable condition, it is easy to pull the cover plants up by the roots and lay them on the bed as mulch. Certain plants such as rye and vetch are difficult to kill without tillage, but cutting them immediately above the crowns after seed stalks or flowers form will kill them. Use the upper ends of the plants as a mulch to help break down the roots more rapidly.
The only time to do massive tillage in the garden is when transplanting a sapling or digging root crops such as potatoes, sweet potatoes and burdock. With such crops, dig deep and thoroughly with the spading fork — the goal, however, is to make such intensive disruptions the rare exception rather than the rule. That way, the intact soil life communities in surrounding beds soon help rebuild the soil food web in the disturbed areas.
One of my Youtube mentors, Richard Perkins
Soil Power! The Dirty Way to a Green Planet
I've been wanting to share the information in this article and this is the perfect time! Reprinted from the New York Times Sunday Review December 2, 2017
By Jacques Leslie
The last great hope of avoiding catastrophic climate change may lie in a substance so commonplace that we typically ignore it or else walk all over it: the soil beneath our feet.
The earth possesses five major pools of carbon. Of those pools, the atmosphere is already overloaded with the stuff; the oceans are turning acidic as they become saturated with it; the forests are diminishing; and underground fossil fuel reserves are being emptied. That leaves soil as the most likely repository for immense quantities of carbon.
Now scientists are documenting how sequestering carbon in soil can produce a double dividend: It reduces climate change by extracting carbon from the atmosphere, and it restores the health of degraded soil and increases agricultural yields. Many scientists and farmers believe the emerging understanding of soil’s role in climate stability and agricultural productivity will prompt a paradigm shift in agriculture, triggering the abandonment of conventional practices like tillage, crop residue removal, mono-cropping, excessive grazing and blanket use of chemical fertilizer and pesticide. Even cattle, usually considered climate change culprits because they belch at least 25 gallons of methane a day, are being studied as a potential part of the climate change solution because of their role in naturally fertilizing soil and cycling nutrients.
The climate change crisis is so far advanced that even drastically cutting greenhouse gas emissions won’t prevent a convulsive future by itself — the amount of greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere ensures dire trouble ahead. The most plausible way out is to combine emission cuts with “negative-emission” or “drawdown” technologies, which pull greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere and into the other pools. Most of these proposed technologies are forms of geoengineering, dubious bets on huge climate manipulations with a high likelihood of disastrous unintended consequences.
On the other hand, carbon sequestration in soil and vegetation is an effective way to pull carbon from the atmosphere that in some ways is the opposite of geoengineering. Instead of overcoming nature, it reinforces it, promoting the propagation of plant life to return carbon to the soil that was there in the first place — until destructive agricultural practices prompted its release into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. That process started with the advent of agriculture about 10,000 years ago and accelerated over the last century as industrial farming and ranching rapidly expanded.
Among the advocates of so-called regenerative agriculture is the climate scientist and activist James Hansen, lead author of a paper published in July that calls for the adoption of “steps to improve soil fertility and increase its carbon content” to ward off “deleterious climate impacts.”
Rattan Lal, the director of the Carbon Management and Sequestration Center at Ohio State, estimates that soil has the potential to sequester carbon at a rate of between 0.9 and 2.6 gigatons per year. That’s a small part of the 10 gigatons a year of current carbon emissions, but it’s still significant. Somewhat reassuringly, some scientists believe the estimate is low.
“Putting the carbon back in soil is not only mitigating climate change, but also improving human health, productivity, food security, nutrition security, water quality, air quality — everything,” Mr. Lal told me over the phone. “It’s a win-win-win option.”
The techniques that regenerative farmers use vary with soil, climate and crop. They start from the understanding that healthy soil teems with more than a billion microorganisms per teaspoon and the behavior of those organisms facilitates hardy plant life. To fertilize their fields, regenerative farmers use nutrient-rich manure or compost, avoiding as much as possible chemical fertilizers and pesticides, which can kill huge quantities of organic matter and reduce plants’ resilience. They don’t like to till the soil, since tillage increases carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Some farmers combine livestock, cover crops and row crops sequentially on the same field, or plant perennials, shrubs and even trees along with row crops. Leaving soil bare during off-seasons is taboo, since barren soil easily erodes, depleting more carbon from the soil; regenerative farmers instead plant cover crops to capture more carbon and nitrogen from the atmosphere.
Until the advent of synthetics in the late 1800s, fertilizer consisted chiefly of carbon-rich manure or compost. But synthetic fertilizers contain no carbon, and as their use spread along with tillage practices to incorporate them, soil carbon content declined. The process accelerated after World War II, when America’s nitrogen-based munition plants were converted into nitrogen-based fertilizer factories. Most agricultural colleges still teach soil fertility chiefly as an exercise in applying inorganic chemical fertilizer, while overlooking soil’s biological role (and its carbon content). Despite soil’s connection to climate change, carbon sequestration in soil was never mentioned in the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which set down broad greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for the world’s nations.
California began an initiative in 2015 to incorporate soil health into the state’s farm and ranch operations. Some of the pioneering studies showing regenerative agriculture’s benefits have been carried out at the Marin Carbon Project, on a self-proclaimed carbon-farming ranch in the pastoral reaches of Marin County 30 miles northwest of San Francisco. A four-year study there showed that a one-time application of compost caused an increase in plant productivity that has continued ever since, and that the soil’s carbon content grew year after year, at a rate equivalent to the removal from the atmosphere of 1.5 metric tons of carbon dioxide per acre annually.
Whendee Silver, an ecosystem ecologist at the University of California at Berkeley who is the project’s lead scientist, calculated along with a colleague that if as little as 5 percent of California’s grangelands was coated with one-quarter to one-half inch of compost, the resulting carbon sequestration would be the equivalent of the annual greenhouse emissions of nine million cars. The diversion of green waste from the state’s overcrowded landfills would also prevent it from generating methane, another potent greenhouse gas.
Some scientists remain skeptical of regenerative agriculture, arguing that its impact will be small or will work only with certain soils. It also faces significant obstacles, such as a scarcity of research funding and the requirements of federal crop insurance, which frequently disqualifies farmers who plant cover crops. But fears that the Trump administration would squelch government support for it so far have proved unfounded.
Consider the experience of Willie Durham, a soil health specialist at the federal Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Temple, Tex. What led Mr. Durham to regenerative agriculture was his discovery while a Texas state agronomist of the “pesticide treadmill”: “People I’d known for a long, long time would ask me, ‘If nothing is changed in our agricultural system, why are we using two to three times as much fertilizer to accomplish the same thing?’ It got to where we spent so much on inputs that we didn’t make any profit.”
Now Mr. Durham teaches regenerative agriculture to farmers in Texas and Oklahoma. The farmers he inspires are predominantly young, not yet habituated to conventional agriculture — he estimates that about 10 percent of his students use the information, and the percentage is increasing. In a region where rainfall is usually precious, some conventional soil has become so lifeless that it absorbs as little as half an inch of water per hour, Mr. Durham said, while regenerative fields can absorb more than eight inches an hour.
Mr. Durham’s farmers are learning a lesson that resonates throughout human interactions with the natural world: People reap more benefit from nature when they give up trying to vanquish it and instead see it clearly, as a demanding but indispensable ally. Because of carbon’s climate change connection, we’ve been conditioned to think of it as the enemy, when in fact it’s as vital to life as water. The way to make amends is to put it back in the soil, where it belongs.
Jacques Leslie (@jacqules) is a Los Angeles Times contributing opinion writer and the author of “Deep Water: The Epic Struggle Over Dams, Displaced People, and the Environment.”
what is no-till farming?
IS THAT EVEN a thing?
No till farming is a method of eliminating conventional plowing, compacting, degrading and eroding farmland and market gardens the use of machines and tools to turn over the soil.
Plants need sun, air and water to thrive, and if the earthworms aren't there yet, the soil will need to be broken up with a broadfork or on a tractor we use a no till tiller which shoots the seeds into the ground. Soil is never turned over to oxidize into the atmosphere. In no till farming, we treat the subsurface of soil like their earthworm inhabitants; we keep them in the dark, damp safety of their underground environment.
Tilling creates soil erosion, because it breaks up the structure of the soil and fine particles are then easily blown or washed away, or washed down into the porous gaps in the soil and over time this clogs up the soil.
Straw used as cover between my beds of bokchoy and hakurei turnips
Although tilling initially makes crops produce abundantly because of sudden aeration, this is often excessive and abnormal for the plant. In the meantime organic matter, bacteria, fungi, beetles and earthworms are all destroyed by tillage and not able to maintain the fine balance of harmony by providing nutrients to plants in a timely cycle. Eventually more and more fertilizers are typically used to maintain production and the cycle of depleting the land has continued as we have continued tilling.
No till gardening is more symbiotic and the soil ecology is not sent topsy-turvy. Tilling damages and exposes earthworms and fatally disturbs other beneficial organisms including some that would normally help control invaders — such as plant-eating nematodes. Some of the popular implements used in no till farming are harrows, cultivators and chisel plows. These land friendly machines only lift and moderately break the soil and prepare the surface for seed sowing or planting.
Farmers often use chemicals or burning to get rid of their crop remains and weeds. That creates more problems with chemical run-off into lakes and streams, and poison residues. In no till farming we are learning to plow them down and allow to compost on the soil and we plant directly into the new composting layer instead. Tilling releases CO² into the air, whereas if there was an undisturbed, rich organic soil layer, this carbon would be in the plant remains and thus retained when composted into the soil.
To hasten this top-of-soil composting we cover the beds with a cut grass layer or straw or agricultural tarps then, plant directly into the bed with hand tools or tractor driven no-till tillers. Sometimes farmers plant a new crop among the stubble of a previously harvested crop. These old stalks or leaves are left to rot down and provide nutrients as well as suppress weeds.
Large farms use a crimper-roller to push down and kill off the remains of a cover crop or a harvested crop while simultaneously seeding with rear-mounted seeder attachments, straight through the crimped stubble with a no-till tiller. See video below.
Farmer Davon in Sandhills are or NC uses a cut grass layer as cover. Some farmers cover with straw or agricultural tarps to hasten composting.
The longer we practice no till farming and the sooner we add compost and leave plant remains to decompose in the field, the better the soil structure becomes. Over time, the yields prove to be higher with this method. This is how we rebuild and restore soil. Remember, what is now called the dust bowl was once a lush prairie!
The golden rule with no till gardening is to avoid inverting the soil, and to tread lightly or not at all on your planting area.
Dr. Erin Silva has researched, tested and advanced no-till farming in Wisconsin and influenced farmers everywhere
One-Straw Revolution, by Masanobu Fukuoka
The Secret Garden, by David Bodanis
Gardening without work: for the aging, the busy, and the indolent, by Ruth Stout, Lyon Press (1998)
Weedless Gardening, by Lee Reich, published by Workman Publishing (2001)
Rodale Institute
Dr. Erin Silva, Organic and Sustainable Cropping Systems Specialist Department of Plant Pathology University of Wisconsin-Madison
Mycorrhizal Fungi and Mycelium
Say it with me: my-core-rise-uh. The plural is mycorrhizae: rise-A. It’s worth remembering, because researchers discovered mycorrhizae among the roots of more and more trees, shrubs, grasses, herbs, and even non-vascular plants such as ferns and liverworts. And Mycelium refers to the global network of mycorrhizae underground.
Mycorrizal fungi help plant roots absorb nutrients and fight off harmful, soil-dwelling predators. In exchange, the fungus receives sugars and nutrients from its host plant.
What we call a mushroom is merely the temporary structure some fungi grow to produce spores, kind of like a seasonal flower. The main body of those species and many others typically consists of fine-branching threads known as hyphae. While you’ll sometimes see them massed together, spread like a web across decomposing wood or detritus, they are usually hidden underground and essentially invisible, for the individual filaments are only a single cell wide. The fungus’s network of hyphae is called a mycelium.
We All Need Somebody to Lean On: Symbiotic Relationships
At least 80 percent of the plant species on the globe, representing more than 90 percent of all the plant families, are known to form mycorrhizae (fungal root relationships). In addition to facilitating the transportation of nutrients, at least one kind of mycorrhizal fungus attracts and kills the tiny soil-dwelling arthropods called springtails, a rich source of nitrogen. Other carnivorous fungi capture the superabundant microscopic worms known as nematodes, either with sticky knobs that develop from the hyphae, fine filament meshes, or loops that constrict to snare passing prey — fungal lassoes. Weird, but Yeehaw! A variety of mycorrhizal fungi protect plant associates from root-devouring nematodes by producing chemicals lethal to the worms, nematicides, which have drawn interest from the agricultural pest control industry. Many mycorrhizal fungi secrete antibiotics fatal to bacteria that infect root systems. Not surprisingly, those chemicals have generated close interest among researchers, too.
The more vigorous a plant, the better it can contend with diseases and parasites, compete for space and sunlight, invest extra energy in the production of flowers or cones, successfully reproduce, and replace growth lost to insects, larger grazing animals, storm breakage and seasonal defoliation. That’s the game. Engaging in a symbiotic relationship with fungi is clearly a winning combination for plants, and the connections reach more widely than you might suppose.
Lichens from Antarctica survived 34 days in a laboratory setting designed to simulate the environment on Mars
Adapted from articles by mycologist, Paul Stamet and wildlife biologist, author, and longtime contributor to National Geographic, Douglas H. Chadwick.
Topics are researched, compiled and written by Farmer Gigi Goin.
Contributors welcome!
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Employment Privacy Blog
News, commentary, and legal updates from attorneys in the Data Security and Workplace Privacy Practice Group at Fisher Phillips.
Posts tagged Brexit.
Data Privacy in the UK Post Brexit
Oct. 6, 2016 by Robert Fallah
Following this summer’s vote to leave the European Union, the wider implications of Britain’s decision to break from the EU continue to be felt as governments, businesses, and private citizens look to forthcoming negotiations. Unfortunately, it appears that definitive answers to the questions raised by the vote may not be forthcoming for some time following Theresa May’s October 2 announcement that she plans to trigger Article 50, setting in motion negotiations regarding Britain’s departure, by March 2017. One area up for consideration will likely be the issue of data privacy and whether UK will create its own privacy rules or follow the lead of the EU in implementing the General Data Privacy Regulation (GDPR). Generally speaking this law, slated to take effect in May of 2018, will limit the amount of and type of data on EU citizens which may be gathered and shared. Interestingly however, May’s announcement comes just days after the newly appointed head of the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), Elizabeth Denham, stated that Britain should follow the GDPR regime. During an interview with the BBC, Denham made her sentiments clear, stating “I don’t think Brexit should mean Brexit when it comes to standards of data protection…In order for British businesses to share information and provide services for EU consumers, the law has to be equivalent.”
Tags: Brexit, UK
Keep Calm and Carry On!
UK Data Protection Rules remain despite Brexit vote
Tags: Brexit, GDPR, UK Data Protection
Strict Privacy and Data Security Bill Introduced in North Carolina
New Jersey’s Anticipated Expansion of Data Breach & Privacy Laws
Cybersecurity Insurance: Does Our Business Need It?
Illinois Supreme Court Ruling: Biometric Privacy Law Only Requires Violation, Not Actual Harm
Don’t Take the Bait! “Spear Phishing” and “Whaling” Take Scams to the Next Level
The Government Shutdown Leaves Vulnerability in Cyber Security
Data Breach Liability for Pennsylvania Employers Expands – Pennsylvania Supreme Court Holds that Employers Have a Duty of Care to Protect and Secure Employee Data
Learn from Lyft—How to Ward Off the Rising Number of Background Check Class Actions
Attorneys Must Consider Ethical Obligations Associated with a Data Breach
Ban the Box
EU Privacy Directive
Fair Chance Act
Federal Privacy Council
Gramm-Leach Bliley
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The Myersville stormwater pond, at left, behind the town office and the fire station. Representatives for the county and the Maryland Department of the Environment appeared for oral arguments in the Court of Appeals seeking action in a years-old dispute over standards for mitigating runoff into Chesapeake Bay.
Staff file photo by Dan Gross
County argues for reduced runoff standards before Court of Appeals
By Cameron Dodd cdodd@newspost.com
Frederick County took its ongoing challenge against Maryland stormwater management mandates to the state’s highest court Thursday.
Representatives for the county and the Maryland Department of the Environment appeared for oral arguments in the Court of Appeals seeking action in a years-old dispute over standards for mitigating runoff into Chesapeake Bay.
Attorney Christopher D. Pomeroy, representing Frederick County, argued that compliance with the state’s Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (M4S) permit requires the county to make an impossible number of improvements within a given time frame.
“Frederick County is doing its part and is comparing very well to other jurisdictions in bay restoration efforts,” Pomeroy said. “We cannot meet [the requirements] even if money were no object, because of technical and schedule-type issues.”
The MS4 permit requires the permitted jurisdiction to restore 20 percent of its impervious surfaces, such as parking lots and sidewalks, into water-absorbing surfaces. The goal is to reduce the amount of pollutants flowing with stormwater into water systems that flow into Chesapeake Bay.
“We believe the question is if [the Maryland Department of the Environment] created an error by creating impracticable requirements, going beyond the standard,” said Adam D. Snyder, a lawyer in the Office of Attorney General, representing the MDE on Thursday.
Frederick County initially challenged the requirements in its Department of the Environment-issued MS4 permit in Frederick County Circuit Court in 2015.
Among other arguments, the county asserts that making stormwater runoff mitigation improvements mandated by the permit would require a fee or tax “far greater than County residents can reasonably absorb,” according to court records. A county analysis estimated the cost of meeting the requirements would be more than $142 million, The News-Post previously reported.
The county also argued it was erroneously classified as the same size stormwater system as Howard County.
Frederick County Circuit Court upheld the state’s decision in July 2017, leading the county to request a review by the Court of Appeals.
In oral arguments Thursday, Pomeroy said that through the permits, MDE had overstepped its authority and required jurisdictions to make improvements beyond the maximum extent practicable, a standard within the Clean Water Act. With a few exceptions, all of Maryland’s counties are failing to meet the MS4 permit requirements, Pomeroy said.
“Why this track record of failure? The permitting system on this particular issue is broken. The requirements are plainly impracticable,” he said. “Frederick County spoke up early rather than accepting an impossible process.”
According to Snyder, the county’s cost analysis is inflated.
“They aren’t coming up with the actual costs and the actual logistics of doing this,” Snyder said. “They’re using MDE planning data that was generated several years earlier. They aren’t using their actual data that shows how much it costs to do this work in Frederick County.”
The MS4 requirements are within the department’s authority, Snyder said, and are designed to force counties and municipalities to take large steps that will reduce pollution.
“Carrol County is on track to meet their 20 percent requirement. We know counties can do this,” he said. “Everyone has to do this. All the people discharging into the bay are hit with harder requirements because that’s what we have to do to clean it up.”
Frederick County is on track to charge homeowners $100 a year for stormwater management by 2020, according to Pomeroy. The county is engaged in retrofitting and other projects county-wide to improve stormwater runoff. But the county does not want to be held responsible for failing to meet impossible standards, he said.
“Frederick County is ramping up its programs substantially,” Pomeroy said. “We ask this court to vacate the permit ... so we can work with the agency constructively to drive the restoration further with standards we can meet.”
Follow Cameron Dodd on Twitter:
@CameronFNP.
State's high court to hear Frederick County challenge to stormwater mandates
Maryland’s highest court will review Frederick County’s yearslong challenge to state stormwater management mandates.
Questions remain as Md. rolls out second half of bay cleanup plan
Maryland Department Of Environment
Christopher D. Pomeroy
Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System
Adam D. Snyder
MD1756 Sep 14, 2018 3:31pm
To say the county and tax payers can't afford the problems they have created is to push off the costs onto someone (i.e., other counties) or something else (i.e., creatures that live in the adversely impacted waters. People and governments need to stop pushing their responsibilities onto others. Population growth is one of the major causes of these problems. Time and again EPA has had to step in to enforce against state/local governments to install needed pollution controls and fight the attitude that the costs are unaffordable and must take decades to complete. EPA has worked to provide information for municipalities to figure out funding for needed projects: https://www.epa.gov/waterfinancecenter/efcn. It is better for everyone if states/municipalities use these resources proactively rather than waiting for EPA to step in and provide enforcement when local governments fail to meet their responsibilities. There are numerous enforcement action results that can be found on EPA's enforcement web pages for how to successfully address the issues in less than 30 years. Frederick County setting a tax of 1 cent is completely ridiculous and is not in the spirit of trying to address the problems. The permitting system is not broken, Frederick county government is merely shirking its responsibilities.
hayduke2 Sep 14, 2018 4:02pm
hayduke2 Sep 14, 2018 10:25am
Managing storm water and run-off is not glamorous but needed. Too bad the county is approaching this with a negative focus. Development and related actions add a tremendous amount of run-off to our streams and rivers and there are ways to address it.
Dwasserba Sep 14, 2018 9:54am
"Frederick County is on track to charge homeowners $100 a year for stormwater management by 2020, according to Pomeroy." Good to know.
pappyjoe Sep 14, 2018 7:53am
Ya! my check is in the mail, $100.00 short. Heres how you solve the problem. Shut down ALL DEVELOPMENT by the end of today!!
rwaesche Sep 14, 2018 7:52am
Frederick County Government has many effective programs but storm water management isn't one of them.
jnorcross Sep 14, 2018 7:37am
Wouldn't it make sense to require all this massive overbuilding in Frederick to include water-absorbing surfaces?
Titanman123 Sep 14, 2018 6:31am
Seeks very anti environment. Where are all of the the Sierra club and others to act Jan Gardner on this?
matts853 Sep 14, 2018 12:07pm
Jan is doing her job, balancing the needs of the County within its fiscal means. The water quality issues we have across the country are the result of centuries of poor land use decisions and a lack of infrastructure to deal with storm water runoff. Now that we've finally wised up to how bad the problems are, we are trying to play catch up with solutions that cost $100s of Millions. That kind of money isn't exactly lying around.
What Jan is saying to the State is that I want to solve the problem and I'm making an effort with what I think I can afford from the taxpayers. She has to weigh that with the fines and penalties of non-compliance. So she's asking the State for a little slack until she has a chance to fully fund the improvements. Which will probably be never considering the exorbitant costs. That's how bad things are.
Blaine and Delauter would have told the State we're not spending a penny on no stinking waste water stuff, and the State would have sued us for more than it's costing us to comply the best we can.
Think Titan. You can do better.
Matt - [thumbup]
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Google Personal Data Requests Are On The Rise
Posted by friendly On October 7, 2017
Google’s latest Transparency Report is out, and the results have raised concerns with privacy advocates from around the world.
This time last year, Google received 44,943 requests relating to 76,713 user accounts from the governments around the world. This year’s figures have increased to 48,941 requests relating to 83,345 accounts. The company acceded to 65 percent of requests made.
The US government was, predictably, the biggest requestor, with the German, British and French governments also featured prominently.
Note that these figures specifically do not include FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) requests, as such requests are subject to a six-month reporting delay.
Of interest, a key component of FISA is set to expire at the end of 2017, and Google is working with Congress to try and pass a reform that will improve netizens’ privacy protections.
The core argument is that processing requests from foreign governments is too slow, and could be replaced by an update to the US Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA). According to Richard Salgado, Google’s Director of Law Enforcement and Information Security:
“ECPA should also be updated to enable countries that commit to baseline privacy, due process, and human rights principles to make direct requests to US providers.
Providing a pathway for such countries to obtain electronic evidence directly from service providers in other jurisdictions will remove incentives for the unilateral, extraterritorial assertion of a country’s laws, data localization proposals, aggressive expansion of government access authorities and dangerous investigative techniques. These measures ultimately weaken privacy, due process, and human rights standards.”
It's too soon to say whether Google’s efforts will bear fruit, but if they do, it would be a big step in the right direction, and an unqualified win for privacy watchdog groups everywhere.
Interestingly, Apple also released its annual Transparency Report, which revealed a six percent drop in government requests, compared to last year’s figures. At the same time, though, the number of FISA requests Apple received soared from 2750-2900 related to 2000-2249 accounts to 13,250-13,499 related to 9000-9249 accounts.
Regardless of what happens to FISA in congress later this year, the main takeaway is that governments around the world are making an increasing number of requests for personal data of our biggest tech companies, which is a disturbing trend that is sadly not unexpected.
Having Issues With Your iPhone X Touchscreen?
New Ransomware Encrypts Data And Steals Payment Info
New “MailSploit” Allows Email Spoofing
New Malware Hidden In Emails About Flu Protection
AMCA Suffers A Medical Patient Information Breach
Undelivered Mail Notification Could Be A Phishing Scam
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Microsoft Helping With Ransomware In Office 365
Posted by friendly On April 21, 2018
Microsoft recently made small but significant changes to its Office 365 subscription service and to OneDrive, which are often used in tandem. The goal is to make it easier for users whose files have been encrypted by ransomware (or otherwise corrupted) to recover them.
The most significant of the changes is a new button that Office 365 users will see a new "File Restore" function in both applications. If you've saved your Office 365 files to OneDrive, you'll be able to restore files in a thirty-day window. In the event that your files are accidentally deleted or corrupted, getting them back is as simple as pressing the button and selecting the files to be restored.
That's a huge win for Office 365 and OneDrive users, but there's more.
The additional changes include:
A mobile alert sent to the phone number you select, which will inform you if your files may have been encrypted or otherwise tampered with
Support for end-to-end email encryption in their mail service (Outlook), including the web version of the mail app
Office now scans all links embedded in PowerPoint, Excel and Word documents to check if they point to malicious content on the web
All file attachments and links embedded in emails are now scanned for known phishing threats and viruses
Outlook.com now gives users the ability to prevent email recipients from forwarding your emails
The ability to password protect OneDrive shared links
That last one is also significant, and is a feature that OneDrive's user base has been clamoring on about for quite some time. OneDrive has made it incredibly easy to share files via a link-based system, but unfortunately, never offered users a way to secure those links. That, thankfully, has now changed.
Individually, all these changes are quite good, but taken together, they represent a significant step in the right direction. Kudos to Microsoft for taking the threat of ransomware so seriously, and adding specific features to help protect their users.
Mac Computers Battling New Malware For Hijacking DNS
Thermal Imaging Could Help Thieves Steal Your Passwords
Page Caches May Be Vulnerable To Attack
This Ransomware Was Inspired By The Matrix Movie
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Implementing Automobile Insurance Reforms: Amendments to the Ontario Automobile Policy and Related Forms
To the attention of all insurance companies licensed to transact automobile insurance in Ontario
This Bulletin highlights a number of changes to automobile insurance forms arising from the automobile insurance reforms that go into effect on September 1, 2010. These forms include the Ontario Automobile Policy – Owner's Policy (OAP 1), the Ontario Garage Automobile Policy (OAP 4), the Ontario Application for Automobile Insurance – Owner's Policy (OAF 1), the Ontario Application for Automobile Insurance Garage Form (OAF 4) and the Alteration Form (OPCF 25A).
The amendments to these forms have been made in consultation with insurance industry stakeholders.
Changes to OAP 1, OAP 4, OAF 1 and OAF 4
The amended OAP 1, OAP 4, OAF 1, and OAF 4 include the following changes:
OAP 1 and OAP 4 reflect that appraisals under section 128 of the Insurance Act are mandatory if requested by an insured. In accordance with the Statutory Conditions as amended by Ontario Regulation 40/10, an appraisal does not require the insurer's agreement.
OAP 1 and OAP 4 reflect the new time periods that are applicable for processing and payment of claims under the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule – Effective September 1, 2010 (New SABS).
These forms provide that for purposes of the federal Insurance Companies Act (ICA), these documents were issued in the course of the company's insurance business in Canada, as required under Part XIII of the ICA.
OAP 1 reflects the availability of a new Direct Compensation for Property Damage deductible of $500, which is in addition to the existing $300 deductible option.
OAP 1 extends coverage to rented automobiles with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of more than 4,500 kilograms, if they are for personal use and rented for up to seven days.
OAF 1 includes modified consent language. Credit information is not included in the consent language as it has been determined to be inconsistent with government policy, and insurers are prohibited from using credit information for rating and underwriting purposes, with the exception of commercial or public-use vehicles.
These forms reflect the changes to the accident benefits coverages in the New SABS.
Changes to the Alteration form (OPCF 25A)
OPCF 25A will give a named insured the option of changing – with the agreement of the insurer – the coverages and limits that are carried under an existing policy as of September 1, 2010. This will be an alternative to terminating and replacing the policy.
This form has been amended to reflect the accident benefit choices available under the New SABS. OPCF 25A requires signatures of both the named insured and the insurer.
Personal Use Renewal Questionnaires and Commercial/Public Use Forms
Some insurers previously had the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) approve renewal questionnaires that relate to vehicles for personal use. Any such renewal questionnaires will need to be updated to reflect the new consent language on the approved OAF 1 and be filed with FSCO for approval.
An insurer that legitimately requires access to credit information for the purpose of applying its underwriting rules or risk classification systems in connection with fleets or commercial use or public use vehicles may file a supplementary application form with FSCO for approval, for use with the OAF 1 in connection with such vehicles.
Insurers should make sure that they submit their revised renewal questionnaires and commercial/public use supplementary application forms to FSCO by June 11, 2010. To expedite the review and approval process, insurers may use FSCO's web-based ARCTICS system.
Effective Date of the Forms
The revised forms are to be used for all new insurance business and renewals effective on or after September 1, 2010.
How to Obtain the Revised Forms
Copies of the revised forms (OAP 1, OAP 4, OAF 1, OAF 4 and OPCF 25A) are included as attachments to this Bulletin, and are also available on FSCO's website at: www.fsco.gov.on.ca. In addition, OAP 1 and OAP 4 will be published in an upcoming edition of The Ontario Gazette.
Ontario Automobile Policy – Owner's Policy (OAP 1)
Ontario Garage Automobile Policy (OAP 4)
Ontario Application for Automobile Insurance – Owner's Policy (OAF 1)
Ontario Application for Automobile Insurance Garage Form (OAF 4)
Alteration Form (OPCF 25A)
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How to Insert or Remove a Page Break in Microsoft Word 2016
Page breaks are incredibly useful when it comes to formatting your Microsoft Word documents so that they look exactly the way you want them to. The page breaks tool allows you to determine where a page begins and ends. Here is some information about how to insert and remove page breaks in Microsoft Word 2016 as well as the types of page breaks that exist.
How to Add a Page Break
When a page can no longer fit additional content, Word automatically adds a page break. However, in some cases, you may want to add page breaks elsewhere. For example, if you’re working on a lengthy document, you may want to create to add a page break to create a new section. Page breaks are also useful when it comes to adding space around images and other graphics.
Fortunately, the process of creating a page break is incredibly simple.
1. Move your cursor where you want to begin a new page. For example, if you want to add a page break between two paragraphs, you should place the cursor before the first character of the second paragraph.
2. Navigate to Insert > Pages > Page Break. Microsoft Word will then create a new page where you placed your cursor.
You can also the keyboard shortcut CTRL + Enter to add a page break quickly.
Other Kinds of Page Breaks
In Microsoft Word, there are many different types of breaks that you can add.
Column Break: If you have multiple columns in your document, you can use a column break to start adding content to a new column. Using a column break is far better than simply pressing the Enter key to move to the next column. Even if you make changes to the text or change the font size, you won’t have to worry about formatting as long as you use a column break instead of pressing the Enter key.
Text Wrapping: Another type of page break is text wrapping. If you have an image or in your document, you can use a text wrapping break to ensure the rest of the content flows around the image and the caption.
Next Page: The Next Page feature works similarly to the Page Break feature. The main difference is that it creates a new section and gives you the option to use formatting that is different from the prior sections. For example, you can use the Next Page feature to rotate a section to portrait or landscape mode. You can also use different footers or headers or add columns to the next section without impacting the formatting of the rest of the document.
Continuous Break: The Continuous Break feature creates a new section but doesn’t have you begin on a new page.
Even and Odd Page Breaks: This feature allows you to add a section break. You will begin on the next odd or even page, depending on the type of break you pick. You can also format the even and odd pages of a document differently.
How to Remove Page Breaks
It is just as easy to remove page breaks from a document in Microsoft Word 2016.
1. Click on the symbol for Show/Hide.
2. Double-click on the page break you want to get rid of.
3. Click on “Delete”.
Keep in mind that you can’t remove page breaks automatically added by Microsoft Word, However, you can change where these automatic page breaks land so that you can keep certain lines or paragraphs together.
Published on November 7, 2018 by Joe Young
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Oculus Rift used to simulate a guillotine
By Matthew Humphries 05.06.2013 :: 12:57PM EDT 05.06.2013
@mthwgeek
The Oculus Rift looks set to be a must-have gaming device when it eventually becomes a mass market item. The immersion it offers is sure to enhance any game that includes support for the headset. But that immersion can also be applied to other, non-game experiences with surprising results for the user.
At the Exile Game Jam held in Denmark over the weekend, an experiment was attempted using an Oculus Rift development kit. Developer André Berlemont implemented a guillotine simulator called Disunion for use with the Rift in just two days. The final experience allowed each wearer to take on the role of someone having their head chopped off.
For those not familiar with what a guillotine is, the device was designed in the 18th century to execute people by decapitation. The unfortunate person would kneel or lie down with their neck resting and secured below a blade. Then the blade would be dropped, hopefully decapitating the victim quickly.
As you can see in the video above, everyone trying out the simulator is a little shocked when the blade finally falls on their neck. This has a lot to do with the anticipation that builds before it falls, but also because the user can look around to see the blade above, the crowd of onlookers around them, and the executioner who signals the blade be dropped. It also enhances the experience when someone watches the blade falling on a nearby screen and taps the user on the back of the neck at the time of impact.
On its own this experiment is quite powerful, but imagine adding it to a game where the player has been captured and is set to be executed. It certainly forms a fitting end to a game with perma-death as a feature, or allows time for the player to figure out how to escape before the blade ultimately falls on their in-game character.
André Berlemont
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Gyroscope used for self-leveling cruise ship pool table
By Ray Walters 02.15.2012 :: 7:16AM EDT 02.15.2012
One of the first things I hear friends say after returning from a cruise ship vacation is that “they have thought of everything on board that boat!” After seeing the video of the gyroscopic pool table aboard the Radiance of the Seas luxury-liner, I tend to agree. Billiards or pool is not a game that one would imagine playing while on board a vessel that is prone to having its center of gravity tossed around on the waves, but it seems modern technology has made it possible.
Being the first of its kind, the self-leveling pool table uses a gyroscope to sense and react to any changes due to the cruise ship rolling around on high-seas. Much like a water compass, the table will adjust itself so the balls on its surface won’t roll around unless the player intends them to. If you watch the video closely, you can see this functionality in action as it was recorded during a storm on a trip back from New Zealand last December. Although you can see the floor is clearly rocking back and forth, the table top remains horizontal, allowing two passengers to enjoy a friendly game.
Royal Caribbean, the owners of the Radiance of the Seas ship, is boasting that this table is the only one in existence at the moment, but won’t say how much it cost to have it made. The precision engineering required to create it surely commands a high price tag, but I’m sure that won’t stop other companies following suit by installing them in as many ships as possible. Until then, you can hitch a ride on the Radiance and check it out for yourself.
self leveling
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The geospatial of space
To boldly go
Geospatial science doesn’t just let us know more about the world around us – it’s taking us up high above it too!
Meet Flavia Tata Nardini. She’s the CEO at Fleet Space Technologies, and she and her company are preparing to launch over 100 nanosatellites into the atmosphere as part of a plan that will help industries around the globe better connect, evolve and track changes in our economies, ecologies and world.
Fleet was recently awarded a $500,000 grant from the South Australian government. Tata Nardini says they’re using it to setup a mission control centre for nanosatellites. This, as it turns out, is a big deal for geospatial science.
The nano and the geo
Fleet CEO Flavia Tata Nardini
While these space technology developers have their eyes set on the stars, their heads are very much here on Earth. The space industry is using technology like these nanosatellites to improve the way we live and interact with each other here on the ground.
How? The answer is in something called ‘the internet of things’.
The internet of things is a shorthand term used to describe the interconnection of computing devices that allows physical things – such as cars, phones and home security systems – to send and receive information. You can learn more about some of these applications on this website.
As such, the internet of things is at the heart of the new world. It’s instrumental in us getting from A to B through ride sharing apps. It enables businesses to dramatically improve their logistics management practices. It even helps up track and compare sea temperatures around the world, allowing experts to measure the impact of extreme weather events and patterns.
We can expect to see more opportunities for innovation as geospatial techniques and technology develop more and more. In fact, people like Flavia Tata Nardini say that the internet of things will power the next industrial revolution. That’s why Fleet – and others like them – are helping us push that technology further and further.
Space, the final frontier
There are nearly 75 billion connectable devices on the planet. Projects like the one Tata Nardini is overseeing will help us harness their potential connectivity. And with his year’s federal budget even earmarked $41 million in funding to go towards an Australia national space agency, investment in this area looks set to continue.
The president of the Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute (SSSI), Gaby van Wyk, only sees this investment as a good thing for the advancement of spatial sciences in Australia – and for spatial professional’s career opportunities. Speaking to Spatial Source, he remarked, “I place on record the full commitment of SSSI, and Australia’s spatial professionals, to working closely with the new space agency, the Federal Government and the business sector.
“I know that together we will ensure outstanding scientific, commercial and community outcomes for the new agency and for Australia’s space program.”
Discover what geospatial science can do for you
If you find this fascinating, you’re sure to be interested in learning a lot more about geospatial science and what it means for our world.
Explore your study options
It’s happening: Australian space agency tipped for $41m funding
By Daniel Bishton on 8 May, 2018
Q&A with Flavia Tata-Nardini
By Daniel Bishton on 10 April, 2018
Space technology: civil and commercial
Investment Attraction South Australia
Career Education Australian space program, fleet, geospatial science, gps, internet of things, nanosatellites, satellites, space, spatial science, sssi, study geospatial science, study pathways, study spatial science
Water in the world
Destination Spatial July 2, 2019
Look for evidence of water use in a traditional urban, suburban, and agricultural region of Queensland. Compare with a country in South East Asia or Africa.
Surveying: a life without limits
Tool Kit geography, geospatial science, Year 7
The simplicity of spatial
Destination Spatial May 30, 2019
Mapping the votes of a nation
With the calling of the Australian Federal Election for the Coalition on May 18th, one of the most monumental events of Australia’s 2019 has now been and gone.
Career Education Australian federal election, federal election, geographic information system, geospatial, geospatial science, gis, google maps, maps, study geospatial science, technology, the age
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About GES
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You are here: Home About Us Faculty & Staff Faculty & Staff Galax High School Foreign Language Mr. James Kohl - Spanish
Mr. James Kohl - Spanish
Mr. James Kohl is a graduate of Galax High School. He has had the privilege to spend time abroad in many Spanish speaking countries including Spain, Guatemala, and Costa Rica. Mr. Kohl is very excited to be starting a new school year here at GHS.
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
fax: (202) 690-7442; or
email: program.intake@usda.gov.
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© 2006 - 2019 Galax City Elementary School
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Phone:276.236.6159 • Fax: 276.236.5839
Email Address: info@galaxschools.us
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GAYATHRI G L's Campaign To Give Sight To 10 Elderly People From Villages.
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
SANKARA EYE HOSPITAL
I am GAYATHRI G L, 16-years-old & in the 11th grade at Sri Sankara school, Adyar, Chennai. I want to "Give Sight" to 10 elderly people suffering from Cataract.
Accepts funds from outside India, too.
Cause, Health
The "Sri Sankara Give Sight " initiative is a campaign that is being done by me and my fellow students to help raise awareness and funds to give sight to the elderly poor who suffer from CATARACT problems in rural areas in and around Chennai city.
All the funds collected from this initiative will go to the " SANKARA EYE HOSPITAL" located 6 km from the Chennai airport in the PAMMAL area. This hospital does about 10000 (ten thousand) free surgeries annually under their KANNOLI vision saver project and these funds will be used for that.
FACT: Cataract operations performed in metro cities like Chennai can typically cost between INR 8000-12000. This is the cost if the lenses used in the surgery are Indian ones. If imported foreign lenses are used the cost can go up to INR 40000 to even 60000. The team at Sankara Eye Hospital (Pammal) are making these surgeries available to us at a much lower cost. The cost for them works out to approximately INR 4000.
Grant-in-aid from the National Programme for Control of Blindness, revenue from paid patients & interest from endowments covers a fair part of the INR 4000 requirement leaving a shortfall of about INR 1000 per surgery. The hospital looks towards individuals and corporate donors to help bridge this deficit. All we need to do is fund INR 1000 to enable restoration of vision to one poor person.
JUST FUND INR 1000 AND YOU CAN GIVE SIGHT TO THE RURAL ELDERLY. HELP ME RAISE INR 10,000 and IMPACT 10 ELDERLY PEOPLE.
Once the money is given to them, Sankara Eye Hospital will use it to perform cataract surgeries for the elderly poor in villages. They will then share the details with me. (scroll down to see how they give feedback on surgeries). I shall then post an update on this campaign giving you details of the elderly whose eyesight has been corrected so that you know for whose treatment your money has been used.
CASE STUDY OF A CATARACT PATIENT
ABOUT ME & THIS CAMPAIGN:
Pic: This is me
Hi, I am Gayathri of class 11 at the Sri Sankara Senior Secondary School, Adyar at Chennai.
Let me tell you more about this campaign of mine. A few days ago, our school had a program where the team from Fueladream.com told us about a crowdfunding program which is going to help raise funds for elderly people who urgently need to undergo Cataract surgeries. We were surprised that a cataract surgery can be done for just INR 1000. That seemed almost unbelievable and was a big reason for me to do this initiative.
The fact that a contribution of just Rs 1000 can make a difference in the life of someone, made me realize that I must do something to help. I strongly believe that we can help those who are needy and in the process, transform their lives. Please support my campaign and let us together bring light into the lives of these people.
THE PARTNERS :
The funds from this campaign go to Sankara Eye hospital. All the receipts and 80G tax benefits that you get will be sent to you directly from Sankara Eye hospital who have the necessary 80G certification and also have FCRA certificate (This means that even funding from foreign sources is accepted). For more info on the hospital visit http://www.kannoli.net/. Their initiative to provide free eye surgeries is also supported by the Rotary Club of Madras Fort (RI Dist 3232).
HOW YOU CAN HELP & HOW FUNDS WILL BE USED
We are raising money to cover the cost of the cataract surgery & the smallest amount you contribute will help them to regain their eyesight. Once the campaign ends, regular updates will be posted to keep the funders abreast of the beneficiaries of the donations.
The names and addresses below have been blurred out on purpose as this is an example. For this campaign, the students will get the "complete details of patients". The below format is for INDICATIVE purposes.
TAX BENEFITS:
By funding this campaign, you are eligible for tax breaks as the SANKARA EYE HOSPITAL is a registered NGO & you can avail benefits under section 80G of the IT act. Foreign funding is accepted. If you are an Indian living abroad or a person holding an Indian passport you can EASILY fund this campaign.
ABOUT THE HOSPITAL:
Sankara Eye Hospital is a state of the art, multi-speciality eye hospital located in Pammal, Chennai and has been functioning since 1997 as an exclusive eye care centre with a singular vision of providing high-quality care to all segments of society, rich or poor.
Rotary Club of Madras Fort started the Project – “Kannoli -Vision Saver” in 1994 with the following aims and objects.
* Reach out to those who are in need.
* Help volunteers to help those in need of eyesight.
* Provide succour to those without near and dear to take care.
* Assist those who are unable to access a hospital on their own.
* Offer more than sight – Total care with understanding, love and compassion.
* A rural outreach program on eye care with a thrust on villages in Chennai, Kanchipuram, Tiruvallur and Chittoor (AP) districts.
This multidisciplinary hospital has been converted into an exclusive ophthalmic centre since April 1997. As of 2003, there were 91 beds catering to 12,000 surgeries. The bed strength has been raised now to 140 beds with an ultimate annual target of 20,000 surgeries. The Rotary Foundation through Rotary Club of Madras Fort provides support for new equipment and surgical expenditure under their matching grant projects.
LOCATION OF THE HOSPITAL
ABOUT ROTARY CLUB OF MADRAS FORT:
Rotary Club of Madras Fort is part of the Rotary network - a global network of 1.2 million neighbours, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who come together to make positive, lasting changes in communities at home and abroad. Rotary Club of Madras Fort along with its members have used their passion, energy, and commitment to make a difference to the lives of many people over the last 25 years. They are committed to always working towards bettering our world & the lives of those who need help. They have a long relationship and partnership with the Sankara Eye Hospital at Pallam.
ABOUT KANNOLI VISION PROJECT:
Kannoli-Vision Saver Project launched by Rotary Club of Madras Fort in 1994 and conducts rural outreach eye screening camps. This program involves daily camps at villages where people are screened for eye disorders and those needing surgery are brought to the Hospital by our buses, accommodated, pre-surgical testing carried out, surgery conducted post-operative care taken and patients are taken back to their villages after issuing spectacles and medicines as required. A postoperative review after one week and another review after 30 days provide assurance on the outcome and beneficial impact of the surgery, and where necessary, free spectacles are also provided. The entire sequence of activities from screening to postoperative review is carried out free of cost.
Their website is at the link http://www.kannoli.net/
Will we get to know the details of the elderly who benefitted?
Yes. After the money has been collected it will be transferred by Fueladream to Sankara Eye Hospital. It will take from 30 to 90 days after that to get details of who the beneficiary was with details of them. Once I get this information from the team at the Sankara Eye Hospital. I shall upload this on the UPDATES section of this campaign. You will then get an alert & can read details about the beneficiaries.
What are the crowdfunding charges & cost of each surgery?
There is a payment gateway fee of 3% (for both the Indian and foreign gateway) and a Fueladream fee of 9% of funds raised. The govt levy of GST amounts to 2.16 %. There is also an initial fee of 3000 INR which is being waived for us. With all this the funds we need to raise for a surgery are still only INR 1000.
It takes up to 2-3 weeks after the campaign is closed for the monies to be transferred to Sankara Eye Hospital The receipts will start getting processed about 4 to 6 weeks AFTER the campaign is closed and will be sent to you directly.
It’s a concept that allows a large number of funders (like you) to fund an Idea or a cause or event by giving small amounts of money online. Fueladream.com is a crowdfunding platform in India that allows for such a pooling of funds. You can fund innovations & ideas on FuelADream and be the first to get these products or make them come true. You can also do a good turn by funding charities and causes through crowdfunding. When you fund a charity it’s more like a donation & you get small innovative rewards like a shout-out on an FB page or a thank you email from the beneficiaries.
Prakash Srinivasan
Shalini Eswaran
Lakshmy Seshaiyer
Thank you message on Whatsapp
A Facebook shoutout
Thank you phone call
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A few clouds. Low 82F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph..
A few clouds. Low 82F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.
Ashley Nicole Hansen Weds Corey Dean Lee
Miss Ashley Nicole Hansen and Mr. Corey Dean Lee were united in marriage on Saturday, December 23, 2017 at seven-thirty o’clock in the evening at The Artillery Club in Galveston, Texas.
Miss Hayley Ann Boswell Weds Mr. Nathan Allen Hobley
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Eriksson – DeVries
Miss Erika Victoria Federighi Eriksson of Tomball and Mr. Dwayne Ray DeVries of Santa Fe were united in marriage at three o’clock in the afternoon of Saturday, January 6, 2018, at the 1859 St. Joseph’s Church, Galveston Island. A double ring ceremony celebration was officiated by Reverend Wa…
Jolie Ann LeBlanc Weds Spencer Todd Rekoff
Jolie Ann LeBlanc and Spencer Todd Rekoff were united in marriage on March 11, 2017 at Galveston Bible Church, Pastor Jason Dohring officiated. A reception followed at Garten Verein.
Courtney Evans Weds Adam Novelli
Courtney Danielle Evans of Houston and Adam Durham Novelli of Galveston were united in marriage on October 29, 2016 at Cedarwood Mansion in Nashville, Tenn.
Emily Gregory Weds Field Williams
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Teresa Peace Weds James Moore
Teresa Diane Peace of League City, TX and James Alan Moore of Texas City, TX were united in marriage at 4 p.m. December 7, 2016 at Enchanted Rock in Fredericksburg, TX.
Leigh Ann Woitena Weds David Cates
Miss Leigh Ann Woitena of Santa Fe, Texas and Mr. David Bradley Cates of Santa Fe, Texas were united in marriage on Friday, September 16, 2016 at half past six in the evening at The Springs, Sycamore Hall, in Angleton, Texas. The double ring ceremony was officiated by Dr. Rick Smith, pastor …
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The parents of Brandon Mathew Venegas and Kelsey Lynn Jewell proudly announce their marriage.
Mendell-Hodgson
Dr. Nancy Mendell and Dr. Lorne Mendell of Setauket, NY would like to announce the upcoming marriage of their daughter, Stephanie Mendell, to David Hodgson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Hodgson, of Galveston, Texas. The wedding will be held on November 5th, 2016, in Austin, Texas.
Parker-Dean Wedding
Ms. Brenda J. Parker and Mr. Ronald A. Dean were united in marriage on Saturday, July 30, 2016 at eleven o’clock late morning at The Bell Tower on 34th, Houston.
Kelli Nicole Fertitta Weds Joshua James Woods
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Dr. Kathleen Kelly Gallagher Weds John (EO) Andrew Meyers
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Carol Elizabeth Trevino Weds Blaine Patrick Donner
Carol Elizabeth Trevino and Blaine Patrick Donner were united in marriage on November14, 2015 at Saint Patrick’s Catholic Church in Galveston, Texas. The double ring ceremony was officiated by Father E.J. Stein.
Margaret Jo Curtis Weds Anthony Wayne Cann
Margaret Jo Curtis and Anthony Wayne Cann, both of Galveston, were united in marriage at 6 p.m. on June 27, 2015 at St. Joseph’s Church in Galveston. Music was provided by The Houston Strings during the ceremony and during cocktail hour at the reception.
Christina Lee Weds Codi Kraus
Miss Christina Lee and Mr. Codi Kraus were joined in marriage on Saturday, May 9, 2015 at Moody Memorial First United Methodist Church in Galveston, Texas. The ceremony was officiated by the Rev. Lisa Beth White. A reception was given by the bride’s parents following the ceremony at historic…
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Ashley Danielle Etienne Weds Nigel Audley Stephens
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Banuelos-Galioto
Stephanie Banuelos and Mario Galioto were united in marriage at six o’clock in the evening on March 13, 2015 at the Hotel Galvez in Galveston, Texas.
Corinne Sheehan Weds Dr. Omar Cantu
Corinne Sheehan and Dr. Omar Cantu were united in marriage on February 6, 2015 at 5:30 in the evening. Both the ceremony and the reception were held at Camp Lucy in Dripping Springs, Texas.
Amy Cleveland Weds Paul Perez
Amy Sieffert Cleveland and Paul Raymond Perez were united in marriage at 4:30 p.m., December 28, 2014 in an intimate ceremony at the Hotel Galvez in Galveston, Texas.
Courtney Leigh Choate Weds Stefan Polk Sullivan
Courtney Leigh Choate and Stefan Polk Sullivan were united in marriage on Saturday, October 4, 2014, at six o’clock in the evening at St. Joseph’s Church in Galveston, Texas. The double ring ceremony was officiated by Mr. Gary Janecek. Music for the ceremony was provided by the Divisi String…
Katie Ann Olson Weds Jack Wolter Withem
Katie Ann Olson and Jack Wolter Withem were united in marriage in a double ring ceremony at 7 p.m., October 18, 2014, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Galveston, Texas with the Rev. Page Polk, OFM officiating.
Lane McCall Sealy Weds Eric Conley Green
Lane McCall Sealy of San Antonio and Eric Conley Green of Sugar Land were united in marriage on November 15, 2014 at Trinity Episcopal Church in Galveston, Texas. The ceremony was officiated by The Reverend Susan Kennard and a reception followed at The Hotel Galvez.
Elizabeth Rodau Weds Robert W. Bastien
Elizabeth Rodau and Robert W. Bastien were united in marriage at 5pm on October 4, 2014 in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Christy Freeman, sister of the groom, officiated the wedding ceremony. Both the ceremony and a reception were held at The Rochester Community House. The couple first met and …
Kailea A. Schirmer Weds Seth T. Blankenship
Kailea A. Schirmer of Key West and Seth T. Blankenship of South Padre Island were united in marriage at 10 a.m. on August 29, 2014 at the Silver Sky Chapel at The Quad Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. A reception was held at the Capital Grille.
Mary I. McGowan Weds Ellen M. Klimenko
After celebrating almost 26 years together, Mary I. McGowan and Ellen M. Klimenko, both living in Galveston, Texas, were united in marriage at 7 p.m. on June 20, 2014 in Niagara Falls, New York. The ceremony was officiated by Rev. David MacDougal at the Saint Frances Wedding Chapel of Niagar…
Hayley McCreary Weds Ethan Munoz
Hayley Lynn McCreary and Ethan Andrew Munoz, both of League City, were united in marriage at 5 p.m. on June 14, 2014 in Alvin. The ceremony was officiated by Chuck and Rhonda Houston, youth pastors at Covenant Word Church in Webster.
Anna Butler Weds Ryan Brunswick
Anna Margaret Butler and Ryan Joseph Brunswick were married on Saturday, June 14, 2014 at Epiphany Episcopal Church, Oak Hill, Virginia. The Reverend Brad Rundlett and The Reverend Hillary West officiated at the wedding ceremony. The reception was held at the Fairview Park Marriott.
Reagan Riquelmy Weds Donald Farmer III
Reagan Gayle Riquelmy and Donald “Tripp” Farmer III, both of League City, Texas, were married at 7 p.m. on June 14, 2014 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Galveston, Texas. The ceremony officiant was Deacon Sam Dell’Olio. Scripture readings were given by Brent Reid and Lindsay Pollino.
Stein-Floyd
Kelsey Kay Stein and Casey Lee Floyd of Dickinson were united in marriage at 3 p.m. on June 19, 2014 at League Park in League City.
Kristen Kathleen Cooke Weds Brian James Wright
Miss Kristen Kathleen Cooke and Mr. Brian James Wright were united in marriage on Saturday, April 12, 2014 at 6:30 in the evening in the elegant Campanile Chapel of the Bell Tower in Houston, Texas. The double-ring ceremony was officiated by Bro. Don Pierson, uncle of the bride. Following th…
Hess-Edwards
Samitha Hess and Scott Edwards, both of Houston, were united in marriage at 6 p.m., Saturday, May 17, 2014 at the Waterfront Event Center in Galveston, Texas.
Ashley Falco Weds Carlos Garcia
Ashley Falco and Carlos Garcia were united in marriage at 6:30 p.m. on April 19, 2014 at the Tuscan Courtyard in Texas City.
Kristy Allen Weds Shasta Moore
Kristy DeShawn Allen and Shasta Bernard Moore, Jr. were united in marriage at 3 p.m. on December 7, 2013 at Greater Barbour’s Chapel Church in Texas City.
Iribe-Sapsky
Diana Iribe and Brian Sapsky were united in marriage at 2 p.m., November 16, 2013 at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Long Beach, California.
Kelsi Annise Wegner Weds John Richmond Sullivan
The families of Miss Kelsi Annise Wegner and Mr. John Richmond “Rocky” Sullivan proudly announce the marriage of their children, which took place on October 25, 2013 at one o’clock in the afternoon. The private ceremony was held on an elegant rooftop overlooking Enchanted Rock in the Texas H…
Stephanie Peña Weds Matt Frye
Stephanie Joanne Peña and John Matthew Frye were united in marriage at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 21, 2013 at First Lutheran Church in Galveston. The Rev. Douglas Guthier officiated the double ring ceremony. Readings were given by Michaela Mallow and Branden Mickan. Ceremonial music was…
Sara Freudenburg Weds Michael Niebuhr
Sara Elizabeth Freudenburg and Michael Nunez Niebuhr were married on the evening of Saturday, October 19, 2013 at First Presbyterian Church of Galveston, Texas. The ceremony was officiated by the Rev. Dr. Bob Murphy. Music was provided by the Chancel Ensemble.
Lindsay Marie Maurer Weds Dr. Scott Michael Allen
Lindsay Marie Maurer and Dr. Scott Michael Allen were united in marriage at 6 p.m., July 19, 2013 during a sunset ceremony at Hans Fahden Winery in Calistoga, California. The Rev. Blane Ellsworth officiated the ceremony.
Kristin Elaine Minter Weds Casey Daniel Woodward
Kristin Elaine Minter and Casey Daniel Woodward were united in marriage on Sunday, October 20, 2013 at the Garten Verein Pavilion at Kempner Park in Galveston. A reception was held in the pavilion immediately following the wedding ceremony.
Kristen Jeanne Spanik Weds Bradford Winchester Davis
Kristen Jeanne Spanik of Yorktown, Virginia and Bradford (Brad) Winchester Davis of Los Gatos, California were united in marriage at 7 p.m. on September 7, 2013 at the Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center in Norfolk, Virginia. Matthew Lorish officiated the ceremony. William Palmer played…
Jean Munoz-Garcia Weds Robert Cardenas
Jean Munoz-Garcia and Robert Cardenas were united in Holy Matrimony on Saturday, October 5, 2013 at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Galveston.
Brandy Dawn Wright Weds Michael Kristopher Barry
Brandy Dawn Wright of Meridian, Mississippi and Michael Kristopher Barry of Meridian Mississippi (formerly of Santa Fe) were united in marriage on June 21, 2013 during a sunset ceremony on a beach located on the Island of Antigua in the West Indies of the Caribbean.
Melinda Pigford Weds Dale Weaver
Melinda Pigford and Dale Weaver, both of Houston, were united in marriage on August 10, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. on the beach in Galveston.
Melinda Kay Montalbano Weds Dr. Clay William Yaklin
Melinda Kay Montalbano of Houston and Dr. Clay William Yaklin of Galveston (formerly of Corpus Christi) were united in marriage on June 8, 2013 at 2 p.m. at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Houston.
Jeanine Heinson Weds James Coggeshall
Jeanine Marie Heinson and James Lowell Coggeshall were joined in marriage on Saturday, July 13, 2013 in Austin, Texas. The bride’s uncle, Father Vincent Dufresne conducted the ceremony at Saint Mary Cathedral.
Erica Chuoke Weds Travis Brown
Miss Erica Ann Chuoke and Mr. Travis Howard Brown were united in Holy Matrimony at 2:00 in the afternoon on August 3, 2013 at Saint Mary of the Miraculous Medal Catholic Church, Texas City. The nuptial mass was celebrated by Reverend Thomas V. Ponzini.
Emalie Carole Kane Weds William L.F. Sternberg
Miss Emalie Carole Kane and Mr. William L.F. Sternberg were united in marriage on Saturday, June 15, 2013 at five o’clock at Moody United Methodist Church in Galveston, Texas. The double ring ceremony was officiated by Rev. Bert Bagley of Moody Methodist Church and the groom’s sister, Rev. P…
Miss Lauren Ellyse Marshall Weds Mr. Timothy Wayne Virene
Miss Lauren Ellyse Marshall and Mr. Timothy Wayne Virene were united in marriage at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 25, 2013 at the Oleander Garden of the Hotel Galvez in Galveston. Strings were provided by Cameron Keys. Judge George Cooley, a longtime family friend, officiated the double ring ce…
Lindsey Elaine Mims Weds Lacy Allen Trey Suarez
Miss Lindsey Elaine Mims and Mr. Lacy Allen “Trey” Suarez, III of Dickinson were united in marriage in a double ring candlelight ceremony at 6:30 in the evening on May 18, 2013 at the First Presbyterian Church in Galveston. The ceremony was officiated by The Reverend Dr. Alan Brehm, minister…
Stephanie Lee Phillips Weds Daniel Gregory Gross
Stephanie Lee Phillips and Daniel Gregory Gross were united in marriage at 7:00 p.m., May 25, 2013 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Galveston, Texas.
Miss Shelly Marie Mencacci Weds Mr. Jonathan Robert Delaney
Miss Shelly Marie Mencacci and Mr. Jonathan Robert Delaney were united in marriage at half past 6:00 in the evening, on Saturday, April 27, 2013 on the golf course of the South Shore Harbour Country Club in League City, Texas. Music for the double ring ceremony was provided by the Divisi Str…
Amanda Kay Barron Weds Dustin Lee Robinson
Amanda Kay Barron and Dustin Lee Robinson were united in marriage on Saturday, March 9, 2013 at the Charles T. Doyle Convention Center, Texas Heroes Room. Judge Mike Nelson officiated the ceremony.
Kristin Whanger Weds Kyle Pacini
Kristin Kay Whanger and Kyle Anthony Pacini were united in marriage at 5:30 p.m. on November 10, 2012 at Sacred Heart Church in Galveston. Soloist was George Hatch Jr., uncle of groom.
Leighanne Meador Weds Blake Ortiz
Leighanne Meador and Blake Ortiz were united in marriage at 6 p.m., November 24, 2012 at Mary Leonard Chapel in Ft. Worth, Texas.
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Amazon will be giving raises of up to $1.25 per hour for workers already making $15 an hour.
The company will also be giving anniversary bonuses of up to $3,000.
These changes come after Amazon received backlash for taking away bonuses and stock awards.
Amazon is attempting to reverse course after catching a lot of heat and backlash over raising its minimum wage to $15 for all U.S. hourly employees while quietly sunsetting employee stock awards and bonuses.
From the outside, the wage hike appeared to be a generous move from the company led by Jeff Bezos, CEO, founder, and the world’s richest person. Amazon employees were quick to voice criticism, however, as it appeared that some employees would actually make less under the proposed wage changes due to the loss of stock awards and bonuses. Now, Amazon is adding more raises and bonuses to compensate for the change.
Click to learn why the bonus tax rate is bad news for your tax refund.
Newest Amazon Raises Could Be Worth Over $325M a Year
Amazon has announced that employees already making $15 an hour will likely see a $1.25 bump to $16.25 an hour starting Nov. 1, almost 2 1/2 times more than the national minimum wage of $7.25. This means that under the new plan, a worker could see up to an extra $2,600 annually.
Amazon hasn’t released the number of employees already making $15 an hour who could receive this wage bump, so how much the increase will cost the company is unclear. The first wage hike from $11 to $15 applied to 350,000 employees.
Based on estimated buckets of worker wages, here’s how much the latest wage hike could potentially cost Amazon. All figures are based on working 40 hours per week, 52 weeks a year:
50,000 Amazon employees affected x $1.25 per hour increase = $62,500 more paid to employees per hour or $130 million per year
100,000 Amazon employees affected x $1.25 per hour increase = $125,000 more paid to employees per hour or $260 million per year
Related: Walmart Now Pays You to Go to College, and 30 More Top Company Perks
Amazon’s New Bonus Plan Encourages Employees to Stay Long Term
Amazon will now implement anniversary cash bonuses for five, 10, 15 and 20 years of service that will range between $1,500 and $3,000, as reported by Bloomberg.
The company has yet to provide exact bonus amounts that employees will receive when reaching each milestone anniversary, and Amazon hasn’t released roughly how many employees are currently at each anniversary. Given the low and the high ends of both, and an estimate on how many employees are at these milestones, the cost could be:
5,000 (estimated number of Amazon employees achieving five-year company anniversary) x $1,500 cash anniversary bonus = $7.5 million annually paid to employees
5,000 (estimated number of Amazon employees achieving 20-year company anniversary) x $3,000 cash anniversary bonus = $15 million annually paid to employees
Read: 30 Companies Where You Can Easily Earn Over $100,000
Second Amazon Bonus Could Cost the Company $56M
All workers, regardless of tenure, will be eligible for a $100 bonus for good attendance during the month of December. That $100 bonus alone could cost Amazon over $56 million because the company employs over 560,000 people, as of February 2018.
Check Out: 40 Legit Companies That Will Pay You to Work From Home
How Much Amazon Is Now Spending on Raises and Bonuses
An estimated 350,000 U.S.-based Amazon warehouse workers will be seeing a $4 bump from $11 to $15 an hour, which will cost the company an extra $1.4 million per hour or $2.9 billion per year based on a 40-hour work week for those employees. With these newest raises and bonuses, if the maximum estimates presented here hold true, the company could end up paying over $403 million more each year to employees.
Click through to read about what top CEOs receive in salary and other perks.
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GOBankingRates > Making Money > Business > Amazon Adds New Wage Hike Worth About $400M, Backpedals on Bonus Cuts
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Krista Vernoff and Elisabeth R. Finch (‘Grey’s Anatomy’) on making TV history and powerful consent episode [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO INTERVIEW]
Marcus James Dixon @marcusdixon
“It’s kind of bigger than we can wrap our heads around,” admits “Grey’s Anatomy” showrunner and executive producer Krista Vernoff about making TV history earlier this season by surpassing “ER’s” record as the longest-running medical drama ever. Gold Derby recently sat down with Vernoff and co-executive producer/writer Elisabeth R. Finch to discuss this milestone accomplishment as well as the show’s powerful consent episode, titled “Silent All These Years,” that some fans are calling one of the best in 15 seasons. Watch our exclusive video interview with Vernoff and Finch above.
SEEWatch dozens of our fun video interviews with 2019 Emmy contenders
Vernoff continues, “We all watched ‘ER’ growing up and I think ‘ER’ is one of the big influencers of all of us as writers and of this show. We’re really blown away. We’re proud. We’re grateful. The idea of making history is insane.” When we ask if “Grey’s” may one day surpass “Law & Order,” which aired for 20 seasons, Vernoff laughs, “In any good 12-step program you go one day at a time. We’re going one episode at a time and we’re grateful and we’re gonna do the best work we can.”
As for the creative process behind Finch’s episode that dealt with the aftermath of a woman (Khalilah Joi) being sexual assaulted, she reveals that the idea came to her three years ago when the writers guild sent a group to tour the rape treatment center at UCLA. “I went thinking at some point I might come up with an idea for it,” Finch details. “There were a couple moments that stuck in my brain that I couldn’t shake and let go,” and then the Brett Kavanaugh hearings reinforced the idea of “wanting to talk about consent and have those conversations. It just seemed like the perfect time to put it all together.”
SEE‘Grey’s Anatomy’ overtakes ‘ER’ as TV’s longest-running medical drama: Let’s take a scalpel to their Emmy histories
The episode’s traumatic hospital moments were intercut with scenes between Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington) meeting her biological mother (Michelle Forbes) for the first time and discovering that she was the result of rape. Finch explains, “What was interesting to me was trying to pair up a scenario where one woman had nothing and no support and no one she felt she could tell her truth to, juxtaposed with a current story that was walking through our hospital where she had everything she needed, where she had all of the support she could possibly have.”
“Isn’t that amazing to think about?” Vernoff remarks at how television had never before depicted a rape kit being administered. “How many times have you seen rape on television? A lot of times. How have we never seen the impact of rape in this way? I think the reason we’ve never shown it is because culturally we focus on the male experience … but the woman who’s impacted and what she goes through in the wake of it is a thing we don’t see on television and that I think is the thing I’m most proud of.”
Also in our in-depth interview, Vernoff and Finch talk about the final episodes of Season 15, how Jo and Alex (Justin Chambers) will continue being affected by this storyline, the brief return of Meredith’s (Ellen Pompeo) father Thatcher (Jeff Perry), and what it would mean for Emmy voters to take notice of such a powerful and female-driven episode.
PREDICT the Emmys now; change them until July 16
SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s newsletter with experts’ latest predictions
Emmys Best Drama Series Gallery: Every Winner in Emmy Awards History
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My Birthday, the 60's, #yegmedia and Popcorn Playhouse
Today is my birthday.
I was born at the Royal Alexandra Hospital just north of downtown Edmonton and have lived in Edmonton ever since, other than for a few months when I started in radio.
Every summer I reflect on growing up in the 1960's and early 70's and what those summers were like. Since I normally write about the media, I thought I would devote this blog to looking back on those days and thinking about how much the media has changed since Popcorn Playhouse was a daily staple for me.
The Edmonton Journal - A Window to the World
Before I started working summer jobs while going to school, I had a lot of time on my hands over the summer. I grew up just north of where Commonwealth Stadium is today. It always seemed many summer days dragged, as if there was a little too much time without something important to do.
One of the daily highlights was getting a copy of the Edmonton Journal dropped on the front step.
Well that’s not quite accurate. The Journal didn’t often hit the step during the summer because I was sitting on it waiting for the paper to arrive. In the late 1960’s and early 70’s the Journal contained so much new information. I scanned the baseball line scores from the night before to finally find out what happened. I may have got some scores and perhaps saw a few highlights on the late TV news, but even if I had, there wasn’t a lot of detail. Today of course we get details on every at bat almost instantly. Back then we didn’t get much information until the Journal arrived around 4:30 the following afternoon. That’s how important is was as a news source.
Horse racing used to be so much bigger in the Journal than it is today. I always wanted to see who Shudda Haddem and Willie Ketchum were picking. It wasn’t until later that I came to realize the same guy made the selections for both. That was a disappointment.
The Journal gave me my first sense that events that happened in my community, Canada and around the world were important too. While TV had more immediate coverage, I quickly realized the Journal laid everything out for you in one place and it likely had more local reporters than it does today.
Black and White TV and Rabbit Ears
In the 60’s Edmonton only had three TV stations – CFRN, which today is CTV Edmonton, along with CBC and CBC French. It wasn’t until 1974 that CITV came along, which is Global Edmonton now. That was about the same time as we got cable and the world opened up to us.
I remember my parents watching the local news on a black and white TV with rabbit ears. There was Sid Lancaster and Norm Williams on CTV and Alex Moir on CBC.
Like most kids though, I preferred to watch other shows. The can't miss show of the week was Stampede Wrestling on Saturday afternoons. Before it started it's long run on Saturdays, it used to come on after the late news on Monday nights. I remember many a Monday night going to bed as my parents watched the Pig and Whistle show, so I could get a few hours of sleep before my Mom would wake me up to watch wrestling. It was a deal we had and no I'm not making up the name of the TV show. There really was a show called Pig and Whistle on CTV. I can still remember the theme song drifting into my bedroom as I tried to get to sleep.
A local staple was Popcorn Playhouse with Eric Neville. He used to do a quick interview with the kids on the show to give them a few seconds of fame before the birthday kids dug in the Klondike Eric’s Gold Mine to come away with nickels and dimes wrapped in gold tinfoil. Muskeg the Moose was great, especially when kids would ask him dirty jokes that they heard from their parents.
Then there was Kids Bids with local auctioneers Pat and Jean O’Hara. Kids saved box tops and bags from Old Dutch potato chips and then went on the show to bid on prizes – an early version of E-Bay. I always thought the O’Haras were actors until my parents took me to their auction house to buy a colour TV in about 1967. We were just getting colour TV in Edmonton then and the Viking model (originally sold at Eaton’s) came in a big wooden cabinet. It was the size of a Buick, but I digress.
The Summer of 69
I remember the summer of ’69 because the Montreal Expos were in their first season and we got many of their games on TV. I also remember it for man landing on the moon, the Manson murders and Woodstock. Little did I know that less than a decade later I would be working in the newsroom of Edmonton radio station CHQT.
In the summer of ’69 my friends and I only wanted to listen to 630 CHED. It played all the hits. Why would anyone want to listen to a station like CHQT, CJCA or CFCW just because they had more news? We just wanted to hear songs like Crystal Blue Persuasion, Bad Moon Rising, Honky Tonk Woman and Get Back for the 10th time that day.
FM stations didn’t come along until the 1970’s and 80’s, so we had about a half a dozen AM stations and that was it. If you liked country you likely listened to CFCW. If you liked pop you listened to CJCA and if you wanted easy listening then CHQT was for you.
CHED had a massive audience due to demographics and a lack of competition, but advertisers preferred stations where people had some money to spend, although come to think of it, I did spend a lot of my meagre income on records and concerts at the Edmonton Gardens in those days.
Things were much simpler then. You got one newspaper a day, except for Sundays, and it had everything in it you needed. Sure the information wasn’t immediate like it is on the internet today, but it’s all we had and we were happy. If you heard about something the day after it happened it was no big deal because that’s how it was.
We got one hockey game a week on TV on Hockey Night in Canada and when a second game was added on Wednesday nights in the late 60’s it was big stuff. Actually seeing the game in colour was a huge bonus. We appreciated getting something new a lot more than we do today.
If you wanted to listen to music, you could find what you wanted on AM and if the station was tuned properly you got decent quality. When I really liked a song, I took the bus downtown to Zellers and bought the 45 for a dollar, or the whole LP, brought them home and played them on a turntable with speakers as big as linebackers.
Looking back on it, newspapers, TV and radio were crap compared to what we have today, but we seemed happier. When we can’t get our new iPod to make a Bluetooth connection today we get upset. We didn’t have that problem in the 60’s. If we weren’t getting good TV reception so we could watch Siesta Cinema we’d just fiddle with the rabbit ears until we did.
Thank You to Vintage Edmonton
Images used in this blog have been included with permission of Vintage Edmonton, a fantastic site that captures the history of Edmonton incredibly well.
I may be wrong, Grant, but I think it was Shudda Haddem, not Shadda. Otherwise, a great trip down memory lane. I too was a news junkie and eagerly awaited the arrival of the Edmonton Journal. And as for TV, don't forget the Noon Show, with Ed Kay and Norris McLean. Three Stooges. Gary Haas and the Barn Dance Gang. I could go on and on...
Thanks for catching the typo. It's been corrected.
Others have mentioned the Noon Show. It was a nice break from the school day when we came home for lunch and saw Mom, because in the 60's, most Moms didn't work outside the home.
Happy Belated Birthday Grant!
While I was not a baseball fan then (and still not) I loved reading about the Edmonton Eskimos ( still my team) in the paper and going over their stats. Of course another Journal favourite was the Saturday Comics, or as we called them, The Funnies. Listening to Bryan Hall's football broadcasts on CJCA was a must! Though for most of "our age" group only listened to CHED. Mikes's Newstand was the place to get concert tickets. Another summer favourite was Klondike Days as that was the only place for fun rides at the time. Any other Edmontonians remember the pool at Victoria Composite High School? That is where I learned to swim and I must have had great instructors as I now swim laps and am frequently complimented on my swimming style.
Thanks for reminding us of simpler times!
Oh gosh Grant, isn't that what we would hear our parents say!
Joni Pitzel, formerly of Edmonton
I think Mike's News is a very underrated piece of Edmonton's history. It's amazing to think how magazines, newspapers and event tickets are now so different than they were when we got them from Mike's in the 60's.
Thanks for reading Joni.
So cool to hear some of the things I remember well growing up in Edmonton. Born in Royal Alex, too and was a south side girl, though. Popcorn Playhouse - one of my favorites! Does anyone remember the Dog 'n' Suds? My sister and I reminisce about it sometimes remembering our frequently visited places as a family or young teen. Krege's, the Metropolitan, and Woolworth's for shopping downtown - great lunch bar, too! Great blog, Grant - Happy Birthday!
Thanks Linda.
I remember those stores well. The Met and Kresge's were right across the avenue from each other on 101 Street and I think Woolworth's was on 102 Street next to National Bakery. Not sure if you remember the malt shop in the basement of Woodwards?
Wow! Willy and the Walkers, Benny Benjamin! You've taken me back Grant! My cousin and and I used to love visiting The Palace of Sweets on Jasper Ave then pop down to the Bay for a malt before ending up at the Art Mart to stare at the cool blacklight posters. Good times.
The Palace of Sweets. Now there's a great name from the past! My friends and I used to play pinball and foosball at Klondike Smoke, which was on Jasper just west of 105th Street. They had magazines in the front and pinball in the back.
My Divorce From the Edmonton Journal
After over 50 years of reading the Edmonton Journal newspaper, I have decided to say goodbye to my morning ritual.
My Marriage to Digital Journalism
There are two reasons why leaving a printed newspaper is so difficult, but it s time to embrace the digital version.
25 Years Later - What's New in the News Business?
It s been 25 years since I left the media business. Since then the news biz has undergone three major changes.
A Prairie Boy Holidays in the Maritimes
A summer holiday took me to a place that too few people from my area travel to. It is too bad because I got to use Canadian dollars.
Media, Sex and Spin – My Top 10 Blogs
In the last year I have written 50 blogs. Here is my Top 10, based on the number of readers each week.
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FAQs: All you need to know about Boarding
Below, we have listed some frequently asked questions and their answers which you may find useful. However, we do not see this as a substitute to answering your questions directly so do please contact us should you have any questions about the boarding at Hazlegrove - we will be very happy to talk to you and answer any questions we can.
How many boarders are there at Hazlegrove?
There are currently around 100 boarders at Hazlegrove, not including those children who only board one or two nights a week.
What is the balance between girl and boy boarders?
Whilst we have the capacity to have over 100 boarders in the school, the girls boarding house is limited to just over 40 so there are a few more boys than girls.
Can my child weekly board?
In Year 3, the boarders can go home on Friday evening. For Year 4 and above, there is Saturday morning school and so the children are allowed to go out of school at the end of lessons at 12.45pm or after their sports match commitments on Saturday afternoon, if applicable. The exceptions to this are the in-weekends and the exeat weekends.
How old are the youngest boarders?
Children are allowed to board at Hazlegrove from the age of 7 when they join Year 3. We have children joining the boarding community in most, if not all year groups each year.
Can my child start boarding in the summer term?
We are very happy for pupils to join the boarding in the Summer Term, but this is dependent on space availability in the classroom and the boarding house. If space is not available for the Summer Term, there will most probably be space available in the following September.
What is an "In-Weekend"
The first and last weekend of each term at Hazlegrove are in-weekends for the boarders. These are weekends when all the boarders are expected to remain in school, participate in the activities and enjoy special occasions such as the Christmas Feast. These weekends are excellent for developing the sense of community amongst the boarders.
What is an "Exeat" Weekend?
Exeat weekends are when the school closes for the weekend. All pupils go out for the weekend at 4pm after school on Friday and return on Sunday between 6pm and 7.30pm. Occasionally if an exeat weekend coincides with a Bank Holiday weekend, the exeat will be extended to include the Monday. Exeat dates are published at least a year in advance in the termly calendar and on the website.
Can my child "Flexi-Board"
Flexi-boarding and occasional boarding are possible providing there is a bed available in the boarding house. Some children will board on the same night(s) each week and others may stay for a week here and there if their parents have work or other commitments elsewhere.
When does my child have to return to school after a weekend?
Those boarders who have been out for a weekend either return on Sunday evening or Monday morning as arranged with the house parents.
How many boarders stay in school at the weekend?
Apart from the in-weekends when all the boarders are in school, we would normally expect a good number of boarders to remain in school at the weekend (around 50-60). The programme for the weekend's activities is usually published in advance on the website.
What proportion of the school is boarding?
Around one third of the prep school pupils are boarders - that is around one third of pupils from Year 3 (age 7) upwards. The proportion is generally higher in the older age groups than in the younger ones. Due to the nature of the day at Hazlegrove with many day pupils staying for after-school activities and boarding on an occasional basis, the difference between day and boarding pupils is largely seamless.
Are there many international pupils at Hazlegrove?
We have a small number of international pupils who contribute to the rich and diverse life at Hazlegrove. Our overseas pupils currently make up less than 15% of the boarding community.
Does my child require a guardian?
Only pupils whose parents are resident outside the UK require a guardian, our full policy regarding guaridans is available on the website. However, the house parents should be informed if parents are away from home for a significant period and advised who will be acting "in loco parentis" if applicable.
What is the school's policy on mobile phones and other electronic equipment?
Mobile phones are not allowed at school. If pupils need to speak to their parents during
the school day, permission must be sought from the School Office. Boarders need to go
through their Houseparents. To allow for time differences when families are able to speak
to one another, overseas boarders (and boarders who need to have access to a telephone
for travel) are allowed to bring a mobile telephone to school and are kept securely by the
Houseparents. These could be used to contact parents during the week.
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GHY discusses changes to international trade regulations and explores cutting-edge compliance strategies.
Home > Trade Compliance > Shades of ‘South Park’ in Dueling Trade Agendas: “Harmful” vs. “Horribly Destructive”
Shades of ‘South Park’ in Dueling Trade Agendas: “Harmful” vs. “Horribly Destructive”
If Donald Trump’s threats to rip up existing trade agreements and impose punitive 45% tariffs on goods from China and a similar 35% levy on products imported from Mexico were to be implemented they “could unleash a trade war that would plunge the U.S. economy into recession and cost more than 4 million private sector jobs,” according to a detailed analysis of the two candidates’ trade agendas.
The briefing released today by researchers at the non-partisan Peterson Institute for International Economics underscores how, even as the Republican nominee claims that his pledge to “Make America Great Again” would dramatically boost growth and create millions of jobs, most mainstream economists view his facile, populist nostrums as potentially hazardous economic quackery.
Although the report determines that Hillary Clinton’s purported opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership and further economic integration would be “harmful” to the economy, it “in effect represents stasis” and pales in comparison to the policies being advanced by Donald Trump, that PIIE President Adam Posen says are “another matter altogether”.
“His stated approach to the global economy of waging trade war and protecting uncompetitive special interests would be disastrous for American economic well-being and national security,” Posen states. “We call them as we see them: While Clinton’s stated trade policy would be harmful, Trump’s stated trade policy would be horribly destructive.”
A PIIE press release stated that: “The authors of the empirical assessment, Marcus Noland, Tyler Moran, and Sherman Robinson, extend a macroeconomic model from Moody’s Analytics and find that if Trump raises tariffs sharply on China, Mexico, and other trading partners, export-dependent US industries that manufacture machinery used to create capital goods in the information technology, aerospace, and engineering sectors would be the most severely affected. But the shock resulting from Trump’s proposed trade sanctions would also damage sectors not engaged directly in trade, such as wholesale and retail distribution, restaurants, and temporary employment agencies, particularly in regions where the most heavily affected goods are produced. Millions of American jobs that appear unconnected to international trade—disproportionately lower-skilled and lower-wage jobs—would be at risk, according to the empirical study.”
Heading off the arguments of those seeking assurance in the comforting notion that, if elected, Trump couldn’t actually carry out his threats, the study also features a legal analysis by former Georgetown professor and Director of Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations Gary Clyde Hufbauer concluding that “there is ample precedent and scope for a U.S. president to unilaterally raise tariffs as Trump has vowed to do as a centerpiece of his trade policy. Any effort to block Trump’s actions through the courts, or amend the authorizing statutes in Congress, would be difficult and time-consuming.”
Note: For anyone unfamiliar with the reference made in the title, click here.
De Minimus Thresholds Under USMCA
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Metals Creek and Golden Dory Announce High Grade Iron Results From Recent Sampling at the Gabbro Lake Project in Western Labrador
Iron Values Up to 75.38% Fe2O3 From Labrador Trough Iron Formation
July 21, 2011 09:00 ET | Source: Metals Creek Resources Corp.
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - July 21, 2011) - Metals Creek Resources Corp. (TSX VENTURE:MEK) and Golden Dory Resources Corp. (TSX VENTURE:GDR) are pleased to announce assay results from its recently completed sampling program on the Gabbro Lake project located 160 km northeast of Labrador City. The project consists of 295 claim units (21 square kilometers) and was initially acquired to cover the most eastern extent of the prolific Labrador Trough iron formation which hosts all of Canada's present iron ore production in western Labrador and northeastern Quebec. The Gabbro claims are 35 km north of the Trans Labrador Highway and 50 km east of the Labrador-Quebec railway.
The project is a 50/50 joint venture between Metals Creek and Golden Dory with Metals Creek as the operator. The claims were acquired by both companies in 2007 and airborne geophysics (magnetic, EM and radiometrics) was completed in 2008. Within the Gabbro property, the magnetic data defines the Knob Lake iron formation as a structurally folded and faulted iron formation and shows a number of areas that may be thickened by the structural complexity. The prospecting/sampling program was carried out in June and targeted the magnetic iron formations. Highlights from this sampling include:
A total of 34 grab samples were taken from various iron formation targets which were outlined as discrete magnetic highs on the airborne geophysics survey. Results from grab samples of both outcrop and angular float ranged from 11.42% Fe2O3 to 75.38% Fe2O3 with 79% of the samples assaying greater than 25% Fe2O3 and 62% of the samples over 40% Fe2O3. The samples represented massive to semi-massive medium grained magnetite and banded cherty magnetite iron formation. There has been no known previous work carried out on these iron formation prospects.
Future work will include petrographic work on the higher grade iron samples and generation of a 3-D model using the airborne magnetic data to get a better understanding of the iron formation dimensions. Follow-up field work is recommended and would include additional prospecting/sampling, ground geophysics and diamond drilling.
The surface grab samples described in this news release are selective by nature and are unlikely to represent average grades on the property. The samples were delivered to Actlabs sample prep facility in Goose Bay, NL where representative pulps were prepared and sent to Actlabs in Ancaster, Ontario. The iron formation samples were analyzed for Fe2O3 and the other major oxides by XRF Fusion.
Michael MacIsaac, P. Geo, VP Exploration for Metals Creek and a qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101, is responsible for this release, and supervised the preparation of the information forming the basis for this release.
About Metals Creek Resources Corp.
Metals Creek Resources Corp. is incorporated under the laws of the Province of Ontario, is a reporting issuer in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario, and has its common shares listed for trading on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "MEK". Metals Creek has an option to earn a 50% interest in the Ogden Gold Property, including the former Naybob Gold mine, located 6 km south of Timmins, Ontario and has a 8 km strike length of the prolific Porcupine-Destor Fault (PDF) that stretches between Timmins, Ontario and Val-d'Or, Quebec. The Corporation is also engaged in the identification, acquisition, exploration and development of other mineral resource properties, and presently has mining interests in Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador. Additional information concerning the Corporation is contained in documents filed by the Corporation with securities regulators, available under the Corporation's profile at www.sedar.com.
About Golden Dory Resources Corp.
Golden Dory Resources Corp. (TSX VENTURE:GDR) is primarily focused on gold exploration at the Huxter Lane-Brady Project in Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada; and in the Long Canyon district (Pequop South), and Reef properties in the state of Nevada, USA.
Metals Creek Resources Corp.
Alexander (Sandy) Stares
(709)-256-6061 (FAX)
astares@metalscreek.com
Golden Dory Resources Corp.
Kevin Keats
kkeats@goldendoryresources.com
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HC at UNCW
Support Wilmington's Women Writers
By Maddie Brindle • UNCW Contributor October 17, 2017 at 9:43am
Coming soon, Athenian Press & Workshops will be North Carolina’s FIRST bookstore, press/lit mag, and artistic space catered to women and femme writers in the heart of downtown Wilmington. Some of their core values deal with community building, creativity and imagination, feminism, social justice, and inclusion. Athenian Press & Workshop's existence will transform the field of publishing and disrupt oppressive constructs of femininity, sexuality, and race. Their goal is to create a platform and physical gathering space for Wilmingtonians to feel welcome and included, especially women and femme writers seeking resources and a supportive community. The bookstore will feature work by women/femme and local writers as well as offering personal workspace, meeting and discussion areas open to workshop, publishing resources, and include a café for your favorite coffee shop snacks and drinks.
On October 21st, Athenian Press & Workshops will be launching their Kickstarter campaign at Waterline Brewery to help raise the funds to make this space a reality. Coming out for a night of games, raffle prizes, drinks, food, speakers, and live music helps support local businesses and artists as well as the feminine literary community in Wilmington. Keynote speakers include Maya Marshall of PANK magazine, and featured musical guests include Emily Musolino Trio, SWINE, and Jacquie Lee of Striking Copper. Additionally, there will be poetry readings by Destiny Hemphill and Catherine Ntube of the University of South Carolina Columbia. If you like supporting local businesses and the women of Wilmington as well as craft beer, food trucks, and raffle prizes, you should come join Athenian Press & Workshops in launching their campaign!
For more information, check out Athenian A&P's website and don't forget to like their Facebook page.
[Photos Courtesy of Anna Mann and Tish Yvette]
womenwarriors
Maddie Brindle (UNCW)
Maddie is a senior at UNCW majoring in English Literature with a Professional Writing Certificate and minoring in Women's Gender Studies.
Her Conference LA 2019: My Experience
My Greatest Love & My Major
5 Must-Visit LA Cafes That Will Take Your IG Feed to The Next Level
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Home / ... / hidden europe 53 / Brush Strokes: Albert Operti and Polar Art
Brush Strokes: Albert Operti and Polar Art
by hidden europe
A small bay on the west side of an island in Franz Josef Land is named in honour of an Italian-born artist. We look at the life and work of Albert Operti.
It is the prerogative of explorers to name places. The large Franz Josef Land archipelago in the European High Arctic was discovered by chance by von Payer and Weyprecht on an Austro- Hungarian expedition in 1873. The explorers were bound for the North Pole, a goal that they never reached. Their schooner Tegetthoff became trapped in polar ice and the crew drifted helplessly.
The first island they discovered in the territory we now know as Franz Josef Land was named in honour of the principal sponsor of their expedition, the Austrian Count Hans Wilczek, who was himself an accomplished traveller. In 1872, Wilczek had visited Svalbard and later that same year travelled overland through some of the remotest terrain in north-west Russia. So a small island, just south of the 80th parallel, was called Wilczek Island.
With their ship stuck in ice for months, the Tegetthoff mariners had ample opportunity to make excursions ashore to explore the islands to which chance and drifting ice had escorted them. It slowly became clear that their decision to honour Wilczek had been premature. There were many much larger islands in what was evidently a vast archipelago, and their expedition sponsor clearly deserved more conspicuous cartographic recognition. Julius von Payer and others on the Tegetthoff meticulously mapped the southern and western shores of one large island and it was resolved that island, at well over 80ºN, should also be named for Wilczek. Modern charts still show both Wilczek Island and Wilczek Land.
The Tegetthoff expedition named a number of prominent features on Wilczek Land. A trio of capes recall in their names distinguished Austrian scientists, among them Cape Heller in honour of zoologist Camill Heller. It was left to later expeditions to fill in the toponymic details of Wilczek Land. Two American-sponsored adventures (the 1898–1999 Wellman and the 1901–1902 Baldwin expeditions) spent time on Wilczek Land. Wellman named Cape Lamont and Cape Elkins, while Baldwin carefully mapped Cape Heller in detail and named the two bays on either side of that cape. That to the north he called Kersting Bay (after Rudolf Kersting, a photographer who had survived the disastrous Miranda expedition to Greenland in 1894). Baldwin then turned to the bay south of Cape Heller which he named Operti Bay. It’s a rare case of an Arctic toponym being inspired by an artist.
This is just an excerpt. The full text of this article is not yet available to members with online access to hidden europe. Of course you can also read the full article in the print edition of hidden europe 53.
source: https://www.hiddeneurope.co.uk/albert-operti-and-polar-art
This article was published in hidden europe 53.
Double act: the Danish island of Ærø
The Danish island of Ærø is no more than a fleck in the Baltic. Yet this beautiful island is a good place to understand Danish history. If you are ever in any doubt as to how much the sea has inflected the Danish experience, make time for Marstal, ...
From Sylt to Samoa
We had set our sights on Samoa. But with a fierce storm closing in from the west, we decided instead to make for Zanzibar. Locally, it is the German spelling that prevails: Sansibar. The North Frisian island of Sylt may not seem the most obvious ...
Two Peas in a Pod: Denmark's Eastern Edges
The Ertholm Islands (literally 'Pea Islands') are the easternmost fragments of Danish territory, even further east than Bornholm. Just two islands in this small archipelago are populated: Christiansø and Frederiksø. In the 19th century, Frederiksø ...
Samosas on the Terraces
A River Town out of Season
700 Years of Silence: Discovering the Spirit of Gotland
A Day by the Lake: Simple Pleasures in Egirdir
An Apiarist in Sardinia
Exploring Europe by Train
Sunderland and Ginger Beer: The Anti-Tourism Movement-
Playing the Rural Card: Air Services to Remote Airports
Bradt Guide to Serbia
Boat-shaped Graves
Fishing stations
Preview: hidden europe 54
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Volume 2015, Article ID 723492, 7 pages
Efficient Synthesis of Single-Chain Polymer Nanoparticles via Amide Formation
Ana Sanchez-Sanchez1,2 and José A. Pomposo1,2,3
1Centro de Física de Materiales (CSIC, UPV/EHU), Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal 5, 20018 San Sebastián, Spain
2Departamento de Física de Materiales, Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU), Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal 3, 20018 San Sebastián, Spain
3IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, María Díaz de Haro 3, 48013 Bilbao, Spain
Received 8 December 2014; Accepted 27 January 2015
Academic Editor: Sheng-Rui Jian
Copyright © 2015 Ana Sanchez-Sanchez and José A. Pomposo. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Single-chain technology (SCT) allows the transformation of individual polymer chains to folded/collapsed unimolecular soft nanoparticles. In this work we contribute to the enlargement of the SCT toolbox by demonstrating the efficient synthesis of single-chain polymer nanoparticles (SCNPs) via intrachain amide formation. In particular, we exploit cross-linking between active methylene groups and isocyanate moieties as powerful “click” chemistry driving force for SCNP construction. By employing poly(methyl methacrylate)- (PMMA-) based copolymers bearing β-ketoester units distributed randomly along the copolymer chains and bifunctional isocyanate cross-linkers, SCNPs were successfully synthesized at r.t. under appropriate reaction conditions. Characterization of the resulting SCNPs was carried out by means of a combination of techniques including size exclusion chromatography (SEC), infrared (IR) spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and elemental analysis (EA).
Single-chain technology (SCT) is a new paradigm for the future construction of smart and autonomous soft nanodevices [1]. Nowadays, SCT allows the transformation of individual polymer chains to folded/collapsed unimolecular soft nanoparticles, the so-called single-chain polymer nanoparticles (SCNPs) [2–5]. The compaction of synthetic polymers to SCNPs has some resemblance to the folding of proteins to their native state, although it is still far from the perfection found in natural macromolecules [6]. Significant effort has been spent in recent years to endow SCNPs with bioinspired functions trying to mimic those found in natural polypeptides (both folded proteins and intrinsically disordered proteins) such as enzymatic activity and selectivity [7–9], or multibinding activity and transport properties [10, 11]. Currently, SCNPs are synthesized through one of the following techniques: (i) intrachain homocoupling, (ii) intrachain heterocoupling, or (iii) cross-linker mediated collapse [4]. Concerning the nature of the intrachain cross-linking reaction, it can be irreversible (covalent bonds) or reversible (noncovalent or dynamic covalent bonds) [3]. Irreversible SCNPs have been synthesized by means of different intrachain cross-linking reactions [12–36].
First reports about the synthesis of permanent SCNPs by means of the intrachain homocoupling technique under high dilution conditions by Mecerreyes et al. relied on the use of poly(styren)-, poly(alkyl methacrylate)-, and poly(ε-caprolactone)-based precursors containing vinyl reactive functional groups [12]. Unsaturated functional groups were also used for synthesizing poly(4-N-Boc-aminostyrene)- and poly(carbonate)-based SCNPs by Jiang and Thayumanavan and Cherian et al., respectively [13, 14]. Poly(styrene)- and poly(alkyl methacrylate)-based unimolecular nanoparticles were synthesized in multigram quantities by Harth and coworkers using benzocyclobutene containing precursors via intramolecular Diels-Alder reactions at very high temperature (250°C) [15]. Later, benzosulfone-decorated poly(styrene)- and poly(cyclohexyl acrylate)-based precursors were synthesized by Harth and coworkers for the preparation of individual unimolecular nanoparticles via quinodimethane formation, although cross-linking reaction conditions were still very harsh (250°C) [16, 17]. Poly(methyl methacrylate)-based SCNPs have been obtained by Zhu et al. via intramolecular Bergman cyclization at relatively lower temperatures (150°C) [18, 19]. The synthesis of poly(styrene)- and poly(alkyl methacrylate)-based unimolecular nanoparticles via intramolecular cross-linking of sulfonyl azide- [20] and benzoxazine- [21] functionalized polymers still required very high temperatures (190–200°C). To solve the potential problems of precursor and nanoparticle thermal degradation, a new route was introduced by Sanchez-Sanchez et al. where naked propargylic-decorated single-chain nanoparticle precursors synthesized via redox-initiated reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization were intrachain collapsed at room temperature under normal air conditions by means of Glaser-Hay coupling (C-C “click” chemistry) [22]. Recently, the B(C6F5)3-promoted collapse of linear polymer precursors containing epoxide groups to SCNPs endowed with catalytic activity has been carried out by Perez-Baena et al. [23]. Using a similar approach, Wong et al. have developed biocompatible SCNPs which were found to be nontoxic toward human embryonic kidney cells [24]. Poly(styrene)-based unimolecular nanoparticles have been prepared by Dirlam et al. through intrachain cross-linking via oxidative polymerization of 3,4-propylenedioxy-thiophene functional groups at 50°C [25]. More recently, a facile strategy for preparation of SCNPs by intramolecular photo-cross-linking of azide polymers has been reported by Li et al. [26], and fluorescence-labeled hydrophilic SCNPs have been synthesized by Wang et al. via single-chain folding of precursors containing fluorescent anthracene and crosslinkable oxazine groups [27].
The fabrication of SCNPs has been also carried out using the intrachain heterocoupling technique. A representative example of the use of the intrachain heterocoupling technique was the construction of permanent SCNPs through highly efficient azide-alkyne “click” chemistry (i.e., copper-catalyzed [3 + 2] cycloaddition of alkynes and azides, CuAAC) [28]. By employing this technique, biofunctionalized poly(methyl methacrylate)-based unimolecular nanoparticles were prepared at room temperature in high yield based on azide- and protected alkyne-decorated polymer precursors by Ruiz de Luzuriaga et al. [28]. The technique was further simplified by Oria et al. starting with copolymers containing protected alkyne groups as well as chloromethyl groups that were transformed rapidly and quantitatively to azidomethyl groups by means of a simple substitution reaction using sodium azide [29]. The intrachain heterocoupling technique has been also used to prepare thermoresponsive SCNPs by Ormategui et al. [30]. More recently, photo-induced Diels-Alder ligation and nitrile imine mediated tetrazole-ene cycloaddition have been used by Barner-Kowollik and colleagues to synthesize well-defined functional and fluorescent SCNPs, respectively [31, 32].
Bifunctional cross-linker mediated collapse of polymer chains is another efficient and straightforward method for obtaining SCNPs. Water-soluble poly(γ-glutamic acid)-based SCNPs were fabricated by Radu et al. through the cross-linker-induced collapse technique by using a biosynthetic poly(γ-glutamic acid) precursor and 2,2′-(ethylenedioxy)diethylamine as bifunctional cross-linker in the presence of carbodiimide as catalyst [33]. The synthesis of poly(methyl methacrylate)- and poly(styrene)-based SCNPs by intramolecular cross-linking of isocyanate-functionalized copolymers with diamines via urethane formation was reported by Beck et al. [34]. Additionally, the high versatility of the cross-linker induced collapse method via intrachain CuAAC was demonstrated by Ruiz de Luzuriaga et al. in 2010 during the facile synthesis of SCNPs of very different chemical nature [35]. Michael addition reaction was employed by Sanchez-Sanchez et al. to synthesize poly(methyl methacrylate)-based SCNPs mimicking transient-binding disordered proteins under mild reaction conditions (at room temperature and in the presence of oxygen) [10]. More recently, unimolecular polymer nanoparticles have been formed by Hansell et al. by employing polystyrenes decorated with pendent norbornenes and a bifunctional tetrazine cross-linker, demonstrating that the formation of SCNPs can be carried out via tetrazine-norbornene coupling [36].
In this work, we contribute to the enlargement of the toolbox of single-chain technology by demonstrating the efficient synthesis of SCNPs via amide formation. In particular, we exploit, as powerful driving force for SCNP construction, the intrachain cross-linking through amide formation between active methylene groups and isocyanate moieties (see Figure 1). SCNP synthesis has been carried out by employing the technique of bifunctional cross-linker mediated collapse. The resulting SCNPs have been characterized by a combination of complementary techniques including SEC, IR spectroscopy, 1H NMR spectroscopy, DLS, and EA.
Figure 1: Schematic illustration of amide formation upon the “click” chemistry reaction at r.t. between a β-ketoester moiety and an isocyanate compound (P = polymer chain; R = alkyl substituent).
Methyl methacrylate (MMA) (99%), 2-acetoacetoxy ethyl methacrylate (AEMA) (95%), 2,2-azobis(2-methylpropionitrile) (AIBN) (≥98%), 1,5-diazabicyclo[4.3.0]non-5-ene (DBN) (98%), hexamethylene diisocyanate (HMDI) (≥99.0%), 1 M HCl, ethyl acetate (anhydrous, 99.8%), diethyl ether (ACS reagent, anhydrous, >99.0%), chloroform (≥99%), tetrahydrofuran (anhydrous, ≥99.9%), and deuterated chloroform (99.96 atom% D, containing 0.03% (v/v) tetramethylsilane, TMS) were purchased from Aldrich and used, unless specified, as received. 2-Cyanoprop-2-yl-dithiobenzoate (CPDB) (≥97%) was purchased from Strem Chemicals. Methanol (synthesis grade) was purchased from Scharlab. MMA was purified by distillation before use. AEMA was purified by passing through basic alumina.
2.2. Synthesis of SCNP Precursors
MMA (1 mL, 9.4 mmol), AEMA (0.6 mL, 3.1 mmol), CPDB (P1: 9.0 mg, 0.33 mmol; P2: 2.76 mg, 0.1 mmol), and AIBN (P1: 1 mg, 6 × 10−2 mmol; P2: 2 mg, 3 × 10−2 mmol) were dissolved in ethyl acetate (3.2 mL). The reaction mixture was degassed by passing argon for 15 min. The copolymerization reaction was carried out at 65°C for 18 h. The resulting SCNP precursors (P1 or P2; see Figure 2) were isolated by precipitation in methanol and further drying (P1: yield (%) = 46, (SEC/SLS) = 40.9 kDa, = 1.05, and composition (1H NMR) = 30 mol% AEMA; P2: yield (%) = 70, (SEC/SLS) = 248.1 kDa, , and composition (1H NMR) = 27 mol% AEMA).
Figure 2: Synthesis route to SCNPs via intrachain amide formation at high dilution (OCN–R–CNO = bifunctional isocyanate compound; DBN = 1,5-diazabicyclo[4.3.0]non-5-ene; THF = tetrahydrofuran).
2.3. Synthesis of SCNPs
The SCNP precursor (P1: 100 mg, 0.32 mmol; P2: 100 mg, 0.31 mmol) and catalyst (DBN, 13.8 μL, 0.1 mmol) were first dissolved in dry THF (100 mL) at room temperature. After degassing the mixture by passing argon for 15 min the bifunctional isocyanate cross-linker was added by using a vacuum syringe (HMDI, 25.8 μL, 0.16 mmol). The progressive folding/collapse process was followed through SEC/SLS measurements. After reaction completion, a few drops of HCl (1 M) were added to deactivate the catalyst, the mixture was concentrated, and the SCNPs (N1 or N2) were isolated by precipitation in diethyl ether and further drying (N1: yield (%) = 79, (SEC/SLS) = 41 kDa, and ; N2: yield (%) = 75, (SEC/SLS) = 267.0 kDa, and ).
2.4. SEC Analysis
Size exclusion chromatography/static light scattering (SEC/SLS) measurements were performed at 30°C on an Agilent 1200 system equipped with PLgel 5 μm Guard and PLgel 5 μm MIXED-C columns, a differential refractive index (RI) detector (Optilab Rex, Wyatt), and a SLS detector (Minidawn Treos, Wyatt). Data analysis was performed with ASTRA Software from Wyatt. THF was used as eluent at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. dn/dc values in THF as determined using the Optilab Rex detector online were found to be very similar for the precursors and SCNPs, so an average value of 0.083 was employed.
2.5. IR Analysis
Fourier transform infrared (IR) spectroscopy spectra were recorded at room temperature on a JASCO 3600 FTIR spectrometer.
2.6. 1H NMR Analysis
1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra were recorded at room temperature on a Bruker spectrometer operating at 300 MHz.
2.7. DLS Analysis
Dynamic light scattering (DLS) on a Malvern Zetasizer Nano ZS apparatus was used to determine the hydrodynamic radius () of the samples at room temperature in THF solvent. The “size distribution by number” plot was employed in this work.
2.8. EA Analysis
Elemental analysis (EA) measurements were performed in a Euro EA3000 Elemental Analyzer (CHNS).
The synthetic procedure followed in this work towards SCNPs via intrachain amide formation is illustrated schematically in Figure 2.
As SCNP precursors, we targeted random copolymers of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and 2-acetoacetoxy ethyl methacrylate (AEMA) containing around 30 mol% of β-ketoester units and two different molecular weights (denoted by P1 and P2 in Table 1). It has been shown recently that by increasing the amount of functional groups above 30 mol% no significant increase in SCNP compaction is obtained [38, 39]. The precursors were synthesized by RAFT polymerization employing 2-cyanoprop-2-yl-dithiobenzoate (CPDB) as chain transfer agent and 2,2′-azobis(2-methylpropionitrile) (AIBN) as free-radical initiator. RAFT is a very convenient polymerization technique for obtaining nanoparticle precursors with low molecular-weight polydispersity (Ð = ) and hence nanoparticles with uniform size [4]. The main characteristics of the random P(MMA-co-AEMA) copolymers investigated in this work are summarized in Table 1, as determined by size exclusion chromatography with absolute molar mass characterization (SEC/SLS), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy, and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Well-defined copolymers displaying relatively low Ð values were obtained. The lower yield of P1 when compared to P2 can be attributed to the higher amount of chain transfer agent employed in the former case, since polymerization time was identical for both precursors (18 h). A random placement of the β-ketoester moieties along the P(MMA-co-AEMA) chains is expected, due to the similar reactivity ratios of MMA and AEMA ( and ) during RAFT copolymerization, which are indicative of a statistical copolymerization process.
Table 1: Characteristics of precursors and SCNPs synthesized in this work by RAFT polymerization.
SCNPs were synthesized in THF at r.t., under anhydrous conditions, at high dilution (1 mg P(MMA-co-AEMA)/mL of THF), by addition of ca. 0.5 equivalents of the bifunctional isocyanate compound (HMDI) per equivalent of AEMA in the presence of DBN as catalyst (see Figure 2 and Table 1). Samples taken periodically from the reaction media were analyzed by SEC/SLS in THF. A progressive increase in SEC retention time and, hence, a concomitant reduction in P(MMA-co-AEMA) hydrodynamic size [40] were observed as a function of reaction time, pointing to the successful formation of SCNPs via intrachain amide formation (Figure 3). The same behavior was observed by employing P2 instead of P1 as SCNP precursor (data not shown). Direct evidence of amide formation between active methylene groups and isocyanate moieties was obtained by infrared (IR) spectroscopy. Figure 4 shows the appearance of four new IR vibration bands located at 1673, 1587, 1306, and 649 cm−1 upon SCNP formation, which according to previous data reported in the literature [41] can be assigned to amide I, II, III, and V bands, respectively. In the IR spectrum of the SCNPs, also the presence of an –NH– vibration band located between 3100 and 3700 cm−1 is observed (inset in Figure 4), which is very broad due to hydrogen bonding between amide groups. Similarly, the 1H NMR spectrum of the SCNPs (Figure 5) shows characteristic signatures of amide formation [42]: (i) a peak located at 7.0 ppm coming from the protons of the new formed amide groups (–CO–NH–), (ii) a peak at 3.75 ppm from the methine protons (=CH–), (iii) a peak located at 3.5 ppm arising from methylene protons of the HMDI cross-linker next to the new formed amide group (–CO–NH–CH2–), and (iv) a broad peak centered around 1.5 ppm assigned to internal methylene protons from the HMDI cross-linker (–CO–NH–CH2–CH2–). Further support of chain compaction upon SCNP formation was obtained from DLS measurements (see Table 1), which provided a measure of the hydrodynamic size of both the precursor and the SCNPs. As an example, a reduction in hydrodynamic size form 9.5 nm (precursor P1) to 6.4 nm (SCNP N1) was found upon SCNP formation, as illustrated in Figure 6. This significant reduction in size is in good agreement with the SEC/SLS results previously shown in Figure 3. Finally, elemental analysis (EA) was used to obtain a rough estimation of the amount of HMDI cross-linker incorporated into the SCNPs. A comparison of the theoretical composition by assuming a degree of amide formation of 100% and the corresponding experimental EA composition is shown in Table 2. From the ratio of the experimental to theoretical N content, a degree of intrachain cross-linking of ca. 97% was estimated.
Table 2: Comparison of the theoretical and experimental composition of P(MMA-co-AEMA) copolymers and SCNPs.
Figure 3: SEC/SLS traces showing the progressive reduction in hydrodynamic size of P(MMA-co-AEMA) copolymer P1 upon intrachain cross-linking via amide formation. Reaction time: 0 h (dotted curve), 12 h (dashed curve), and 24 h (continuous curve).
Figure 4: IR spectra of P(MMA-co-AEMA) copolymer P1 (dotted trace) and SCNPs N1 (continuous trace). New vibration bands observed in the IR spectrum of SCNPs N1 upon amide formation are indicated (amide I, II, III, and V bands and –NH– band; see inset).
Figure 5: (a) 1H NMR spectra of P(MMA-co-AEMA) copolymer P1 (for complete peak assignment, please refer to [37]). (b) 1H NMR spectra of SCNPs N1. New peaks observed in the 1H NMR spectrum of SCNPs N1 upon amide formation are indicated (see text for assignment). Signals coming from traces of catalyst are indicated by asterisk.
Figure 6: Hydrodynamic size distributions corresponding to P(MMA-co-AEMA) copolymer P1 (dotted line) and SCNPs N1 (continuous line), as determined by DLS measurements. For clarity reasons, only results for P1 and N1 are included. Data for P2 and N2 are provided in Table 1.
This work contributes to enlarging the toolbox of single-chain technology by demonstrating the efficient synthesis of SCNPs via intrachain amide formation. First, well-defined random copolymers of MMA and AEMA were synthesized by RAFT polymerization, showing low molecular-weight polydispersity and random placement of β-ketoester moieties along the P(MMA-co-AEMA) chains. Next, intramolecular collapse of these AEMA-containing copolymers as SCNP precursors was performed by the reaction at high dilution of AEMA β-ketoester moieties with hexamethylene diisocyanate cross-linkers in THF at r.t. Analysis of SEC/SLS, IR spectroscopy, 1H NMR spectroscopy, DLS, and EA results demonstrated the efficient synthesis of SCNPs via intrachain amide formation.
Conflict of Interests
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper.
Financial support from Projects MAT2012-31088 (MINECO), T-654-13 (GV), and S-PE13UN034 (GV) is acknowledged. Ana Sanchez-Sanchez thanks the Ph.D. grant support of Basque Government.
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Family Flick
Meet Bailey Gambertoglio, the Leading Voice in Netflix's Spirit Riding Free
This Texan loves horses on and off the screen.
By Rafa Farihah 5/2/2017 at 4:35pm
hear Houstonian Bailey Gambertoglio lend her voice in the new animated series Spirit Riding Free, which airs on Netflix this Friday, May 5. Inspired by the Oscar-nominated 2002 film Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, the six-episode spinoff follows the adventures of Lucky and her two best friends, Pru and Abigail. Through the series, Spirit highlights practical life lessons for kids, like making new friends, learning from mistakes and how to overcome fears.
Image: IMDB/Bailey Gambertoglio
Gambertoglio, a 17-year-old Bayou City native, plays Abigail, a goofy yet kind-hearted girl whose horse Boomerang embodies a similar personality. Like her character, who she describes as a “kindred soul,” she also loves horses.
“When I was little, we would go to this ranch and ride horses," says Gambertoglio. "There was this one horse that my babysitter told me was 'my horse.' Her name was Nature.”
Like horses, she also has a fondness for her Spirit costars—and real-life best friends!—Amber Frank and Sydney Park.
“We're always laughing, screaming and Snapchatting. Whenever we hear news about Spirit, we have this group chat and we’re like, ‘Oh my gosh! Did you hear this?’” says Gambertoglio. “It definitely helps when we are recording to have those real-life friendships.”
Showrunner Aury Wallington spent a year working on the pilot of Spirit. Wallington, whose writing credits include Sex and the City, Veronica Mars and Heroes, departs from older content to channel her childhood passion for horses. While Matt Damon voiced the original character of Spirit in the film, Wallington says this new version has its own personality. Set in the American West at the turn of the 20th century, Spirit focuses on strong female characters and more lifelike horses. But at its core, it's a tale about adventure and friendship.
“The girls have adventures that are only possible in the West, like running into bandits, avalanches, blizzards and racing about," says Wallington. "While we have the adventure and the comedy, we worked really hard to make a grounded, relatable story about friendship.”
Netflix, Family, Tv
Behind the Scenes with Galveston's Newly Minted DIY Network Stars
05/24/2019 By Laura Furr Mericas
Party Like a Rock-Stark
Sunday Is Coming: Here's How to Throw Your Own Game of Thrones Finale Watch Party
This Saturday, It's Doomsday at Market Square Park
04/23/2019 By Holly Beretto
There's a Local Comic Con for Teens This Weekend
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Industries >>
Case Studies >>
> HSA Systems prints pi to 1 million digits >>
HSA Systems prints pi to 1 million digits
HSA Systems prints pi to a million decimal places on one sheet of paper
It is not every day that an industrial inkjet printer manufacturer faces the challenge of printing 1,000,000 digits on a 1.7 km long sheet of paper in one take. Nevertheless this was the request that HSA Systems received from Numberphile to celebrate reaching one million subscribers on the Numberphile YouTube channel. The exact request was to print the calculation of Pi to a million decimal places, on one sheet of paper. This was a challenge that HSA Systems could not resist.
Millionth decimal just printed
AN UNUSUAL REQUEST
Partner and manager of HSA, Jesper Hyldager said: "This was an unusual request for our company. Our print systems are usually used for printing a lot of small numbers, such as PINs for banks and expiry dates on products and for bar coding, not huge numbers. At HSA Systems we are always ready for a challenge and felt very pleased with the results we achieved on this unusual project."
At HSA Systems we are always ready for a challenge and felt very pleased with the results we achieved on this unusual project.
This unusual request came from video journalist Brady Haran, who makes videos for the YouTube channel Numberphile, which shows videos about numbers and maths. To celebrate reaching one million subscribers to Numberphile, and in keeping with the mathematical theme of the channel, Brady decided to print Pi to a million decimals. He then wanted to unfurl the reel of paper, totalling more than a mile in length, or 1.7 km, along a runway.
CONTINUOUS PRINT OF 1,000,000 DIGITS AND 1.7 KM PAPER BY HSAJET® HP TIJ 2.5
Various challenges had to be overcome before the print run could take place. Project manager, HSA's UK representative, Hugh McPartlan, initially had to select a print cartridge which would run continuously and then chose the software to enable the number to be printed on a single one-mile-long page. Numberphile also wanted the printing to correspond to the style of the channel, i.e. on brown paper. This had to be strong enough to withstand roll out, even in wet and windy weather.
The one million digits were printed with the HP Durable Black Ink Cartridge
Once these challenges were overcome, the printing was done at HSA Systems in Odense, Denmark, on a vertical reel-to-reel paper transport unit using HSAJET® HP TIJ 2.5 technology. The HP Durable Black Ink was selected because of its blackness, clarity, and permanence.
The print system ran at 50 metres a minute, taking about 40 minutes to print the number, which was formatted in 8pt. Courier New font. For every ten characters, the distance in yards and a number count was printed alongside the number.
Unrolling of the 1.7 km paper reel
The next destination for the mile reel of paper was Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground, Leicestershire, where HSA assisted Brady and their helpers to unroll the paper. Matt Parker, mathematician and stand-up comedian, talked through some of the significant points of the number during the unfurling of the paper.
It was a crazy request, but the people at HSA were brilliant.
Brady Haran said: "It was a crazy request, but the people at HSA were brilliant. They had an answer to every question and a solution to every obstacle. But most importantly, I think we all had fun. Many of the people at HSA are 'Numberphiles' at heart and it seemed like they enjoyed working with Pi, perhaps the most famous number of all."
WORLD RECORD?
Brady and HSA Systems are hoping that they have achieved a world record for the print run, (1851 yards 2 feet 6 ¾ inches), but feel confident they got a record at Bruntingthorpe for the slowest mile on the track, with a time of 4 hours 10 minutes.
Photos: 'Courtesy of Numberphile'
The making of the video and print
Learn more about other solutions...
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The Art Director Imagining New South African Imagery
by Casimir
words Alix-Rose Cowie
[T]he iridescent blue skin of two figures shimmers in the harsh sunlight as they make their way to a distant lake. Heavily-accessorised men subtly disturbing traditional gender constructs stand on rocks at the entrance to a coastal cave. In collages, models are relocated from city streets to a cliff’s edge thousands of kilometres away.
The diverse natural landscapes of South Africa play an unmissable part in the imagery that stylist and art director Gabrielle Kannemeyer visualises, but the sense of place in her images goes deeper than geography.
Working often with young South African fashion designers to establish their brands’ visual identities, while developing her own unmistakeable style, her images also provide answers to the question of what it means to be making creative work in South Africa today. One way that new visual languages are being developed here is through a commitment to collaboration. An idea that goes against the notion of sole credit given to the photographer. When Gabrielle speaks about her work she answers as ‘we’, “I am lucky to have close relationships with many of the people I work with – we’re all very sensitive to our shared and individual visions and so when something is conceptualised, the end product is very much a meeting point for all of our ideas.”
Another answer is the power being found in making work independent of the need for approval from a Western gaze. This makes way for fierce originality and infinite inspiration, something that Gabrielle has tapped into. As she says, “We have a responsibility to narrate our stories.”
Rich Mnisi's OATH SS16 | Photographed by Kristen-Lee Moolman
How do you find African imagery and image-makers are currently regarded internationally?
There are many more opportunities for artists from Africa to be showcased globally. However, I find that there is a keenness to band and showcase African image-makers together under a single umbrella. It is so important for us to document, build and nourish our artists but we need to clearly distinguish that Africa is not a country. We must be wary to not be othered for our work as African artists – or measured against preconceived Western ideas of perceived ‘Africanness’.
Lukhanyo Mdingi SS16 | Photographed by Travys Owen
How does location play a role in your imagery?
Location is an important part of what I do, whether the landscapes are shot on the day or composited in post. Each shoot I embark on is a complete adventure because it’s so much about exploring. For Lukhanyo Mdingi’s last campaign we wanted to take the viewer with us on a journey. We spent 4 days completely immersed in the Transkei. For Nicholas Coutts campaign we traveled to De Kelders to document the seascapes and caverns twisting along the coast. For Orange Culture we found an endless blank canvas only 2 hours outside of Cape Town’s city bowl. What we create changes depending on what we’re trying to say without detracting from the location’s existing history.
Do you feel your images convey a story about where you’re from? Do you feel a responsibility to do so?
The collages I create depict our land. The intention here is to convey the pride I feel when traversing the country: its cities and countryside. Traveling inspires a conscious desire to document and protect each landscape we visit. Having never traveled outside of the country, the land is an infinite source of inspiration for me. I’d like to think that the work that I’ve been a part of inspires people to protect, be proud of and fight for our land. As young South Africans we understand that ownership of land is a precarious subject matter. I feel there’s a responsibility for South Africans to take the reigns and narrate the stories we’ve inherited and have experienced first-hand.
Nicholas Coutts SS17 | Photographed by Luca Vincenzo
Would you say there is a political element to your work?
The land is so political and the body is political, so there will always be political discussions around the work we create because of this. I believe that we produce accessible archival content. Looking back 20 years from now the work we produce will be a representation of the time we created it in and perhaps it will still be relevant in years to come.
Gabrielle Kannemeyer collage 2 Gandhi Mukiza and Toyin Oyeneye
How would you define the creative culture you are part of in South Africa today?
We are creating work in a time where creatives are in part catalysing social and political change as well as playing key roles in documenting it. Image makers from various fields of expertise are coming together to document and express themselves in this wake of social and political change. It’s a time for great collaboration and for marginalised voices to be heard.
How do South African subcultures factor into your work?
I feel that subcultures are melding into a bigger picture. I don’t consider myself to be documenting or subverting subcultures, or isolating subcultures in order to study them – instead I use what I see from Cape Town to Jozi and everywhere in between to inform my visual language.
Orange Culture AW16 | Photographed by Travys Owen
This article is part of a guest column for Hunger TV created by Casimir, an online publication rooted in Africa, igniting adventure, and looking to the future. Follow Casimir on Instagram and Twitter for more.
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