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California > Klamath National Forest
Destination Locator: (17 options)
Goosenest Ranger District- The Goosenest Ranger District, although not as remote or mountainous as the other districts in the Klamath National Forest, offers perhaps the greatest diversity of attractions.
Happy Camp Ranger District- The Happy Camp Ranger District represents the north-central portion of the Klamath National Forest and includes portions of the Siskiyou and Marble Mountain Wildernesses.
Pacific Crest Trail- From desert to glacier-flanked mountain, meadow to forest, the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) symbolizes everything there is to love - and protect - in the Western United States.
Salmon River Ranger District- Representing the southwest corner of the Klamath National Forest, the scenic Salmon River Ranger District includes portions of three different wilderness areas.
Scott River Ranger District- Located centrally within the Klamath National Forest, the sprawling Scott River Ranger District is home to dozens of high mountain lakes and scenic trails of all lengths.
Ukonom Ranger District- Located on the west-central edge of the Klamath National Forest, the Ukonom Ranger District offers ample whitewater access to the Salmon River as well as to the Marble Mountain backcountry.
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Activity Locator: (344 recreation options)
Activities within Klamath National Forest:
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Copyright: - US Forest Service
Black Marble, Klamath National Forest
Description - The Klamath National Forest of northwest California offers backcountry solitude, clear streams and lakes, and portions of the Klamath River.
The Klamath offers 200 miles of river system for rafting and 152 miles of designated Wild and Scenic Rivers. The Wild and Scenic Rivers include the Klamath, the Salmon, the Scott and several tributary creeks.
Attractions - The Klamath National Forest encompasses five designated Wilderness Areas: Marble Mountain, Russian, Trinity Alps, Red Buttes, and Siskiyou. For breathtaking panoramic views (including Mt. Shasta) take the time to climb to the top of any ridge. Pristine alpine and glacial lakes with granite backdrops make peaceful, quiet camping places after long hikes. A visitor permit is required in the Trinity Alps, and there are no quotas in any of the wildernesses. To avoid snow, plan your trip for the summer months.
Recreation - The Klamath National Forest offers a full variety of outdoor recreation opportunities. On the Klamath you can fish in over 200 miles of rivers and streams, enjoy a stay in a campground, or hike into the backcountry seeking pristine solitude in five different wilderness areas. You can swim near a sandy beach or wade into cold clear streams cooling your feet while lost in the beauty of nature, raft the exciting and breathtaking Klamath River, or canoe one of the many gorgeous lakes. You can ride a horse, a mountain bike or a snowmobile.
Climate - The climate on the Klamath is influenced by elevation. As throughout California, most of the precipitation comes between November and April. This comes in the form of rain at the lower elevations and some wet, heavy snow in the higher elevations. April through October are normally dry, with warm temperatures at the low elevations and moderate temperatures in the higher elevations.
Location - The Klamath National Forest is located in northern California, with a small portion in southern Oregon. The Forest lies around the California towns of Yreka, Fort Jones, Etna, Klamath River, Happy Camp, and Orleans and Macdoel, with Forest Service offices in each of these towns.
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Klamath National Forest, 1312 Fairlane Road , Yreka, CA, 96097, Phone: 916-842-6131
California National Forests & Parks - California's National Parks, Monuments and Forests cover lands from the Pacific Ocean to the crest of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Northern California -
Shasta Cascade Region - The Shasta Cascade Region of northeast California is a land of dense conifer forests, volcanic landscapes, and few people. It features five national forests, five state parks, four state historic parks, and two state recreation areas.
Klamath National Forest - Official agency website.
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Budget airlines and affordable fares have turned Spain into a beach resort haven for northern Europeans wishing to escape their own damp climates. With sun-bleached beaches and a favourable rate of exchange for most travellers, it's easy to understand why.
Spain is comprised of numerous autonomous regions, offering such variation within one country. The hundreds of miles of Mediterranean coastline provide ample opportunity to get off the beaten track, and the country's vibrant cities and colourful festivals will amaze and delight even the most seasoned traveller. There is the Spain of Gaudi, Dali, and Picasso, of Goya and Velazquez - proudly displayed in Madrid's museums and galleries. Pamplona is a unique spanish experience of thundering streets that vibrate to the rythm of man and beast during the annual running of the bulls, and while the whole country celebrates each February with the Carnaval, no place does it better than Sitges. Barcelona is Spain's showcase of the unique architectural style of Gaudi's bizarre organic turrets and balconies. For a more provincial experience, the Valencian town of Buol goes wild every year with the La Tomatina festival, a time when the region's surplus tomatoes - following the annual harvest - are dumped on the streets and pelted about in a friendly riot. Spain is also a country rich in heritage and the historic cities of Toledo, Salamanca, Seville and Granada promise a wealth of early Christian and Moorish buildings and monuments, as well as the remains of some incredible medieval sites. Spain has six cities that have been declared Unesco World Heritage sites, more than any other country in the world.
Spain Car Hire is available at the main spanish airports and car rental cars can also be delivered to hotels or holiday accommodation. It is advisable to book Spain Car Hire online in advance to guarantee availability and avoid last minute stress, mainly in rush seasons. Madrid airport Car Hire can be booked at cheap prices online.
Spain has many touristic locations where you can enjoy lovely beaches and sunny brilliant days like Malaga, Torremolinos, the prestige Marbella and many other places. Canary and Balearic Islands have been overrun by tourists - Tenerife, Lanzarote and Majorca have become synonymous with cheap package holidays and warm beer, and Ibiza's reputation has, for some, been tarnished by the revellers frequenting its famous dance clubs and beach parties; however even here you will find many magical, unspoilt corners awaiting discovery.
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December 09, 2013 / Rebecca Jones
I've been thinking about what I want to share with you for the holiday season and there is so much and so little time that it's been hard to narrow it down ... After thinking it through a bit, my hope is to get you the following in the next week, which is cutting it a little close, but that's the best this tired mama can do, I'm afraid. (Super big apologies for completely and utterly missing Hanukkah. The good news is I shouldn't miss it for another 80,000 years or so.)
So, on my front burners are picture and chapter books that I can't live without, a recap of the best of 2013 for kids (picture and chapter books) including the best of the best, adult books of 2013 that you must buy for gifts (or for yourself), and graphic novels for kids ... and that's probably the best I can do without staying up all hours. If you're thinking, why in the world is she doing this -- well, it's purely selfish ... I love to talk books and I really love to write about them and I'm not good at shutting up. Ask my husband.
For today I want to present you with the books that I have found essential to my collection over the last 15 years, both as a children's librarian, and as a parent. I looked through my books (yes, a positively gluttonous amount) and thought about if I could take maybe 30 of them with me and had to give up the rest (horrors), which would they be? Worst case scenario, see? So, without further blathering, here they are. These are the books that you should make sure Santa buys for your kid, with publisher blurbs, because I'm lazy and short on time. They transcend gender and some, even age, and are essential to a basic collection:
For the littles (18 months to 4 years old):
Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathman
Good night, Gorilla.
Good night, Elephant.
It's bedtime at the zoo, and all the animals are going to sleep. Or are they? Who's that short, furry guy with the key in his hand and the mischievous grin?
Good night, Giraffe.
Good night, Hyena.
Sneak along behind the zookeeper's back, and see who gets the last laugh in this riotous good-night romp.
Goodnight, Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd
In a great green room, tucked away in bed, is a little bunny. "Goodnight room, goodnight moon." And to all the familiar things in the softly lit room--to the picture of the three little bears sitting in chairs, to the clocks and his socks, to the mittens and the kittens, to everything one by one--he says goodnight.
In this classic of modern children's literature, beloved by generations of readers and listeners, the quiet poetry of the words and the gentle, lulling illustrations combine to make a perfect book for the end of the day.
A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka
Winner of the 2012 Randolph Caldecott Medal
This New York Times Bestseller and New York Times Best Illustrated Book relates a story about love and loss as only Chris Rashcka can tell it. Any child who has ever had a beloved toy break will relate to Daisy's anguish when her favorite ball is destroyed by a bigger dog. In the tradition of his nearly wordless picture book Yo! Yes?, Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka explores in pictures the joy and sadness that having a special toy can bring.
Bark, George by Jules Feiffer
"Bark, George," says George's mother, and George goes: "Meow," which definitely isn't right, because George is a dog.
And so is his mother, who repeats, "Bark, George." And George goes, "Quack, quack."
What's going on with George? Find out in this hilarious picture book from Jules Feiffer.
One Duck Stuck by Phyllis Root and Jane Chapman
Down by the marsh,
by the sleepy,
slimy marsh,
one duck
gets stuck in the muck . . .
Can two fish, tails going swish, help? What about three moose, munching on spruce? Bright, spirited illustrations by Jane Chapman enhance this one-of-a-kind counting tale by Phyllis Root - a feast of sounds and numbers that will have listeners scrambling to join in the slippy, sloppy fun.
Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers and Marla Frazee
Every day, everywhere, babies are born. They're kissed and dressed and rocked and fed--and completely adored by the families who love them. With an irresistible rhyming text and delightfully endearing illustrations, here is an exuberant celebration of playing, sleeping, crawling, and of course, very noisy babies doing all the wonderful things babies do best.
For the slightly less little (ages 4-7):
Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late by Mo Willems
It's getting dark, but the pigeon won't go to bed! Will you let him stay up late?
Max's Christmas by Rosemary Wells
Max has plans to stay up late to see Santa Claus, but his big sister, Ruby, wont let him. “Why?” asks Max. To which Ruby replies everyone’s most despised answer: “BECAUSE!” So Max takes matters into his own hands and sneaks into the living room to wait for Santa on his own. Will Santa still show up? What will he say if he sees Max up waiting for him?
In the Rain with Baby Duck by Amy Hest and Jill Barton
It's a rainy, rainy day, and Baby Duck hates rain. Mrs. Duck says she's never heard of a duck not liking rain. But then Grampa Duck and Baby Duck come down from the attic with a little umbrella and rubber boots that belonged to . . . whom? . . . Mrs. Duck! Baby Duck grabs them up with glee and goes outside to play. This ducky story—wonderfully illustrated with watercolors full of tender expression—will have every puddle jumper wishing for rain.
Ginger by Charlotte Voake
A perfect tale for cat lovers—and for younger siblings. Ginger the cat lives a comfortable, well-tended life. But when a pesky kitten moves in, Ginger's days of ease are over. Now it seems he must share his bed and his meals with the intruder forever! What is a pampered cat to do? The award-winning Charlotte Voake knows all about cats and their peculiar ways, as every reader of this dear and funny tale will soon find out.
Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag
Once upon a time there was an old man and an old woman who were very lonely. They decided to get a cat, but when the old man went out searching, he found not one cat, but millions and billions and trillions of cats! Unable to decide which one would be the best pet, he brought them all home. How the old couple came to have just one cat to call their own is a classic tale that has been loved for generations.
Click, Clack, Moo, Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin
Farmer Brown has a problem. His cows like to type. All day long he hears:
Click, clack, moo.
But Farmer Brown's problems REALLY begin when his cows start leaving him notes...Come join the fun as a bunch of literate cows turn Farmer Brown's farm upside-down!
The Complete Adventures of Curious George by H. A. and Margret Rey
H.A. and Margret Rey introduced the world to Curious George, and the world has loved him ever since. The tales of this cheerful and resilent little heror have kept generations of readers enthralled and entertained. This lavish 70th Anniversary edition includes an introduction by Leonard S. Marcus, Publisher's Perspective by Anita Silvey, retrospective essay by Dee Jones with photographic album of Margaret and H. A. Rey, and the seven original tales of Curious George: Curious George, Curious George Gets a Medal, Curious George Flies a Kite, Curious George Rides a Bike, Curious George Goes to the Hospital, Curious George Takes a Job, and Curious George Learns the Alphabet.
Farfallina and Marcel by Holly Keller
Once there was a caterpillar named Farfallina, whose best friend was a gosling named Marcel. They did everything together -- until one day, everything started to change.
This beautiful and touching story shows that even as life takes different turns, friendship endures.
"Let's Get a Pup!" Said Kate by Bob Graham
There are lots of dogs of all shapes and sizes at the animal shelter. But Kate and her mom and dad know they want Dave the moment they see him. He’s small and cute and a perfect fit for the end of Kate’s bed. But then they see Rosy, who is old and gray and broad as a table. How can they take home just one dog when there are so many wonderful animals who need a home? Bob Graham creates an original, endearing family in a touching story that will appeal to animal lovers everywhere.
The Gingerbread Man by Jim Aylesworth and Barbara McClintock
A new rendition of a beloved classic. "Concisely written text and a jazzy refrain....You may have other versions on your shelves - make lots of room for copies of this one." - The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review.
The Little Red Hen by Jerry Pinkney
Caldecott Medal winner Jerry Pinkney enlivens the beloved fable with cheerful and classically beautiful illustrations, making this the ideal edition for every child’s library. "Perfect [for] sharing with one listener, or a crowd." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
Kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk! Sal and her mother a picking blueberries to can for the winter. But when Sal wanders to the other side of Blueberry Hill, she discovers a mama bear preparing for her own long winter. Meanwhile Sal's mother is being followed by a small bear with a big appetite for berries! Will each mother go home with the right little one?
With its expressive line drawings and charming story, Blueberries for Sal has won readers' hearts since its first publication in 1948.
For bigger elementary kids (ages 6-9):
Library Lion by Michelle Kudsen and Kevin Hawes
Miss Merriweather, the head librarian, is very particular about rules in the library. No running allowed. And you must be quiet. But when a lion comes to the library one day, no one is sure what to do. There aren't any rules about lions in the library. And, as it turns out, this lion seems very well suited to library visiting. His big feet are quiet on the library floor. He makes a comfy backrest for the children at story hour. And he never roars in the library, at least not anymore. But when something terrible happens, the lion quickly comes to the rescue in the only way he knows how. Michelle Knudsen's disarming story, illustrated by the matchless Kevin Hawkes in an expressive timeless style, will win over even the most ardent of rule keepers.
Your Favorite Seuss by Dr. Seuss
From his very first book to his very last book, here in one big volume are 13 classic Dr. Seuss stories, everyone’s favorites. All of the words and virtually all of the illustrations are included. Each story is prefaced by a short essay by someone whose life was changed by Dr. Seuss or who is simply an unabashed admirer. Also included are photographs of Dr. Seuss, memorabilia, and original sketches from his books. The stories included are: And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, Horton Hears a Who!, McElligot’s Pool, If I Ran the Zoo, Happy Birthday to You!, Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Book, Yertle the Turtle, The Cat in the Hat, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Green Eggs and Ham, The Lorax, The Sneetches, and Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
Virginia Lee Burton won the Caldecott Medal in 1943 for her memorable picture book The Little House, a poignant story of a cute country cottage that becomes engulfed by the city that grows up around it. The house has an expressive face of windows and doors, and even the feelings of a person, so she’s sad when she’s surrounded by the dirty, noisy city’s hustle and bustle: “She missed the field of daisies / and the apple trees dancing in the moonlight.” Fortunately, there’s a happy ending, as the house is taken back to the country where she belongs.
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White and Garth Williams
Charlotte's Web is the story of a little girl named Fern who loved a little pig named Wilbur—and of Wilbur's dear friend Charlotte A. Cavatica, a beautiful large grey spider who lived with Wilbur in the barn.
With the help of Templeton, the rat who never did anything for anybody unless there was something in it for him, and by a wonderfully clever plan of her own, Charlotte saved the life of Wilbur, who by this time had grown up to quite a pig.
How all this comes about is Mr. White's story.
The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
Ralph the mouse ventures out from behind the piney knothole in the wall of his hotel-room home, scrambles up the telephone wire to the end table, and climbs aboard the toy motorcycle left there by a young guest. His thrill ride does not last long. The ringing telephone startles Ralph, and he and the motorcycle take a terrible fall - right to the bottom of a metal wastebasket. Luckily, Keith, the owner of the motorcycle, returns to find his toy. Keith rescues Ralph and teaches him how to ride the bike. Thus begins a great friendship and many awesome adventures.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory is opening at last!
But only five lucky children will be allowed inside. And the winners are: Augustus Gloop, an enormously fat boy whose hobby is eating; Veruca Salt, a spoiled-rotten brat whose parents are wrapped around her little finger; Violet Beauregarde, a dim-witted gum-chewer with the fastest jaws around; Mike Teavee, a toy pistol-toting gangster-in-training who is obsessed with television; and Charlie Bucket, Our Hero, a boy who is honest and kind, brave and true, and good and ready for the wildest time of his life!
And for the oldest elementary kids (ages 8-10):
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
Here in the attic of Shel Silverstein you will find Backward Bill, Sour Face Ann, the Meehoo With an Exactlywatt, and the Polar Bear in the Frigidaire. You will talk with the Broiled Face, and find out what happens when someone steals your knees, you get caught by the Quick-Digesting Gink, a mountain snores, and they’ve put a brassiere on the camel.
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
It’s 1936, in Flint, Michigan, and when 10-year-old Bud decides to hit the road to find his father, nothing can stop him. Winner of the 2000 Newbery Medal, and the 2000 Coretta Scott King Award.
Bud's journey, punctuated by Dickensian twists in plot and enlivened by a host of memorable personalities, will keep readers engrossed from first page to last. -- Publishers Weekly
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
When ten-year-old India Opal Buloni moves to Naomi, Florida, with her preacher father, she doesn't know what to expect. She is lonely at first--that is until she meets Winn-Dixie, a stray dog who helps her make some unusual friends. Because of Winn-Dixie, Opal begins to let go of some of her sadness and finds she has a whole lot to be thankful for.
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
How can a fairy's blessing be such a curse?
At her birth, Ella of Frell was given a foolish fairy's gift—the "gift" of obedience. Ella must obey any order given to her, whether it's hopping on one foot for a day or chopping off her own head!
But strong-willed Ella does not tamely accept her fate. She goes on a quest, encountering ogres, giants, wicked stepsisters, fairy godmothers, and handsome princes, determined to break the curse—and live happily ever after.
Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.
Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line.
Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.
Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create Ivan’s unforgettable first-person narration in a story of friendship, art, and hope.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
Four adventurous siblings—Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie—step through a wardrobe door and into the land of Narnia, a land frozen in eternal winter and enslaved by the power of the White Witch. But when almost all hope is lost, the return of the Great Lion, Aslan, signals a great change . . . and a great sacrifice.
The Wanderer by Sharon Creech
"The sea, the sea, the sea. It rolled and rolled and called to me. Come in, it said, come in."
Thirteen-year-old Sophie hears the sea calling, promising adventure and a chance for discovery as she sets sail for England with her three uncles and two cousins. Sophie's cousin Cody isn't sure he has the strength to prove himself to the crew and to his father. Through Sophie's and Cody's travel logs, we hear stories of the past and the daily challenges of surviving at sea as The Wanderer sails toward its destination—and its passengers search for their places in the world.
A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck
What happens when Joey and his sister, Mary Alice — two city slickers from Chicago — make their annual summer visits to Grandma Dowdel's seemingly sleepy Illinois town? August 1929: They see their first corpse, and he isn't resting easy. August 1930: The Cowgill boys terrorize the town, and Grandma fights back. August 1931: Joey and Mary Alice help Grandma trespass, poach, catch the sheriff in his underwear, and feed the hungry — all in one day. And there's more, as Joey and Mary Alice make seven summer trips to Grandma's — each one funnier than the year before — in self-contained chapters that readers can enjoy as short stories or take together for a rollicking good novel. In the tradition of American humorists from Mark Twain to Flannery O'Connor, popular author Richard Peck has created a memorable world filled with characters who, like Grandma herself, are larger than life and twice as entertaining.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling
All Harry Potter knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley — a great big swollen spoiled bully. Harry’s room is a tiny closet at the foot of the stairs, and he hasn’t had a birthday party in eleven years.
But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to an incredible place that Harry — and anyone who reads about him — will find unforgettable.
For it’s there that he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic in everything from classes to meals, but a great destiny that’s been waiting for him… if Harry can survive the encounter.
Stay tuned for more gift suggestions as I recap the best of adult books for 2013 next.
Follow A Book Long Enough's board Build A Core Collection of Children's Books at Home on Pinterest.
December 09, 2013 / Rebecca Jones/ 3 Comments
picture books, chapter books
Gifty Books for the Readers on Your ...
Best Picture Books of 2013: Part ...
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Pro Bono Resources - Brown Rudnick Center For the Public Interest
OUR COMMITMENT OUR COMMITMENT PRO BONO RESOURCES PRO BONO RESOURCES AWARDS & ACCOLADES AWARDS & ACCOLADES
Links to Legal Services
The Brown Rudnick Center for the Public Interest generally does not accept direct requests for pro bono representation. Our pro bono clients often come from referrals by legal services or other "screening" agencies. If you are a low income individual or a non-profit organization in need of legal assistance, but cannot afford an attorney, you may be able to find help through one of these organizations:
Nation-wide
American Bar Association Law school pro bono programs LawHelp.org
Greater Hartford Legal Aid Statewide Legal Services of Connecticut
Boston Bar Lawyer Referral Greater Boston Legal Services Lawyers Clearinghouse on Affordable Housing and Homelessness Legal Advocacy and Resource Center (LARC) Massachusetts Court System Self Help Center Massachusetts Legal Services Volunteer Lawyers Project of the Boston Bar Association
London LawWorks Legal Aid Agency
The Legal Aid Society Volunteer Division, Community Law Offices Legal Services for New York City New York City Bar Justice Center
The Public Law Center
Rhode Island Bar Association Rhode Island Legal Services
Washington D.C. Bar Pro Bono Washington D.C. Legal Aid Society
For lawyers seeking pro bono opportunities:
Connecticut - Greater Hartford Legal Aid
Massachusetts Volunteer Lawyers Project
New York City Bar Association
Pro Bono Net
Selected professional conduct rules regarding pro bono (excerpts):
Massachusetts: A lawyer should provide annually at least 25 hours of pro bono publico legal services for the benefit of persons of limited means. Supreme Judicial Court Rule 6.1 — Pro Bono Publico Service.
Connecticut: A lawyer should render public interest legal service. A lawyer may discharge this responsibility by providing professional services at no fee or a reduced fee to persons of limited means or to public service or charitable groups or organizations, by service in activities for improving the law, the legal system or the legal profession, and by financial support for organizations that provide legal services to persons of limited means. Rules of Professional Conduct. Rule 6.1 — Pro Bono Publico Service.
Rhode Island: A lawyer should render public interest legal service. A lawyer may discharge this responsibility by providing professional services at no fee or a reduced fee to persons of limited means or to public service or charitable groups or organizations, by service in activities for improving the law, the legal system or the legal profession, and by financial support for organizations that provide legal services to persons of limited means. Rule 6.1 — Pro Bono Publico Service.
New York: A lawyer has an obligation to render public interest and pro bono legal service. A lawyer may fulfill this responsibility by providing professional services at no fee or at a reduced fee to individuals of limited financial means or to public service or charitable groups or organizations, or by participation in programs and organizations specifically designed to increase the availability of legal services. In addition, lawyers or law firms are encouraged to supplement this responsibility through the financial and other support of organizations that provide legal services to persons of limited means. NYS Bar Association Lawyer’s Code of Professional Conduct, EC 2-25.
Washington, D.C.: A lawyer should participate in serving those persons, or groups of persons, who are unable to pay all or a portion of reasonable attorney's fees or who are otherwise unable to obtain counsel. A lawyer may discharge this responsibility by providing professional services at no fee, or at a substantially reduced fee, to persons and groups who are unable to afford or obtain counsel, or by active participation in the work of organizations that provide legal services to them. When personal representation is not feasible, a lawyer may discharge this responsibility by providing financial support for organizations that provide legal representation to those unable to obtain counsel. Rule 6.1 — Pro Bono Publico Service.
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Andrew Wig, Ph.D.
Professor, Physics, Department Chair, Chemistry, Engineering & Physics
BenU faculty since 2005
Ph.D., University of Tennessee (2000)
M.S., University of Tennessee (1995)
B.S., North Park University (1991)
College Physics Laboratory, College Physics, University Physics Laboratory, Modern Physics, Modern Physics Laboratory, Electronics, Electricity and Magnetism, Introduction to the Engineering Profession, Engineering Design
Awards and Recognitions:
College of Science Dean's Award for Service 2014
Scanning Probe Microscopy, Optical Tweezers, Physics Education, Outreach
Optical Tweezers: Research will be conducted to use the BU optical tweezers instrument to study biological systems. Optical tweezers use focused light to trap and manipulate small objects. The initial study is focused on the trapping and analysis of E. coli bacteria. The project is experimental and involves learning about optics, lasers, and the interaction of light with matter.
Scanning Probe Microscopy: A Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) is a device used to image surfaces of materials with atomic resolution. This project will involve building and testing an STM. It is an experimental project and will involve computer programming and electronics.
Research Grants and Funding:
NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program Award #1240091, “Expanding and Strengthening the Secondary STEM Teacher Training Program”, Co-PI (April, 2012) $ 1.2 million (grant period January 1, 2013-December 31, 2017.
Society of Physics Students, Reporter Grant, $500, Fall 2012
Society of Physics Students, Research Grant, $1796, Fall 2009
Professional Activities:
Benedictine University Radiation Safety Officer
Benedictine University IDEA On Campus Director
Co-PI NSF Grant
Laboratory Coordinator for Physics
Current and Former Research Students:
Ameen Ahmed, Physics major
Ambreen Aijazuddin, Physics major
Sylvia Krupa, Biology major
Robert Maynard, Physics major
Nicholas Sexton, Physics major
Jared St. John, Physics major
Sonali Patel, 2013, Biology
Alexis Wadowski, 2013, Physics
Joseph Esner, 2012, Health Science
Michael Krolikiewicz, 2012, Physics
Onyekachi Nwoke, 2012, Health Science
Alonso Valerio, 2012, Physics
Michael Frailaide, 2011, Physics
Beatriz Ibarra, 2011, Biology
Alexander Seymour, 2011, Physics
Jeremy Zoubek, 2011, Physics
Muzamil Arshad, 2010, Physics
Tricia Avanzado, 2010, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Michael Berry, 2010, Physics
Matthew Ekhoff, 2010, Chemistry
Swetha Sabu, 2010, Physics
Jeremy Swaw, 2010, Biology
Kristyn Bales, 2008, Physics and Biology
Sean Smith, 2007, Physics
C. Parks Cheney, A. Wig, R. H. Farahi, A. Gehl, D. L. Hedden, T. L. Ferrell, D. Ji, R. Bell, W. J. McBride, and S. O’Connor, In Vivo real-time ethanol vapor detection in the interstitial fluid of a Wistar rat using piezoresistive microcantilevers, Virtual Journal of Biological Physics Research 13(2) (2007)
C. Parks Cheney, A. Wig, R. H. Farahi, A. Gehl, D. L. Hedden, T. L. Ferrell, D. Ji, R. Bell, W. J. McBride, and S. O’Connor, In Vivo real-time ethanol vapor detection in the interstitial fluid of a Wistar rat using piezoresistive microcantilevers, Appl. Phys. Lett. 90(1) (2007)
C. Parks Cheney, A. Wig, D. L. Hedden, A. Gehl, A. L. Lereu, R. H. Farahi, S. R. Hunter, and T. L. Ferrell, Ethanol vapor detection in saline solution using piezoresistive microcantilevers, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 77, 095101 (2006)
A. Wig, E. Arakawa, A. Passian, T. Thundat, and T. L. Ferrell, Photothermal Spectroscopy of Bacillus Cereus and Bacillus Anthracis from 2.5 µm to 14.5 µm with microcantilevers, Sensors and Actuators B 114, 206-211, (2006)
A. Passian, A.L. Lereu, A.Wig, F. Meriaudeau, T. Thundat, T.L. Ferrell, Imaging standing surface plasmons by photon tunneling, Physical Review B 71,165418(1)-165418(6), (2005)
A. Passian, A. L. Lereu, E. T. Arakawa, A. Wig, T. Thundat, and T. L. Ferrell, Multiple photon energies modulation via surface plasmons, Optics Letters 30(1), 41-43, (2005)
A. Passian, A. Wig, A. L. Lereu, F. Meriaudeau, T. Thundat, and T. L. Ferrell, Photon tunneling via surface plasmon coupling, Applied Physics Letters 85(16), 3420-3422, (2004)
A. Passian, A. Wig, A. L. Lereu, F. Meriaudeau, T. Thundat, and T. L. Ferrell, Probing large area surface plasmon interference in thin metal films using photon scanning tunneling microscopy, Ultramicroscopy 100, 429-436, (2004)
L. A. Pinnaduwage, A. Wig, D. L. Hedden, A. Gehl, D. Yi, T. Thundat, R.T. Lareau, Detection of Trinitrotoluene via Deflagration on a Microcantilever, Journal of Applied Physics 95(10), 5871-5875, (2004)
A. Wig, A. Passian, E. Arakawa, T. L. Ferrell, and T. Thundat, Interference effects in optically activated microcantilevers, Journal of Applied Physics, 95(3), 1162-1165, (2004)
A. Passian, R. J. Warmack, A. Wig, R.H. Farahi, F. Meriaudeau, T.L. Ferrell, T. Thundat Observation of Knudsen effect with microcantilevers, Ultramicroscopy 97(1-4), (2003)
G. Muralidharan, A. Wig, L. A. Pinnaduwage, D. Hedden, T. Thundat, R. Larou, Adsorption-desorption of Explosive Vapors Investigated with Microcantilevers, Ultramicroscopy 97(1-4), (2003)
A. Passian, A. Wig, F. Meriaudeau, T.L. Ferrell, T. Thundat, Knudsen forces on microcantilevers, Journal of Applied Physics 92, (2002)
A. Passian, A. Wig, F. Meriaudeau, T.L. Ferrell, Potential distribution and field intensity for a hyperboloidal probe in a uniform field, Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology B, 20(1), (2002)
A. Passian, A. Wig, F. Meriaudeau, M. Buncick, T. Thundat, T.L. Ferrell, Electrostatic force density for a scanned probe above a charged surface, Journal of Applied Physics, 90(2), (2001)
F. Meriaudeau, A. Wig, A. Passian, J.P. Lauret, T.L. Ferrell, Multiple gold island layers on a fiber core: a promising sensing device, Opt. Eng. 40(5), (2001)
F. Meriaudeau, T. L. Ferrell, E. T. Arakawa, A. Wig, A. Passian, T. Thundat, W. J. Shen, S. Patel, F. B. Kraemer, Study of Different Hormone-Sensitive Lipase Concentrations Using a Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensor, Sensors and Actuators B, 73, (2001)
F. Meriaudeau, A. Wig, A. Passian, T. Downey, M. Buncick, and T. L. Ferrell, Gold Island Fiber Optic Sensor for Refractive Indexes Sensing, Sensors and Actuators B, 69(1-2), (2000)
T. Downey, F. Meriaudeau, A. Passian, A. Wig, T. L. Ferrell, Guided propagation in a step index, multi-mode fiber: effects of index difference variation on allowable TM propagation constants, Optics and Laser Technology, 31(4), (1999)
F. Meriaudeau, T. R. Downey, A. Wig, A. Passian, M. C. Buncick, and T. L. Ferrell, Fiber optic sensor on gold island plasmon resonance, Sensors and Actuators B, 54(1-2), (1999)
F. Meriaudeau, T. R. Downey, A. Passian, A. Wig, and T. L. Ferrell, Environmental Effects on surface-plasmon spectra in gold island films potential for sensing applications, Applied Optics, 37(34), (1998)
F. Segner, M. Breinig, D. Desai, A. Wig and L. Straus, Recoil-ion charge-state-resolved electron-production cross sections at 55o for 1 MeV/u C5+ on He and Ar, Physical Review A, 54(2), (1996)
A. Wig, F. Meriaudeau, A. Passian, J.P. Goudonnet, and T. L. Ferrell, Spectroscopy with the Photon Scanning Tunneling Microscope, Microscopy Today, 00-3 (2000)
T. L. Ferrell, F. Meriaudeau, A. Passian, J.P. Goudonnet, and A. Wig, Imaging with the Photon Scanning-Tunneling Microscope, Microscopy Today, 99-4(1999)
Peer-Reviewed and Invited Presentations:
A. Wig, Activity Based Physics at Benedictine University.
APFI Symposium, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, July 2009
A. Wig, Optical Tweezers
College of Science Faculty Colloquium, Benedictine University, Spring 2009
A. Wig, Use and Effectiveness of Interactive Lecture Demonstrations
4th annual ACCA Pedagogy Symposium, Lewis University, IL, Fall 2008
A. Wig, Activity Based Physics Education
A. Wig, A. Passian, P. Boudreaux, and T.L. Ferrell, Surface Plasmon Based Spectrometer
American Physical Society March Meeting at New Orleans, Louisiana, March 2008
A. Wig, Microcantilever Sensors
College of Science Faculty Colloquium, Benedictine University, December 2006
- A. Wig, A. Passian, E. Arakawa, T. L. Ferrell, and T. Thundat, Interference effects in optically activated microcantilevers
- A. Passian, A. Wig, A. L. Lereu, F. Meriaudeau, T. Thundat, and T. L. Ferrell, Measurement of large area surface plasmon interference in thin metal films using photon scanning tunneling microscopy
Nanostructures and Sensors Conference at Heythrop Park, Oxfordshire May 2003
- N. Munoz Aguirre, A. Passian, A. Wig, T. L. Ferrell, Measurements of the dielectric function of allotropic water using absorption spectra of gold (Au) islands at the surface plasmon resonance
- N. Munoz Aguirre, A. Passian, A. Wig, L. Martinez Perez, T. L. Ferrell, Room temperature gas response of evaporated Sn02 thin films using total internal reflection
CSI 2002 9th International Meeting on Chemical Sensors Boston, USA July 7-10 2002
- A. Passian, A. Wig, T.L. Ferrell, F. Meriaudeau, and T. Thundat, Knudsen forces on microcantilevers
- A. Wig, A. Passian, S. Zhu, M. George, T. L. Ferrell, and T. Thundat, Optical activation of microcantilevers with applications for coatingless chemical detection
Scanning Probe Microscopy Sensors and Nanostructures, May 26-29, 2002, Las Vegas, NV
G. Muralidharan, A. Wig, L. Pinnaduwage, T. Thundat and R. T. Lareau, Chemical Sensors Based on Piezoresistive Microcantilevers
2002 MRS Spring Meeting San Francisco, California April 1-5, 2002 Volume 723
L.A. Pinnaduwage, P.F. Britt, J.E. Hawk, D.L. Hedden, R.H. Ilgner, G. Muralidharan, M.E. Sigman, T. Skeen, T. Thundat, A. Wig, E.J. Houser, and R.A. McGill, Explosive Vapor Detection Using Microcantilever Sensors
3rd International Aviation Security Technology Symposium, November 27 – 30, 2001, Atlantic City, NJ
F. Meriaudeau, A. Wig, A. Passian, T.L. Ferrell, New fiber optic sensor: application to refractive index sensing, p354-364
Applications of Optical Fiber Sensors 2000, Proc. SPIE Vol. 4074
F. Meriaudeau, A. Wig, A. Passian, T. Downey, M. Buncick, and T. L. Ferrell, Gold island fiber optic sensor, p214-23
Fiber Optic Sensor Technology and Applications September 1999, Proc. SPIE Vol 3860
- F. Meriaudeau, T.R. Downey, A. Passian, P.I. Oden, A.G. Wig, P.B. Crilly, S. Mangeant, T.L. Ferrell, Thin metal island plasmon sensor, p328-33
- J.C. DePriest, F. Meriaudeau, P.I. Oden, T. Downey, A. Passian, A. Wig, T.L. Ferrell, Chemically Sensitive Surface Plasmon Devices Employing a Self-Assembled Composite Monolayer Film, p772-76
- F. Meriaudeau, T.R. Downey, A. Passian, A.G. Wig, S. Mangeant, P.B. Crilly, T.L. Ferrell, Development of a fiber optics sensor based on gold island plasmon resonance., p1179-84
International Conference of Application of Photonic Technology July 1998, Proc. SPIE Vol 3491
T. L. Ferrell, P.B. Crilly, S.F. Smith, A.L. Wittenberg, C.L. Britton, G.W. Morrison, M.N. Ericson, D. Hedden, D. Bouldin, A. Passian, T. Downey, A. Wig, F. Meriaudeau, Medical Telesensors, p193-198
Biomedical Sensing and Imaging Technologies January 1998, Proc. SPIE Vol 3253
A.G. Wig, D. D. Desai, M. Breinig, Cusp electron production in Coincidence with Target Recoil Ions for 3 MeV C+ on Ar Collisions
The 63rd Meeting of Southeastern Section American Physical Society (SESAPS) November 14-16, 1996, Decatur, Georgia
Birck 321 | 630-829-6527
awig@ben.edu
COS Research Home
COS Faculty Research
NSSRP Home
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Touching Jodhpur – India's Blue City
A general view of the residential area is pictured during dusk at Jodhpur in Rajasthan, April 5, 2015. Jodhpur, also known as the blue city in the desert Indian state of Rajasthan, which residents say originally, was used to show where the highest caste of priestly Hindus live, who wanted to set them apart from the rest of the population. Later the rest of the population followed suit. Another reason for the city to be blue is to keep the buildings cool during the summers, local residents said. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)
Educative Blue Dragon
Glaucus atlanticus (common names sea swallow, blue glaucus, blue sea slug and blue ocean slug) is a species of small-sized blue sea slug, a pelagic aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Glaucidae. This is the only species in the genus Glaucus, but is closely related to Glaucilla marginata, which sometimes is included in Glaucus.
Touching “Call of the Blue”
Teeming with images of spectacular underwater scenes from around the world, Call of the Blue is the culmination of a five-year project by the photographer and ocean conservationist Philip Hamilton. This groundbreaking book includes contributions from acclaimed scientists and ocean “guardians”, who reveal what drove them to answer the call of the blue. (Photo by Philip Hamilton/The Guardian)
Fact Crab-Catching Blues
A large stainless steel shovel lies on top of steamed crabs at the A.E. Phillips & Son Inc. crab picking house on Hooper's Island in Fishing Creek, Maryland August 26, 2015. Workers speed through the lump and back fin meat inside the crabs while leaving the more tedious task of picking the claws to others. (Photo by Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
Educative Blue-Footed Booby
The blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii) is a marine bird in the family Sulidae, which includes ten species of long-winged seabirds. Blue-footed boobies belong to the genus Sula, which comprises six species of boobies. It is easily recognizable by its distinctive bright blue feet, which is a sexually selected trait. Males display their feet in an elaborate mating ritual by lifting their feet up and down while strutting before the female.
See Also: Red
Blue-footed Booby
Educative Blue Marlin: The Giant Ship
Blue Marlin is a semi-submersible heavy lift ship from Dockwise Shipping of the Netherlands. Designed to transport very large semi-submersible drilling rigs above the transport ship's deck, it is equipped with 38 cabins to accommodate 60 people, a workout room, sauna and swimming facilities. Blue Marlin and her sister ship MV Black Marlin comprise the Marlin class of heavy lift ship.
Educative Chefchaouen – the Blue City of Morocco
Chefchaouen or Chaouen is a city in northwest Morocco. It is the chief town of the province of the same name, and is noted for its buildings in shades of blue.
Fact Blue Cut Fire
Seen in a long exposure nighttime photograph, a burned van rests in a lot while a wildfire glows on the horizon in Phelan, Calif., early Thursday, August 18, 2016 2016. (Photo by Noah Berger/AP Photo)
collection fine art | Nuclear | Elephant | nh10 movies 2015 | Hen | streetblowjobs mia faith what | small girl xxx | steam | ms+office+2013+pro | 1946 | Viking | 70-461 | foot journey/wp-login.php | Cyclists+participate | desnudo | pin+ups | starsky and hutch | nude actresses | team+america | enhance%2Bvideo | reed dance vidoe | June | moves 2013 | hollywood vampires | mad men s01e01
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Art Nerd New York | Los Angeles
Art Nerd Los Angeles
“WINTER SOUNDS,” The City of West Hollywood’s Free Concert Series, Kicks off Sat. January 9!
Posted by Art Nerd Los Angeles on Tuesday, January 5, 2016 · Leave a Comment
“WINTER SOUNDS,” THE CITY OF WEST HOLLYWOOD’S FREE INDOOR CONCERT SERIES,
KICKS OFF JANUARY 9, 2016 AT 4PM WITH MUSIC FROM IREESH LAL
AND LIVE PAINTING FROM NORTON WISDOM
FUTURE CONCERTS REATURE DR. DAWN NORFLEET, GARRETSON & GORODETSKY,
JACK’S CATS, AND HONEY WHISKEY TRIO
The City of West Hollywood, through its Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission, announces the line-up for Winter Sounds 2016, a series of five free indoor concerts held in the City Council Chambers/Public Meeting Room at the West Hollywood Library and Plummer Park’s Fiesta Hall. With an initial concert on January 9, the series runs alternative Saturdays, concluding on March 5. Programming spotlights world music, jazz, folk, and swing. All shows begin at 4PM and are free to attend. Seating is provided, and RSVPs are not required (but are encouraged at http://weho.org/residents/arts-and-culture/2016-winter-sounds).
The kick-off for Winter Sounds on Saturday, January 9 (4PM) features a unique mixture of world sounds, jazz, and electronic music from multi-instrumentalist, composer and programmer Ireesh Lal and live painting from renowned Los Angeles artist Norton Wisdom in the City Council Chambers at the West Hollywood Library. Lal boldly combines his original electronic music and distinctly Western jazz trumpet lines with traditional East Indian elements including the sounds of tabla, oud, and sitar. Wisdom will paint on a wet-erase board, continually altering imagery as he follows the music. Lal cites influences including Ravi Shankar, Miles Davis and Thievery Corporation. His debut solo album Ethnotronica was reased in 2014.
On Saturday, January 23 (4PM), flutist, vocalist and composer Dr. Dawn Norfleet will perform a jazz concert in Fiesta Hall at Plummer Park. Norfleet, who earned a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from Columbia University, will perform a diverse selection of jazz numbers, including funky odd meter instrumentals to soulful and traditional ballads. She will be accompanied by veteran L.A.-based players with backgrounds ranging from straight ahead jazz to funk. Norfleet has previously performed for the Jazz at LACMA series, and she is also on the teaching-artist faculty of The Music Center. Her workshop is entitled ‘Do-Be’ or Not ‘Do-Bop’: A Vocal Jazz Journey, which takes students on a historical trek through the development of vocal jazz.
On Saturday, February 6, 2016 (4PM), songwriters and performance artists Garretson & Gorodetsky will take the stage in the City’s Council Chambers at the West Hollywood Public Library. They will be joined by Brainchildren of Xenog in a freewheeling concert experience that combines folk tunes, pop ideas, blues riffs and jazz harmonies to create songs that are both haunting and humorous. Their music often explores the fragility of existence, whether it’s a song about a garden slug or a predatory scrub jay. The performance will recreate the sonic experience of a backyard in Los Angeles where skunks, possums, owls, hawks and cats manage to thrive. The ensemble includes: vocalist Weba Garretson on piano and guitar; guitarist and singer Ralph Gorodetsky; Vince Meghrouni on harmonica, flute and saxophone; Brian Christopherson on percussion; Dan Clucas on trumpet, coronet; and Michael Alvidrez on bass. Garretson & Gorodetsky have previously performed at the Getty Museum, UCLA, Skirball Cultural Center, and MOCA. Commissions include music for Los Angeles Poverty Department’s “Utopia/Dystopia” at the Redcat, and the LA Public Library’s stage celebration “My Moby Dick” at the Broad Theatre.
On Saturday, February 20, 2016 (4PM), Jack’s Cats will swing into Fiesta Hall at Plummer Park to entertain concertgoers with a “new-old” sound that’s unmistakably grounded in 1930s/1940s vintage jazz and swing, yet also feels contemporary and vital. Bandleader, swing clarinetist and composer Jack Malmstrom heads the band, which features up-and-coming musicians drawn from Los Angeles’ thriving vintage jazz scene, each one known for musical prowess and engaging showmanship. Toes will be tapping for sure, and dancing will be encouraged at this concert.
Winter Sounds concludes at the beginning of Women’s History Month with folk music from the all-female Honey Whiskey Trio on Saturday, March 5, 2016 (4PM) in the City’s Council Chambers Room at the West Hollywood Public Library. Featuring storytellers in song Courtney Gasque, Ann Louise Jeffries Thaiss, and Christina Wilson, Honey Whiskey Trio explores harmony and melody in folk and bluegrass—and in other well-known tunes sung with a “honey twist.” They will perform a capella, with body percussion, and accompanied by mandolin, guitar, banjo, washboard, dulcimer and mouth trumpet. In 2013, Honey Whiskey Trio won the Harmony Sweepstakes National Competition, also winning Audience Favorite. They have gone on to headline the Los Angeles A Cappella Festival, the Women’s A Cappella Association’s SheSings Festival, and the South Eastern Minnesota A Cappella Festival; have all individually performed with Vox Femina; and were featured artists at the FAR-West Folk Festival, the Rogue Valley Roots Festival, the Long Beach Folk Revival Festival, and the Shedd Institute for the Arts.
To hear music samples from each artist in the series: http://www.weho.org/residents/arts-and-culture/2016-winter-sounds
For concerts that take place at the City’s Council Chambers/Public Meeting Room, free validated parking is available in the five-story parking structure, located at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard, accessible from El Tovar Place. For concerts that take place at Plummer Park’s Fiesta Hall, free parking is available in both parking lots at Plummer Park, located at 7377 Santa Monica Boulevard.
To learn more about the City of West Hollywood and its arts projects:
www.weho.org/arts
Filed under Events, Featured, Global Featured, Global What's Up, Neighborhoods, West Hollywood, What's Up · Tagged with art, Free Concert, Live Music, West Hollywood
Guide to cool, hidden, unique Los Angeles art, architecture & art history. Brought to you by the creators of Art Nerd New York. Read Full
Ramona Otto: "Do These Stripes Make Me Look Political - A Retrospective Solo Exhibition
Exhibition Presenting Works by 2019 City of Los Angeles Individual Artists Fellowship Honorees Opens May 19
Celia Center Arts Festival Celebrates the Voices of the Adopted and Fostered
Desert X 2019 Opening Day
Joseph Klibansky "All I Ever Wanted Was Everything" at House of Fine Art this Friday
Alison Mosshart & Danny Zovatto "Los Trachas" at FF-1051 Gallery
Invader Exhibition "Into the white cube" at Over The Influence
JOYCE PENSATO NEW L.A. SHOW at GRICE BENCH
Tumbleweed Art Co. rolling across the desert
Jen Stark 'Multiplicity' opens Nov 17th at WILDING CRAN
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Barton Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB22 ££85,000
Brochure Print
Save to Favourite
An excellent opportunity to acquire an attractive and well situated parcel of arable land, with significant amenity value. The land itself extends to 3.474 hectares (8.584 acres in total).
The village of Little Eversden lies 6 miles to the south west of Cambridge just to the north of the A603. The attached plan shows the exact location.
A Single Payment Scheme (SPS) 2019
The land is registered under this scheme.
Wayleaves, Easements and Rights of Way
The land will be sold subject to and with the benefit of all public and private rights of way, pipes, drains, cables, pylons or other easements, restrictions or obligations, whether or not mentioned in these particulars. The land is accessed via a grass strip from the A603 (Cambridge Road).
No services are connected to the land.
All standing timber and hedgerows of trees on land are included within the sale.
Sporting Rights
Sporting rights are in hand and included in the sale.
All minerals in or under the land insofar as they are owned by the vendor or are included in the sale.
Boundaries and Ditches
The purchaser will be deemed to have inspected the land and satisfy themselves as to the ownership of any boundary, ditch or hedge. Where ownership is know, it is marked by a T on the plans accompanying these particulars of sale. All unmarked boundaries shall be owned and maintained as here to for.
Offers in the region of £85,000 (Eighty Five Thousand Pounds) are invited.
Foxton - 1.49 miles
Shepreth - 2.3 miles
Shelford (Cambs) - 3.23 miles
Additional Docs:
Redmayne Arnold & Harris
7 Dukes Court 54-64 Newmarket Road
CB5 8DZ
E: rah@rah.co.uk
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Death Tide
RP Logs » Archives: Logs » Death Tide
March 03 2015: Fenris calls for help in dealing with an incipient disaster. Heroes arrive, just where they're needed. And Deadpool
Gotham Coast
The North End of Gotham is almost deserted and abandoned. Almost.
Fenris Wolf
Draugr
Steel Blossom - Hydra Operative
Like most coastal cities, Gotham features a substantial population connected to the sea. Extensive dockworks and fisheries built up near the harbor show hat quite clearly. However it's a feature of the modern era that even those who make their living on the rolling blue don't always know the secrets contained therein.
That's mostly for the best.
Tonight, a lone, lean man in a long coat walks a lonely, decrepit road at Gotham's edge, glancing back and forth with a frown. There's deep magic here. Dark magic. Old magic. Something brought by the people across the sea eons ago, and it's beginning to wake.
He may need some help.
The Old Wolf reaches into his pocked and retrieves a cellphone, dialing a number he never uses. "Barbara, can you hear me? There's going to be trouble at the North Shore. Soon."
In the Clocktower, Oracles face is lit by the flickering from her screens, green eyes monitoring her teams on the ground. The phone ringing elicits a bemused glance, as does the number that appears.
"Yes, I can hear you Fenris. North Shore, soon. I'll send some of teams that way. What type of trouble, do you know yet?" The redhead looks grim. This is not usual for Fenris.
Through the Oracle network, the wheelchair bound woman speaks "All teams, this is Oracle, support is needed in North Shore. Now. Exact nature of the threat is still being determined. Please acknowledge and advice when you're heading that way."
Sleep didn't always come easy to Kara, even though her body needed it; it was a fitful time for her often filled with nightmares about Krypton and the things she had seen on Earth. When she couldn't sleep, she often flew.
She had no other excuse for flying around aimlessly, her course taking her inexplicitly towards Gotham City. Spying the lone figure in the longcoat on the decrepit road she decides to go check it out.
Setting down on the ground not far from Fenris, she asks the man, "Are you lost Sir? It's not very safe to be out at this time of night." She had never been to Gotham but she had heard the rumors.
"Acknowledged, Oracle," says Robin. He's not far from the shore, and makes his way there quickly enough, batline rapidly carrying him across the city. He stops on a rooftop overlooking the area, scanning below to see what the issue may be. Old guy in trench coat. Supergirl.
This latter causes him to doubletake, if briefly. In general non-Gotham heroes steer clear of the city — by and large out of respect for/fear of Batman. But Supergirl is Supergirl. He doubts she has much fear of Batman, and while he's generally heard good things about her, her presence in Gotham might not be the best.
"Heads up, Oracle. We have Supergirl on site."
"So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night." The song is sung in a child-like voice, thought it could just as easily belong to an adult. "I hate to go and leave this pretty sight." There is button mashing going on up there. "So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu. Adieu, adieu, to yieu, and yieu, and yieu." And with every 'yieu', Deadpool kills another person as he plays Assassin's Creed III: Liberation on a PlayStation Vita.
With an exaggerated yawn, he pauses his game and stretches his arms, cracking some muscles in the process. "Time for a quadruple B," a big belly burger break for those following at home, he says as he stands up from the green lawn chair with a cherry motif and reaches for the greasy brown bag. Opening it, he allows the smell to rise up and fill his masked nostrils with that intoxicating scent.
He unwraps the burger, takes a big bite, and then immediately spits it out, "eww, there are onions in this! Damnit, now I gotta take it back and have a word with Todd. And he looked so confident when he took my order." Just as he was about to hop down, he noticed two people, one was a real cutie, and the other kind of looked like a female version of Superman. And he waited. "Let's see how this plays out?"
The tall, lean man looks over to Supeprgirl and cants his head slightly. Not the kind of help he was expecting Oracle to send but he'll take it. "No, sadly not." He can't resist. "Not all who wander are lost, you know. And it's about to get less safe here."
He can feel the old magic boiling up from the sea. And a moment later, see… something quite literally boiling up from the sea. Draugr. In this case, the sea giving up it's dead in a way decidedly not what the author of that phrase had in mind when it was penned. Everyone present will hear, at the very edges of their hearing, faint snatches of a song somewhere behind… it's a sad, sweet, haunting, piercing melody. One that could wake the dead. And apparently has.
"Someone's singing the Siren's song. And the dead are responding." The old wolf plucks a necklace off his neck. In a moment it's a very large sword apparently made of silver. "They will do, as one might expect, rather awful things if allowed to run rampant. Oracle, locate the singer. She must be nearby, somewhere. She has to be stopped."
Fenris hasn't noted Deadpool yet, nor Tim, but his voice is clearly audible as he speaks to Kara. "I could probably use some help with this."
"Acknowledged Robin." Oracle watches the Avatar with the little robin move across her screen towards Fenris. The video feeds for the area are pulled to the centre and enlarged. "A female singer, acknowledged Fenris. Looking now. Robin is approaching your location…." she pauses as she notes the burger eating man "You have someone else on the lawn near you too."
There's a number of cameras, and angles, to view, none with sound, it will take Oracle a few moments to locate the singer.
Kara blinks when the man gets all philosophical on her, but she's distracted immediately by the things boiling up from the sea along with the Siren's Song. The young woman stare's off ahead, knowing now why people left Gotham alone.
Then she's distracted by Fenris and his massive sword that just appeared out of nowhere, "Nice sword. Count me in." She couldn't sleep because of nightmares, so beating the crap out of some would be a good remedy she hoped.
Deadpool. It doesn't take long for Robin to identify the… whatever Deadpool is. Mutant assassin? Successor to Shakespeare's fools? Whatever. Robin knows that this is trouble. "The someone," he tells Oracle in a murmur, "Is Deadpool." Could be good. Could be bad. Deadpool, from what Robin knows of the man, is about as crazy as the Joker, but less sadistic and more whimsical. One can hope.
Rather than rushing into things, having heard Oracle's statement about a female singer he uses his ears — and his equipment, plugging a small parabolic microphone into his headset to try and find the source of the music.
"What is that beautiful music?" Deadpool asks no one in particular. He reaches into his belt and pulls out his mobile, trying to record it, but after around 2 minutes, he'll stop, and try and play it back. But the song is too quiet for the phone to pick up. "Damnit, I knew I shouldn't have bought Canadian. Research in Motion my ass, this Blackberry is more like Rubbish in Motion. Next time, I'm buying Japanese, or at least Korean, definitely something Asian."
With a frustrated shake of his head, he'll slip the phone back into his utility belt and do a running jump, followed by a somersault, right into the pavement below. But miraculously, he doesn't die, or even look to be particularly hurt. He'll break the fall by slapping his arms out as he lands on his back, and then quickly roll to his feet, unsheathing a katana during the movement.
"Here's Johnny!" He calls out, then says in a lower, quicker voice, like you'd expect as legal jargon at the end of a commercial, "Here's Johnny is a registered trademark jointing owned by the Stanley Kubrick estate and Warner Brothers Entertainment Incorporated, and is used with the expressed verbal, but not written permission of said parties." And to Supergirl, who was just admiring Fenris' swords, he says, "mine's bigger."
"No doubt." Fenris chuckles and turns to face the wave of dead men walking up the beach. They are not fast. At least not at the moment. They don't look real squishy though. Most are overgrown with some manner of coral, which looks dense and sharp. Many have spikes for hands or claws grown onto their fingers. And there are hundreds. Fenris starts to walk forward. He asked for help and now he has it. Time to do a little spring cleaning.
Robin can quite clearly hear the song now. Enough to get a direction, at least. A more precise location may have to wait for Oracle… who just found the singer. She has a gun and a sword and appears to be behind several locked security doors… which fortuitiously have electronic locks.
"Deadpool." Oracle shakes her head. The man… can be problematic… even when he's fighting on their side.
The singer is located "Office building to your left, Robin. Ground floor, 3rd office on the right. I'll unlock the doors as you get there." This communication is shared with Fenris, as well. Now she's found the singer, the systems facial recognition systems kick in… she should know who the woman is very soon…
Robin, for his part, is already on his way into the building. Direction is enough to get him going, dropping down from his perch and heading in to find the source of the siren song. He's silent, but has extended his bo staff to its full length, cautious, but constantly moving forward and seeking his quarry, going through the doors as Oracle unlocks them. "I'm going in," he notes, probably unnecessarily. Best to keep her posted.
Kara raises her eyebrows as Deadpool suddenly appears and brags about having a bigger sword, "Uh, cool. So why don't you show me how good you are with it?" Like a cute blonde terminator, Kara starts walking towards the undead sea zombie creatures and starts firing blasts of searing red energy from her eyes.
The beams from her eyes cut a path in front of her, mowing down hordes of the creatures as they start moving up on to land. It was fun to cut loose and not have to worry about injuring other living beings.
Then she noticed how many more of the creatures there were. Groaning just a little, she asked nobody in particular, "Why does everything bad always come from the water?"
A katana is a beautiful weapon. They are usually hundreds of years old, made from fairly poor materials, but with the greatest technique. If only Japan had access to better metals, then the katana would have been even better. Weapons such as those are to be respected, honoured, and treated with dignity. Deadpool… uses it to scratch his back.
Supergirl presents Deadpool with a genuine motivation. An attractive girl in tight clothing just asked him to show how good he is with a sword. What red blooded Canadian could resist such temptation. So of course, Deadpool reaches for his phone, and begins playing Clash of Clans as Supergirl begins slaughtering the dead people. And that thought makes him ask aloud, "if you kill a zombie, is that really murder? Zombies are already dead." So, is he on their side, or just being a smart ass? Maybe if he had an incentive, like money. Money is always good.
Fenris really doesn't know Deadpool or he might know what to offer. Really, a two thousand year old wolf-god has had time to get money. He lays into the 'wave' with his blade. Two things are immediately apparent. One) Fenris is not normal. He moves too fast and hits too hard to be normal. Two, Kara is way more efficient. Being able to glare a zombie back to death is definitely faster than swording it.
Well, three things, actually. Three, the song hasn't called just humans. The water parts and some thing that looks vaguely like a very, very large crocadile emerges. A crocadile the size of a small cargo ship.
"Well… that's… unfortunte." The croc roars, causing debris to fly and, incidently, a large rock to strike Deadpool's phone.
The locks open as Oracle disengages them and the song falters just a little as the woman hears them doing so. She reaches over to a switch and kills the lights as Robin nears, laying in wait with that sword and gun as Oracle unlocks the last door.
She may want to get those lights back on.
Oracle does like the feedback, even though she can see what the team is doing via her screens.
Thank goodness for Building Management Systems. Oracle was already tapped in and getting the lights back on is quite easy. "Lights coming on, Robin. She's armed with a sword and a gun." She'll give him time to make the necessary adjustments before making the change.
The results of the face recognition search are returned and the redheads' eyes widen. "HYDRA agent, Robin. Name: Steel Blossom. She's a deadly swordswoman."
Never enter a dark room without a plan. Robin reaches up to his mask to touch a hidden button below his right lens — and then drops his hand away from the night-vision toggle switch. With the lights coming back on, he doesn't want to blind himself.
Rather than simply enter this room, though, he touches a second button, switching to heat vision, and then tosses a pair of smoke pellets through the door. He gives them a few seconds for the smoke to fill the room, and then follows them in, keeping close to the ground to dodge gunfire or a blade, which would usually come toward his midsection. He doesn't speak to acknowledge Oracle's words — that might alert Steel Blossom to his position.
"Isn't that cute" Kara remarks as she sees the gigantic killer croc appear, if it could even be called a crocodile anymore. Glancing over at Deadpool who was playing video games until the loss of his phone she just shakes her head, "Boys and their toys."
The sound of a supersonic boom can be heard and Kara is flying towards the cargo ship sized creature intending to punch it right in the face or fly through it. Whatever got the job done.
"So much for the Deadphone, I hardly knew ye," comes from behind the mask as the man rapidly shakes his wrist. The rock may have knocked the phone out of his hand, destroying it, but damn, that hurt his hand too. He has a healing factor, but that doesn't mean he likes being hit with rocks. At least, not unless he's paying extra for it.
Looking back towards the cargo ship-sized crocodile, he briefly checks his teleporter, "oh yeah, I forgot I was in Gotham, the city so nice, they left it twice." His hand comes up to rub at his chin, "okay, on the one hand, you destroyed my blackberry, and I hated that thing, so that's good. But on the other hand," teleporter engaged, he disappears, reappearing on top of the cargo ship-sized crocodile, "you hurt my hand, so you're gonna have to say sorry, or we just can't be friends."
Already knowing which way he thinks the relationship is going to go, he was going to try to stab the crocodile through the head with his sword, in a test of Japanese craftsmanship versus American kaiju. Who knows, maybe this guy could get a gig in Pacific Rim 2: The Search for More Money.
But Supergirl had other ideas. He teleported over there, so she would be forgiven for the pain he's probably about to endure. She had no idea he was going to do that. At least she won't have to worry about his medical bills. For one, he's Canadian, and they have universal health care. And if that weren't enough, he also has a healing factor. All he can get out before the sonicboom is a sigh of "oh, crap."
Oracle cannot hear the banshee scream as the lights come back up and the woman leaps into the smoke at where he was. She misses, but is quick on the recovery, blade coming up and whipping at the boy wonder's head. She's playing for keeps here and means to give Robin a thrashing that will make what the Joker did to him look petty and quaint.
Back outside both Kara and Wade go flying to the crocadile-thing which roars it's defiance… just in time for the Girl of Steel and the Man of Scars to go right down the gullet and discover that one, it really, really stinks in here, and two, it's a lot tougher than it looks. Not tough enough to stop Kara, but enough that the impact is quite noteable.
Fenris hears the song falter as Robin engages the singer and holds the beach more or less alone. There's a lot less to hold though after Kara did a number on the Draugr and the god-wolf isn't having too much trouble. "Oracle the Draugr appear to be faltering. If we can have light and noise here, as much as possible, it will confuse them. When the song fails, they'll return to the sea where it's dark and quiet."
Oracle watches the Boy Wonder engage and winces. She watched the thrashing he received at the hand of The Joker… and does not want to see that again.
Fenris' request, gets a sharp nod…. and Gothams Information Goddess is already hacking alarm and building management systems for the surrounding structures.
"It's about to get very noisy there, Fenris. Lights and Sound in 3…" her hands move over her console, entering commands "2…. " another flurry of tapping at the screen… "and 1…." Security klaxons sound from each and every building, flood lights flare to life… "That is what you wanted wasn't it, Fenris?"
Steel Blossom may be a deadly swordswoman, but there are a lot of those. On the other hand, he is probably the single best wielder of the bo in the world. His staff shifts upward, catching her sword, deflecting it, and then he twists the staff up and plants it, using it as leverage to swing a kick at her side. He does not consider for a moment the thrashing he received from Joker. You learn from what happens, and you move on. This woman is not the Joker. She may be a fanatic — many of the HYDRA types are, but she cannot be the sort of maniac that Joker is. And thus she has human weaknesses, foibles, psychological flaws that the Joker would not.
Sure, he may be one big psychological flaw, but that kind of gets in the way of using his mind against him.
As Kara ends up right in the stinky gullet of the beast, her nose wrinkling in disgust as she looks to Deadpool, "I thought it smelled bad on the outside." Standing in the muck of the beast's belly she asks the undead ninja assassin, "Any ideas on how we get out of here??"
Right after asking the question, she had several ideas; but she was curious how this mysterious and odd 'hero' would get out. It might be more interesting than her method of lasering a hole out or just flying back through the mouth.
Still not sure how he went from being on top of the beast's head, almost on its back, to being stuck down its gullet, Deadpool has a tape measure out, checking on how big this place is, "we could put the dining room here, and the kitchen over there…" but Supergirl probably isn't as interested in picking out curtains as Deadpool.
"Oh, let me think, we could use some C4, my katana, your heat vision, we could tickle it until it sneezed us out, there's the back exit, but if you want to use that one, you're on your own."
He doesn't seem to have any remorse for harming the beast, and decides to test its resolve by sticking his katana into it, deep and hard. How tough is it on the inside? Let's fine out. "Oh, and if you fly out, can you save me a tooth. I've always wanted a lucky crocodile tooth."
Well, the answer is not so tough that Deadpool can't cut through it. Or indeed that Kara can't just punch her way out the ribcage. It just may take a bit of effort. Back outside the croc itself is, like some ancient general, rallying the remaining Draugr about it, seemingly quite upset by the noise and lights Oracle just kicked on. They don't like that at all… but the Croc seems to think that adding Fenris to the collection of people in it's gullet is a good idea.
Fenris is a bit busy, still, keeping the slightly less bold but still dangerous normal sized Draugr from moving further into the city (and also away from the annoying lights and noises) so the other two will have to take care of Croc on their own.
Robin meanwhile is in a fight. He's skilled. Arguably one of the best. But she knows her weapon well and despite being kicked aganst the wall isn't about to give up just yet.
Especially not when she can just bring her gun to bear and cut loose. That might put a small hole in her guard though. And, Oracle may note, there's an electrical panel near her blade…
Watching the screens in the Clocktower, Oracle pays attention to the combatants, making sure the alarms and lights stay on as she does. "I'm going to light up that panel, Robin." she's already accessing it through the system "If it doesn't arc and catch her, you might be able to use it."
Robin knows he's up against a difficult opponent. But he has faced the worst that Gotham has to offer, and he's not about to go down without a fight himself. He's a blur of motion, swinging his staff, his fists, his feet, dodging left, right and center. And when Oracle tells him that she's bringing the panel online, he gives a curt nod — not that she can see it — and, allowing Steel Blossom to catch his shoulder with her blade (his staff reduces the force of the blow; his cape keeps him from serious injury), he frees one of his throwing Rs, throws it through the electrical panel, and then attempts to knock his opponent into the electrified weapon.
Kara is fast and unless Deadpool chooses to teleport out, she grabs him by the scruff of his costume, "Grab your own tooth, we're leaving the way we came in." She flies back out of the beast's mouth, potentially with Deadpool in tow like a little puppy dog; shattering several of the beasts teeth on the way out.
Deadpool is abandoned and she just shakes her head at the beast, "Well, it's time for you to take a nap big guy." Kara flies around to the back of the massive crocodile, picks it up by the tail and swings it around a few times before tossing it far off into the ocean.
"The Atlanteans can deal with him."
Deadpool hits a tooth, "owe," then another one, "owe," then another one "owe," and this just goes on. It actually takes seconds, but for the merc with a mouth, it feels like an hour. Did Supergirl really need to drag him along the teeth? Couldn't she have just flown him through the front ones?
After he's abandoned, he shouts, "look, Wendy, I can fly," except he really can't. He's heading straight for the water, ready to make one tremendous bellyflop. But thinking that'd hurt, he instead decides to teleport elsewhere, reappearing in a flash of light on the docks, where he'll decapitate one of the undead things, grabbing the soda it had picked up, and was about to drop, right out of the air. He has a sip, making a loud slurping sound, "mmm, strawberry fanta."
Tim knocks Steel Blossom into the electrified Robin-rang (Round Robin? Something) right as Kara airmils the croc to the Atlanteans. Within a minute of it's departure the undead are headed back to the ocean. With no song to call them they really, really, don't want to be here. Fenris looks about at the two… well, the heroine and Deadpool and smiles a bit, shrinking his blade back down to a necklace and replacing it. "Thank you. Both. That might have gone poorly were it just me." Certainly he'd have been here longer with no one to take care of the song. "Oracle, my thanks to you and your agent." He pauses. "And I think I owe you all a proper meal after that." He tilts his head back toward the city, in invitation, then starts walking. Sometimes the deep dark magic rises…
And sometimes the heroes turn up right where you need them.
"Anytime Fenris. Thank you for the heads up." Watching Robins avatar move away from the scene, the redhead frowns deeply "They were HYDRA Fenris. I've been told to keep an eye out for them. It is concerning."
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CHILDREN OF THE CORN Franchise Retrospective Part 3: Fields Of Terror & Isaac's Return
CHILDREN OF THE CORN V: FIELDS OF TERROR started out with a glimmer of hope when the opening credits listed a few names I was not only familiar with but that I was a fan of. Alexis Arquette, Fred Williamson, David Carradine are all performers I enjoy and I was thinking "okay, maybe we've got something here." On top of them Eva Mendes, Ahmet Zappa co-star and even Jason Voorhees himself, Kane Hodder, has a role. I'll tell you right now he was only in a single scene as a bartender and not as a machete wielding corn stalk monster. What a let down. The opening scene features a clunky 90s CGI murder featuring the main child that would be running the show of our misfit kernels. Sadly shortly after we lose Alexis Arquette and Ahmet Zappa who had great energy and would have been a nice contrast to the rest of our main cast of college students who are basically running around with dumbfounded, mouth agape, looks on their face for the majority of the film.
Oh you're interested in the plot? Well, six college friends (more like 4 friends after the first few minutes of the film take away the two most entertaining characters) go on a road trip and end up stranded in a small rural town that they not smells of burnt popcorn. After getting warned to leave by the sheriff (Fred Williamson) they hole up in an abandoned house for the night and later find that one of the girls missing brothers is in town living with Luke (David Carradine) who seems to be the leader of the strange kids. Luke lets her see her brother who informs her that he has no interest in leaving and is going to be marry a younger girl who is also pregnant with his child. The child leader Ezekiel chooses the brother who has reached 18 years of age as the annual sacrifice to He Who Walks Behind The Rows which means he would have to throw himself into the burning corn silo but the brother refuses and tells Luke his religion is a lie which leads to a battle between the college friends and the runaway brother and the pitchfork wielding psycho children. There's even a showdown between Luke and the sheriff which is my favorite scene in the film and is easily the best special effect moment of the film as well.
The plot is weak and the film isn't interesting enough to keep your attention throughout so that you really settle in to it. I found myself getting restless and bored and simply didn't care about a single thing going on. Fred Williamson and David Carradine are both wasted by given little to do. Our main group is filled with bland characters and uninspired performances and the one thing that these movies have given us each and every time until now is creepy kids but they even ruin that as these kids looked like any child you'd see getting dropped off at junior high and not a group of rural religious nut jobs. Ethan Wiley wrote the first two House films and even directed the second which is a wacky mishmash of ideas that works for a wonderfully fun 80s cocktail but his entry in to the CHILDREN OF THE CORN series is my least favorite through the first five entries.
I spoke too soon. It gets worse. You might think, and I would be right there with you that the return of John Franklin who played Isaac, the preacher leader of the children in the original film would be an upgrade to the series but no, CHILDREN OF THE CORN 666: ISAAC'S RETURN is yet another step down on this ladder of shit. I'm not sure how much lower this thing can go.
Natalie Ramsey stars as Hannah Martin, the first baby born from the cult in the original film, now she has decided to return to Gatlin to find her birth mother. After a strange encounter with a preacher that ends in Hannah crashing her car into a corn field she is taken to the local hospital by the sheriff. At the hospital she finds out Isaac was not killed but ended up in a coma. After she leaves the hospital Hannah begins to get stalked and terrorized during her stay at a local motel. The townspeople speak of a prophecy between her and Isaac but Hannah won't leave until she finds out about her mother.
Well we're scraping the bottom of the barrel here. Isaac is in a coma for years and only Hannah's return wakes him which is an okay plot device, especially five sequels deep but this movie is as painfully boring and disjointed as we can get. Dead birds, messages scrawled across the wall in nail polish, and mentally unstable patients at a hospital are the majority of the horror elements until the eye roll inducing ending where we finally meet He Who Walks Behind The Rows and find out he's some local douche bag in a leather jacket. He manhandles Isaac, killing him and Hannah escapes but is no pregnant with the baby of He Who Walks Behind The Rows.
It's so bad. So so so bad. If you're not bored to tears then you're surely getting infuriated at how stupid the whole thing is. It was bad enough that I was complaining to myself that there was barely any corn! And yet again the creepy kid factor is kept to a minimum. I was hoping Isaac's return would at least bring something of merit back to the series, not that I'm any sort of lover of the original but it's by far the best of the series but no, the plot device was a waste and I'm sure this film is only remembered for being the film that brings back John Franklin and Isaac to the series.
If I was beginning to regret the decision to go through this entire series before I am now in full regret mode. These movies are awful.
CHILDREN OF TH CORN 5: FIELDS OF TERROR - 3.5/10
CHILDREN OF THE CORN 666: ISAAC'S RETURN - 2.5/10
THE ID (Hutson Ranch Media - Blu-ray Review)
Directed By: Thommy Hutson
Written By: Sean H. Stewart
Starring: Amanda Wyss, Patrick Peduto, Jamye Grant
Amanda Wyss stars as Meredith, a middle aged woman living for little else than to care for her sick father. Their relationship isn't good as Meredith's father is abusive toward her every chance he gets. A phone call from an old high school friend gives Meredith a small light in her life but quickly pushes her to the brink of a broken mind.
THE ID is a small production, using a single location and only a handful of characters to tell its story. Amanda Wyss carries the film with a strong performance of a middle aged woman who has been stunted in her mental growth by an abusive father. Meredith still lives in her childhood home in a bedroom decorated with high school banners from over 20 years ago. Her only interaction with the outside world is with the girl who delivers food for her father daily but their interactions are brief and usually end abruptly with Meredith being cold and rude. She is not to blame for how she handles interactions with other people as her father, played disgustingly and perfectly by Patrick Peduto, is an absolute piece of shit to her going as far as spitting in her face and pissing his pants on purpose and laughing in his daughter's face while she has to change him.
Meredith's mind is already a mess as she has visions of killing her father and slips into these visions frequently. When her old high school boyfriend Ted looks her up for a reunion Meredith slips further into a damaged state, while something nice has happened to her and gives her something to look forward to, her Father berates her over it calling her a whore and saying she can't go which only makes things in Meredith's mind that much worse. When the reunion finally happens Ted and his wife find an obviously disturbed woman, living in a reality that doesn't exist and cut their trip short but that's only the start of Meredith's problems.
THE ID is small and tight. It's driven by characters and their performances. Wyss and Peduto are really good together, and they endure a lot. My gripes with the film are minor and deal with the writing particularly dealing with the Ted scene. Ted and Meredith hadn't seen each other since they graduation 28 years earlier, how close could they have been if they didn't have contact in nearly three decades? I understand that in her mental state Meredith could make it the big deal she did when hearing from Ted but what are the chances that after nearly 30 years a happily married man with children randomly looks up an old high school girlfriend out of the blue and then fails to mention his wife and surprises Meredith with her on arrival? That didn't make any sense to me and felt like a plot hole that could have been fixed. It doesn't take away from my overall enjoyment and appreciation from the film but it's not so big that much would have to change to fix it.
Thommy Hutson does a nice job directing this film, it's not overly stylish but he's competent in doing what needs to be done to let the film organically shine. This is a psychological thriller based around a bastardized relationship of a father and his daughter and their brief and tragic encounters with the outside world. Don't let THE ID fly under your radar as it is well worth your time.
The Audio & Video
Hutson Ranch Media releases THE ID on region free Blu-ray with a nice looking 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen Scope aspect ratio transfer. The film has a natural color palette which is pleasing to the eye along with strong finer details and skin tones. The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio mix is free of any background noise or imperfections and has a stable mix.
-Audio Commentary with Director Thommy Hutson
-"Needs, Wants & Desire: Behind The Scenes Of THE ID"
-Deleted and Alternate Scenes
-Additional Behind-The-Scenes Footage
-Audition Clips
-Photo Gallery
-Trailers
THE ID is a really solid modern psychological thriller that deserves to be seen.
THE ID is available HERE
Labels: Disc Review, Horror, Psychological, thriller
KILLER RACK (Camp Motion Pictures - DVD Review)
Directed By: Gregory Lamberson
Written By: Paul McGinnis
Starring: Jessica Zwolak, Debbie Rochon, Paul McGinnis
Betty works a thankless cubicle job where she's overlooked by her boss for sexier women and has a shitty boyfriend waiting for her at home. Tired of how things are going she makes an appointment for breast implants and shortly after she realizes she's made a huge mistake as her new breasts have a murderous mind of their own.
Director Greg Lamberson is no stranger to ridiculous and gory movies as he first made a name for himself back in 1988 with the splatter melt film Slime City, which he followed up with a sequel in 2010. These gooey cult classics aren't far removed from KILLER RACK in terms of tone and content as KILLER RACK doesn't shy away from the bloodshed. Unfortunately it takes quite a while to get to anything worthwhile in KILLER RACK as 95% of the action occurs in the last 10 minutes. Before that we're subjected to painfully unfunny attempts at humor dealing directed at a woman with small breasts. Her life is miserable because of people around her with bigger breasts getting preferential treatment. It really isn't funny and it's handled with so little grace that it began to anger me. I'm far from the most PC person in the world but this script comes across like a couple of frat boys crushing beer cans on their head while yelling "sweet tits!".
When we finally get to a real story for the film to go from it's when Betty, who is played convincingly and likably by Jessica Zwolak, decides to get the implants and sees Dr. Kate Thulu who worships the Elder Gods and in some round about way that makes Betty's new boobs teeth baring monstrous devices of evil. Oh, did you miss the Cthulhu joke? Kate Thulu? You probably missed it because it's so smooth and clever. What's that? You didn't miss it? Oh, silly me. Of course you didn't because they smack you across the face with it. Debbie Rochon made her debut with Slime City and returns to Lamberson here where her over the top B-movie style that I can take or leave but to be fair it fits in fine here.
By the time they flesh out the monster boobs I had lost almost all interest in the movie but they were effectively gross and scary looking all the while looking utterly ridiculous popping through Betty's shirt. They reminded me of a mammary version of the alien monsters from The Deadly Spawn. There's also a tentacle monster moment with the boobs so that we can further try to force the Cthulhu lore in to this film despite there being absolutely no room for it to work organically.
KILLER RACK has some sporadic entertaining moments and when the movie is giving us the visual goods it's not all bad but when it relies more on its writing and humor it fails miserably. The premise of KILLER RACK has "short film" written all over it but unfortunately everyone involved decided on a 95 minute feature that just has little going for it.
Camp Motion Pictures releases KILLER RACK on DVD with an attractive 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer that features a natural but healthy color palette and good detail. The image is clean and clear. The 2.0 Stereo audio is crisp and well mixed overall. There's no damage or background noise.
-Audio Commentary
-Deleted Scenes
-Behind The Scenes Featurette
-"Kill The Bitch" short film
-"The Camper" short film
KILLER RACK could have been a fun, ridiculous and bloody short film but as a feature film it has a bad script, shoehorned plot devices and too much filler for 10 minutes of fun to carry. I think your time is better spent elsewhere.
KILLER RACK is available HERE
THE CURSE OF DOCTOR WOLFENSTEIN (Reel Gore Releasing Blu-ray Review)
Germany/2015
Directed By: Marc Rohnstock
Written By: Marc Rohnstock
Starring: Isabelle Aring, Robin Czerny, Roland Freitag
In pre-World War II Germany Dr. Victor Wolfenstein has become obsessed with discovering the secret to immortality. Upon finding a serum that can stop the affects of aging he has infected himself with Necrosis, a flesh eating disease. The evil doctor must replace his rotting parts with fresh parts and as the local village is under attack by the doctor they bad together and bury the madman alive. Now in present day the doctor has unearthed himself, still rotting and longing for fresh flesh and a group of teens on their way to a giant party get stranded in the village and quickly learn of the curse that Doctor Wolfenstein has put upon the area.
THE CURSE OF DOCTOR WOLFENSTEIN carries on the tradition of not only its writer/director Marc Rohnstock who is no stranger to splatter films, but a longer, deeper tradition of German splatter films dating back to Olaf Ittenbach (The Burning Moon) and Jorg Buttgereit (Nekromantik). American audiences had a chance to learn Rohnstock's name several years ago when his film Necronos (aka Necronos: Tower Of Doom) was released on DVD by Troma. The bloodshed was the real deal. The gore was incredible. And five years later Rohnstock is back with a dirty, grimy film that will make you want to take a shower. If you're expecting buckets of blood you should bring barrels because the hordes of nameless victims that Doctor Wolfenstein dispatches in gruesome, grotesque and downright gross ways all have the gore flying.
Make no mistake, you're here for the gore. If you've followed this site for any amount of time you'll know I have very mixed emotions on gore for the sake of gore as simply being gory doesn't make a horror film great. There is that special time where it can make it damn entertaining though and that is the case of THE CURSE OF DOCTOR WOLFENSTEIN. That isn't to say the film is perfect as a good twenty or even thirty minutes could be trimmed without losing anything of substance and it would make the film a tighter product.
But, what the fuck, that would also cut out a half dozen kills or more. And remember, these aren't your cut away, clean up with a single paper towel kills. These are victim after victim stripped down to their most vulnerable position, sliced, diced, chopped and popped. In the best way THE CURSE OF THE DOCTOR WOLFENSTEIN is disgusting. I can talk about the acting, which is fine, or I can talk about the writing, which features a standard slasher set up and all of the tropes and the editing or lack thereof has been mentioned but sometimes what can be described as the lowest common denominator can be more than enough for a good time.
THE CURSE OF DOCTOR WOLFENSTEIN does a great job carrying on the German splatter film legacy and you can even spot the king of German splatter Olaf Ittenbach in a cameo as a victim which I count as a seal of approval from him. THE CURSE OF DOCTOR WOLFENSTEIN isn't perfect but it's fucking nasty and sometimes that is just what the doctor ordered.
The third release from Reel Gore Releasing is another stunner in terms of A/V presentation. The Blu-ray quality of DOCTOR WOLFENSTEIN is top notch with exceptionally sharp picture and high detail levels. Colors are strong especially the crimson reds from the arterial sprays. Flesh tones are natural with no signs of waxiness from excessive DNR. There are two audio options, both in the film's native German with optional English subtitles. There is a DTS-HD 2.0 and DTS-HD 5.1 mix respectively. The 2.0 mix is crisp, perfectly clear and stable with no level fluctuations. The audio is free of distortions, hiccups or wobbles.
-"Trapped And Stabbed" - A short film by Marc Rohnstock
-Blooper Reels
-Trailer
-Still Gallery
THE CURSE OF DOCTOR WOLFENSTEIN might be THE release for gore hounds in 2016.
THE CURSE OF DOCTOR WOLFENSTEIN is available HERE
Labels: Disc Review, Gore, Horror, Nudity, Reel Gore Releasing
Reel Gore Releasing #4 - The Orphan Killer (Press Release)
COMPANY SITE: www.reelgorereleasing.com
PRESS CONTACT: press@reelgorereleasing.com
REEL GORE RELEASING presents the official release of Matt Farnsworth’s slasher movie THE ORPHAN KILLER on Blu-ray/DVD December 13, 2016
Los Angeles, CA (December 2016) For immediate release. Synopsis: The Orphan Killer is a tour de force murder flick that defies classification. It goes far beyond current trends in gore and breaks open a new suffering genre of horror. Marcus Miller is a serial murderer hell-bent on teaching his estranged sister Audrey what it means to have family loyalty. His lessons are taught in massive doses of vulgar and unimaginable pain. Throughout her brutal torture we learn that Marcus is not the only Miller with Killer in the bloodline as Audrey proves to be a formidable adversary. Starring: Diane Foster, David Bachhaus, Karen Young, James McCaffrey, Matt Farnsworth.
THE ORPHAN KILLER (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)
Street Date: December 13, 2016
Film run time: Approx. 83 minutes
Language: English language with optional Spanish/French/Italian/Japanese subtitles
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen Anamorphic
Audio: DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround/Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Label/Distributor: Reel Gore Releasing/CAV
Catalog Number: RGR004
Collectible Blu-ray/DVD O-Card and Sleeve
Behind The Murder - Exclusive Video Diary
Collectible O-Card
First pressing of 1000 copies include Collector’s Card RGR004
KILLJOY'S PSYCHO CIRCUS (Full Moon - DVD Review)
Directed By: John Lechago
Written By: John Lechago
Starring: Trent Haaga, Victoria De Mare, Al Burke
Killjoy the demon clown has escaped hell and his time spent hosting a wickedly weird talk show is interrupted when Beelzebub comes after Killjoy to trap his spirit and bring it back to hell. Killjoy and his crew must fight off Beelzebub and his psychos in an intergalactic battle of bad CGI and body paint.
KILLJOY'S PSYCHO CIRCUS is the fifth entry into the franchise which I admittedly have very little knowledge of. I know that this film follows the fourth entry Killjoy Goes To Hell (yes, I figured that out on my own), and I've seen very brief footage from the earlier films but I had never sat down to watch a Killjoy film before now. KILLYJOY'S PSYCHO CIRCUS focused much more on Killjoy's relationship with his sidekick Batty Boop who is a fellow clown rocking a body paint suit and arguably the most annoying voice I've ever heard in film. A deliberate speech impediment and whiny, squeaky voice made every line from Batty unbearable, and she has plenty of lines. It was a welcomed surprise to be able to learn about the characters jumping in to a series so far along, I don't feel like I missed much or that I can at least survive without knowing it.
Trent Haaga plays the titular demon clown and he's the high point of the film. He's genuinely funny with great comedic timing and brings great emotion to the character through all of the makeup and latex work. Writer/director John Lechago is no stranger to the franchise having directed the last three films in the franchise and his script is surprisingly good. KILLJOY'S PSYCHO CIRCUS is a well written movie, especially by modern Full Moon standards. The acting isn't half bad from the supporting cast either. Victoria De Mare is quite good as Batty, despite her annoying voice, she plays the smitten sidekick role very well.
Where the film stumbles is that it's rather uneventful. This is a case where too much character development and story is just too much. I was left wanting more demon carnival shenanigans and only later on in the film do we really get any sort of action with a quick shoot out scene that easily dispatches of most of Beelzebub's psychos and a final battle that is cheesy as hell and features a Mortal Kombat soundtrack. Both of the big action sequences are definitely fun but there's just not enough of them and the film's reliance on sex jokes and toilet humor ultimately lets it down.
It's a shame that KILLJOY'S PSYCHO CIRCUS isn't being released on Blu-ray because it is a very colorful production and has interesting sets that would look fantastic in HD. That said, the DVD from Full Moon does look quite good. The colors shine through vividly and the detail level is strong. The 16x9 anamorphic widescreen transfer is sharp and clean. The 2.0 English audio mix sounds good as well with steady levels and a complimentary mix between dialogue and soundtrack. The audio is clear and crisp with no distortions.
Bare bones.
Returning Killjoy fans will likely find a lot to enjoy here but newcomers may want to watch some trailers or the first film in the series before diving into KILLJOY'S PSYCHO CIRCUS to see if this is their cup of tea. Recommended for returning fans of the series.
KILLJOY'S PSYCHO CIRCUS is available HERE
DEATHROW GAMESHOW
Directed By: Mark Pirro
Written By: Mark Pirro, Alan Gries
Starring: John McCafferty, Robyn Blythe, Beano
Chuck Toedan is the host of the popular but wildly controversial TV gameshow Live Or Die where death row inmates compete for a chance to beat their sentence or at least win some prizes for their family on the way out. Toedan's own life is put in jeopardy when he kills a local mob boss and a hit man comes to the studio for Toedan. A battle for survival ensues as Toedan tries to outsmart and outmaneuver the mafia hit man while being put in the same situations he's used to seeing his contestants in!
Mark Pirro directed DEATHROW GAMESHOW only having had experience making Super 8 shorts and his debut feature A Polish Vampire In Burbank which was also shot on Super 8. Pirro was given the chance to make his first 35mm feature and didn't squander it despite being overwhelmed and realizing his tight knit crew from his days with 8mm were going to need some help with a more experienced crew. The thing Pirro didn't need too much help with was writing a hilariously dark comedy that is full of colorful characters and fun sight gags.
John McCafferty is absolutely fantastic as Chuck Toedan and perfectly embodies a corny gameshow host. His chemistry with Robyn Blythe is natural and their character progression is handled nicely. Blythe is quite likable and is a genuinely nice person who gets caught up in a bad situation, and during her dinner with the hit man a rather disgusting and off putting situation as well. Beano does a great job playing a caricature of a typical mafia hitman, playing up his Italian heritage to a comical level. The best scenes of the film are of course the gameshow scenes and seeing the inmates meet their ends in all of the hilaroiusly staged events. Or is it of their family's reaction to their demise and the surprising upswing in their mood when they find out they've won some wonderful prizes? It's both. The cheese smothered script works so wonderfully that all of the over acting and hokey parodies of all aspects of game shows bring nothing but laughs.
DEATHROW GAMESHOW has grown on me to be among the most underrated comedic gems of the late 80s and it's low budget nature and campy vibe only add to its charm.
Vinegar Syndrome releases an impressive looking Blu-ray that easily outshines previous DVD releases that frankly didn't look bad themselves. It's the immediately noticeable improvement that speaks volumes for the quality of this transfer, taking a film that looked fine on home video and making it look truly outstanding. The 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer retains the film's original aspect ratio and has been restored from a brand new 2K scan from the original 35mm negatives and features a natural and healthy grain structure. Colors have never looked better for this film than they do here, with an increased richness and vivid quality. Black levels are deep and inky and the picture is quite sharp and clean. The English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono is especially crisp and clear with steady levels and no distortions or background noise. The film certainly hasn't sounded this good before. English SDH subtitles are available.
-Audio Commentary with director Mark Pirro, and stars John McCafferty and Robyn Blythe
-"Revisiting DEATHROW GAMESHOW" - A well done documentary clocking in at over a half hour long.
-2015 Director's Cut of DEATHROW GAMESHOW
-Multiple Director's Introductions
-"Buns" - a 1978 short film from Mark Pirro
-"The Spy Who Did It Better" - 1979 short film from Mark Pirro
-Original theatrical trailer
-TV Spots
-Image Gallery
-Reversible Artwork
Two cuts of the film, short films from the director and a host of other entertaining and high quality extras are just the icing on top of the cake for this hilarious black comedy that looks and sounds like you've just won the grand prize on an exploitation gameshow.
DEATHROW GAMESHOW is available HERE
Labels: Comedy, dark comedy, Disc Review, Horror, Vinegar Syndrome
The Possession Experiment (2016)
Directed By: Scott B. Hansen
Written By: Mary Dixon, Scott B. Hansen
Starring: Chris Minor, Clay Harper, Nicky Jasper
Release Date: December 6, 2016 (VOD, Digital HD, DVD)
THE POSSESSION EXPERIMENT opens with a bloody violent scene of an exorcism going wildly wrong and almost everyone involved winding up dead. It is an opening scene that immediately captures the audience's attention and sets up a promising film.
Then the rest of the movie happens. And you wonder what happened. The set up is decent enough, with a college student preparing a project for his Religion class as he sets out to prove or disprove demonic possession and exorcism using the police evidence and location of the opening scene exorcism. He partners up with a stoner for the project who adds nothing to the film but to talk about eating every time he's on screen and with a pretty med student who will document his vital signs and any changes in behavior.
This decent set up is marred by completely inept editing, characters that show up out of nowhere in important scenes such as the medium who leaves as fast as she enters and we never see a character call her, talk to her, make any sort of business deal with her prior to her debut into the film. I feel the filmmakers couldn't decide what they wanted the signs and symptoms of demonic possession to be in this film as it changes from the stereotypical green puke and speaking in tongues type to fashioning a homemade Freddy Kruger glove out of X-Acto knives and going on a bit of a slasher spree. It left me with a giant question as to exactly what I was supposed to be watching.
There's lots of cues and devices lifted from better exorcism and demonic horror films and lots of them have no real reason or explanation for being in this film. Like what is the big deal that the Ouija board was found in the wall in this movie? It's never explained. Any old Ouija board could have done the same thing. That's one of many questions I'm left with in this overly unsatisfying experience.
If you see Bill Moseley's name attached to THE POSSESSION EXPERIMENT don't be fooled as he is gone by the end of the opening scene. THE POSSESSION EXPERIMENT ends up having a handful of really well done scenes surrounded by a plethora of bad filmmaking and overacting and it's really not worth your time.
NOTHING GOOD EVER HAPPENS (2016)
Directed By: Henrique Couto
Written By: Henrique Couto
Starring: Josh Miller, Bradley Diehl, Marylee Osborne
Straight forward comedies with no real ties to horror or exploitation are not something I regularly cover here but when I saw the trailer for Henrique Couto's NOTHING GOOD EVER HAPPENS it immediately struck a chord with me and I knew it would be something I could relate to. So while you won't be seeing the newest Zac Efron comedy being covered here I think a dark indie comedy like NOTHING GOOD EVER HAPPENS fits in just fine.
Josh Miller stars as Neil, a self employed painter and graphic designer who has just been dumped by his long term girlfriend and ends up drunkenly drinking bleach while drinking away his feelings which lands him in the psych ward of the hospital and on court ordered therapy. Now Neil must sort out his feelings, his friends and most of all his life to find happiness and meaning in his life. Or maybe he'll just waste away eating a lot of Chinese take out.
NOTHING GOOD EVER HAPPENS is a great watch for anybody floating in the purgatory of their 20s and early 30s, not quite sure what direction they should take in their lives when everything they've come to know has seemingly turned its back on them and fallen apart. It's a great coming of age story at a stage in life that we don't get many films that answer the numerous questions we still have at that age. Miller nails the lead role, infinitely likable and easy to relate with, he carries writer/director Henrique Couto's strong script. He's supported by a Bradley Diehl who plays Neil's best friend Dave. The type of friend that rags on you and shits on you and will endlessly make fun of you about everything but has your back every second of every day. He's the type of friend we all need and Diehl is hilarious in his crudeness. Along with Diehl is Marylee Osborne who becomes one of Neil's inner circle after his breakup and proves that new friends and meaningful relationships can pop up from the most unexpected places. Osborne does a great job proving to be a soft soul with a rough and tough exterior.
The film also shows that sometimes swallowing your pride and letting go of a grudge is the best thing that can happen to you and allow you to be free, grow and again, create a meaningful relationship. Henrique Couto's film isn't all hugs and kisses, there's plenty of darker moments and eye opening revelations like not all long term friendships are worth hanging on to and not everyone will fit into you life forever. It's a harsh realization but it's one we all find out eventually. When it comes down to it NOTHING GOOD EVER HAPPENS shows that plenty of good things actually do happen but life is a rocky fucking road and getting to those good spots can really put us through our paces and sometimes it's okay to befriend your local Chinese restaurant owner to get free noodles to eat away the pain... but not everyday. Get real.
NOTHING GOOD EVER HAPPENS is a fine example of an indie comedy that makes use of great characters and writing over cheaper sight gags or gimmicks. I'm of the mind that making a really good comedy, dark or otherwise, is one of the toughest types of films to make and Couto is up to the challenge with NOTHING GOOD EVER HAPPENS.
NOTHING GOOD EVER HAPPENS will be available for purchase HERE and also for rent on Amazon
Labels: Comedy, dark comedy, independent
CHILDREN OF THE CORN Franchise Retrospective Part ...
THE CURSE OF DOCTOR WOLFENSTEIN (Reel Gore Releasi...
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-- ITALIANO
The Centro Scavi
Safeguard of the cultural heritage
IRAN – Khuzistan
IRAN – Khu-i Khwaja
IRAN – Atrek Valley
IRAQ – Seleucia on the Tigris
IRAQ – Veh-Ardashir
IRAQ – Babylon
IRAQ - Hamrin
IRAQ – Kifrin
IRAQ – Khirbet Hatara
IRAQ – Hatra
IRAQ – Nimrud
IRAQ – Nineveh
IRAQ – Tulul al Baqarat (Al-Kut)
ITALY – Locri
ITALY - Selinus
ITALY – Verbano Cusio Ossola
LEBANON – Beirut
LEBANON – The Beka’a Valley
PAKISTAN – Swat
PAKISTAN – Banbhore
TUNISIA – IPAMED
TUNISIA – Carthage
The Italian-Iraqi Cultural Centre of Archaeological Science and Restoration – Baghdad
The Iraq Museum in Baghdad
B.R.I.L.A. - Bureau for Recovering and Investigating Iraqi Looted Antiquities
The activities of the Iraqi-Italian Institutes in Baghdad
Monografie di Mesopotamia
Mnème
Parthica
Excavation campaigns at Kuh-i Khwaja
Seistan — Kuh-i Khwaja
Giorgio Gullini
The archaeological studies, conducted by the Centro Scavi di Torino (then called Centro Scavi dell’ISMEO e di Torino) from 1960 to 1961, concerned the Kuh-i Khwaja complex in Iran’s Seistan region.The study, which combined stratigraphic excavations and the analytical study of building techniques, showed how the site, in its construction stages spanning from the Achemenid to the Sasanian periods, is the clarifying element of the architecture of western Iran, a region of cultural upheaval and a meeting point of Greek and Iranian element.
The region around Lake Hamun, straddling the current border between Iran and Afghanistan, is known as Seistan, a toponym of Arab origin; in Achemenid times this area was known as Zranka or, in Greek, Dranjan, meaning “region near the lake”. Kuh-i Khwaja rises at the centre of the lake, on a basalt rock island.
Literary, archaeological and epigraphic accounts began to appear only from the Achaemenid age, but it seems plausible to believe that the first populations were of Iranic descent, originating from the Caspian sea, supplanted by Persian tribes, presumably even before the empire of Cyrus the Great, who conquered the area around mid-6th century BC.
With the Persian Empire, the region became considerably important from an agricultural point of view, and remained so up to its conquest by Alexander the Great. According to ancient literary tradition, the Macedonian king founded Prophtasia, meaning “the anticipation”, in memory of the averted threat posed by Philotas’ conspiracy. It is difficult to reconstruct the region’s archaeological history in Hellenistic times, although it is not unlikely that it was similar to that of nearby Arachosia, with which it always had strong ties, and which presumably became a frontier area with both the Maurya empire and the western Hellenistic territories in the 3rd century BC.
This situation lasted until the area’s conquest by the Parths, when Mithridates annexed the semi-nomadic Iranic tribes that lived there – the Saka – to his army: in fact, the creation in this period of a Saka kingdom that was formally autonomous but fully integrated in the Arsacid orbit seems likely. The Saka kingdoms succeeded one another until the 2nd century AD, when it is likely that, more than actually being conquered, they were influenced by the great Kushan expansion. With the advent of the Sasanids and the great accomplishments of Ardashir I (224-241 AD), central power was also reaffirmed in Iran’s eastern provinces, at the expense of independent principalities, and the issue of the eastern borders – and therefore of Dranjan – became especially important again.
The archaeological research conducted in the 1960s on the Kuh-i Khwaja hill allowed the monumental remains found there to be identified as being part of a very important sacred/religious centre. The monumental remains were subdivided into five groups: the Palace of Gondophares, composed of monumental structures arranged around a square courtyard; the residential area, immediately adjacent to the palace, between its ring of walls and a second outermost circle; a group of stone terracing structures, located northeast and west of the Palace, on which a considerable number of tombs were placed; a group of structures with basalt substitutions, placed at the top of the height, behind the Palace; and finally, what is known as the Chihil Dukhtaran (“the 40 maidens”) complex, on the hill’s southwest tip, relatively isolated, but with a commanding view of the entire region, that was in fact associated with a quadrangular fortress.
The research consisted in a systematic study of the area and in stratigraphic excavation, concentrated especially in the area of the Chihil Dukhtaran fortress.
Khuzistan
Kuh-i Khwaja
Atrek Valley
Copyright © 2019 Centro Ricerche Archeologiche e Scavi di Torino per il Medio Oriente e l'Asia
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Destination Desto
One of the many things about doing a radio show is that it forces you to seek out and listen to new music. Over the last two years we've come across some great producers I didn't previously know and one of them is Desto. His productions have be consistenly great since "Disapearing Reapearing Ink" turned our heads, so it seemed only right to ask the guy for a few beats and words of his own.
**Desto mix for Blackdown**
Download it HERE.
Desto "Broken Memory" (forthcoming Ramp Recordings)
Jtreole "The Loot [Sully remix]" (forthcoming Keysound Recordings)
Asylum Seekas "Magic Words [TMU remix]" (dub)
Tes La Rok "Mandem" (dub)
Desto "Ice Cold" (dub)
Desto "20/20 Hindsight" (dub)
Sully "In Some Pattern" (forthcoming Keysound Recordings)
Desto "Disappearing Reappearing Ink" (forthcoming Ramp Recordings)
TRG "Strobe Lick" (dub)
Tes La Rok "Inta" (dub)
Desto "Dark Matter" (forthcoming Noppa Recordings)
- "Wizard Of Wor" tease-
Khid "Emptying The Ghost Of Her" (dub)
Desto "Can't Take It" (dub)
Desto "Overkrookd" (dub)
Computer Jay "Maintain [Ikonika remix]" (forthcoming Ramp Recordings)
Clouds "Napalm" (dub)
Desto "Stay Strong" (dub)
Desto "Gremlinz" (forthcoming Noppa Recordings)
Desto "Cold [refix]" (forthcoming Noppa Recordings)
Blackdown: So Desto, tell us a little bit about yourself, where are you currently based?
Desto: I'm 28 years old, based in Helsinki, Finland. I started dabbling with music production in '93 with a 386 PC and tracker software which was the only cheap option for sample based music production for a kid at the time. The sound quality was much worse than the samplers back then so it was by no means going anywhere but it was a lot of fun. Sample size was very limited and to work around that took some creativity. Sometimes we'd make tunes of all styles that were called chiptunes that were less than 10kb in size, some of them sounded decent still. This taught me things like how to construct a variety of sounds from a single cycle of a sine wave.
The sound at the time was on the hardcore tip and me and my friends were crazy for it. In '94 I met the fella later known as Tes La Rok. I remember we bumped into this record store in '94 with a Moving Shadow compilation playing and walked out with a copy each. We were mad for the Metalheadz, Photek and the Bristol guys. Tes lived in the east and i lived in the west 1.5h away so we just talked about music a lot and exchanged tunes trying to produce jungle. This was in the days of no internet but there was a vibrant tracker scene supported by guys running BBSs on their home computers. What it meant was kids had files hosted on their computers and you could access them by using an extra slow dial-up connection. People were sharing their tunes of different styles uploading and downloading stuff one at a time and making up what could be described as tracker music labels. It was all good fun.
The music making started getting a bit more serious and around '98 Tes got his first release while i was falling off producing as I couldn't really afford any studio gear and felt DnB was getting boring with everyone jumping for the roller beats instead of the complex rhythms and aesthetics of the early days. The next years went by with me buying soul & funk breaks and hiphop, playing them at b-boy (breaking) events and actually breaking and eventually travelling the world with it which i've been doing for 12 years now.
Dubstep was really the first genre of electronic music that awakened my interest again in '06. I'd kept producing on a dated platform and at a slow pace but hearing the new sounds i started getting back into it. I had a lot of injury time from breaking and had to think of something to do. I called up Tes who i'd not had too much contact with for the past years and he told me he'd already been whipping up dubstep rhythms for a while. My studio was very dated so it took some time for me to get my hands on a new laptop and Cubase in late '07 which was a big step forward. I 'launched' the Desto project then. I felt i'd made music for long enough without making anything out of it apart from a couple of small releases and i thought i'd give it a go. Early inspirations include Youngsta & Tasks sets on Rinse. The tunes Youngsta used to play still make the hairs on my arm stand up. The people behind these tunes get my utmost respect.
B: In the last year or so your productions have been consistently great, starting with "Disapearing Reapearing Ink", can you tell me a bit about your sound and where you're going?
D: My sound is really a mixture of all the influences I've had since I started listening to Kraftwerk at the age of three. It ranges from the hiphop of the 90s to Warp sounds of the same era to jungle to soul. I go back to my old records for inspiration. I feel it took me a while to get used to Cubase and not being too concerned by genre definitions which at the time I got into dubstep were somewhat more vague than the 'recipe' that seems to be popular nowadays. Back then it felt like dubstep was welcoming producers to come in and bring their own influence with them. For a while I tried forcing myself to the halfstep style but I later realized there were enough clones around (and they were doing a better job than me as well) so I decided to go with what ever I felt like doing. I just get up in the morning, down a pint of strong coffee and see what happens.
B: You're played by dubstep-affiliated Rinse DJs like myself, Dusk and Oneman but to me your sound is more like grime or w*nky, more HyperGrime than Hyperdub: is grime an inspiration at all?
D: Grime is definitely one of my inspirations. I'm not the biggest grime connoisseur at all but I have a little section of old Alias, Black Ops & Eski stuff in my record shelf. I've actually bought my best grime records long after it was originally released, a lot of it from Dead-O and the other heads out here who were into grime in it's golden days but I heard it back when I started getting into dubstep. I just recently listened to some of my earliest '06 productions and found one of the tunes having the exact same drum pattern as Ice Cold which is one of my recent more grimey tunes so the influence has been there all along. Then again I'd say hiphop has had a much greater influence on my sound so it's hard for me to pinpoint where it all comes from. The biggest part of my record collection is still soul, funk, jazz and hiphop.
It's fair to say my sonic travels have taken me rather far from the 'core dubstep sound'. I think it gets more interesting when there's less boundaries. I like to keep it around 140bpm though as I'm still very much attracted to the DMZ nights type of dubstep aesthetic although my tracks might not directly imply this. I feel the possibilities with this sound are still endless. It might just take some coffee to realize it.
B: A lot of dubstep is trying to be dark now, almost comically so (except the joke isn't funnny). Your tunes, like lots of synthy, grimey, w*nky stuff is full of melodic light and colour: do you see music in this way too?
D: When a sound gets popular and more producers get into it the clichés are bound to get emphasis - indeed even to a comical extent. After EZ Rollers and the others pushing the effective straight roller beat in the late 90s DnB was never the same again. When every producer and DJ went for it the effect was gone. Being dark for the sake of dark in dubstep works in a similar pattern. But there's still great dark dubstep around.
I love the aesthetic of - for example - Mala and Loefah... I'm really glad these guys are back into their production after a bit of a break. With my music I always try to bring something of interest to the table (with varying results obviously) and lately it has been a lot of the synths i've finally afforded and dry sounds instead of dub echoes and dark atmospheres. Like you mentioned above dubstep has plenty of that. I've been trained as a classical pianist for 10 years when I was a kid so I guess to an extent the melody comes from there. And Kraftwerk. The 'wonkiness' (or post-Dilla sound as I see it) comes from the hiphop. I'm not that great at doing spacious tracks either so I've played with melodies instead as it comes naturally. I've been experimenting with space a lot more just lately though so we'll see what comes out of that. As for visual arts I draw inspiration from anything from Style Wars to old PC CGA graphics to Dali to Commodore 64. I try to approach music differently each time to keep it interesting, it can be drawn from visual arts to dance to just audio.
B: You're based in Finland, right? Can you tell me about the scene where you live, what nights go on, what DJs and producers should we know about...
D: Firstly, Helsinki inspires me. I love the city. It's streets and dwellers are a big part of my music and my part of the city, Vallila is just sheer inspiration. I could write a book on this but moving on...
I'm lucky to live here. The scene here is vibrant and Helsinki was one of the first places that for example N-Type, Chef and Pinch played outside the UK. This is due to Tes La Rok, Dead-O, RPK, Sire and others pushing the sound at an early stage. Nights like Slam It and Alas have been pushing the sound forward and doing the groundwork when the turnout for the parties wasn't that big. They've always made sure the soundsystem is weighty and provided the Helsinki dubsteppers with the full spectrum of the dubstep styles from eyes down vibes to the dubby to the techy to the ravey to whatnot. Due to this the artists they bring over can genuinely do their own thing during their sets without having to worry about playing the biggest bangers. Unless of course playing bangers is their thing.
A guy called Didier (of the Soul Investigators fame) bought dub cutting equipment from Jason at transition a few years back and at the beginning of 2009 opened Timmion Cutting Laboratory here in Helsinki. It's been great for the dubstep scene here, we can get direct feedback on the tracks and cut fresh dubs on the day we have a set. It's like having our own little Transition studios over here which is just a lot of fun. I cut all the music I play out so not having to order from the UK has been a big help. The smell of fresh plates before a good night is priceless.
There's a lot of good producers out here. I included tracks from Tes, Clouds, TMU and Khid in my mix, other producers include Non Person, Late, RPK, Teeth... The list goes on and I'm happy to say more and more producers are stepping up. It's lively out here I tell you.
B: What music (producers, DJs, scenes) are inspiring you right now?
D: All my old records, special mention to RZAs production on Tical which I keep going back to. The positive vibes of the finnish dubstep scene. As for dubstep producers there's too many to mention... Guys like Tes, Clouds and the rest of the local fellas, Mala, Kode9, Loefah, Coki, El-B, Benny Ill, Cyrus, Sully, Untold, Skream, Benga, Peverelist, Fantastic Mr. Fox & Rich Reason, Zomby, Joker, Silkie, TRG... The list goes on. As for DJs, seeing and hearing Oneman mix out here was a big inspiration. The whole thing him, Brackles, Shortstuff and them got going on is interesting. ASE in general and the Transition show is always a pleasure to listen to on Rinse. One of the most important inspirations has been the trips to London for DMZ and Forward. The trips have been very inspirational. I got a lot of love for London streets as well.
B: You've got a release forthcoming on Ramp ("Disapearing Reapearing Ink"/"Broken Memory") and had a release on Argon and BoomBap. What imprints inspire you?
The ones coming out very soon are a 12" on Ramp and a double pack EP on Noppa. There's more to come from Argon hopefully and others but more on that later. As for labels I'm feeling apart from the ones mentioned, Hyperdub, Deep Medi, Wireblock (for releasing Rustie, bless them!), One Handed Music, Lucky Me, Hemlock and Keysound definitely. And no, you didn't have to extort me with dirty gossip for that one, Keysound has been a buy on sight label for me for a while. There would be so much more but an endless list of music would be pointless.
Photos by Anssi Räisänen http://www.chiefgarage.com/.
Posted by Blackdown at 8:51 pm
Nice read, thanks bro.
Im not buying any of his tunes till he starts to smile
Stephen said...
"B: A lot of dubstep is trying to be dark now, almost comically so (except the joke isn't funny)."
thanks for saying this, needs to be heard. big interview, big mix, big producer. respect due.
nordanvinden said...
What Stephen said,
big up!
namhenderson said...
Nice interview.
Thanks for sharing the mix....
Juhani said...
big up desto! greets from oulu massive!
gaijn said...
can't wait for some of these tracks to see the light of day - been waiting for "ink" ever since it first played out on Rinse, and "can't take it" should be big too... top mix, and a good interview - nice.
Here comes the lick again
Kowton
Rinse September
Blackdown ft Durrty Goodz Concrete Streets
Marcus NASTY interview
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Monsanto Charged with Crimes Against Humanity
Earlier this year, dozens of food, farming, and environmental justice groups announced they will put Monsanto on trial for "crimes against nature and humanity" on October 16, 2016 (World Food Day), in The Hague, Netherlands.
The steering committee for the Monsanto Tribunal includes Vandana Shiva, Corinne Lepage (former environment minister of France), Gilles-Éric Séralini (toxicologist researching toxicities of GMOs and glyphosate), and Olivier De Schutter (former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food), among others.
As noted by Andre Leu, president of the International Foundation for Organic Agriculture (IFOAM):
"Monsanto is able to ignore the human and environmental damage caused by its products, and maintain its devastating activities through a strategy of systemic concealment:
By lobbying regulatory agencies and governments, by resorting to lying and corruption, by financing fraudulent scientific studies, by pressuring independent scientists, and by manipulating the press and media.
Monsanto's history reads like a text-book case of impunity, benefiting transnational corporations and their executives, whose activities contribute to climate and biosphere crises and threaten the safety of the planet."
CBS This Morning recently interviewed Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant about the lack of transparency when it comes to foods containing genetically engineered (GE) ingredients, and why the company spent $10 million to defeat GMO labeling in Colorado and Oregon alone.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/12/22/monsanto-charged-with-crimes-against-humanity.aspx
Thanks to all the visitors! And Happy New Year!
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New Arrivals 2/18/2017
by Alexander "Pop-up Dungeon" Smith
Dungeon Time is a quick cooperative game for 1-5 players. Players will work together to play mission cards and then add the equipment needed to fulfill that mission to the pile. You will have to work together to leverage special character powers, communicate what cards you have, and properly allocate resources...all in five minutes. Nobody said rushing through a dungeon was easy, but it sure is fun.
Troyes is a German-style worker placement game where players will take turns selecting dice from the segmented center of the board and using them to gain prestige, train workers for future turns, or defeat the enemies of the city. In addition to secret goal cards and stealing dice from opponents, this game has special action cards that slowly get revealed throughout the game, making each game unique. I didn't think that I would be interested in playing a game about a cathedral that took 400 years to build, but Troyes sure has changed that!
Assault of the Giants is a 3-6 player boardgame based on the Storm King's Thunder adventure for Dungeons & Dragons. Each player commands a race of giants with which they can attack villages, pursue their clan's special goal, and even challenge other giants. This game comes with 12 giant miniatures that look fantastic and are a perfect addition to the Storm King's Thunder adventure if you also enjoy the roleplaying game.
The Complete Pub Quiz Pack has everything you need to run a trivia night from the comfort of your own home. With thousands of questions from a wide range of topics, this kit will provide many a night's of entertainment for you and your friends.
Star Realms: United is a collection of four booster pack expansions for the space-themed deckbuilding game. United Command and United Assault add new dual-faction ships that create new synergies between the different factions while United Heroes adds new heroes that cost more than their previously 1 and 2 costed counterparts, but also pack a greater punch. United Missions adds brand-new card type to the game; Missions. At the beginning of the game, each player is secretly dealt three missions that they can reveal for a bonus when they meet the conditions. When a player completes all three missions, they win as an alternate win condition. We're big fans of Star Realms here, so we're looking forward to all the new content in these packs.
Expedition: Endurance is the new expansion for T.I.M.E Stories that takes your team of time travelers to a 1914 whaling ship headed to Antarctica during World War I. What dangers lie in store for you and your team? Can you unravel the mystery? Find out in this, the fourth supplement to the T.I.M.E Stories game.
Dungeonology is a Dungeons & Dragons themed addition to the "Ology" series of pop-up books which include titles such as Spyology or Alienology. Learn more about the Forgotten Realms with beautiful artwork, informative descriptions and amazing tactile props such as a map that folds out as you turn the page or an origami inspired bag you can open to reveal hidden secrets. We've found that this is especially great for our younger players who are unrelenting in their quest to learn more about the lore and creatures of Dungeons & Dragons.
The Lycanroc GX Box is one of the few ways fans of the Pokémon Trading Card Game can get their hands on the powerful GX Pokémon. These Pokémon have special GX attacks that can only be used once per game, drastically changing the course of the battle. Also included in the set are the new Sun and Moon booster packs, making this a great way to collect new cards.
Posted by Labyrinth Games at 4:35 PM
Labels: New
New Arrivals 2/4/2017
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Five Things The Markets Are Talking About: Monday, May 9th 2016
Historically, the first trading session after a non-farm payroll (NFP) print tends to be the least volatile day of the month, and today’s opening session, thus far, is holding true to that statement.
From an economic fundamental viewpoint, the next couple of trading sessions are rather anticlimactic when compared to last week’s data points.
The highlight of this week is Thursday’s Bank of England (BoE) monetary policy decision. Currently, Governor Carney is in a tough spot given the looming Brexit vote next month and recent reports confirming that the uncertainty surrounding the referendum is already negatively affecting the economy.
1. Non-farm payroll (NFP) fallout
Friday’s jobs report should be keeping the Fed in standby mode as it considers “whether” and “when” to begin normalize short-term interest rates again. Fed talk has warned a June rate increase is possible if the economy regains momentum after a slow Q1, but April’s disappointing jobs release (+160k vs. 2015’s monthly average of +229k) undermines that argument. A downtick in labor-force participation does as well.
It’s not all bad, with an increase in average hourly earnings of +2.5% from a year earlier, Fed officials are looking for signs of wage increases as slack in the labor market diminishes.
Taken altogether, Friday’s report does not entirely eliminate the possibility of a June increase, but new rounds of data on consumption, inflation and hiring will need to show improvement to convince the Fed that its a go in June.
Futures odds for a rate increase at the June meeting have fallen to +6% from +13% and by year’s end, the odds have dropped to +48% from +57%.
Despite this, the USD is at a two-week high against the bulk of European currencies despite the recent miss in payrolls.
2. Greece on the agenda
Euro area finance ministers (Eurogroup) are holding an extraordinary meeting in Brussels today to discuss the Greek bailout. Will Greece be able to win some much-needed financial breathing space after six years of turbulence?
The Eurogroup and the IMF will assess whether Greek Prime Minister Tsipras has made enough budget-tightening commitments to gain another disbursement of emergency loans.
Last week, the Greek Parliament had secured enough votes to pass tax and pension reforms ahead of today’s meet, but any other additional contingency measures could not be passed by parliament as it was seen as counterproductive.
Germany believes that the Eurozone finance ministers should start talks on debt relief for Greece as everyone knows Greece will require it at some point.
3. German manufacturing orders surge
Data released this morning showed that German manufacturing orders rebounded sharply in March, helped by a surging demand from foreign orders.
Total orders for Germany’s important manufacturing sector rallied +1.9% in the month. The market had been expecting a +0.6% gain. Even the negative revisions were a positive. February’s order print were revised down to reveal a monthly decline of -0.8%, compared with the original -1.2% fall reported.
Foreign demand rose +4.3% from February, while domestic orders disappointed, falling -1.2% from the preceding month. Analysts note that in annual terms, total orders for Germany’s manufacturing sector decreased -1.2% from March 2015, but rose +1.7% when taking account of the number of working days in each month.
4. Saudis make a change at the top, but no change in policy
Saudi Arabia issued a royal decree to fire oil minister Al-Naimi and have replaced him with the chairman of Saudi Aramco, Khalid al-Falih. He was appointed on the weekend to head the newly expanded Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources.
The new incoming oil minister has vowed to stick to his predecessor’s policy of defending market share against higher cost shale by keeping production at near-record levels. The country, with the world’s second-largest oil reserves, pumped +10.27m barrels a day in April.
Elsewhere, BP Canada declares “force majeure” related to Alberta wildfires. With Alberta’s fires continuing to run out of control, officials are expected to be fighting fires for month and with that, BP’s deliveries are to be impacted throughout the month of May.
5. Soft China trade data weigh on regional bourses
Overnight, China’s trade data was a mixed bag (April trade balance CNY: +298b vs. +255.0be).
The trade balance print in USD and CNY did print a three-month high, but the closely watched imports component fell for the eighteenth consecutive month, which suggests a fall in domestic demand for materials.
Breaking down the numbers – imports came in at -5.7% vs. +0.3%e, while exports were also below forecast at +4.1% vs. +4.3%e.
Shipments to the U.S and Japan were especially soft: -9.3% y/y vs. +9.0% prior and -11.8% vs. 9.3% prior respectively, even as E.U exports increased +3.2%.
China state researcher now estimates Q2 GDP to remain at its seven-year lows of +6.7% as long as the government maintains a “prudent monetary policy and proactive fiscal policy.”
Source: http://www.marketpulse.com/20160509/nfp-fallout-supports-dollar-for-now/
Tagged: BoE, volatility, Brexit, NFP, USD, Greece, Eurogroup, Germany, Saudi Arabia, CNY
Five Things The Markets Are Talking About: Thursday May 12, 2016
Dealing with Industry-Specific Currency Volatility: A Guide for Cash and Treasury Teams
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A Visit to the Linnaeus Garden in Uppsala Sweden
Labels: linnaeus, math and science, plants, sweden, taxonomy
Overview | Sexual System | Selected Plants | Brochures
Left: The Linnaeus Museum in Uppsala. Center: Main axis of the Linnaeus Garden. Right: Aquarium lacustre - lake pond and orangery.
Four years ago I started to get interested in Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), often referred to as the “father of modern taxonomy", and his work on the naming of plants, first described in Systema naturae (1735). I read Linnaeus: The Compleat Naturalist for some background; it's a biography of Linnaeus that was first published in 1971. The biography makes a number of references to the Linnaeus Garden in Uppsala, and so it was fitting that when we were recently in Stockholm Sweden, we should make a trip north to Uppsala.
It’s easy to get to Uppsala by train from Stockholm’s main station. Arriving at the train station in Uppsala, it’s a easy and pleasant walk through the town to reach the garden.
Visiting the garden includes visiting the Linnaeus Museum, the home Linnaeus lived in between 1743 and 1778. It takes a good 30 to 60 minutes to explore the house, depending on your interest. The free audio guide is useful for making sense of the rooms and artifacts found therein. The museum naturally talks about Linnaeus but also a lot about his wife Sara Elisabeth Moræa* (1716 – 1806). They were married from 1739 until Linnaeus’ death and had seven children. Sara Lisa seems to have been quite a capable woman, running the house and the family business as many good Swedish housewives did back then…as the audio guide informed us.
Aside: I’ve always been confused with the multiple names used to refer to Linnaeus, the man who revolutionized the naming of things. In English and Swedish, his name is Carl Linnaeus. Linnaeus wrote a lot in Latin, and his name Latinized is Carolus Linnæus (with the grapheme æ). Carl von Linné is the name he took after being ennobled in 1761 (ante-dated 1757), with the addition of the nobiliary particle von. And finally, I have to remember when talking to my Italian friends that he’s known as Carlo Linneo.
The Linnaeus Museum. Left: First floor. Center left: Second floor. Center right: Bedroom with showcase of manuscripts authored by Linnaeus. Right: View from the museum into the garden.
After visiting the house, we strolled around the gardens, which are today restored more or less as they were in Linnaeus’ time circa 1745. That wasn’t always the case. The gardens fell into disuse and the house was used for other purposes for over a hundred years after Linnaeus' death. It was the Swedish Linnaeus Society founded in 1917 who is to credit for the resurrection of the gardens and house to the state we see it today.
Curiosity: The Linnaeus family kept a small menagerie of animals around them while they lived in Uppsala including a raccoon, Guinea pigs, peacocks, parrots, and monkeys. While visiting the Linnaeus garden, you can’t help but notice the monkey houses, small gray huts placed high on poles. They have an interesting chain system so that monkeys could go up and down the poles but always remained attached.
Sexual System
How are the gardens arranged? From the garden brochure (attached below) we have these major sections:
Perennial parterre with perennial species planted according to the 24 classes in the Linnaeus’ classification.
Annual parterre with annual and biennial species. There are 44 beds including annual and biennial plants.
Apricarium where succulents are kept during summers.
Aquarium fluviatile simulating a river pond setting.
Aquarium lacustre simulating a lake pond setting.
Aquarium palustre simulating a marsh pond.
Spring parterre with Siberian plants and spring-flowering bulbs.
Autumn parterre with plants from eastern North America.
Southern parterre where plants from the orangery are placed during the summer.
The hedges surrounding the perennial and annual parterres are a mix of mock orange, barberry, willow and spruce.
We spent the most time looking at the plants in the annual and perennial parterres, which are arranged according to the 24 classes in Linnaeus’ sexual system. Sexual what? Linnaeus had a strong penchant for order and a dissatisfaction with existing plant classification systems, so he invented his own based on the arrangement and number of male and female parts of the flowers of plants, his so-called sexual system. Recall that Linnaeus lived before Darwin and the ideas of evolutionary relationships between individual and groups of organisms such as plant species were yet to come.
Linnaeus’ system was based on observable similarities, not natural relationships between plants. Though, at times observable similarities (or artificial relationships) are related to an underlying natural relationship. In fact, as we explored the two parterres, initially I thought the plants were arranged by (what we call today) families because that’s how I first perceived the groupings of plants. However, after poking around a bit, this didn’t quite make sense.
It turns out that there is some overlap between Linnaeus’ classification and the modern taxonomic rank of family. For example, Class II:1 (Diandria) contains Olea, Ligustrum, Syringa and Jasminum, which today are all grouped in the family Oleaceae. On the other hand, Class II:1 (Diandria) also contains Veronica, Justicia, Pinguicula, and Verbena which are in different families, respectively Plantaginaceae, Acanthaceae, Lentibulariaceae, and Verbenaceae.
Left: View of main axis of the Linnaeus Garden. Center the hedge around the perennial parterre. Right: View of monkey huts.
Selected Plants
When Linnaeus took over responsibility for the garden in 1741, he re-arranged it according to his classification scheme and documented it in Hortus Upsaliensis (1748).
The plants listed below are a few we photographed in the annual and perennial parterres. They are listed in order by parterre, and their Linnaeus class, 1 through 24. For an idea of the original class descriptions, see the 10th edition of Systema Naturae (volume 2) available at the Biodiversity Heritage Library web site. For example, for class 9 (IX), Enneandria, the Latin description is “Mariti novem in eodem thalamo cum femina”, which can be translated as “Nine men in the same bride’s chamber, with one woman”. Pretty saucy stuff.
Name from plant label in Linnaeus’ Garden
Class:Order in Linnaeus’ system, e.g., II:2 is called Diandria, flowers with 2 stamens and 1 pistil
Location: annual or perennial parterre
Today’s accepted family name
Veronica spuria (synonym of Pseudolysimachion spurium)
- II:1 - Diandria:Monogynia
- Location: perennial parterre
- Family: Plantaginaceae
- V:1 - Pentandria:Monogynian
- Family: Boraginaceae
Symphutum officinale
Astrantia major
- V:2 - Pentandria:Digynia
- Family: Apiaceae
Asclepias syriaca
- Family: Asclepiadaceae
Linum perenne
- V:5 - Pentandria:Pentagynia
- Family: Linaceae
Tradescantia virginiana
- VI:1 - Hexandria:Monogynia
- Family: Commelinaceae
Rheum palmatum
- IX:2 - Enneandria:Monogynia
- Family: Polygonaceae
Eryngium planum
- X:II -
Lychnis chalcedonica
- X:5 - Decandria:Pentagynia
- Family: Caryophyllaceae
Delphinium elatum
- XIII:3 0 Polyandria:Trigynia
- Family: Ranunculaceae
Phlomis tuberosa
- XIV:1 - Didynamia:Gymnospermia
- Family: Lamiaceae
Digitalis lutea
- XIV:2 - Didynamia:Angiospermia
Anthyllis vulneraria
- XVII:4 - Diadelphia:Decandria
- Family: Fabiaceae
Sonchus plumieri
- XIX:1 - Syngenesia:Polygami Æqualis
- Family: Asteraceae
- Synonym of Lactuca plumieri
- XIX:2 - Syngenesia:Superflua
Salvia sclarea
- II:1
- Location: annual parterre
Convolvulus tricolor
- V:1 - Diandria:Monogynia
- Family: Convulvulaceae
- V:1: Pentandria:Monogynia
- Family: Solanaceae
- V:1 - Pentandria:Monogynia
Browallia americana
Ricinus communis
- XX1:9 - Monoecia:Monadelphia
- Family: Euphorbiaceae
Other associated Linnaeus-themed stops you might consider while in Uppsala are:
Linnaeus’ Hammarby. This was Linnaeus’ summer residence. Sara Lisa managed the house and farm while Linnaeus worked on naming things. Hammarby is just outside of Uppsala to the southeast.
The Botanical Garden (Uppsala University). Today this is the official botanical garden, created in 1787 after Linnaeus garden became too small to meet the needs of the university. The botanical garden is about a 20-minute walk from the Linnaeus Garden.
The Linnaeus Museum brochure.
The Linnaeus Garden Brochure.
Linnaeus Hammarby Brochure.
The Botanical Garden Brochure.
The Tropical Greenhouse Brochure.
10 Days and 100 Miles Walking: Visiting Copenhagen...
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Abbronzatissima: Notes on the Allure of the Suntan...
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CD & Digital Download
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Top 10 Billboard Artist Bob Pressner and his song ``American Dream is currently #1Billboard Hot Single Sales Chart``
Order your copy today!
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The Top 10 Billboard Artist Bob Pressner has performed throughout the United States, and has been a regular featured artist for the XFINITYSessions on Comcast’s “Sessions at Willow Grove”. His music is authentic, honest, and gives his fans something to make “them think and reflect, something that’s different from the stuff that’s out there.”
Considered the “first great troubadour” since Paul Simon and James Taylor, Pressner puts the focus on creating music that has substantial and significant messages. His melodies stick to your ribs and his words inspire. “American Dream” doesn’t differentiate from this, taking a hard look at the state of our country, and divisiveness surrounding the Trump presidency.
Pressner’s music carries substance and significant messages along with stick-to-your-ribs melodies. Having traveled across the country for 20 years, Pressner has seen all sides of the American experience. Pressner brings that to the forefront in his new album. Born from a midnight revelation and recorded in a bedroom closet, American Dream tackles the divisiveness of the Trump presidency. His recent YouTube hit music video depicts violence between pro and anti-Trump forces to the tune of 13 million views. The a album itself debuted at #12 on the billboard charts.
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Get your commemorative “American Dream” CD today!
Contact Bob Pressner
© 2017 Platinum Pit Records
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An Arum of Great Kallos, a.k.a. the Calla Lily
"Kallos" is the Greek word for "beauty." And the flower we know as the calla lily certainly is a beauty. It is not, however, a member of the lily family. It is actually an arum, native to South Africa, and is related to philodendron, spathiphyllum (also called peace lily plants, popular for florists), and caladium plants. The calla lily gained its misnomer when it was cataloged incorrectly in the 1700's by Swedish botanist, Carolus Linnaeus. (Known as the "Father of Modern Taxonomy," Linnaeus laid the foundations for how we classify living organisms. Since he classified over 7,300 species, I think one mistake is forgivable) A German botanist, Karl Koch, corrected the error in the 1800's, but the name "calla lily" continues to be used this day.
My friend Roben is marrying her beau Craig in a few weeks. She is madly in love with Craig, then cats, then calla lillies. (she likes alliteration, apparently) Congrats to Roben and Craig; this blog's for you. :)
Calla lilies today are one of the most popular flowers for weddings, because of their striking and unusual shape, and also because the hybridization of them has resulted today in some amazing colors (Picasso is my favorite). Besides beauty and magnificence, they also represent purity, as the most well-known calla lilies were velvety, large and white. Their trumpet shape was said to mimic the shape of a woman, and thanks to Sigmund Freud, the late 19th century mind also began associating the calla lily with sex, lust and ardor. So much for the purity aspect.
Picasso Calla Lily
But calla lilies were most popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a funeral flower and a carved symbol on tombstones. Because they bloomed in South Africa most heavily during their summer, which was the European and American winter, their new audiences in the 1800's saw them as an imported bringer of light to the darkest days of winter. And, as with many symbols of the 19th century, calla lilies represented the Resurrection, or the light of Christ dispelling the darkness. Their trumpet shape in the spiritual context represents the trumpets of angels heralding Jesus' victory over death. Today, calla lilies can be grown in this hemisphere, and they bloom in my flower beds in July.
One of the interesting things about the calla lily is that the true flower is actually the spadix (the yellowish spike), which is located inside the white or colored spathe, which is just a modified leaf. Calla lilies have remained a popular flower in America for more than 100 years, and they have inspired many artists, most notably Georgia O'Keefe. Roben, I like calla lilies and cats and Craig....you have good taste. Enjoy.
Centreville Cemetery, Stone Church, PA
West Laurel Hill Cemetery,. Bala Cynwyd, PA
Arlington Cemetery, Upper Darby, PA
Cherry Lane Methodist Cemetery, Stroudsburg, PA
Doylestown Cemetery, Doylestown, PA
Durham Cemetery, Durham, PA
Evergreen Cemetery, Gettysburg, PA
Evergreen Cemetery, Pen Argyl, PA
Hilltown Baptist Cemetery, Hilltown, PA
Laurel Grove Cemetery, Port Jervis, NY
New Britain Baptist Cemetery, New Britain, PA
Norris City Cemetery, Norristown, PA
Northwood Cemetery, Philadelphia, PA
Mount Peace Odd Fellows Cemetery, Philadelphia, PA
Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Pleasant Valley, PA
Richboro Union Cemetery, Richboro, PA
Ridge Valley Cemetery, Ridge Valley, PA
Riverside Cemetery, Norristown, PA
Salem Churchyard Cemetery, Bangor, PA
St. Peter's Tohickon UCC Cemetery, Keelersville, PA
St. John's Lutheran Cemetery, Honesdale, PA
St. John's Lutheran Cemetery, Quakertown, PA
St. Michael's Evan. Lutheran Cemetery, Sellersville, PA
St. Peter's Lutheran Cemetery, North Wales, PA
St. Peter's Union Cemetery, Hilltown, PA
St. Thomas Aquinas Cemetery, Archbald, PA
Thompson Cemetery, Thompson, PA
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I Think That I Shall Never See Anything Lovelier T...
Les Fleurs Pour La Fin
Lovely Lilies Lead the Way
Eternal and Innocent: Tulips & Daisies
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You are here: Home / Sharks & Shark Tagging Adventures / Welcome to the Hotel Californshark – Day Four
Welcome to the Hotel Californshark – Day Four
July 9, 2007 by Carl Safina Leave a Comment
Just a few miles away, the high-rising shoulders of Catalina lost themselves in low-hanging overcast. The dawn sea looked pewter—moody and lovely.
Fishing was excellent but catching was slow, to paraphrase an old joke. Our morning haul-back brought just two small Blue Sharks. We did see an Ocean Sunfish (Mola mola) and glimpsed the swift fin of a Minke Whale (rhymes with kinky) and a big Risso’s Dolphin, and later a pod of Common Dolphins came streaking through the waves, shadowed by a retinue of Elegant Terns. In other words, non-stop grace and wonderment, as usual.
On the afternoon haul, something simultaneously auspicious and ominous: one of the braided cable leaders came up chewed through. I would not have thought that possible. It’s hard to imagine something capable of doing that and still being interested in sucking in one of our 10-inch mackerel, rather than, say, eating a sea lion, but odd stuff happens at sea. The set brought two Mako pups. Suzie invited me to do the tagging, which I duly did for the pups.
Carl Safina and Suzie Kohin
Then on one of the last hooks hung a larger Mako, about six feet long and about 170 pounds. The larger animal would get the two kinds of electronic tags, and because applying these takes some practice, Suzie took over again. She led the animal toward us with the leader, and as the cradle dipped into the sea she pulled it over the perforated metal and yelled, “Up!” The water drained away and the Mako began thrashing, but we pounced on it as Erick Oñate-González put the thick blanket over its big black eyes, pulled up its pointy nose, and into the jaws of death inserted the ventilator hose. Quite a job description.
One of the electronic tags bolts to the dorsal fin and transmits its presence to satellites when the shark is traveling at the sea surface, thus tracking its cross-ocean travels.
The other tag looks a little like a cigar on a stalk that is anchored into the muscle; it records temperature and depth, then releases itself at a pre-programed time (about eight months from now), floats to the surface, and tells satellites the story of the shark’s vertical travels between the surface and the dark, cold depths. It’s incredible technology, revolutionizing our understanding of how animals use the ocean. Turns out that though Makos frequent the surface, they often dive to a thousand feet, rarely twice that.
While Suzie applied the tags, Erick held the head, kept its eyes covered, and kept the ventilator in place. That job takes nerve and concentration; you can’t get distracted or be caught by surprise if a shark this size suddenly thrashes. I helped “control” the tail, but in fact the shark stayed passive most of the time. I had the distinct sensual pleasure of having my hands on that beautiful sleek, cobalt skin, with its fine-sandy texture, and the strong, thick keel at the tailstock’s base. An exquisite, living sculpture; evolutionary art.
At one point as we rolled the shark slightly to check sex (male, indicated by its two penis-like misnamed “claspers”) the Mako started squirming and was working itself up to some violent thrashing. Anyone who has caught them on rod and reel knows Makos are capable of literally spinning out of control. I noticed that the blanket had slipped off its left eye, and when Eric quickly flapped it back on, the shark’s whole body instantly relaxed, its muscular tension utterly dissipating.
Erick covering makos eyes
When Suzie yelled “Down!” and the cradle entered the water and we shoved that Mako forward, it took off like a shot.
And where do the sharks we’re catching in these relatively protected waters go? The tracking affirms that these sharks range widely up and down the California Current, west to waters north of Hawaii, down off Mexico, and generally becoming vulnerable to fishing boats from other countries in the open ocean. No sea is an island.
In the early 1990s there had been a small commercial fishery for sharks here. It had a temporary permit, and the permit was not renewed because the area proved to be a shark nursery. Thus this survey was born. Would that such wisdom prevailed world-wide.
satellite tag on mako
In the last two decades the number of sharks killed has skyrocketed, draining the sea of many of its most compelling predators. I’ve seen the difference; the numbers of sharks we used to see in the 1980s was much greater than now. Everyone I know who has a history at sea says the same, as do a series of recent scientific studies.
Tens of millions of sharks have been killed annually, mainly for fins used as a thickener in soup, mainly since the mid-1980s. The number killed is almost certain to decline, not because international fisheries management—still dysfunctional over vast swaths of the planet—is likely get its ass in gear anytime soon for the benefit of sharks, but because the sharks will grow progressively scarcer.
In the present survey, there’s some evidence of decline in this population, but the trend is unclear. Year-to-year variability, based in part on weather and water quality (for instance, blooms of toxic red tides) affects numbers of sharks caught. So uncertainty remains about this shark community’s trajectory. More time is likely to clear the picture. But slow declines can be hard to detect for years, until real problems accumulate. That’s a problem in itself, because it delays action.
mako swimming with transmitter
For example, many populations of albatrosses have been declining at rates of around just 1% per year (coincidentally, mainly because of incidental drowning in poorly regulated long-line fisheries.) It took too long for scientists to determine the declines were real, sustained, and significant. But over the course of just one working career for the scientists who were monitoring albatrosses, declines of 1% annually became population emergencies threatening some albatrosses with extinction. And yet in the last decade some real progress has been made in reducing albatross deaths. Bright spots include Alaska, Hawaii, New Zealand, the Falklands, South Georgia Island, and the Southern Ocean. That progress matters; it may yet save threatened albatrosses.
It also suggests that despite the history of most fisheries management worldwide, there remains hope for sharks. Certainly, these sharks we’re catching, many of them quite young, constitute hope with a mischievous grin.
— Carl Safina
Filed Under: Sharks & Shark Tagging Adventures
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Week 4 Preview
Posted by Jefferson on 9/22/17 • Categorized as College Football
North Carolina State vs. Florida State -FSU hasn’t played a game since opening against Alabama in Atlanta, and that seems like last season, it’s been so long. Due to Hurricane Irma and the recovery efforts, their game against Louisiana-Monroe was cancelled and the annual classic contest with Miami was postponed until Oct 7th. The Seminoles might be a little rusty, but they ought to certainly be well-rested. FSU has defeated North Carolina State the last four times they’ve met, and the Noles enter this game as a 12-point favorite. On the down side, starting QB Deondre Francois was lost for the season due to an injury sustained late in the Alabama game, and freshman QB James Blackman will be making his first start Saturday. Head Coach Jimbo Fisher is optimistic about the frosh, he was highly recruited, Fisher likes the way he has been working, and Blackman has been studying the playbook hard. But, he is a true freshman and is absolutely unproven. Another downside might be that the Seminoles could be a bit rusty. Sure, they have been working out, practicing, studying film, but that’s not the same as being in a game. In their only contest this season FSU showed that their offensive line was suspect against a strong pass rush -Alabama’s. NC State’s defensive line will never be mistaken for Bamas,’they may still cause problems for a freshman Quarterback.
North Carolina State– NC State started off the season by losing to South Carolina, not a resume booster. Kentucky subsequently beat the Gamecocks. The Pack has since beaten Marshall and Furman. NC State has a star in the making in with quarterback Ryan Finley, who has thrown 192 consecutive passes without an interception. That’s the longest active streak in the nation. The offensive line will get a boost with the return of right tackle Will Richardson, who had to serve a two-game suspension. The defense has Bradley Chubb, who is being talked about as a high draft pick in the next NFL draft. The key to a Wolfpack victory will be how well their defense plays. If they are able to put pressure on the newbie QB, denying him time in the pocket to make his reads, they’ll have a chance. Not saying NC State has great chance, or even a very good chance, just saying they have a chance. NC State has a history of rearing up on their hindlegs and taking the measure of FSU. Hasn’t happened lately, but it has happened before. That said, CSF is picking Florida State to win the game.
TCU vs Oklahoma State– Most of the talk on this game is about Oklahoma State and quarterback Mason Rudolph;- something about high powered offenses generating a lot of points. But TCU’s quarterback Kenny Hill has been having a pretty good season, himself. He didn’t always perform this way when he was at Texas A&M, but it appears he has found his stride with the Frogs. He has completed 75% of his passes for 737 yards with eight touchdowns and only two INT’s. Not bad, not bad at all. But this game is not going to be determined by the Horned Frog’s offense. To beat Oklahoma State, TCU’s defense must rise to the occasion. They allowed 36 points to SMU, and, usually, that would be a bad thing, but the Mustangs, under new Head Coach Chad Morris, are a much better team than they have been in the past. Against Arkansas, the Gary Patterson typical defense was most impressive, smothering the Razorbacks, 28-7. They must, absolutely must, put a pass rush on OSU’s Rudolph. No pass rush, no victory. TCU under Gary Patterson has a history of having a strong defenses and this year is no exception. But against the high-powered, fast-paced, unrelenting Cowboy offense, the Horned Frog defenders have to be at the top of their game.
Oklahoma State– The OSU Cowpokes have played South Alabama, Tulsa, and Pitt, and Oklahoma State has looked virtually unstoppable. In their last game, against the Panthers, O-State opened up a 21-0 first quarter lead, which by halftime had reached 49. Rudolph was throwing the ball with pinpoint precision with 497 yards and five touchdowns. This adds up to being the third best offense in the nation. The Cowboys have concentrated almost entirely on offense, but their defense will have to show up for this game. Against the run, and against the previously mentioned trio of teams, the D-Line had been holding their own. The secondary has had it pretty easy since opposing teams have had to throw bombs just to remain in the game. The bombs didn’t work. The defense doesn’t have to be the star of the game, but they will have to show up. There’s a difference between being Alabama good and just kind-of good. The Poke offense will face their first real test of the season because TCU ain’t no slouch. Actually, Tulsa wasn’t a slouch, nor was Pitt, and the Cowboys dismantled them. Win this one, and Oklahoma State should be in shape for their showdown against OU later on in November. Bear Bryant always said, “Offenses win games, defenses win championships.” This is just a game, so CSF is picking Oklahoma State, but it won’t be a shock if the Horn Frogs surprise them, and us.
Mississippi State vs Georgia- The Dogs against the Dawgs! The Mississippi State Bulldogs enter Sanford Stadium for a showdown that no one had picked as a marquee event at the start of the season. The Bulldogs throttled LSU, 37-3, last week. Not many people were picking MSU do that, but they not only won, they outplayed the Tigers in every aspect of the game. Now the big question is, “can they do it again?” Answering this question is what separates champions from pretenders. If they want a place at the table (meaning Atlanta) at the end of the season, they are going to have to beat the SEC East favorite this week. You may not know about QB Nick Fitzgerald, but you will. He is no secret to those of us who do know about him. His prowess on the field comes as no surprise; actually, the entire MSU offense comes as no surprise. They are good, very good, they have great receivers and the running backs aren’t half bad, either. The surprising aspect is how physically they are playing on both sides of the line. LSU was supposed to have bigger players who would push around the little Bulldogs, but just the opposite happened. The offensive line push gave QB Fitzgerald a wide-open playing field. The defense then out-muscled LSU, shutting everything down. Georgia just might be better than LSU was expected to be, however. The Dogs’ offensive line is going to face another big bunch of boys in Athens and they’ll have to equal the effort they had against the Bayou Bengals. The MSU defense has been the biggest surprise. This weekend they will have to surprise even more. UGA has two running backs that are very physical and very fast, so the defenders have to get into the backfield and disrupt the flow. Under no circumstances can they allow the Georgia offense to get into any sort of rhythm.
Georgia– The Dawgs of Georgia are also at 3-0 and atop the SEC East? Georgia has not been tested in the Conference so far, they did go up to South Bend, IN, and beat Notre Dame, 20-19, then they’ve played Samford and App State. Beating the Irish on their home field early in the season is no mean feat, but it doesn’t count in the SEC standings. True Freshman QB Jake Fromm has not done a bad job since replacing their injured starter, Jacob Eason. He is 34-57 with 449 yards, five touchdowns and one INT. He should be starting on Saturday as well, even though Eason was back in practice this week. But the best news for the Dawgs is that Sony Michel will be back in the backfield sharing carries with Nick Chubb. This will give the Dawgs a big edge on the ground. Having one back at this caliber is one thing, having two would be considered rich, and rich they are. Should Georgia get the running game going, it will take a lot of pressure off QB Fromm. BUT they will first have to get the running game going, and that could be tough. The UGA defense has be considerably upgraded since Head Coach Kirby Smart arrived, no big surprise there, as he was the defensive coordinator for the Tide prior to moving to Georgia. Smart has been recruiting a varied array of talent, so that the defense can play from a variety of formations. They can employ the 4-3, the 3-4, or other formations to exploit an opposing weakness they find. This is a tactic Alabama has been using for years. Where did I say Smart was before moving to Georgia? It works. Most numbers are pointing towards a Mississippi State win, it’s not a big difference but the Maroon Bulldogs are favored. After much thought, research, and many flips of the coin, CSF is going for the Dawgs. Dawgs over Dogs. Maybe. Can I have one more flip? Two out of three? Georgia.
Short Smokes
Virginia travels to the Northwest to play Boise State. I’m going with the Cavaliers
Utah vs Arizona, the Utes win
Ohio State will actually fare well against UNLV
Louisville will rebound against Kent State. Did I just say that?
Army rolls all over Tulane. Beat Navy!
Texas A&M might cause The Daughter to be happy by beating Arkansas, but it could be close
Pitt will get rocked by Georgia Tech. Especially since Tech blocks are dangerous.
Alabama goes to Nashville and beats Vanderbilt, even though some of the Vandy players have been saying that Alabama is next. When you decide to assassinate the king, don’t miss. The Tide Rolls and it might get ugly.
USC needs to be consistent against California
Duke beats down North Carolina. When they’re down, kick ’em.
Purdue sees if they are for real against Michigan, and it might end well for the Boilermakers
Baylor’s woes continue against Oklahoma
LSU should do better with Syracuse than they did with Mississippi State
Penn State will roar over Iowa
Auburn better not struggle with Missouri or Malzahn is in deep water
Kentucky has its best chance in years to beat Florida, but they won’t
Michigan State adds to Notre Dame’s woes. Listening to the press whine will be great
Washington might struggle a tad with Colorado
Oregon visit Tempe, AZ, to meet Arizona State. The seat gets hotter under Coach Graham
Stanford really needs a win against UCLA. UCLA really needs a win against Stanford. Who’ll get it? The Cardinal.
North Alabama takes on rival West Alabama and their high flying offense, but the Lion Defense will shut them down. Roar Lions
Tagged as: Alabama, App State, Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Army, Auburn, Baylor, Bradley Chubb, Bulldogs, California, Cardinal, Colorado, Cowboys, Dawgs, Dendre Francois, Duke, Florida, Florida State, FSU, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Horn Frogs, Iowa, Jacob Eason, Jake Fromm, Jimbo Fisher, Kent State, Kentucky, Louisiana-Monroe, Louisville, LSU, Malzahn, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Missouir, Nick Chubb, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Northwest, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, OSU, Penn State, Pitt, Pokes, Purdue, Sony Michel, South Alabama, Stanford, Syracuse, TCU, Texas A&M, Tulane, Tulsa, UCLA, UGA, UNLV, USC, Utah, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Washington, Wolfpack
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Required Reading: Empathy & Disgust
Michael Connor | Wed Apr 29th, 2015 11:45 a.m.
Distaste or disgust involves a rejection of an idea that has been offered for enjoyment.
—Immanuel Kant, Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View, 1798
For the first time, this year's Seven on Seven will have an overarching theme offered to participants as a provocation: Empathy & Disgust.
Scene from Her
We chose this theme partly because of recent discussions about "affective computing," which aims to detect and respond appropriately to users' emotions. The field gained some visibility after the release of Spike Jonze's Her; writing for Rhizome, Martine Syms argued that the film could be read as "an elaborate product spec" for intelligent agents that can replace human relationships. Recently, a new crop of apps that function as "Intelligent Personal Agents" bring us a step closer to this future, while a more speculative app from Blast Theory offers a fully-fledged emotional relationship with a virtual character who gradually reveals herself to be "needy, sloppy, piteous, and desperate."
Some of the real-world research underpinning emotional analysis was discussed in a New Yorker piece earlier this year, focusing on the work of Affectiva and scientist Rana el Kaliouby. The company is developing a tool called Affdex that can "make relable interences about people's emotions" based on video monitoring:
During the 2012 Presidential elections, Kaliouby’s team used Affdex to track more than two hundred people watching clips of the Obama-Romney debates, and concluded that the software was able to predict voting preference with seventy-three-per-cent accuracy.
Tags: affective computing affective labor Blast Theory disgust emoticons empathy Her personal agent Rhizome Seven On Seven toxic twitter
Managing Boundaries with your Intelligent Personal Agent
Nora N. Khan | Tue Apr 7th, 2015 11 a.m.
Karen, my life coach, was supposed to teach me about changing my attitude towards relationships.[1] Over the past ten days, she has mostly taught me about how not to be caught up in one. I've watched her get wine-blind with Dave, her lecherous roommate. I've seen her wallow in her pajamas over the man who got away. She doesn't practice radical self-love. She is reductive, aimless, even pathetic, but I don't have the heart to fire her.
Karen is an iPhone app developed by Blast Theory and Dr. Kelly Page.[2] Over the course of 17 interactive videos, I meet with its protagonist, Karen—a sweet, crumpled woman played with pitch-perfect melancholy by actress Claire Cage.[3] I log in at all hours to watch: from the airport, during my commute, and late at night. I am sucked into her chaos. She has no boundaries. I can walk in on her eating breakfast, doing her makeup, or daydreaming in bed. I am more careful to draw my own.
Tags: affective computing AI app Blast Theory Intelligent personal agent iOS Karen app Nora N. Khan
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Special Election Harlem City Council
Support The Movement for Black Lives
Phone Bank for Paul Newell
Demand a ban on sales of semi-automatic weapons
Restore the Voting Rights Act!
Nigerian Petition & Elections Feb 14
Presidential Campaign Storefront!
DFNYC September 8, 2016 Newsletter
DFNYC supports Brad Hoylman
May 5th Special Elections in Staten Island and...
Upcoming Events & Actions
DFNYC June Newsletter
Written by Richard Wallner
DFNYC June 2018 Newsletter
Written by Bobby Cohen, Tracey Keij Denton and Richard Wallner
Endorsement news from DFA, analysis of the Supreme Court's decisions, an event tomorrow to learn how to register voters, and more!
~~~Democracy for NYC June 2018 Newsletter~~~
(1) Democracy for America Backs Cynthia Nixon
(2) Supreme Court Decisions
~ Key points on voter purges, LGBTQ discrimination & arbitration clauses' effect on the #MeToo movement.
(3) Learn How to Register Voters: Tomorrow, Sat June 16th, 12pm
(4) Common Cause Event: Speaking Our Truth in the Age of Trump
~ Speakers: Melissa Mark-Viverito, DeRay Mckesson (Pod Save the People) & Prachi Gupta (Jezebel)
(5) Webinar on How the Oil Industry Drives Fracking
~ Wed. June 20th, 8pm EST
~ Hosted by Food & Water Action
(6) June is Pride Month!
~ Bronx Pride is this Sunday, June 17th
(7) Support the Workplace Democracy Act!
~Co-sponsored by Sens. Bernie Sanders, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren and 10 other Democrats
(8) Nobody is Above the Law- ACLU Mueller Rapid Response Rallies
~This is a Text list you WANT to be on!
Democracy for America, the organization started by Howard Dean after his 2004 Presidential campaign, has weighed in on the primary in the Governor's race. They have endorsed Cynthia Nixon.
From the DFA press release:
"With Cynthia Nixon, the proudly progressive state of New York finally has the chance to have a governor in Albany who shares their values in the battle for racial and economic justice --and DFA members across the state and nationwide will stand side by side with her in this fight." -- Charles Chamberlain, Executive Director, Democracy for America"
Read the full press release at: http://www.democracyforamerica.com/site/page/dfa-backs-cynthia-nixon-for-governor-of-new-york
Note: Our group, Democracy for NYC, is a local group of Democracy for America. Like other DFA groups across the country, our endorsement process is separate from DFA. That said, we have many members in NYC that are actively supporting Cynthia Nixon's campaign and hoping it drives Gov. Cuomo to listen to the concerns of the progressive grassroots throughout the state.
Court Upholds Voter Purge in 5-4 decision
There are few better arguments for the need of progressive to unite and get rid of Trump than the 5-4 decision upholding a State's right to purge voters from its rolls when they haven't voted in awhile. Justice Neil Gorsuch, appointed by Trump after Senate Republicans refused to allow Barack Obama his constitutional right to appoint a justice, joined the majority in this opinion upholding a right-wing strategy for voter suppression. The case is Husted v. A. Philip Randolph Institute. Read more at:
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/supreme-court-voting-ohio-w521452
Arbitration Clauses in Employment Contracts: How They Could Affect the #MeToo Movement:
In Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis, the Court made it harder for wronged employees to sue their companies if their employment contracts include an arbitration clause. This may be the first time DFNYC has ever linked to Glamour magazine article in our newsletter. But this is a clear concise analysis of the arbitration case, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's dissent, and the implications for the #MeToo movement, but Glamour writer Julyssa Lopez:
'What You Should Know About the Supreme Court Arbitration Ruling That Ruth Bader Ginsburg Called 'Egregiously Wrong'
https://www.glamour.com/story/supreme-court-workplace-arbitration-ruling-ruth-bader-ginsburg
Court allows Bakery's Refusal to Make Wedding Cake for Gay Couple
You may have heard about MasterPiece CakeShop. Many critics of the Court's 7-2 decision feel that it sets up a slippery slope for discriminating against LGBTQ people, but on the bright side, the Court's decision was not as bad as some feared. Here's an interesting analysis and background from Vox:
'The ruling is far from ideal for LGBTQ advocates, but the worst was avoided.'
https://www.vox.com/identities/2018/6/4/17425294/supreme-court-masterpiece-cakeshop-gay-wedding-cake-baker-ruling
It is unclear how the Masterpiece Cakeshop decision will be interpreted or exploited going forward. Discrimination against LGBTQ people should not be sanctioned or encouraged. Democracy for NYC is working hard to prevent this by joining with our progressive friends to take back Congress and fight the Trump Administration.
For more Supreme Court cases decided this month, visit this list and links:
https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/16-980
Our friends at Broadway Democrats are hosting a VOTER REGISTRATION TRAINING tomorrow:
When: Saturday, June 16th 12pm
Where: Morningside Heights Library (2900 Broadway between 113th &114th St.) in the Community Room. Take the Elevator to C level.
Details from Broadway Dems:
How do we win elections? We get more votes. What helps? Register every eligible voter.
Please Join us Saturday June 16th at the Morningside Heights Library (2900 Broadway between 113th &114th St.) in the Community Room at 12 pm. (You do not need a library card to enter and you do not need to preregister - just show up and take the elevator down to C level.)
Learn how to properly register first time voters, help voters with change of address, help voters change party registration and other voter registration information. Led by Diane Burrows, from the League of Women Voters in NYC, we'll be talking about all the logistics of voter registration.
Please printout or review the League of Women Voters NYC voter registration training guide in preparation for the training.
For the training guide, visit this link and scroll down. It is the 5th link under "Additional Materials for Download."
http://www.lwvnyc.org/publications&merchandise.html
*The League of Women Voters of the City of New York provides information about elections, voting and issues important to New Yorkers. The League of Women Voters does not support or oppose any candidates or political parties.
~ Tickets just $25 & $125
Please join our friends at COMMON CAUSE for a conversation with:
Melissa Mark-Viverito - Vice President for Strategic Engagement, Latino Victory Project
DeRay Mckesson - Activist & Organizer, Pod Save the People Host
Prachi Gupta - Senior Reporter, Jezebel
When: Monday, June 25, 8-9:30 PM (Cocktail reception starts at 7pm)
Where: NYIT Auditorium, 1871 Broadway, between 61st & 62nd
Tickets: $25, or $125 for cocktail reception.
More info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/common-cause-conversation-speaking-our-truth-in-the-age-of-trump-tickets-43862737629
From Our friends at Food & Water Watch:
Food & Water Action, Progressive Democrats of America and People Demanding Action invite you to join us for the fifth webinar in our Climate & Energy Series. Food & Water Action will be joined by Biologist and Author Sandra Steingraber along with our allies Uwchlan Safety Coaltion and Texas Environmental Justice Advocate Services to examine how the petrochemical industry drives fracking, the construction of new fossil fuel infrastructure, and the transatlantic trade of toxic chemicals.
What: Webinar: Plastics, Pipelines, Fracking and Our Planet
Date: Wednesday, June 20
Time: 5 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. MT / 7 p.m. CT / 8 p.m. ET
Where: Online (preferred) or on your phone
RSVP: https://fwaction.us/PlasticsWebinar
We encourage you to share this invitation with your allies and networks. You can also find a shareable Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/492042551212057/
This is a global issue that can only be solved by a massive political mobilization. We hope you will join us.
- Tyler Van Kirk
June is Pride month and NYC is one of the best places to celebrate. While the most famous event is the march and festival on Sunday the 24th, there are many other events, including a film festival, Cosplay and Pride, Bronx Pride (this Sunday) etc. For a list of events, visit this link:
https://www.nycpride.org/events/
Bronx Pride this Saturday, June 17:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1-bronx-pride-festival-2018-tickets-44339377271
Support the Workplace Democracy Act, co-sponsored by Bernie Sanders and Kirsten Gillibrand. This act would, among other things:
1. End "right to work for less" laws by repealing Section 14(b) of the Taft Hartley Act, which has allowed 28 states to pass legislation eliminating the ability of unions to collect fair share fees from those who benefit from union contracts and activities.
2. Require that when a majority of workers in a bargaining unit sign valid authorization cards to join a union, they must have a union.
3. Companies would not be allowed to deny or delay a first contract with workers who have voted to join a union.
4. Unions would be given the right to have their voice heard through secondary boycotts and picketing. And workers would have the right to know when their company spends millions of dollars running anti-union campaigns.
The bill would also stop employers from ruthlessly exploiting workers by misclassifying them as independent contractors or denying them overtime by falsely categorizing them as a “supervisor.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/05/09/bernie-sanders-has-a-new-plan-to-raise-wages-save-the-unions/?utm_term=.00b7aa250cf5
Call your representatives:
https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
The text of the bill is here:
https://pocan.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/pocan-and-sanders-lead-democrats-in-introducing-workplace-democracy-act
(8) Nobody is Above the Law-- ACLU Mueller Rapid Response Rallies
MoveOn, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and other progressive organizations are preparing for 'Rapid Response Rallies' for a scenario in which President Trump fires Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller or his direct superior at the Justice Department, Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein. Firing either one of them will provoke a Constitutional crisis and we must be ready to speak out. For a list of rallies, or to create your own, please go to:
https://www.trumpisnotabovethelaw.org/event/mueller-firing-rapid-response/search/?source=aclu&s=
To sign up for the proposed NYC rally, which will start in Times Square, please go to:
https://www.trumpisnotabovethelaw.org/event/mueller-firing-rapid-response/13162/signup/?source=aclu&s=
Protect the Dreamers!!
The Board of Democracy for New York City (DFNYC) strongly condemns President Trump's decision this week to end the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program. This action will result in the possible deportation of over 800,000 mostly young persons who have lived most of their lives here and who contribute positively to our communities in many ways. This decision will particularly affect New York City where many young people live among us who were brought to this country by their parents as minors and who are now responsible adult residents of our city. We find Trump's decision to be cruel and feel that this is clearly being done for political as opposed to practical reasons. We should never use human lives as political pawns to negotiate for other things. All of us must fight this. As President Obama stated eloquently in his response:
"Ultimately, this is about basic decency. This is about whether we are a people who kick hopeful young strivers out of America, or whether we treat them the way we'd want our own kids to be treated. Its about who we are as a people- and who we want to be"
DFNYC pledges to stand with the Dreamers and fight for their right to stay in our country and continue to help build our communities. They share the same dreams and hopes that we do. We are the Dreamers.
Roberta Cohen
Carlos Dennis
Tracey Keij Denton
Rhonda Patillo
Max Smith
Richard Wallner
Wilson Chau
DFNYC Condemns Trump Ban on Transgender Military Service
**Official DFNYC Statement**
Democracy for New York City (DFNYC) strongly condemns the Trump Administration’s plan to ban U.S. citizens who happen to be transgender from being allowed to serve in the military.
Transgender citizens have served actively and courageously in the military, fought wars and defended our country and continue to do so. This ban is no different than past discrimination against African American and openly gay citizens who attempted to serve their country.
State sponsored discrimination is a threat to all of us and DFNYC is proud to join the ACLU, and our friends at Trans PAC, Democracy for America (DFA) and other progressive groups who have pledged to come together and fight to ensure and maintain equal rights for *all* U.S, citizens" including those who are transgender.
Other Statements/Resources:
The New York Times has an excellent editorial by Jennifer Boylan
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/26/opinion/trumps-contempt-for-transgender-heroes.html?mwrsm=Facebook
Here is a statement from State Senator Brad Hoylman, the only openly LGBTQ member of the NY Senate:
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/brad-hoylman/hoylman-denounces-trump-his-discriminatory-ban-transgender
Here is a good petition to sign:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/784/587/976/
Finally if you want to hear about more events taking place in the ongoing fight to protect the rights of transgender citizens, consider joining TransPAC:
https://transpac.nationbuilder.com/
NeoLiberalism-- How We Got Here
(The following is an editorial by DFNYC board member Mark Dieffenbacher)
Neoliberalism and How We Got Here
“The neoliberalism package is specifically designed to undercut democracy” (Noam Chomsky, 2014)
Neoliberalism is an economic geopolitical philosophy that emphasizes privatization, deregulation in the interest of corporations, and deep cuts to social spending. It a system that has a “by the market and for the market” approach. Proponents preach of the wonderful, fair, and just powers of the free market.
The neoliberal approach was formulated at the University of Chicago by economist and professor Milton Friedman in the early part of the last half of the 20th century. Friedman was adamantly opposed to the New Deal policies of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, which were an extension of the doctrines of economist John Maynard Keynes. Keynes had advocated, conversely to Friedman, for strong government intervention and corporate regulation to temper the rampant inequality and cyclical recessions that unfettered capitalism produces. He advocated for programs that leveled the economic inequality and cyclical instability inherent in a capitalist system. These policies, implemented in response to the Great Depression, produced a uniquely vibrant middle class in the US.
Income Inequality Trends Europe Versus US 1900-2010
This graph is taken from Capital In The 21st Century by Thomas Piketty
Relative Industry Shares of corporate profits in US Economy. 1950 -2001. This chart illustrates the steep decline of manufacturing in the designated period and the sharp rise of the FIRE (Finance, Insurance, Real Estate) sector, also indicated in the following chart.
Friedman’s policies were readily welcomed by corporations and Republican politicians and bureaucrats in the early 1970’s, most notably Henry Kissinger, then Secretary of State. It was impossible to set these policies into practice as the Democratic party still held dear the policies and institutions originated by FDR, including the Social Security system and welfare. Over the past 45 years, the US government has been able to gradually cut these programs by using globalization, forcing millions of American workers in the field of manufacturing to compete with workers from countries that pay much, much lower wages. The weakening of campaign finance laws over time also allowed corporate money and lobbying to overwhelm the US political system, making US politicians mere courtiers to corporate interests. The Democratic party became subservient to corporate money and loosened its adherence to FDR-style public policies. The membership of unions was devastated. Holding the upper hand, the corporations, in collusion with the US government, drove down pay and benefits. Workers in the US saw manufacturing jobs leave the country by the millions. Social programs have been severely reduced and privatized. Austerity, or cutting government spending for the working class, is the rule. The wealthy, on the other hand, enjoy lavish perks from the government, including, quite dangerously, exorbitant military spending.
Neoliberalism is not just the norm in the US, but also throughout most of the western world. Bureaucratic institutions such as the European Union and International Monetary Fund, which have little association with the working classes, impose austerity behind closed doors. A myriad of elite international institutions stretching from the ivy league universities to the International Monetary Fund collude to create a worldwide ruling class. The economy has become financialized, with the Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate (FIRE) sector assuming dominance in the economy and deeply exacerbating inequality by creating wild wealth on one end and a vast debtor class on the other.
Of course, the general public becomes enraged with its ever-declining living standards. The age-old ploy of using scapegoats, such as immigrants, minorities and even the government itself, is utilized to divide the populace. Politicians, doing the bidding of their corporate masters, egg on this sentiment in order to deflect public ire from the true corporate culprits. The western world, riddled with austerity and the results of unending wars and the present danger of climate change for which it is largely responsible, is in deep crisis. Donald Trump played on the angst of the US public, using a combination of scapegoating, white nationalism, and narrow but accurate economic critiques of the system to successfully claim the US presidency. Interestingly, with the election of Trump as US President and the subsequent cabinet appointments of corporate CEO’s and board members such as Rex Tillerson (Exxon), Betsy DeVos (Amway), and Ben Carson (Costco) to name but a few, the courtier class has now been supplanted at the top of the executive branch by the corporate masters themselves. Indeed, the middleman has been eliminated.
Paul Street, “They Rule: The 1% v. Democracy”
Dr. Gus Bagakis, “Seeing Through the System: The Invisible Class Struggle in America”
Greta R. Krippner, “The Financialization of the American Economy”
DFNYC Statement on Trump Border Policies
President Donald Trump's announced policy to prevent citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States is bigoted, cowardly and short sighted. This ban is against everything for which the United States, the land of liberty, was founded. The lives of people who are friends of ours and valuable contributors to our communities are being needlessly threatened and disrupted. When Trump says that our borders are overrun, and that refugees are not subject to the closest scrutiny when they try to enter the country, he is lying. He wants to push Islamophobia and xenophobia as a way to instill fear and gain support for his isolationist, America first, policies.
Democracy for New York City (DFNYC) pledges to join with our allies in the progressive community here in NYC to fight these misguided policies now coming out of the White House. We will use our social media and every resource we have to protect the freedoms that our forefathers fought for and to keep our borders open. Lady Liberty does not just belong to us, she belongs to everyone around the world, and we will not let the light in her torch go out. Ever.
Mark Dieffenbacher
The Board of Directors DFNYC
Ken Thompson
TransPac Event - West Village - Oct. 6th
Send Zephyr to Congress!!
Support Paul Newell for Assembly
The Orlando Shootings
DFNYC Leadership
Bobby Cohen, Executive Director, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For more contact information, click here.
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How To Get Rid Of Coyotes Without Killing Them
How to Kill a Coyote Wildlife Removal Directory
How to Keep Coyotes Away from Your Property It is not uncommon to see a coyote roaming around in some towns and cities. These kinds of coyotes are normally not dangerous and may not attack you without a cause.... 10/03/2008 · The fishhooks get caught in their digestive track and eventually ends up killing them. It is a most inhumane way of killing them though. It is a most inhumane way of killing them …
Getting rid of Coyotes? Yahoo Answers
15/09/2010 · how can i get rid of coyotes. i have lost about 35 or so ducks in the past 3 weeks. i have 7 left and now i have to lock them up at night or thay will get eat by coyotes. i have not seen the coyotes but i here them at night close to the house i need to get rid of them. if thay can not get a ez meal from my ducks i am afraid thay will go for my... 10/03/2008 · The fishhooks get caught in their digestive track and eventually ends up killing them. It is a most inhumane way of killing them though. It is a most inhumane way of killing them …
Coyote Removal How to Get Rid of Coyotes
10/03/2008 · The fishhooks get caught in their digestive track and eventually ends up killing them. It is a most inhumane way of killing them though. It is a most inhumane way of killing them … how to find domain name windows 10 The best way to get rid of coyotes without harming them is to take away their food sources. You can do this several ways. Stop feeding your dogs and cats outside and keep their food inside all the time so the coyote cannot steal the food off of your porch at night. The next thing you must do is to secure your trash cans in your garage or in a special shed that is made just for your garbage
17/08/2016 · You can, but they're incredibly resilient as a species, and once coyotes have moved into an area, they're hard to get rid of. More coyotes will take the place of the ones you kill and females will have bigger litters to compensate. It's better to encourage them to go on their own because the area is unfit (i.e. no food source or too many predators like wolves --from wolf urine). how to kill magitek ffxv The other way to get rid of coyotes is by trapping them using special traps made to traps animals such as coyotes, foxes and jackals. These traps either grip the legs of the coyote and some of the traps are really lethal. They might kill the coyote, which is adequately getting rid of it.
How do I get rid of coyotes without killing them.? Yahoo
How To Get Rid Of Coyotes hunting tips Pinterest
How to Get Rid of Coyotes? Wildlife Removal USA
The Crazy Reason Why Killing Coyotes Won’t Get Rid of Them
The man didn't ask how do you hunt, call, trap or get rid of a few coyotes. He ask how to eradicate them. Sometimes the right answers don't appeal to some people. Anything is better than nothing. You pick! Calling me names won't get you anywhere.
In other words, you can't change the coyotes; you have to change your lifestyle to deal with them. If you offer wild animals "snacks" like small dogs, that will attract them. (Not to demean the tragic loss of a pet, I just mean, that's how any wild animal will view a doggy or a kitty.
Another option for those who want to get rid of a coyote is to use a live trap and then to remove the animal. There are often laws about the trapping and removal of coyotes, and in some states they will have specific areas where the coyotes can be released.
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Andrea Mitchell: Americans Opposed to Obamacare Don’t Know What’s Good for Them
Every now and then it’s fun to get the view from the condescending Ivory Tower of the mainstream media. This one comes from MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell, who has been carrying Obama’s water so long she has Hope & Change induced osteoporosis:
Sometimes, sure, I don’t always know what’s good for me. I confess. However, I always know what’s not good for me — and putting my health in the hands of a bunch of theorists who would screw up the recipe for making ice cubes isn’t bound to be good for me, or good for Andrea Mitchell for that matter.
Andrea just doesn’t know what’s good for her (two can play that game).
Author Doug PowersPosted on July 31, 2009 July 31, 2009 Categories Media, Politics
Did ‘Cash for Clunkers’ Just Kill Obamacare?
“Cash for Clunkers” — a program that our genius financial managers in Washington budgeted to run, appropriately enough, to around Halloween — has been suspended after just a few days. There were many “unforeseen” problems, meaning that nobody who created the program knew anything about what they were doing. These guys couldn’t organize a two hybrid car funeral.
The Obama administration will attempt to attribute the fact that the program was popular with consumers as evidence of its success, but all it serves as is evidence of government incompetence. Unfortunately for Obama, too many people are aware that sometimes “too successful” is far more expensive than “didn’t work at all.” If Apollo 11 had been “too successful” by the Obama administration’s definition, the crew would have overshot the moon, and they’d be dead and halfway to Alpha Centauri by now.
The fact is the program could not have lasted for very long in its present form even if the government didn’t run out of money, for reasons I outlined here.
In the private sector — which the government hopes to compete with using the private sector’s own money (some “competition”) — when you create a “sale” of some sort, you must make sure you’re covered in case it is very successful. Poor planning equals unhappy customers, which equals going out of business. Fortunately for the government, they have no such consequence as “going out of business.” In government, incompetence is rewarded. Simply put: In private sector business, there are just as many execs who have been fired because they didn’t plan for what to do if a sale went “too well” as there are who created sales that didn’t work at all.
But people are catching on, and you’re seeing that reflected in the poll numbers for government-run health care and even in Obama’s plummeting approval ratings.
This sums it up:
“If they can’t administer a program like this, I’d be a little concerned about my health insurance,” car salesman Rob Bojaryn said.
Unfortunately for Obama, Pelosi, Frank, et al, this is going to be an oft-repeated observation. We may be intimidated by the size and scope of health care and think that somebody else may know better than we do, but when we see those same people screw up a freakin’ car sale, the mask comes off and we don’t want them messing with our health too.
We don’t need to go back far in time to find a similar government cluster f*#k. Remember the well thought out “converter box” coupon program? The one that quickly exceeded the $1.34 billion funding limit set by Congress, causing a delay in the transition and costing an additional few billion dollars to taxpayers and private industry? “Cash for Clunkers” is brought to us by most of the same people — the same ones who will bring us our “free” health care.
The White House and Congress are going to go all out to resuscitate Cash for Clunkers. They have to — because the total failure of this “wild success” may well kill their dreams of National Health Care — a clunker none of us can afford to have our cash confiscated for.
Author Doug PowersPosted on July 31, 2009 July 31, 2009 Categories Politics
‘Cash for Clunkers’ Suspended
Gee, that was fast:
The government plans to suspend its popular “cash for clunkers” program amid concerns it could quickly use up the $1 billion in rebates for new car purchases, congressional officials said Thursday.
The real reason isn’t that the government was afraid it would run out of money (hey, thanks to you and me, they never run out!), but the reason for the suspension was because the government was damn near bankrupting the same people they claimed to be trying to help — does that sound familiar?
Through late Wednesday, 22,782 vehicles had been purchased through the program and nearly $96 million had been spent. But dealers raised concerns about large backlogs in the processing of the deals in the government system, prompting the suspension.
This entire endeavor was another example of genius government thinking. Just one of the huge flaws in this was that the dealers take it in the shorts for the “credit†to the buyer on the new purchase, and only get reimbursed after the government agrees that the “clunker†that was turned in qualifies under the gov’t regs. Only then does the dealer receive the gov’t reimbursement. But, that takes quite a while, as you’d imagine.
People were turning in clunkers so fast that dealers were incredibly upside-down on the front end with no back-end reimbursements coming in from the gov’t — so they’re moving all these cars but still can’t even meet payroll & operating expenses in some cases. Essentially some dealers were going short-term broke because of this and had not enough cash flow to continue to operate. I talked to one dealer who was going to suspend the program himself because he couldn’t afford to take the short-term hit with nothing yet coming in on the other end  but the gov’t beat him to it.
Yet another example of the brilliant leadership we have in Washington. Too many theoreticians, not enough people with real-world business experience — or even simulated business experience.
You don’t even need to check resumes to know Obama and his team of campus dreamers don’t have business experience, because anybody with business experience would never let the government get involved with private-sector business in the first place.
The only “clunkers” in “Cash for Clunkers” are the people who thought of the idea in the first place.
Redneck Word for the Day: Obama
Today’s redneck word & definition:
(h/t Andrea via email)
Author Doug PowersPosted on July 30, 2009 July 30, 2009 Categories Humor
More Blog Notes
I’m filling in a little again today for Michelle Malkin as she makes the media rounds promoting her #1 book.
Check her blog for newer posts for the rest of today, and have a terrific Thursday!
Author Doug PowersPosted on July 30, 2009 Categories Announcements
Dan Rather Wants Obama to Appoint a Media Czar, Offer Reporter Stimulus
Dan Rather wants Barack Obama to start the ball rolling toward a government takeover of the media, because if this doesn’t happen, America risks losing its freedom. Huh? Yeah, I know:
Former CBS News anchor Dan Rather called on President Barack Obama to form a White House commission to help save the press Tuesday night in an impassioned speech at the Aspen Institute.
“I personally encourage the president to establish a White House commission on public media,†the legendary newsman said.
Such a commission on media reform, Rather said, ought to make recommendations on saving journalism jobs and creating new business models to keep news organizations alive.
At stake, he argued, is the very survival of American democracy.
In the past couple of years, the American press engaged in a gross dereliction of duty and was more ignorant, gullible, distracted and duped than the Trojan guards at the walls of Troy who let the Greeks bring in their cute wooden horse — and now freedom and democracy depends on the survival of this same media?
On the issue of “big media” survival, I’m Darwinist to the core. There’s an evolution going on, so let it happen — it’s just going faster because the extinction of the traditional mainstream media has been accelerated by the mainstream media itself.
If what Rather says is true, and that the government taking a greater role in ensuring the survival of the mainstream media is the only way to save it, then contrary to what ol’ Dan says, the survival of American democracy depends on letting the mainstream press fail.
Reaching into his bag of “Texanisms,” Rather said that if the government doesn’t help the mainstream media, the American press will “go down faster than Barney Frank at a cast party for ‘Rent’.”
Author Doug PowersPosted on July 30, 2009 Categories Media, Politics
Shatner Turns Palin Farewell Speech Into Beat Poetry
I don’t know about you, but I think Shatner’s performance “works” on several levels. Challenges for future editions could be finding words that rhyme with “Wasilla” and “You Betcha.” Sarah should take Bill on the road with her when she’s campaigning for president in the more artsy-fartsy areas:
Author Doug PowersPosted on July 29, 2009 July 29, 2009 Categories Humor, Politics
Tea Party Breaks Out at Townhall Meeting
Prediction: We’re going to be seeing fewer and fewer townhall meetings that are sponsored by Democrats, because the natives are turning restless and these gatherings are ending up being sounding boards for the opposition.
Case in point: Claire McCaskill’s townhall meeting in Missouri. The topic was health care reform. McCaskill didn’t attend the meeting, but sent some staffers instead (another thing we’ll be seeing more of).
Here’s US veteran Paul Curtman demanding that McCaskill apologize to our soldiers who defend our Constitution while she’s at home ripping it up. Classic:
GatewayPundit has more video here.
Keep the pressure on! It’s working.
Today I’ll be filling in for Michelle Malkin as best I can while she does a whirlwind book promo media tour for her excellent book Culture of Corruption, which was officially released yesterday.
Check Michelle’s blog throughout the day for new posts, and have a great Tuesday!
Pork Project Harpooned
Have you ever been to Massachusetts? I have on a couple of occasions — and I can’t tell you how many times I had conversations with with whalers who expressed a desire to look up their ancestors in Alaska and Hawaii — if only they had the money to do so.
Somebody in Congress recognized that the effort would be worth $8.7 million taxpayer dollars — but fortunately it was harpooned:
A group of conservative Republican congressmen is claiming a victory in the battle against wasteful Washington spending.
The self-dubbed “Sunset Caucus” pressured congressional Democrats to eliminate $8.7 million for a “cultural exchange program†to connect whalers in Massachusetts with their whaling ancestors in Alaska and Hawaii.
The spending was to have been included in the appropriations bill for the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Departments. The U.S. House of Representatives began considering the bill on Friday.
“It’s one small step for taxpayers, one giant step for common sense,†said Rep. Kevin Brady, who co-chairs the Sunset Caucus with Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah.)
Since when do Democrats promote whaling? Since somebody figured out that there could be millions of dollars in it, that’s when.
The people in Washington who push this stuff really need their blowholes plugged (put your own Barney Frank joke here).
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Video: What happened when Obamacare was pitched on Thanksgiving
Whether this is a set-up or a genuine attempt (can’t tell for sure), this is probably the reaction other Obama-bots got when they tried to sell Obamacare on Thanksgiving:
If somebody would have seriously tried that at my family’s Thanksgiving, the police dispatch would have included the words “shots fired.”
Author Doug PowersPosted on November 30, 2013 Categories Politics
‘It’s a complete clusterf**k’: Another Obamacare supporter caught in a trap he helped set
There’s a schadenfreude-tastic article in the New York Observer written by somebody who was a big Obama supporter who is now “seething at a president I helped elect.”.
This person lost his health plan after Obama kicked in and he was stupid enough not to see through the sham like the rest of us tried to warn him for years. Here’s the best “advice” he could get:
I went to a friend and colleague–let’s call him Peter–for advice. He also had his individual medical policy cancelled because of Obamacare. “I’m stuck on the same question–income,” he told me. Peter does a little writing, a little farming, a little this and that to keep the ship afloat. “I got through to the exchange, and the woman there told me to just estimate what my income would be this year.” In other words: Make it up. If he overestimated, he’d be screwing himself out of a subsidy, Peter said. If he underestimated, he’d be hit with a big fat bill. He wasn’t sure he wouldn’t also be accused of fraud. So he called his accountant, who’s also a lawyer.
That only got him so far. At a certain point in the conversation, the accountant/lawyer had to get off the phone. “I have to stop answering your questions,” he told Peter. “I can’t ethically advise you, because honestly I don’t know the right thing to do. Nobody does. There are no answers. Right now it’s a complete clusterfuck.”
And that’s so true. There’s no “ethical” advice in the world that can get people untangled from a law that is unethical to put it mildly. The only solution is to burn the whole thing to the ground. But unless people like this guy now get very vocal in supporting full repeal of this giant disaster of a law, I don’t feel sorry for them in the least.
John Kerry’s optimism about the Iran nuke deal has a distinct Neville Chamberlain feel to it
The U.S. and Iran reached a nuclear deal last night. The Obama administration is thrilled, and the Iranian leadership shares that enthusiasm:
Netanyahu called the deal a “historic mistake” (even though Kerry ridiculously said Israel stands shoulder to shoulder with the U.S. on this) and John Bolton says it’s “abject surrender” to Iran.
The deal reportedly lifts some economic sanctions on Iran in return for them “freezing or reversing” progress at their nuclear facilities. Iran’s leadership seems uncharacteristically happy with being told what to do, so I’ll remain firmly in the “wildly skeptical” category.
I think they’re calling it the “Iran nuclear deal” because “Munich agreement” was already taken. On that point, here’s Daniel Pipes (h/t Doug Ross):
This wretched deal offers one occasion when comparison with Neville Chamberlain in Munich in 1938 is valid. An overeager Western government, blind to the evil cunning of the regime it so much wants to work with, appeases it with concessions that will come back to haunt it. Geneva and Nov. 24 will be remembered along with Munich and Sep. 29.”
Author Doug PowersPosted on November 24, 2013 November 24, 2013 Categories Politics, World News
Photo of the week: The White House’s touching tribute to the back of Obama (and JFK’s in the picture too)
It’s almost as if @WhiteHouse is a parody Twitter account. Here’s Obama’s tribute to JFK:
President Obama on President Kennedy and the American spirit —> http://t.co/04oGQiABZJ #JFK, pic.twitter.com/1irDH153L1
— White House Archived (@ObamaWhiteHouse) November 22, 2013
Here’s the view from inside Obama’s head:
https://twitter.com/Matthops82/statuses/403980398742364160
Hilarious that the president who campaigned by baiting voters with all the the freebie goodies the government would give them if he got elected is pretending to have the utmost respect the president who’s famous for saying “Ask not what your country can do for you…”
On 50th anniversary of JFK assassination, the media are still trying to pin blame on ‘right wing extremist environment’ of the day
The media can be sickeningly disingenuous in its reporting about the JFK assassination and the elements behind it. With that in mind, here’s a good take from David Bernstein via Instapundit:
This is really amazing to me. The New York Times and the Washington Post each manages to publish a piece on the Kennedy assassination, by two different authors, focusing on what they see as the right-wing extremist environment in Dallas in 1963, and while never saying so directly, implicitly blaming Kennedy’s assassination on that environment.
Look, guys. Lee Harvey Oswald murdered JFK. Oswald was a Communist. Not a small c, “all we are saying is give peace a chance and let’s support Negro civil rights” kind of Communist, but someone so committed to the cause (and so blind to the nature of the USSR) that he actually went to live in the Soviet Union. And when that didn’t work out, Oswald became a great admirer of Castro. He apparently would have gone to live in Cuba before the assassination if the Cubans would have had him. Before assassinating Kennedy, Oswald tried to kill a retired right-wing general. As near as we can tell, he targeted Kennedy in revenge for Kennedy’s anti-Castro actions.
The attempt to at best distract us from who the killer was and why he killed JFK, and at worst to pin the blame on entirely innocent people for inciting Dallas opinion against JFK (or perhaps to imply that the right-wingers plotted the assassination), even though those innocents were exactly the type of people Oswald hated, is just pathetic, and the Times and Post should be embarrassed for publishing these pieces.
Surprising some people aren’t blaming Bush for the JFK assassination.
Wait, some are. Never mind.
Update: Check out this BS article in the Washington Post by a wacko journalism professor. I think he’s blaming the Kennedy assassination on the Tea Party or something. Nut job.
Author Doug PowersPosted on November 22, 2013 November 22, 2013 Categories Politics
Naturally: Barack Obama’s ‘happy birthday’ pictures for Joe Biden feature Barack Obama
Vice President Pluggernuts turned 71 yesterday, and Team Obama made sure to include the president in both of their birthday wishes:
Happy birthday, @VP Biden! pic.twitter.com/EEz5Ys0lr8
Happy birthday to a great @VP. pic.twitter.com/mMR1aEdF4p
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) November 20, 2013
Feel free to caption the “high five” one. “Millions just lost their health plans… UP TOP!”
Below is an outtake from the “high five” photo session. It took them a few tries to get it right:
FLOTUS: President’s ‘in the bathroom all the time just singing’
She finally said something I completely believe!
Michelle Obama recently told some kids that her husband spends a lot of time trying to figure out how to save Obamacare from catastrophe singing in the bathroom:
One of those songs he’s been singing is the “plummeting approval rating blues.”
Obamacare enrollments vs. insurance cancellation notices in one simple chart
So far Obamacare has cost about 40 times more people their insurance than have obtained insurance through the program. “Mission Accomplished” … if you were trying to speed up the stampede to “single payer,” which will be an exponentially larger failure:
It’s amazing when you consider that the pitch for this piece of shit law was to “cover those who don’t have insurance.” Well, those who don’t have insurance are trickling onto the Medicare roles, and the number of people who had health insurance who are losing it is now in the millions.
Side observation: Nancy Pelosi is repugnant — but you knew that.
Unrelated: Tuesday and most of Wednesday I’ll be in South Carolina on “business” (tell y’all about it later when I’m able), so my posts here and at Michelle’s may slow down a bit unless they have wi-fi on the plane or in any of the restaurants in which I’ll be searching for the perfect steak.
(h/t Twitchy)
Author Doug PowersPosted on November 19, 2013 November 19, 2013 Categories Health Care, Politics
Bowie State students complain after cheap campus health plan dropped due to Obamacare regs
Many of the people interviewed here say they voted for Obama, so it’s hard to feel sorry for them, but at the same time it’s amazing to watch expectations in 2008 vs. realities in 2013:
Students at Bowie State University assailed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on Thursday after administrators cancelled a low cost school-wide health care plan due to new regulations in the law.
Many students told Campus Reform that the now cancelled plans, which provided coverage for just $50 per semester, were the only insurance they could afford.
Unfortunately, we’re all getting what only the ones who voted for Obama (and Pelosi, and Reid, etc) deserved.
Even though they’re complaining about this, the next politician who comes along and promises to make their health care cheaper and make jobs more plentiful and higher paying will without a doubt earn their enthusiastic support. Some never seem to learn, which is part of the reason the country has such massive problems.
Author Doug PowersPosted on November 16, 2013 November 16, 2013 Categories Economy, History
Hillary in 2007: If you like your plan, you can keep your plan
Hey, Hillary should sue Obama for copyright infringement. This is Hillary pitching her “health plan” in the 2007 lead-up to the presidential campaign:
All these lefty “health plan” pitches are buckets of BS from the same well.
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← Strawberry shaped handmade dolls welcome visitors at Tochigi
Trump calls on Abe to abolish tariffs on U.S. farm produce, determined to reach agreement on bilateral trade talks →
EU to lift import bans on milk and dairy products from Japan
TOKYO, March. 9 ― The EU is set to lift import bans on milk and dairy products from Japan on March 26, opening doors to Japanese products, such as cheese and cakes, the Japanese agriculture ministry has said.
The announcement came after Japanese milk and dairy products were on the exemption list by the European Commission. It coincides the timing of the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), which took effect on Feb. 01.
Products whose egg and dairy products content amounts to 50 percent and below can enter into the EU market as early as March 26.
But products whose egg and dairy products content amounts to 50 percent and above will have to meet the EU’s restrict standards, including the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and animal welfare.
The Japan-EU trade deal is dubbed “cars for cheese” because of business opportunities for Japanese carmakers and EU farmers, means EU duties on Japanese vehicles and parts will be phased out and EU farmers also will save duties.
And the pact sweeps away almost all EU tariffs on Japanese farm products and processed food, but regulatory barriers to trade must be improved for Japanese farmers.
The EU has still placed import bans on Japanese pork and chicken due to outbreaks of livestock infectious diseases, such as classical swine fever and bird flu.
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Erotica Author Interviews: Fierce Dolan, author of Journal of a Lycanthrophile
Today we're honored to speak with Feirce Dolan, author of Traveler Through Darkness, Gigolo Seduction, and Journal of a Lycanthrophile.
Ellen Dominick: Who are your favorite authors?
Fierce Dolan: My favorite authors range all over the place. I keep a running list of them on my website, though to name a few, Storm Constantine, Lucy Felthouse, Neil Gaiman, Kim Hornsby, Ann Mayburn. And to keep it classic, I really enjoy Anaïs Nin.
ED: Describe your style of erotica.
FD: My ideal style is edgy , pansexual, genderfluid, with an element of magick thrown in. I write stories that come to me and worry me until I write them down. Some contain all of those elements, and some contain only a few. My erotica seems to attract readers who want to be psychologically engaged with the characters, not just aroused by them, and I find that's the erotica I enjoy reading most. I'm not out to just write about sex, I want to engage readers in their lust for reading about it. I want the words to be the sex in my erotica.
ED: You have self published before, but your next work is published by Decadent Publishing. How are the two processes different? Why did you choose both of these paths?
FD: Indeed, they are very different publishing paths. I went both routes because my last release was the first in "The Scattered Dark Series," intensely hardcore fetish paranormal, which few publishers thrill in. A publisher was interested in the first installment, Journal of a Lycanthrophile, and is who suggested expanding it into a series. As we went deeper into talks about it, I realized I wanted to develop it a different way and never proceeded to contract. As an indie release, it's taken some time for "Journal" to trickle to its readers, but it's gotten good support, and not surprisingly, a few raised eyebrows.
I've published with Decadent a few times, and they are wonderful. They're great to work with, their editorial support is outstanding, and the relationship they form with their authors is unlike others. I intended to write for their premier line, "1Night Stand" from the beginning of my work with them last year, though The Fangirl's Dream, coming out later this year, is my first attempt in that line. I've written a stand-alone book with them, as well as one in their "The Edge" series.
Indie publishing is different from traditional publishing in that the final word (pun) comes down to me. I go the full range of engaging others to prep the final draft, hiring editors to go through a three-revision process, and finding promotion for indie books. I treat them with as much care as a publisher would, and if I couldn't do that I wouldn't publish indie. The difference with a trad publisher is that they have the final word, which fortunately has worked out well. It's a good feeling to know that so many eyes are on board to make the manuscript its best. There is less pressure, financially and time-wise in trad publishing.
ED: Do you have any guilty pleasures?
FD: You won't tell, will you? I know you won't. I like watching Revenge, because I love the interior design on the sets! I also recently got sucked into Downton Abbey. What masochistic lives people in that era lived! I also have been known to sing to Ke$ha in the car. I know, but you said you wouldn't tell.
ED: What's the worst writing advice you've ever heard?
FD: Write when you feel like it. Rubbish, absolute and total shite. If you really want to grow as a writer, you have to be willing to push your own boundaries. Most of us are self-employed, in terms of incentive,discipline, management, motivation, morale. You can't wait until you're in the mood to write. It's like a well that you have to keep primed. The more you write, the better you become at it. We can't wait for inspiration any more than we can wait for a paycheck. Write and the inspiration will come.
ED: How do you know when a scene is working?
FD: When I'm excited to write a scene, I know it's working. It can be challenging to sustain that enthusiasm through an entire manuscript in one pass (or eight), though on a scene-to-scene basis, I get that clarity. Likewise, I'm pretty clear when a scene isn't working. I may not like to cut it, and there will likely be tears and gnashing of teeth, but I know.
ED: Why do you write homoflexible and gender neutral characters? Can you explain what that means?
FD: I guess at the base of it all, I don't like assumptions. Culturally, I think we've seen what assuming gender can do, along with prescribing orientation. I want to write outside those boundaries. I relate to the world as more than my biogender, and I'm interested in writing characters who accomplish that. I like characters whose sexuality is unclear, and who are confident in creating new relationship structures. I like poly relationship dynamics, unconventional gender roles, expressions of sexuality that transcend mere sex. I hope as I become more established in the genre that I will gain more freedom and experience in writing with that flexibility. I also hope that publishers will become more open to characters beyond trope.
ED: What are you working on next?
FD: A few of things are coming up. The Fangirl's Dream, from Decadent Publishing will be out this year. It's a fun installment in the 1Night Stand line, definitely the lightest erotica I've ever written, yet still tackling some deeper personal truths, along with a few pop culture trends. Also, this year Book Two of The Scattered Dark Series will come out. Its working title is Alpha, and it's a little more emotionally involved than Book One, perhaps a little less kinky, yet just as dark as the first. I'm wrapping up writing Book Three, now, though I don't expect its release this year. I've also got a short fetish piece called Message in a Bottle, that should be out in late 2013, and a novella based on a heartbroken intersexed romantic.
ED: Pick 6 words that describe your last release.
FD: Dark, gritty, sad, raw, unique, intense
ED: Your latest release involves werewolves. What inspired you to take up that topic? Is writing a paranormal story very different from writing a more realistic one?
FD: I was inspired to write a shifter story that's not pretty, and this one definitely isn't. I'm really interested in shadow subjects, and I'm always amazed by how every decade or so, we re-invent shapeshifters as more romantic abusers. I wanted to write ones that were more animal, and humans that were less humane. I do think that if you have a good feel for the rules of your universe, paranormal (and fantasy) writing is more forgiving. I actually feel more constrained writing contemporary erotica. I don't feel as free to fall back on instinct and intuition as is possible in magickal stories.
Blurb: Jesse Holloman has a fetish for justice and a kink for werewolves. Together, his passions spiral into a world of pain, shadow desires, and an even more sinister, secretive sort of shapeshifter—the kind that changes without shifting.
Journal of a Lycanthrophile (The Scattered Dark Series)
By Fierce Dolan
MezzoFiction author, Fierce is imagination shapeshifted as a scribe taunting blank pages and carpal tunnel, neither of which are much use for deadlines. Close allies are impeccable timing and a trusty masseuse. Being a switch I/ENFP doesn't hurt. For kicks Fierce has other personas across several genres, tends to fill in “Other” on surveys without explaining, and chooses the finality of the Japanese Tamagotchi. In summary: Fierce writes all kind of dirty things that you shouldn’t read, ever…
Don't forget to frolic with Fierce on:
@FierceDolan
Written by Ellen Dominick On May 1, 2013 In Erotica Author Interview Tagged Fierce Dolan, wolf, lycanthrophile, homoflexible, pansexual, genderfluid, Decadent Publishing, self published, traditional publishing
← Erotic Flash Fiction: The RopeErotica Book Review: Mittens by Phoenix Baker →
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CDI-2. CHILDREN'S DEPRESSION INVENTORY
Paper-and-pencil version
Maria Kovacs
Polish adaptation:
Emilia Wrocławska-Warchala, Radosław Wujcik
Children and adolescents aged 7-18
During individual or group sessions; teachers, if instructed by a psychologist (or other specialist), can fill out the questionnaire without a psychologist's supervision.
Test users:
Psychologists (MA diploma is required), pediatricians and psychiatrists, pediatric and psychiatric nurses
Test category:
B2 – for psychologists; other professionals only after general psychometric training and test training
Description: CDI-2 is a complete set of tools which allow for a comprehensive assessment of depression symptoms in children and adolescents aged 7-18. CDI-2 describes the child from three different perspectives: the present set of questionnaires includes a self-rating questionnaire (both regular and short), a parent (or other guardian) questionnaire and a teacher questionnaire. CDI-2 can help to identify children and adolescents suffering of depressive symptoms. Together with other sources these tools can help to identify at an early stage children and teenagers susceptible to depression as well as to monitor the outcomes of therapy.
The questionnaires also include scales measuring emotional problems and problems related to everyday functioning; in addition the self-rating version includes subscales measuring negative mood /somatic symptoms, low self-esteem, lack of behaviour efficacy and interpersonal problems.
Reliability: High internal consistency of the total score in all questionnaires; satisfactory reliability of the scores in all scales.
Validity: Confirmed discriminant validity – the test differentiates children and adolescents diagnosed with major depressive disorders and those with other clinical diagnoses (original research); in the Polish research children and adolescents with diagnosed depressive symptoms were compared to a sample of general population (with parallel socio-demographic characteristics) and to a group of children and adolescents with other diagnoses (ASD, ADHD). Moreover, convergent and divergent validity was confirmed by correlations with the scores in other depression-assessing questionnaires (original research) or with appropriate scales in Conners-3 or ASRS questionnaires (Polish research).
Norms: separate for each gender and combined; separate for age groups 7-12 and 13-18; for each version (S, R, N) the norms developed on the quota sample of approx. 1000 persons (3000 questionnaires in total).
Application: CDI-2 can help to identify children and adolescents suffering of depressive symptoms. Together with other sources these tools can help to identify at an early stage children and teenagers susceptible to depression as well as to monitor the outcomes of therapy. It provides an appropriate index of range and intensity of depressive symptoms.
Complete set (manual, set of sheets – 25 cop. of each version)
Sheets for self-rating version (25 cop.)
Sheets for short self-rating version (25 cop.)
Sheets for teacher version (25 cop.)
Sheets for parent version (25 cop.)
Please note: All of our tests are published in Polish. There are not available other language versions of our tools.
Contact us to buy this product
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1 Actor/Actress / 3 Model / 4 Musician / K
by ethnic · June 9, 2010
Knowles in 2011, Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com
Birth Name: Solange Piaget Knowles
Place of Birth: Houston, Harris, Texas, U.S.
Date of Birth: June 24, 1986
*father – African-American
*mother – Louisiana Creole, including African, French, Acadian/French-Canadian, as well as distant Irish, Spanish, and Breton
Solange Knowles is an American actress, singer, songwriter, and model. She is the daughter of Tina Knowles (born Célestine Ann Beyincé), a fashion designer, and Mathew C. Knowles, a businessperson and talent manager. She is the sister of actress and singer Beyoncé. Solange is a step-sister of actress Bianca Lawson. Her mother is married to Bianca’s father, actor Richard Lawson. Solange is married to music video director Alan Ferguson. She has a son with her former husband, Daniel Smith.
Solange’s father is African-American. Solange’s maternal grandparents were French-speaking Louisiana Creoles, with roots in New Iberia; their ancestry included African and French (including French ancestors who lived in Canada). Solange is also of approximately 1/32 Irish ancestry, and has distant Spanish and Breton roots on her mother’s side, as well (at least one of her great-great-great-great-great-grandfathers, Juan Tomas Francisco Garrido, was Spanish). A picture of Solange’s maternal grandparents can be seen here.
Solange’s sister Beyoncé has said that she has Nigerian ancestry.
Solange has been described as having Cherokee Native American ancestry. It is not clear if this ancestry has been verified/documented. No Cherokee Native American ancestors appear on publicly available family trees of Solange’s mother.
Solange’s paternal grandfather was Matthew/Mathew Knowles (the son of Taylor Knowles and Girlie/Gurlie/Gerlie Mae Inez Miller). Matthew was born in Alabama. Taylor was the son of James Isaac Knowles and Sarah Elizabeth Dixon. Girlie was the daughter of Prophet Miller and Jane Hall.
Solange’s paternal grandmother is Lou Helen Hogue (the daughter of Davis/Dave Hogue and Hester Moore). Lou was born in Alabama. Davis was the son of Jim Hogue and Rosetta Moore. Hester was the daughter of Pinkney Madison Moore and Arenia Goree.
Solange’s maternal grandfather was Lumis Albert Beyincé/Buyincé (the son of Alexandre/Alexon Beyincé/Buyincé and Marie/Mary Amelie Oliver/Olevia Broussard). Lumis was born in Abbeville, Louisiana. Alexandre was the son of Jean Boyancé/Beyincé, who was born in France, and of Angéline Élizabeth Green. Marie Amelie was the daughter of Olivier Despanet Broussard and Alphonsine Boutte.
Solange’s maternal grandmother was Agnès/Agnèz DeRouen/Deréon (the daughter of Eugène-Gustave DeRouen and Odelia Broussard). Agnès was born in Decambre, Louisiana. Eugène-Gustave was the son of Gustave DeRouen and Marie-Estelle Gary, who was of part Spanish descent. Odelia was the daughter of Eloi/Eloy Rosemond/René Broussard and Celestine Josephine Lessee/Lesse/Lesser. A picture of Solange’s great-grandfather Eugène-Gustave can be seen here.
Solange’s parents Mathew and Tina, 2007, photo by bigstock.com
Sources: Genealogies of Solange Knowles – http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com
http://www.wikitree.com
https://famouskin.com
Family history of Solange, by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak – http://www.huffingtonpost.com
Solange’s paternal grandfather, Matthew/Mathew Knowles, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Solange’s paternal grandmother, Lou Helen Hogue, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Article about Solange’s maternal great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, Joseph Broussard – http://www.biographi.ca
Solange’s maternal grandmother, Agnès/Agnèz DeRouen/Deréon, on 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Knowles in 2008, photo by shay
Tags: AcadianAfricanAfrican AmericanBretonCreoleFrenchFrench CanadianIrishLouisiana CreoleNigerianSpanish
Curious about ethnicity
bablah says:
What is the point of having both Cajun and Acadian as tags on the site? Isn’t it one and the same?
@Bablah
They’re two different cultures. While Cajun people are descendants from Acadians, They have their own specific culture that is unique to Louisiana. Like African Americans are Descendants of Africans, but we have our own cultures
Kimmel says:
Mr Knowles doesn’t look all ‘African-American’ (I know they are mixed anyway). He looks part Peruvian or mixed with something significant, because looking at his hair and jawline I can see admixture.
midori29 says:
@Kimmel LOL gimme a break her dad is a basic Black man. I love how this website tried to mix everyone up cause most of the people posting here are mixed themselves.
@kimmel
What is (look all ‘African-American’)?
I believe he meant that he does not look much Sub-Saharan African in facial features, and that is true. I guess he has around 80% SSA ancestry like most AA’s though.
Quote(I believe he meant that he does not look much Sub-Saharan African in facial features)
I strongly disagree,I’ve seen his facial features in other West Africans, you have to get more exposure
Quote(I guess he has around 80% SSA ancestry like most AA’s though.)
the range is said to be 3-20%, not 20 on the nose. Ancestry.com and 23and me and others like it haven’t tested that many African Americans so their gene pool is low, and even they have different results from each other
I respect your opinion but my point is that he looks African-American, not West African.
I will respect your opinion, and know what I know to be true
Samiiraa says:
The Knowles sisters are obviously mixed, they are mulattos but delusionnal self hating black Americans will always deny it.
@Samiiraa
From what I can see, even Solange states she’s black . So exactly what are black Americans supposedly hating about? I don’t think anyone had denied that the Knowles are MGM’s
Multiethnicchick says:
Yeah but there are a lot of people who are mixed race who claim black because black Americans tend to get mad when you’re mixed and don’t claim only black.
So you’re saying that those black Americans are no different than you are. You get anger when a FGM doesn’t ID as mixed, while those Black Americans you speak of get anger because those FGM’s don’t ID as black. Both of you are taken away the right to choose. How does the way these FGM’s self Identify affect you or those anger black people you speak of? I’m a black American of my own choice, and I could care less how a FGM wants to ID, if they call themselves black fine with me, if mixed fine. Truthfully , this is the same old William Lynch
crap that pops up every 30yrs
Just being curious, how many black Americans have you actually talk to, that told you they get mad. . Because the black Americans I know, really don’t talk about this stuff. Also, you’ve given black Americans far more power than they actually have. As I stated before, you’re ignoring personal choice. Many of the FGM’s that I’ve seen, have stated themselves that they feel more comfortable seeing themselves as black. I do understand that is a foreign concept to you
savanna says:
“On her father’s side, Beyoncé is…”
Should say Solange
Aryana Engineer
Bérénice Marlohe
Inbar Lavi
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Litsea aestivalis - (L.) Fern.
Pondspice
Other Common Names: pondspice
Related ITIS Name(s): Litsea aestivalis (L.) Fern. (TSN 18206)
Element Code: PDLAU08010
Informal Taxonomy: Plants, Vascular - Flowering Plants - Laurel Family
Plantae Anthophyta Dicotyledoneae Laurales Lauraceae Litsea
Name Used in Concept Reference: Litsea aestivalis
Global Status: G3?
Global Status Last Reviewed: 03Dec2012
Global Status Last Changed: 03Dec2012
Ranking Methodology Used: Ranked by calculator
Rounded Global Status: G3 - Vulnerable
Reasons: Uncommon, coastal plain from Maryland to Florida, usually in low numbers when found. Threatened by alterations in hydrology and by suppression of natural fire regimes. Also threatened by invasive exotic plants, feral hogs and by Red bay or Laurel wilt disease, a rapidly spreading fungal disease for which it is a documented host. This disease is causing widespread mortality of red bay (Persea borbonia) and (Persea palustris) trees in coastal SC, GA, and FL and is spreading rapidly. Some detrimental effects of laurel wilt on Litsea aestivalis have also been documented (Hughes 2011, Surdick & Jenkins 2010).
United States Florida (S2), Georgia (S2), Maryland (S1), North Carolina (S2S3), South Carolina (S3), Virginia (S1)
Range Extent Comments: From Florida north irregularly along the Atlantic Coastal Plain to Maryland; reports from Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky (e.g., Fernald, 1950; Godfrey & Wooten 1981) are all false, according to John Kartesz (discussion 3/98).
Area of Occupancy: 26-125 4-km2 grid cells
Area of Occupancy Comments: This (E) is an estimated, not calculated AOO value (CWN Nov. 28, 2012).
Number of Occurrences: 81 - 300
Number of Occurrences Comments: Wide ranging but infrequent, with < 90 excellent (A) or good (B) ranked occurrences rangewide (NatureServe central database as of November 2012). Apparently most common in the Carolinas and Georgia.
Population Size Comments: Often in low numbers (<50) where found.
Number of Occurrences with Good Viability/Integrity: Some (13-40)
Overall Threat Impact: High - medium
Overall Threat Impact Comments: Ditching and draining of wetland habitat, and lowering of natural water table by pumping of surficial aquifer. Also, lack of fire, ORV use and water pollution with high nutrient water (e.g. from forestry, agricultural, or household sources) are threats which have impacted some occurrences. Also threatened by invasive exotic plants, and feral hogs. Red bay wilt or Laurel wilt disease, a fungal disease transmitted by an introduced ambrosia beetle, has also been documented in this species (Hughes et al. 2011, Johnson et al. 2007, Surdick & Jenkins 2009, Surdick & Jenkins 2010). This disease is causing widespread mortality of red bay (Persea borbonia) and (Persea palustris) trees in coastal South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida and is spreading rapidly. Some detrimental effects of laurel wilt on Litsea aestivalis have also been documented (Hughes et al. 2011, Surdick & Jenkins 2010).
Short-term Trend: Decline of 10-30%
Short-term Trend Comments: Some sites lost to past drainage of wetlands. Also threatened by invasive exotic plants, and feral hogs. Laurel Wilt occurs in some populations (Surdick & Jenkins 2010). Also, lack of fire, ORV use and water pollution with high nutrient water (e.g. from forestry, agricultural, or household sources) are threats which have impacted some occurrences.
Long-term Trend: Decline of 50-70%
Global Range: From Florida north irregularly along the Atlantic Coastal Plain to Maryland; reports from Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky (e.g., Fernald, 1950; Godfrey & Wooten 1981) are all false, according to John Kartesz (discussion 3/98).
United States FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA
FL Alachua (12001), Baker (12003), Clay (12019), Columbia (12023), Dixie (12029), Duval (12031), Leon (12073), Madison (12079), Marion (12083), Okaloosa (12091), Pasco (12101), Putnam (12107), St. Johns (12109), Taylor (12123), Wakulla (12129)
GA Baker (13007), Ben Hill (13017)*, Bryan (13029), Calhoun (13037), Camden (13039), Charlton (13049), Coffee (13069)*, Colquitt (13071)*, Decatur (13087), Effingham (13103), Emanuel (13107), Evans (13109), Glynn (13127)*, Irwin (13155), Long (13183), Lowndes (13185), Mcintosh (13191), Miller (13201)*, Screven (13251), Turner (13287), Ware (13299)*, Wayne (13305), Wheeler (13309), Worth (13321)*
MD Wicomico (24045)
NC Bladen (37017), Brunswick (37019), Carteret (37031), Craven (37049), Cumberland (37051), Gates (37073), Hoke (37093), Lenoir (37107), New Hanover (37129), Onslow (37133), Pender (37141), Sampson (37163), Wayne (37191)
SC Beaufort (45013), Berkeley (45015), Charleston (45019), Colleton (45029), Georgetown (45043), Horry (45051), Jasper (45053), Kershaw (45055), Orangeburg (45075)
VA Isle of Wight (51093), York (51199)
02 Western Lower Delmarva (02080109)+, Lower James (02080206)+
03 Blackwater (03010202)+, Ghowan (03010203)+, Middle Neuse (03020202)+, White Oak River (03020301)+, New River (03020302)+, Lower Cape Fear (03030005)+, Black (03030006)+, Northeast Cape Fear (03030007)+, Lumber (03040203)+, Waccamaw (03040206)+, Carolina Coastal-Sampit (03040207)+, Coastal Carolina (03040208)+, Wateree (03050104)+, Lake Marion (03050111)+, Santee (03050112)+, Cooper (03050201)+, South Carolina Coastal (03050202)+*, Four Hole Swamp (03050206)+*, Salkehatchie (03050207)+, Broad-St. Helena (03050208)+, Bulls Bay (03050209)+, Lower Savannah (03060109)+, Calibogue Sound-Wright River (03060110)+, Lower Ogeechee (03060202)+, Canoochee (03060203)+, Ogeechee Coastal (03060204)+, Lower Ocmulgee (03070104)+, Little Ocmulgee (03070105)+, Altamaha (03070106)+, Ohoopee (03070107)+, Satilla (03070201)+*, Cumberland-St. Simons (03070203)+, St. Marys (03070204)+, Nassau (03070205)+, Upper St. Johns (03080101)+, Oklawaha (03080102)+, Lower St. Johns (03080103)+, Daytona - St. Augustine (03080201)+, Crystal-Pithlachascotee (03100207)+, Withlacoochee (03100208)+*, Econfina-Steinhatchee (03110102)+, Aucilla (03110103)+, Upper Suwannee (03110201)+, Alapaha (03110202)+, withlacoochee (03110203)+, Little (03110204)+*, Lower Suwannee (03110205)+, Santa Fe (03110206)+, Apalachee Bay-St. Marks (03120001)+, Upper Ochlockonee (03120002)+*, Lower Flint (03130008)+*, Ichawaynochaway (03130009)+, Spring (03130010)+, Choctawhatchee Bay (03140102)+, Yellow (03140103)+
Basic Description: Deciduous, aromatic shrub in the laurel family (Lauraceae).
Technical Description: Stems with twigs slender, pale-brown, zig-zag, the branches spreading, the bark of new shoots reddish-brown, sometimes tomentose at first. Leaves alternate, spreading on short slender petioles 5 mm long or less, the blades leathery (somewhat like leaves of willow-oak), lanceolate to oblong or narrowly or broadly rounded, the margins entire, slightly thickened, the bases acute or acuminate, yellow-green and smooth save for villosity (spreading, long, crisped hairs) along the midrib beneath (sometimes also on the petiole). Winterbuds ovoid, valvate, to about 3 mm long, stalked, solitary or paired at the branch tips or from spur tips, these expanding to form cup-like involucres below the small umbels of male or female flowers. Flowers with mostly 6, spreading, yellow sepals, these broadly elliptic-oblong or obovate ca 3.0-3.5 mm long. Stamens mostly 9, the anthers with 4 valves (flaps), opening inward or laterally. Female flowers with 1 superior ovary, this surrounded by usually 9 short, fleshy staminodes. Fruit one to four, on stalks (pedicels) to 4 mm long, these jointed to peduncles (inflorescence stalks) about as long; body of drupe nearly round, 4-6 mm long, minutely roughened, red.
Diagnostic Characteristics: Superficially similar to Lindera spp. but differing in having 4 anther flaps (versus 2 for Lindera), in its smaller, rounder fruit, and in its much smaller and more leathery, narrower leaves. The twigs and foliage lack spicy odor.
Duration: PERENNIAL, Long-lived
Ecology Comments: Will sprout after fire.
Palustrine Habitat(s): Bog/fen
Habitat Comments: Found on margins of swamps, limesink ponds, bay heads, small ponds, pitcher plant savannas, natural doline ponds and in low wet woodlands. This species occurs on wet, sandy or peaty, and quite acid soils. Like Lindera, it may form thickets and thus, while spotty in distribution, may be abundant locally. Common associated woody species would be Red Bay, Virginia Bay, Gallberry, Myrtle, various heaths, Pond Pine, Pond Cypress, Loblolly Bay (Kral 1983). On the Delmarva Peninsula, Wicomico county, Maryland, it was found growing in an open woodland pond surrounded by pine oak forest. The associated species were Carex striata, Dulichium arundinaceum, Proserpinaca pestinata, Scirpus cyperinus, Rhexia virginica, Juncus repens, Leucothoe racemosa, Vaccinium atrococcum, Cephalanthus occidentals, Clethra alnifolia, Rhododendron viscosum and Panicum spretum.
Stewardship Overview: Clearcutting of the mercantible species might favor this plant. Burning would not affect it adversely in that, like most species of bogs and pocosins, it would respond vigorously with new shoots. Site preparation involving removal of brush would of course eliminate it, unless done in strips. Greatest difficulty for a species with high soil moisture requirements such as this one is through drainage of the habitat (Kral 1983) or reduction of the water table of natural coastal plain doline ponds by pumping of superficial aquifer. Some detrimental effects of laurel wilt on Litsea aestivalis have also been documented (Hughes et al. 2011, Surdick & Jenkins 2010). Seed collected of not more than 10% of available seed from a healthy population could be added to conservation seed banks in coordination with the Center for Plant Conservation (e.g. Bok Tower Gardens).
NatureServe Conservation Status Factors Edition Date: 03Dec2012
NatureServe Conservation Status Factors Author: Broaddus, Lynn (1991), rev. L. Morse (1994, 1998), rev. K. Gravuer (2008), rev. C. Nordman (2012)
Management Information Edition Date: 12Feb2013
Management Information Edition Author: Nordman, C.
Element Ecology & Life History Edition Date: 09Nov1992
Element Ecology & Life History Author(s): C. ANNABLE
Batson, W.T. 1972. Genera of the southeastern plants: A guide to the genera of native and commonly introduced ferns and seed plants of the southeastern United States excluding peninsular Florida. Batson, W.T., Columbia, South Carolina. 157 pp.
Fernald, M. L. 1950. Gray's manual of botany. 8th edition. Corrected printing (1970). D. Van Nostrand Company, New York. 1632 pp.
Fernald, M.L. 1950. Gray's Manual of Botany, 8th ed., Corr. Printing, 1970. Van Nostrand, New York. LXIV+1632 pp.
Flora of North America Editorial Committee. 1997. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 3. Magnoliophyta: Magnoliidae and Hamamelidae. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxiii + 590 pp.
GODFREY, ROBERT K. 1988. TREES, SHRUBS AND WOODY VINES OF NORTHERN FLORIDA AND ADJACENT GEORGIA AND ALABAMA. UNIV. OF GEORGIA PRESS, ATHENS, GA.
Godfrey, R.K., and J.W. Wooten. 1981. Aquatic and wetland plants of southeastern United States: Dicotyledons. Univ. Georgia Press, Athens. 933 pp.
Hughes, M., J. A. Smith, A. E. Mayfield, and M. C. Minno. 2011. First report of laurel wilt disease caused by Raffaelea lauricola on pondspice in Florida. Plant Disease 95: 1588.
Johnson, J., L. Reid, B. Mayfield, D. Duerr, and S. Fraedrich. 2007. New disease epidemic threatens redbay and other related species. Georgia Forestry Commision, South Carolina Forestry Commission, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services - Division of Forestry, and USDA Forest Service. Online. Availablie: http://www.state.sc.us/forest/idwilt.pdf (Accessed 2008)
KRAL, R. 1983.A REPORT ON SOME RARE,THREATENED,OR ENDANGEREDFOREST-RELATED VASCULAR PLANTS OF THE SOUTH.VOL I ISOETACEAETHROUGH EUPHORBIACEAE;VOL II AQUIFOLIACEA THROUGH ASTERACEAE& GLOSSARY.USDA FOREST SERV,SE REG.,ATL,GA. TECH PUBL R8-TP2
Kral, R. 1983c. A report on some rare, threatened, or endangered forest-related vascular plants of the South. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Forest Service Technical Publication R8-TP2, Athens, GA. 1305 pp.
McCollum, J.L., and D.R. Ettman. 1987. Georgia's protected plants. Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources, and the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, Social Circle, GA. 64 pp.
Nelson, G. 1996. The Shrubs and Woody Vines of Florida: A Reference and Field Guide. Pineapple Press Inc, Sarasota.
Radford, A. E., H. E. Ahles, and C. R. Bell. 1968. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill. 1183 pp.
Radford, A.E., H.E. Ahles, and C.R. Bell. 1968. Manual of the vascular flora of the Carolinas. Univ. North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, NC. 1183 pp.
Small, J.K. 1933. Manual of the southeastern flora. Two volumes. Hafner Publishing Company, New York.
Surdick, J.A. and A.M. Jenkins. 2010. Population surveys of rare Lauraceae species to assess the effect of laurel wilt disease in Florida. Florida Natural Areas Inventory, Tallahassee, Florida.
Surdick, J.A., and A.M. Jenkins. 2009. Pondspice (Litsea aestivalis) population status and response to laurel wilt disease in northeast Florida. Florida Natural Areas Inventory, Tallahassee, Florida.
Tobe, J., K.C. Burks, R. W. Cantrell, M.A. Garland, M.E. Sweeney, D. W. Hall, P. Wallace, G. Anglin, G. Nelson, J. R Cooper, D. Bickner, K. Gilbert, N. Aymond, N. Raymond. 1998. Florida Wetland Plants. An identification manual. Florida Department of Environmental Protection and University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Gainesville, FL 32611.
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Grim Solace by Ben Galley (reviewed by Justine Bergman)
Order Grim Solace over HERE (US) and HERE (UK)
OFFICIAL AUTHOR INFORMATION: Ben Galley is an author of dark and epic fantasy books who currently hails from Victoria, Canada. Since publishing his bestselling debut The Written in 2010, Ben has released a range of award-winning fantasy novels, including the weird western Bloodrush and the epic standalone The Heart of Stone. He is also the author of the brand new and critically-acclaimed Chasing Graves Trilogy.
When he isn't conjuring up strange new stories, Ben works as a self-publishing consultant, helping fellow authors from around the world to publish their books. He enjoys exploring the Canadian wilds and sipping Scotch single malts, and will forever and always play a dark elf in The Elder Scrolls. One day he hopes to live in an epic treehouse in the mountains.
Ben can be found on Twitter or vlogging on YouTube @BenGalley, or loitering on Facebook and Instagram @BenGalleyAuthor. You can also get a free eBook copy of his bestselling fantasy The Written at http://www.bengalley.com.
OFFICIAL BLURB: Nothing is certain in Araxes. Not even death.
Stolen from the widow's clutches, master thief and ghost Caltro Basalt must learn new ways to survive the cutthroat society of the Arctian Empire. His one hope for freedom and justice? A gift from the dead gods, who continue to beg for a saviour.
Breaking a soul takes time, and Caltro's spirit is far from broken. Many try to weave him into their plots, but he is set on salvation by no means but his own.
As Caltro finds himself ever ensnared in Araxes' cruel games, Nilith fights to survive the Dune Plains in her quest for redemption, Sisine continues her game of claiming ruler, and Temsa works toward his reign of chaos, one noble at a time
The board is set. The players chosen. Who will win the great game of Araxes?
FORMAT/INFO: Grim Solace is 455 pages long divided over 23 numbered and titled chapters, and is the second entry in The Chasing Graves Trilogy. The book is available in e-book and paperback format, as well as on Kindle Unlimited. It was self-published by the author on January 24, 2019. Cover art by Chris Cold, cover design by Shawn T. King.
ANALYSIS (Justine): The epic game continues in Grim Solace, the ambitious and unrelenting sophomore installment in The Chasing Graves Trilogy.
And so we carry on with our journey into a battle of life and death, where mysteries are bound to arise from beneath the punishing sands. The so-called "Dead Gods" scheme with hopes of fixing a fractured world, but as with all the others with skin in the game, who can presume their true intentions? Factions lurking in the shadows cast by Araxes' spiring towers at sunset clash for supremacy with no regard for collateral damage and the only measurements of success are either in the weight of their copper half-coins or the number of white feathers upon the breasts of the wronged. With the introduction of a whole new multitude of monsters and mayhem, only the grains slipping through the hourglass will tell who will reign triumphant.
We begin right where we left off as Caltro finds himself in the clutches of another who will gladly use him as easily as he himself uses his tools to breach an impenetrable vault. As he is passed from one bad situation to the next, he internally struggles on which path to freedom will best suit his selfish needs. However, a gift given to him by the gods proves him a valuable asset to all the parties involved in the fight for power.
Temsa continues to carve a path to the top of the food chain, a path drenched in blood and littered with carnage. His unfounded and blind ambition, as well as his willingness to play both sides of a raging war, may be his demise as the loyalty of those closest to him begins to waver.
Empress Nilith races to reach Araxes to fulfill her master plan while outrunning a group of bandits fueled by a malicious grudge. Her path is rife with horrors, both natural and man-made, but her belief that she can undo the travesties set forth by those before steadily pushes her forward.
There are others with curious and unknown designs working in secret and outside of earshot that may very well play a crucial role in the outcome of the game. Will their crafty planning turn the tide as a hopeful victor reaches the finish line?
Grim Solace is a wonderfully realized story dominated by impeccable and deepening character development, and while book one introduced a cast of great characters, this one allows us to peek deeper into their minds and witness their struggles and machinations. The story moves along at a breakneck pace as peril awaits at every turn. The cunning and danger are palpable and the overall feeling is grim and futile, however there remains a seed of hope that there will be justice where justice is due. A welcomed dark, snide humor breaks up the aura of complete hopelessness, making Caltro's passages particularly enjoyable to read. Galley also beautifully graces the pages with exotic and vividly depicted places and creatures, making a read that remains captivating throughout. When things begin to settle down to an almost ordinary level, he throws in a fresh and fantastical adversary or hellish landscape, challenging your brain to let go and believe in the unbelievable.
The threads are beginning to come together, even though we are left grasping the edge with several cliffhangers. The story is becoming more compelling with each chapter and I'm really excited to see how Galley concludes this tale, which has definitely piqued my interest and violently drawn me in. As I dive deeper into this world, it's becoming more difficult to decide on who I'd like to see victorious, because if I've learned anything from these exquisite characters, it's to trust no one. The fight for Araxes continues in Breaking Chaos.
A huge thank you to Ben Galley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.
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Now displaying: June, 2016
058 Lisa Simone Richards - How to Get Your Fitness Brand in the Media 0
Lisa Simone Richards is a publicity expert for fitpros and wellness-preneurs who are dying to see themselves and their businesses featured in magazines, on TV and around the web. As the principal of PR agency Vitality PR & Communications in Toronto and the creator of Make Media Friends, an online PR school for health, fitness and wellness entrepreneurs, she’s here to teach you how to connect with the right media personalities and use the power of publicity to get your brand in the spotlight and attract your perfect clients.
During this show she shares tips on where to start, how often to pitch stories, how to get published and how to get FREE publicity! All that and much more!
057 Bill McBride - Creation Versus Evolution - What's Right for Your Fitness Business? 0
Bill McBride is a health club industry veteran with over 25 years of experience leading and managing all aspects of commercial health clubs, medical fitness centers, residential, community, multi-tenant and corporate fitness sites. He co-founded Active Sports Clubs and Active Wellness, LLC and owns a health club consultancy - BMC3.
Bill has served as Chairman of the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) Board of Directors, President of the Mid-Atlantic Club Management Association (MACMA) and served on the Industry Advisory Board for the American Council of Exercise (ACE). He is actively engaged as an author on industry education, serves on several Advisory Boards and speaks regularly on industry topics throughout the world.
056 Casey Conrad - Everything You Need to Know About the Journey of a Fitness Sales Person 0
Casey Conrad, BA, JD, has been in the health and fitness industry for 27 years. In addition to authoring “Selling Fitness: The Complete Guide to Selling Health Club Memberships,” she has created and published over 25 other sales, marketing and management training products for the industry.
Most recently Casey has created an entire line of comprehensive training programs that are delivered on-line. These include membership sales, personal training sales and Internet marketing. She has spoken in 24 countries, is a feature presenter at conventions and trade shows worldwide and writes monthly for numerous international magazines.
Casey first appeared in show 31 when we talked about sales processes; how to ask for referrals, sales tips for PTs and what areas fit biz owners need to focus on to improve sales.
This time, Casey talks us through the journey of a sales person, from hiring to managing to training and to performance management plus more!
Also, later in the show, we hear from Tom Kalka from Sargents Fitness concepts, a regular listener of the show and huge advocate of the power of podcasts.
055 Tim Keightley - Fitness Industry Reflections and Predictions 2015 to 2017 0
Tim Keightley is an experienced visionary leader and has been the driving force behind some of the most successful health and fitness brands in the world. He has a track record that includes creating the largest personal training business in Europe and elevating some of the most successful in the US to new levels. Tim is also a highly sought after speaker who inspires people with his motivating and captivating presentations about team work and his ‘ONE Team’ philosophies.
Most recently Tim was a key executive behind the expansion of Gold’s Gym International as the Executive Vice President of Operations. He is now sharing his knowledge and expertise with leading brands on a variety of projects, as a senior advisor with the Fitmarc and Integerus organizations.
Tim first appeared in Show 25 when we talked about recruiting personal trainers, evaluating their performance and keeping them motivated. This time, we discussed how to keep PTs in your business for longer, the major challenges facing fitness businesses in 2016 and what trends we will see in the industry in the year ahead.
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5 Things to Look Out For at Zagreb Next Week
Photo: Richard Immel
Next weekend is the 2019 Grand Prix Zagreb Open in Zagreb, Croatia. It has become somewhat of an annual stop for US Greco-Roman Seniors in recent years, with the program putting forth at least one medalist dating back to 2016.
’16 was a particularly strong group. There were four American medalists on that January day — Joe Rau (TMWC, Chicago RTC) took second at 98 kilos, and three-time World Team member Patrick Martinez (NYAC) grabbed bronze along with Rio Olympian Jesse Thielke (NYAC/LOG, world no. 14) and Daniel Miller (Marines). It’s also worth noting that Martinez, who goes without say, Thielke, and Miller are all current US National Team members. We’ll get to that in a second.
Thielke is holding off until March’s Thor Masters, and Rau is focusing on the Open, but Miller will be in Croatia. The same can be said for Martinez and fellow World Teamers Dalton Roberts (60 kg, NYAC/OTS), RaVaughn Perkins (77 kg, NYAC, world no. 17), and Kamal Bey (77 kg, Sunkist, world no. 7). And there it is again, both Perkins and Bey earned bronze medals at Zagreb in 2017.
The US roster is just loaded with National Team members. Kevin Radford (87 kg, Sunkist), who endured a brief injury scare in the Schultz, is lacing them up in Croatia for a second time. Marine Xavier Johnson (63 kg) earned his first overseas medal at this event last year, and he’ll have company from his own wrestling room in the likes of the aforementioned Miller, Peyton Walsh (77 kg) and John Stefanowicz (82 kg).
The American Greco-Roman athletes represent the rooting interest — and this is an important tournament for several of them. There are also a couple of other items that will be in play a week from now that you might want to zero in on, with the first one listed perhaps being the most obvious.
2019 Grand Prix Zagreb Open
5 Things to Look Out For
5. It’s the first UWW (United World Wrestling) “Ranking Series” event of the year.
And because of that fact, a whole bunch of top international stars are competing, World and Olympic stars like Elmurat Tasmuradov (63 kg, UZB, world no. 2), Kim Hyeon-Woo (77 kg, KOR, world no. 3), Peter Bacsi (82 kg, HUN, world no. 1), and Riza Kayaalp (130 kg, TUR), who will be trying to wash the taste of Budapest ’18 out of his mouth. The event itself has been doing its letter-best to promote the festivities on Facebook, and they offered up this gem of a graphic recently that pretty much sums it up.
The “Ranking Series”, for better or worse, holds potentially critical implications in regards to seeding at the World Championships with each event (four in total plus a nation’s Continental Championships as well as individually accrued points from the previous Worlds) boasting an assigned value relative to placing. The chart below should help you out.
4. We kind of need to see Johnson and RaVaughn in action against foreigners right now.
This is the tournament that can be credited for shot-putting Johnson into the national consciousness. He came in as a blitzing talent, dropped his first match to Junior World champ Kerem Kamal (TUR), won a couple, and then slayed Kamal in the bronze-medal match. This all happened at 60 kilos, not the 63 Johnson is currently locked into. Since Zagreb last year, Johnson has added a couple of more international medals to his resume and made his first National Team this past June. He also hasn’t competed since the summer, so checking out his progress is a high priority.
As for Perkins, it isn’t about his progress so much as it’s about his weight. The Nebraska native went 77 kilos at the fall Schultz in 2017, cut back down to 72 from then on out, and then he was back up at 77 for the Schultz last week. Perkins has the strength and the height/reach for 77, and there’s a good chance he can stay on the mat at this weight if only because he’ll be without the added stress of cutting as much. So Zagreb is a test for him on two fronts: 1) it’s another opportunity to try it on for size, and 2) he is sure to have high-quality dance partners to tango with.
3. Mr. Radford.
Radford’s ability and overall improvement are glaring. The only reason one might not be aware of how good he has become is if they haven’t actually watched him wrestle. Forget about results, we’re talking confidence in movement. That’s when you notice his trajectory the most. Radford has turned himself into a viable contender in every event thanks in large part to his growing arsenal, shored-up positioning, and general attack plan. He’s beating and has beaten plenty of domestic foes, but it’s the international types who have given him fits. While it makes sense given any and all relative circumstances, Radford has a style that in many cases, should prove problematic for Europeans. If he zones in enough next week, maybe he can unleash it.
2. The officiating: will it be terrible?
You’d hope not, and to be fair, Budapest wasn’t completely devoid of decently-called matches. But with “negative wrestling” and its associated (and consistent) misinterpretations, it’s perfectly understandable if you’re approaching the first major tournament of the year with at least some degree of skepticism. For the good of the sport, they better start getting this right. It’s a new era now, and wrestling’s marketability has never been under a bigger microscope. At this stage, it’s not just a fight for fairness, it is practically a fight for survival.
1. Cross your fingers, but Bey could wrestle Kim.
You operate with what you know and dismiss what you don’t. We know that both Bey and Korea’s biggest star, Kim, are both going to be available. We don’t know how many other studs will show up since Zagreb hasn’t released the full entry list yet. But if this thing winds up coming to fruition — even if it takes place in a round-of-16 or quarterfinal — it will be the most-watched bout featuring a US guy in the entire tournament. If they had met a year ago, there’s a strong likelihood not too many folks would have given Bey a shot in that one. Now? You never know, especially after the way Bey dealt with two-time World bronze Elvin Mursaliyev (AZE, world no. 8). Plus, Kim’s style is much more agreeable to Bey’s, making legit action all but a guarantee. If they don’t clash in Croatia, perhaps Kim sticks around for the Hungarian Grand Prix and it happens there. One way or the other, the mere idea this could unfold next week is more than enough to get excited about.
February 9th-10th — Zagreb, Croatia
Streaming live in the US on FLOWrestling (subscription required).
CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE USA GRECO-ROMAN PROGRAM
Listen to “5PM21: Paul Tellgren, Ellis Coleman and Alec Ortiz stop by the Five Point Move Podcast” on Spreaker.
Related Items:dalton roberts, daniel miller, grand prix zagreb open, jesse thielke, joe rau, john stefanowicz, kamal bey, kevin radford, kim hyeon-woo, patrick martinez, peyton walsh, xavier johnson
Cohlton Schultz Making Senior Debut at Thor Masters
Monday Roundup: Zagreb Week; Deglane Placewinners
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Quotes \ Authors \ American Authors \ Bob Kane
Facts about Bob Kane
Bob Kane was a famous Artist from USA, who lived between October 24, 1916 and November 3, 1998. He/she became 82 years old.
He/she is born under the zodiac scorpio, who is known for Transient, Self-Willed, Purposeful, Unyielding. Our collection contains 21 quotes who is written / told by Bob.
Here is some other popular authors who lived in the same timeframe: George Will, Khaleda Zia, Anne Baxter, Clive James, Tom Metzger, Robert F. Kennedy, Joe Namath, Arthur C. Clarke, Willie Mays, Mike Ditka, Martin Yan, Didier Drogba, Øystein Stray Spetalen, Billy Zane, Arthur Lydiard, Robert Indiana, Whitfield Diffie, Phyllis Diller, Twyla Tharp, Jim Rohn
Famous quotes by Bob Kane (21)
"When I first drew him I had eyes in there and it didn't look right"
"The New Look of Batman is more illustrative and realistic"
"It took them a while to catch on that Batman would be the greatest"
"I intend to explode the myths about myself and get down to the real truth about the legend that is Batman"
"The trouble with being a ghostwriter or artist is that you must remain rather anonymously without credit. If one wants the credit, one has to cease being a ghost and become a leader or innovator"
"Much is written about the Batman because he is publicly exposed in print. Very little is known personally about his creator, because I haven't given out that many interviews"
"If Bill Finger created Batman, where is Bill Finger's byline on my strip? It is conspicuous by its absence"
"It's been 25 years now, and truthfully, time sometimes blurs the memory"
"I created Batman about 10 years before Ian Fleming created James Bond"
"I am planning a one-man art show of original Batman oil paintings that I will show in New York City"
"In the Golden Age of Batman, I penciled, inked, and lettered my strip by myself"
"I am also a writer. That is a fact not known by the public in general"
"How can an article about me or the Batman be the true story when I am not consulted or interviewed?"
"What I read is so distorted that I cannot believe that the person they are talking about is myself"
"It is difficult to separate, at times, the myth from the truth"
"I was involved with the Batman. There are two sides to every story. Now you've heard my side"
"Although Bill Finger literally typed the scripts in the early days, he wrote the scripts from ideas that we mutually collaborated on. Many of the unique concepts and story twists also came from my own fertile imagination"
"Batman has been acknowledged as a legend in my lifetime"
"I didn't have the time to literally write and draw the strip at the same time"
"This sounds like my autobiography, but I thought this would be a good time to sound off about myself, as I think that I have been silent too long about my views and opinions"
"If you ever want to get the facts straight about me or the Batman, please write to the original source, myself, for the truth, instead of second guessing"
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Midnight Black Gambling
03 October 2013| No Comments on Runner Runner by Sean Chavel
Not terrible, but far from good. Runner Runner takes on the tantalizing premise of a Princeton kid trying to get his money back from an internet gaming casino which has unethically used an algorithm to ensure he couldn’t win. The kid is played by Justin Timberlake, and the internet mogul is played much better by Ben Affleck, whose character Ivan Block is hiding outside of U.S. jurisdiction in Costa Rica. He likes the balls on the kid, so he offers him a job as his marketing consultant.
It’s a dirty job, as in immoral. And yet we only get a couple of scant scenes of the kid Richie performing the job – we’re not exactly sure what he’s supposed to do there, except get seduced by wads of cash and by a vixen played by Gemma Arterton. The script by Brian Koppelman and David Levien (“Michael Clayton”) has some sting when it comes to Richie’s scenes with Ivan Block. But lots of the movie feels like rehash elements from genre predecessors: Flashy money, easy babes, crooked ethnic associates, video surveillance used as blackmail, and the itchy FBI agent (Anthony Mackie) who is desperate for a kid like Richie to be his informant.
My interest was held for most of the time, I wasn’t watching with an unaffected feeling. Part of the problem, however, is that Timberlake is doing an all too apparent acting job here, looking the same as always and playing a variance on his own unruffled cool cat persona. Affleck looks like he always looks like, too, but there is heft and authority to his performance – it would be interesting to see him at his age go back and re-do his corporate shark role in “Boiler Room” (2000).
Then there’s Arterton, a sophisticated beauty, who has slept with Ivan but now takes a sweet liking to the kid – this is forced by the screenplay because none of the behavior between her and Timberlake is convincing. I kept wondering if she was just using him as part of a scheme. But really, it’s not hard to see that “Runner Runner” all in all is lost in its own scheme of overwrought melodrama.
91 Minutes. Rated R.
THRILLER / GAMBLING / MATINEE SAVER
Film Cousins: “Casino” (1995); “Croupier” (1998); “Two for the Money” (2005); “21” (2008).
Anthony Mackie, Ben Affleck, Gemma Arterton, Justin Timberlake, Movie Review, Thrillers
Bad Guy Ben Affleck, Ben Affleck Ivan Block, Justin Timberlake Runner Runner, Review Runner Runner Movie
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Site Name: KSCC
Call Letters: KSCC
Site Uuid: 142a772b-bdca-4899-b9d0-5100b6fe3751
Story Uuid: 60a889dc-723d-429f-950f-f680553d4748
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Story Slug: ford-revamps-explorer-suv-for-1st-time-since-2011-model-year
Newsbriefs
Ford revamps Explorer SUV for 1st time since 2011 model year
By Associated Press 1547129905000
2020 Ford Explorer Limited (Image courtesy of Ford Motor Co.)
DETROIT (AP) —
Ford's aging Explorer big SUV is getting a major revamp as it faces growing competition in the market for family haulers with three rows of seats.
The company unveiled the new version Wednesday night at Ford Field, home of the NFL's Detroit Lions. It comes just before next week's press days at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, where the new SUV will be on display.
The Explorer, last reworked for the 2011 model year, gets a top-to-bottom update that includes a switch from front- to rear-wheel-drive, as well as updated engines and transmissions, some nice standard safety features and even high-performance and gas-electric hybrid versions. The switch to rear drive will boost towing capacity and off-road performance, Ford says.
Sales of the venerable Explorer had held up well but dropped 3.5 percent last year to just under 262,000.
The SUV's appearance doesn't change much, but the roof line does slope more from front to back. Customers have told engineers that hip space in the front seats seemed cramped, and it was hard to get into the third row of seats. Ford took care of both problems with more interior space and second-row seats that tip and slide forward with the touch of a button.
Engineers say the new version is more efficient because it's 200 pounds lighter than the old model due to more use of aluminum and high-strength steel. The base engine is an updated turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder with 300 horsepower. There's also a 365 horsepower 3-liter turbocharged V6. And for the first time in six years, Ford is offering a gas-electric hybrid SUV with the new Explorer.
Standard on all models is Ford's suite of advanced safety features that includes automatic emergency braking, blind spot detectors and lane keeping. The base price will rise $400 from the current $32,365 excluding shipping. Fuel economy wasn't announced. The Chicago-built Explorer goes on sale in the summer.
The Explorer is competing against relatively new versions of General Motors' three-row SUVs including the Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave. Cadillac plans to unveil the new XT6 on Sunday.
Fiat Chrysler also plans to get into the three-row market, too. It's reportedly readying a version of the Jeep Grand Cherokee with the added row.
Fox Corpus Christi KSCC 38 provides coverage of news, sports, weather and items of community interest to the Corpus Christi, Texas area, including Port Aransas, Port Lavaca, Aransas Pass, Mustang Island, Robstown, Sinton, Beeville, Kingsville, Riveira, Sarita, Alice, Whitsett, Fulton, Rockport and Lamar.
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Tag: Electric Cinema Club
Gay Screen
The Gay Film unit starts work. Above: Two members of the cast. Below: Others chat on the set between takes. [Photographs: David Hart]
LONDON: Several months ago a few people got together and decided to form a gay film unit. And this week, on a G-string budget, the unit showed it meant business.
A little professional help is turning the amateur enthusiasm into a dream realised.
But before the movie-buffs rush off to the Biograph to see a blue movie, a word or two of warning: this is just the first of a series of commercials for gay liberation politics, the initial project being called Party Piece.
Needless to say, there’s a nude scene, played by Leonard Whiting, a fantasy leather sequence and so on. The message the movie gets across is quite explicit, so, of course, there won’t be a generous screening of it when it’s finished (the unit hopes it won’t take more than about a month in postproduction) and it may turn up at the Electric Cinema Club, or the Kings Cross Cinema, the unit hopes. But so far no definite arrangements have been negotiated for its screening.
The movie has the obvious weaknesses you expect if one uses an entirely amateur cast, but producer Ray Fowler and director Bruce Wisehart have very definite ideas of where they think the gay visual art scene should be headed.
The two-minute colour movie took nine hours to shoot in a borrowed Hampstead flat and although enthusiasm began to wane under the hot lights and the intense concentration required, I think Bruce and Roy have a small winner in the can.
The film unit intends to go ahead making more gay movies, but future plans are not yet definite.
Author David HartPosted on 7 February 1973 4 January 2018 Categories Issue 16: Page 04Tags Bruce Wisehart, Electric Cinema Club, Gay Film Unit, Kings Cross Cinema, Ray FowlerLeave a comment on Gay Screen
Sssch-Press Silence
LONDON: A sex-education movie that may be bought by the Inner London Education Authority may not be advertised in the Evening Standard, because Cobra Films who made the movie want to quote the criticism of Cobra-1 that appeared in Gay News.
Cobra-1, also called etcetcetc, approaches the subject of sex from a standpoint that values relationships higher than “the perfect position” for a couple.
When Cobra Films booked the space in the Standard the advertisement department could see no objection to running the ad.
But when Geoff Richards, formerly of the Electric Cinema Club in Portobello Road, which gave Cobra-1 its premiere, took the copy for the ad along to the Standard, he was told by the assistant advertisement manager that the Gay News criticism was “near-pornography”. The man at the Standard suggested that Cobra should find a “respectable film critic to quote — like Alexander Walker” if it wanted to run the advertisement.
But Cobra Films, who maintain that the Gay News criticism (in GN10) was the only crit that approached the movie on its own terms refused to change the wording and would not cut off the by-line tag: “Peter Holmes, Gay News.”
The result is that no advertisement for Cobra Films’ first movie appeared in the Standard. The shareholders of Beaverbrook Newspapers are the losers.
Author NewsPosted on 1 December 1972 18 May 2017 Categories Issue 12: Page 03Tags Alexander Walker, Cobra Films, Cobra-1, Cobra-One, Electric Cinema Club, etcetcetc, Evening Standard, Geoff Richards, Inner London Education Authority, Peter Holmes, sex educationLeave a comment on Sssch-Press Silence
I’ve spent a few years as a provincial paper movie critic and, as such, I’ve had sex education flix up to here (he indicated his rat-low brow.)
In fact I’ve seen so many sex education movies that the Pearl and Dean breaks became cinematic delights before I moved from country pleasures to the lemming-race of the Northern Line.
All this by way of introduction to what was for me an amazing little movie that opens at the Electric Cinema Club, Portobello Road, this weekend (November 5) for a week.
It’s amazing because it’s not crammed with:
a) as much nudity as possible using sex-ed as the excuse for a pale blue movie
b) well-meaning Scandinavians discussing orgasms over their coffee and cakes with schlagsahne, evidently psychiatrists of some sort.
Cobra-One – called that because it’s Cobra Films’ first effort – is a realistic piece of sex-education that, as one would expect, concentrates on a heterosexual couple. But it does not put down gays, just as it doesn’t suggest that such a position may be just right for a certain couple. But then it doesn’t advise gay sex.
Cobra-One, otherwise known as etcetcetc, does not set out to teach sex but relationships. As such it’s a success, except the home-movie-ishness about it made me feel that the entire cast and crew were stoned on something all the time.
Viewed as a stoned movie it’s great. But as sex education it’s no great shakes.
Author Peter HolmesPosted on 1 November 1972 17 April 2017 Categories Issue 10: Page 13Tags Cobra Films, Cobra-One, Electric Cinema Club, etcetcetc, sex educationLeave a comment on Below The Belt
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The thing about Nintendo, they can live without EA, they've always thrived on their own first part offerings, but third partiers who put the effort in see success. Look how well Ubisoft did on the Wii.
Also, apparently this was a big reason Nintendo opted not to do a big press conference at E3. They really are trying something new (and frankly, cool if they pull it off right), in addition to a big Nintendo Direct blow out E3 week (Which for all intents and purposes, is a press conference). They're going to showcase some of their E3 games at select Best Buy's in the USA and Canada so gamers can try it themselves.
http://kotaku.com/nintendo-re-writes-rules-of-e3-letting-the-public-play-508197374
Edward J Grug III, Pak-Man and Space version 2.0 like this
5000 deaths and counting
Wait a minute, Dragon Age: Origins was published by EA?! Dang it, there goes my boycott of EA products for reasons I'm not entirely clear on. I miss the old days, back when they still went by the name Electronic Arts and used that cube-sphere-pyramid thingy logo. I have loads of C64 games by them.
On a totally unrelated note, I love the fact that PC gaming is having a huge upsurge in popularity, while console gaming is being more and more relegated to the casual gamer. No sarcasm intended. Between the high quality games that only a PC can handle, and the multitude of fantastic indie games, I think we've entered another golden age of gaming.
« Last Edit: May 19, 2013, 08:35:08 PM by CJones »
What's the best use for all those extra quarters? Arcade games of course!
Counting down the Top 50 Coin Operated Games!
Total Biscuit, a well known video game commentator, brings up Rifftrax during a discussion about Nintendo cracking down on Let's Plays on the internet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yX4io2O4EI&list=UUy1Ms_5qBTawC-k7PVjHXKQ
Nothing huge, just a mention of the boys and copyrights being the reason that some films have MP3s and others have VODs before he launches into the whole Nintendo debate.
Variety of Cells
Dragon Ryder
Batman Arkham Origins trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/v/9pnK8akbd2M?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0
Is it just me or is there nothing that exciting in this video? Batman doesn't seem to be just starting out as the name 'origins' wants to imply. He seems just like the batman from the previous two games. These enemies are pretty generic and the setting is pretty boring. Hopefully the gameplay is still fun.
Yeah, the Xbox reveal is in an hour but more news just hit.
Slitherine Games, a strategy game maker, just announced Warhammer 40k: Battle for Armageddon, a turn based strategy game set in the 40k universe.
It's been almost 15 years since there was a turn based 40k game (Chaos Gate? Or was it the Eldar-based Panzer General-y game?) and hey, this is welcome news for me.
Okay, X-Box Reveal time.
*The Xbox employees do a little video and say the word "alive" a lot. Foreshadowing?
*"All your entertainment in one place!" Oh, joy. Never get tired of that phrase.
*"Can we improve the living room?" Once again, as a game player, this isn't sounding good.
*"An all in one entertainment system.... X-Box One" Wow. Okay, that's not the most impressive name.
*Oh, hey! They're showing the thing. Every bit of it. There's the main unit, a controller and kinect all shown at very close range. It's almost like they heard the complaints about Sony's conference.
*Back to X-Box One, wouldn't that be the first X-Box? Meh, whatever. Still better name than Wii-U.
*Oh hey. A gaming guy."We'll tell you more at E3." And hopes dashed there because he's back to the "all in one" thing. Hey! You can turn it on by voice! The XB1 also remembers what you were last doing, making it as current as my copy of Firefox circa 2006. And you can instantly watch TV on your XB1 by saying "XBox! Watch TV!" You can switch quickly between movies, games, tv, music and IE with gestures and vocals. Ah! The movie is Star Trek! Lens flares!!!!!
*Snap mode allows multiple windows to open, so you can watch a film and, say, web browse at the same time.
*Skype on XB1. It's windowed as well.
*And now ESPN. This is all great, but I'm a person who uses the console for, you know, gaming. I have a computer to do Skype and windows and stuff on. I guess it'll be useful for those who don't sit on the computer all day like I do.
*Heh. Twitter: those who had "It's going to be a Swiss Army set-top box" in the pool win! That reminds me that I need to check my XB Reveal bingo card later.
*"The beginning of truly intelligent TV!" so, does your XB1 only play The Wire or something?
*Tech stats just leaked. 8 GB ram, blu-ray, 500 GB hard drive. 1080p FOV.
*Talking about Kinect now. It's paired with the unit now and can alledgedly recognize the voice of every family member. Faster too. New sensor will better recognize your movements and can read your heartrate while you exercise. Hopefully it works at shorter distances as my living room still hasn't gotten any bigger.
*New controller- better triggers, better D-pad (huzzah!) and over 30 improvements over the old controller. Looks like it interacts with the Kinect as well.
*Smart glass will be native to the platform. No signs of a smart glass-y controller though. I suspect that the Wii-U's crashing may have altered some things there.
*Even more servers are added for XBox Live, more computer power than the world in 1999.
*More cloud talk- saves and movies saved to the cloud. Sidestepping the 'Always online" issue so far, which they've yet to say anything about. Still the big elephant in the room.
*A wild EA rep appears! EA and Microsoft are in a broad strategic partnership. Whatever that means. Four games for XB1- FIFA, Madden, NBA Live and UFC. All powered by a new game engine, "Blurring the line between real and virtual." Pro players are talking about reading the lines of the defense in Madden. Er, guys? I'm not a pro player. I don't really want to need that level of expertise to play the game. Hopefully that's just talk, rather than a requirement. New games will have 10 times the animation depth and detail over older engine. They'll reveal exclusive stuff for FIFA 14 soon. But not now.
*Still on the sports games, they're showing them and wow, Those models do look impressive. Almost photo-realistic for the players. If the end game looks that good, then wow.
*Exclusives time. First up- Forza 5. goodie. I love my little car games, even though my driving sucks. It'll be a launch title, but "more at E3." Blah. This guy can't pronounce Forza either, as it seems to now have a third syllable. Next, Remedy pops up with "Quantum Break." I've seen the trailer, but I'm still not sure what it's about. 15 exclusive games in the first year of XB1, 8 of which are new IPs. Well, that's good. New IPs are always nice.
*Someone who used to work at CBS arrives. She flubs some of her lines, which is always nice to see. "TV on Xbox will become social!" Great! I always love for my co-workers to know that I'm watching Bridezilla! And.... holy cow. Halo TV series. Live action. Directed by Spielberg. Wow. I guess Forward Unto Dawn was a success. More details- a premium series for XBL users. So, subscription based on top of subscription? Eh, I'll need to see it first.
*More ways to watch live sports on X-Box. Partnership with NFL for the upcoming season. Looks nice for fantasy football fans.
*Hmmm. Microsoft's stream is about 3-4 minutes behind everyone else's. Great job, Microsoft.
*Call of Duty: Ghosts will launch first on XB1. Sony's not going to be happy. Nor are the folks with 360s who'll need to upgrade to play it. Unless they want to wait a few weeks, but that's just silly. The guy who wrote Traffic wrote the plot for the single player campaign, which sounds very Red Dawn-y in nature. Plus, you have a dog. Not joking, you get to play a dog in some levels. Frankly, that does sound entertaining. The models look very impressive too. Heh. The poor German Shepard has those little motion capture balls attached to it's fur. Awww. Poor doggie.
*Side by side comparison of graphics from MW3 to Ghosts. Once again, pretty damn impressive, although I imagine that the graphics on the PS4 will be equally advanced. Its just impressive how much changes over just a few years. And then a trailer for the new game. Hey! A scuba level! What? The fish are pretty. And we'll see more at E3. It's over.
*Things not covered: Price, release date and that pesky "always need to be internet connected" thing that's been floated.
« Last Edit: May 21, 2013, 11:04:48 AM by Compound »
Pak-Man likes this
A whole lot of nothing, with only a few interesting bits. Sony went for two hours and had more stuff to show.
I guess E3 is where I'll actually find out about the games.
The Lurker
Can't Shoot Straight
http://www.youtube.com/v/RKMa6dY_29s
Variety of Cells likes this
Awesome. Reminds me of one of my favorite old tables, Xenon. Shall most likely be downloading that.
With that pack, they only have one more to go and then the Pin Bot Trilogy will be complete.
For those who haven't seen it, here's the first gameplay trailer (more of a playthough of the first level) of the Ducktales game. Apparently the layout will be the same, with the secret passageways being in the same spots.
http://www.youtube.com/v/o4Wfl7Q9m3I
« Last Edit: May 30, 2013, 07:42:05 PM by The Lurker »
Johnny Unusual likes this
http://www.youtube.com/v/Rha2V96pftw
I hope they do World of Illusion next.
« Last Edit: May 31, 2013, 06:40:52 AM by The Lurker »
Pak-Man
Insert $0.25 to Play!
I'd love to see them spice up Darkwing Duck. It's a nifty, oft-overlooked Megamanesque game.
Quote from: Pak-Man on May 31, 2013, 07:34:29 AM
Megamanesque? It's so Megamanesque that it's basically a reskin. Good game, though.
Supposedly, if Ducktales does well enough, Capcom will tackle Chip and Dale next.
Johnny Unusual, Pak-Man and Space version 2.0 like this
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音楽 ： Megumi Yonezawa Masa Kamaguchi Ken Kobayashi－Boundary（ESP-Disk’）
ESP-5023
Megumi Yonezawa Masa Kamaguchi Ken Kobayashi
All the members of this trio are Japanese. The pianist and drummer live in New York City and often collaborate; the bassist lives in Madrid but comes to N.Y.C. twice a year for a month each time. The producer heard them at Manhattan jazz bar Tomi Jazz and immediately booked a session to capture their magic before Kamaguchi left town. Yonezawa, from Hokkaido, earned multiple awards while studying performance and composition at Berklee, then joined Greg Osby's group on Jason Moran's recommendation and can be heard with him on the Blue Note album Public. Other credits include work with David Liebman, George Garzone, Sam Newsome, and many more. In 2016 the Fresh Sound New Talent label released her debut album, A Result of the Colors. But none of these credits reflect the freedom with which she plays on Boundary. Kamaguchi , also from Hokkaido, has the most recording credits (upwards of 30) in the trio, ranging from Ahmed Abdullah's Actual Proof (CIMP, 1999) to a series of tribute albums with Vinnie Sperrazza and Jacob Sacks (Fresh Sound New Talent). Inspired to play bass after hearing Jaco Pastorius albums, he studied with Gary Peacock student Yoshio Ikeda, then moved to Boston to attend Berklee, followed by a dozen years in New York City performing and recording with ESP star Sonny Simmons, David Murray, Charles Gayle, Paul Motian, Dave Douglas, Frank Kimbrough, and even Toots Thielemans. Kobayashi, who put the trio together, hails from Tokyo, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in art criticism and art history from Tama Art University. After moving to New York, he expanded his knowledge at the Drummer's Collective. He can also be heard on Jan (2014) with bassist Jochem van Dijk and Nine Stories (2016) with Takeshi Asai.
The group will have a release party for this album as part of the first of four ESP-Disk' 55th anniversary concerts in2018: Saturday, January 27, 7:30 at Greenwich House, 46 Barrow St., NYC as part of the Sound It Out series.
Megumi Yonezawa, piano; Masa Kamaguchi, bass; Ken Kobayashi, drums
All tracks by Megumi Yonezawa/Masa Kamaguchi/Ken Kobayashi (ESP-Disk' Ltd.) except "I’ll Be Seeing You" by Irvin Kahal/Sammy Fain (Fain Music Co./BMG Gold Songs).
Cover art by Kiichiro Adachi
Photos by Eva Kapanadze
Liner notes by Matthew Shipp
Produced by Steve Holtje
Recorded at Park West Studios on June 4, 2017 by Jim Clouse
01. Boundary 4:23
02. Alchemy 6:03
03. Tremor 4:40
04. Meryon 7:18
05. I’ll Be Seeing You 6:39
06. Reef 7:31
07. Veil 8:50
08. Onement 6:08
09. Wavelength 5:15
10. Nostalgio 9:51
Total time 66:37
Musicians: Megumi Yonezawa Masa Kamaguchi Ken Kobayashi Matthew Shipp
美術 ： 坂爪厚生
書籍 ： アンドレブルトン ポールエリュアール シュルレアリスム簡約辞典
アンドレブルトン ポールエリュアール シュルレアリスム簡約辞典
現代思潮社■1971 76p 別冊付録付 定価1000円
音楽 ： Megumi Yonezawa Masa Kamaguchi Ken Kobayashi－...
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Home / Cook Books
The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook: A Fresh Guide to Eating Well With 700 Foolproof Recipes
$29.95 (as of July 17, 2019, 8:19 am) & FREE Shipping. Details $18.29
Category: Cook Books
Best-Selling vegetarian cookbook destined to become a classic.
Everyone knows they should eat more vegetables and grains, but that prospect can be intimidating with recipes that are often too complicated for everyday meals or lacking in fresh appeal or flavor. For the first time ever, the test kitchen has devoted its considerable resources to creating a vegetarian cookbook for the way we want to eat today. The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook is a wide-ranging collection of boldly flavorful vegetarian recipes covering hearty vegetable mains, rice and grains, beans and soy as well as soups, appetizers, snacks, and salads.
More than 300 recipes are fast (start to finish in 45 minutes or less), 500 are gluten-free, and 250 are vegan and are all highlighted with icons on the pages. The book contains stunning color photography throughout that shows the appeal of these veggie-packed dishes. In addition, almost 500 color photos illustrate vegetable prep and tricky techniques as well as key steps within recipes.
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Collecting Issues & Resources
Jock Sturges: Twenty-Five Years
by Matt Damsker
Edited with preface by Paul Cava. 25 plates, available as 8-by-10-inch gelatin silver prints, signed and numbered in editions of 25. Published by Paul Cava Fine Art, 35 Union Ave., Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004. ISBN No. 0-9707966-1-7. Phone: 1-610-664-3348; email: pcava@paulcava.com ; Web site: http://www.paulcava.com .
Jock Sturges' beautiful nudes--young girls captured as they move from childhood toward maidenhood and beyond--may stand as metaphors for innocence and experience, though at best they are paragons of black-and-white artistry, their bodies at rest in a play of natural light. The work suggests a rhetoric of nymphets in Eden, along with a certain Maxfield Parrish utopianism, but Sturges is a realist, looking for the power of character and personhood within his stunningly lean and healthy subjects.
The 25 plates in this catalogue are fine reproductions of the gelatin silver prints offered by Paul Cava Fine Art, and each photo casts an individual glow. Sturges' subjects are part of his and his wife Maia's extended family and friends, photographed in settings of rustic privilege in Northern California, France, or Italy--often at the beach, in or on the water. The aura of a private world and languid summer days pervades, with nudity a casual extension of all that. Thus, the 1989 image of Marine, long-limbed and at ease with her adolescent perfection, is a study as much in unassuming intelligence as in beauty.
The older, wiser Minna, however, posed protectively above her sleeping dog in Point Reyes, CA, is an image of stunning beauty ready for the world, her flawless face and nubile body utterly self-possessed. Other images, such as a barely pubescent Misty Dawn hanging tough, her arms upraised to grab a line of rope, her head turned slightly, epitomize, in Sturges' own accompanying text, "a newly arisen self-knowledge and wariness in the world."
Indeed, the theme of awakening--to sexuality, the predatory world, mortality--is implicit yet unforced in these photos. Bettina, seen with her eyes closed and arms slightly outstretched, receptive to sensation in a field of sunlight, is a pure image of trust and vulnerability, while Cecile, seen in profile, her arms protectively crossed on her torso, is contemplative and demure. And the image of a 17-year-old Fanny, a dark, intense-eyed goddess grown into the curves of a woman, is remarkable--she poses stretched out on her right side, eyeing us tentatively, richly complicated in her gaze, while her little sisters laze in the background, as if to suggest the childhood world Fanny has left behind.
Sturges acknowledges that he prefers to crop his photos to avoid such narrative density, relying on the sitters' force of personality and little else, but in a few of his shots the implicit stories are wonderful. An image of the Dutch sisters Lotte and Nikki on the beach with their beautiful mother, Vera, is a generational archetype, as the younger sister cleaves to the still-strong mother while the older sister stands tall and looks away, independently. At the center, Vera gazes at the camera with all the worldly-wise power and rue of mature womanhood.
If anything, Sturges' photos--utterly contemporary as they are--may seem like relics of a less sensitive time, a time before the Internet age, when the disturbing realities of child pornography and celebrity pedophilia seemed less pervasive. In fact, Sturges was bought up on charges--then cleared of them--that he violated U.S. pornography laws in the early 1990s. By now, it is hard to look at Sturges' shots of pubescent girls and not wonder about their propriety--but, as has been said, good taste and propriety are the enemies of art. Sturges is certainly an artist, and Beauty, nothing less, is his Truth.
Matt Damsker is an author and critic, who has written about photography and the arts for the Los Angeles Times, Hartford Courant, Philadelphia Bulletin, Rolling Stone magazine and other publications. His book, "Rock Voices", was published in 1981 by St. Martin's Press. His essay in the book, "Marcus Doyle: Night Vision" was published this past November.
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Blue book 2010 decision likely to be compulsory reading for FOI decison makers
In making some observations yesterday about incoming minister briefs - the Blue books - I was oblivious of the Freedom of Information review decision two weeks ago by Australian Information Commissioner Professor John McMillan, Crowe and Department of the Treasury [2013] AICmr 69 (29 August 2013). Thanks to a reader for the heads up.
The document in question in this case consisted of some pages from the Blue book prepared by Treasury in 2010 for an incoming Coalition government following that year's election, an eventuality that never happened.
Contrary to usual Treasury practice of destroying (!) such a document immediately after the election, copies were kept through the period of uncertainty leading to the formation of the Gillard government by which time another applicant had lodged an application and the matter was in the AAT when Mr Crowe applied. Treasury settled with the applicant in the AAT by providing a redacted copy, but not the pages sought in this case.
(Of some relevance to the present, Professor McMillan makes passing reference to the fact that back in 2010 "the Treasury noted the strong views of the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon Tony Abbott MP, that the release of incoming government briefs would contravene the Westminster conventions." Interesting times.)
In the matter before him Professor McMillan affirmed the decision to refuse access on the basis that the pages are conditionally exempt under s 47C (deliberative process) and disclosure would on balance be contrary to the public interest.
The special circumstances of the case are highly relevant to the decision. Professor McMillan avoids pre-judging any issue that might arise in connection with refusal of access to September 2013 incoming minister briefs, although in a first, he acknowledges that a class claim can be raised and considered under s 47C [45].
The decision also contains plenty of ammunition for those who might now or soon be casting around for reasons to block applications likely to be forthcoming for these briefs: the summary of Treasury's submissions [13-28]; consideration of broader issues [33 -72]; discussion of the deliberative process and operation of agency exemptions and the associated public interest factors [73-96] that includes some heartening news for 'frank and candid' fans [46-59]; and of less immediate relevance, the law in Queensland which provides a 10 year exemption and the submission from Professor McMillan and the Freedom of Information Commissioner to the Hawke review, and reflected in the report, that a similar approach be taken in the Commonwealth [97-101].
Agencies are likely to cherry pick from the decision reasons to claim exemption in 2013 for departmental commentary and advice on the incoming government's policies and priorities, and on implementation issues, opportunities and challenges.
But there is less here to help those arguing exemption for information about structure and functions of a department, key personnel, facts and statistics, and upcoming events. In addition the public interest factors for disclosure in order to inform discussion and debate are arguably strong where the information concerns the state of the nation or slices of it, relevant national and international trends, work underway in the department and the challenges facing the government.
On the separate issue of delay raised in another post yesterday Mr Crowe's FOI application was lodged with Treasury in December 2010 and has been before the OAIC since January 2011. While this case involves complex questions, this is not speedy access to independent external review.
Labels: Freedom of Information, Incoming government briefs, Information Commissioner.
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Australia stands up for Civil Society, and the OGP...
Australia on the international stage, with OGP not...
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FOI consultant raking it in
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FOI -15 months from start to finish
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Integrity, transparency and Open Government Partne...
Looming freedoms and rights wars
The Coaltion all for restoring trust, but not talk...
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Fusion 10 requests
Re: Fusion 10 requests
ThomasManz wrote: copy/pasting the script into the console gives me:
[Reactor Installer] Version 1.0.1 - January 23, 2018
[Created By] Andrew Hazelden <andrew@andrewhazelden.com>
[Reactor] Detected Fusion 9.00 running on Linux
[Closing Comp] Composition1
[GitLab Branch] "master"
You need to update Fusion. Reactor requires a feature that was introduced in 9.0.1 to access the Lua library used to download materials. There really ought to be a minimum requirements note in the introductory post… I'll mention it to SecondMan.
Chad Capeland
Juha Takabe wrote: Viewer with 12345... is simply too handy to ignore.
Explain this more explicitly. What is Nuke doing that you can't do with Fusion with hotkeys or GUI customizations?
Indicated, LLC
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ThomasManz
Bryan Ray wrote: You need to update Fusion. Reactor requires a feature that was introduced in 9.0.1 to access the Lua library used to download materials. There really ought to be a minimum requirements note in the introductory post… I'll mention it to SecondMan.
Ah, ok thanks. I will do that.
Chad Capeland wrote: Explain this more explicitly. What is Nuke doing that you can't do with Fusion with hotkeys or GUI customizations?
As I said:
ThomasManz wrote: In Nuke you simply select a node hit 1, select another node hit 2, select another node hit 3 and you can then cycle through them by just hitting the number keys. And because this loads the output in the same viewer you can see even very little variations because the image "jumps" i.e. makes a rapid change.
In Fusion the only way I see to get a rapid change comparison is to either drag the nodes into the viewer or select nodeA hit 1, select nodeB hit 1 again, select nodeA hit 1...and so on. Both methods require you to take your eyes of the viewer get the required node and load it to the viewer. This way you don't get the same visual feedback like setting up two nodes for the viewer and then rapidly 1,2,1,2,1,2,1,2,1 back and forth. This way you can see even the smallest changes. For example a roto mask that is off by one pixel or so. When I was working in Nuke I did that CONSTANTLY to check and recheck, thus I miss that feature like hell in Fusion.
So there's nothing stopping you from doing that in Fusion now, right? It's just a matter of setting up your hotkeys and some comp variables?
Pieter Van Houte
Bryan Ray wrote:
Erm...
Introductory post wrote:
What do I need to run Reactor?
You need Fusion (Free) or Fusion Studio version 9.0.2 or later running on Mac, Windows or Linux to enjoy the full functionality of Reactor and its content.
Pieter Van Houte wrote: What do I need to run Reactor?
Ok, that implies that < 9.0.2 it's working just not will the full functionality. That doesn't sound like < 9.0.2 the installer fails completely because your version is off by 0.0.2 in my case.
But to be honest, I didn't read that requirement line,
Chad Capeland wrote: So there's nothing stopping you from doing that in Fusion now, right? It's just a matter of setting up your hotkeys and some comp variables?
As I said, I don't know how to replicate that functionality in Fusion with hotkeys and comp variables. If you know a way I'd be happy to hear.
ThomasManz wrote:
Hotkeys can have different contexts for different parts of the UI and you can have them directly execute scripts in Lua or Python. You can create arbitrary per-comp persistent data (CustomData) using a script. So you could have a hotkey that per-viewer checks the comp for a list of which tool outputs are assigned to the indices and show those tools in the viewer. This would work for any output type, be it image, 3D scene, material, number, etc..
There may be a documentation issue, but that's more of the real wish in this case. It's not so much that you want to be able to view an index of tools in the viewer, it's more that you want a way to easily customize the UI for your needs. That's a wish I can get behind.
Ahab's Compass
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Automatic left/right eye timing sync to deal with camera timing sync issues using audio. e.g., this is a basic feature in Kodak Pixmax's 3D stitching software.
Pieter Van Houte wrote: Erm...
Time to get my glasses checked?
alan bovine
ThomasManz wrote: Ok, that implies that < 9.0.2 it's working just not will the full functionality. That doesn't sound like < 9.0.2 the installer fails completely because your version is off by 0.0.2 in my case.
9.0.2 or later, does literally mean 9.0.2 or later. It does not in any way shape or form imply that previous versions are going to work at all. Even if it would; any errors should be attributed to the user at that point.
The scripts and files I've provided to you (fusion.fu) files lets you do this stuff. If not explicitly then at least they'll show you the way.
As a community we try to help each other with solutions to requests big and small, but there HAS to be SOME investment on users behalf.
Fusion video tutorials : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTCeDas53OEcWcRujkQiwLg/videos?view_as=subscriber
Fusion Tools : https://github.com/statixVFX/stx_tools
Nuke 2 Fusion nodes : https://github.com/statixVFX/nuke2fusion
Chad Capeland wrote: So you could have a hotkey that per-viewer checks the comp for a list of which tool outputs are assigned to the indices and show those tools in the viewer. This would work for any output type, be it image, 3D scene, material, number, etc..
Could you please clarify that, because I can't follow what your saying.
What is assigned to what indices?
I'm not quite sure if we are talking about the same thing.
alan bovine wrote: 9.0.2 or later, does literally mean 9.0.2 or later. It does not in any way shape or form imply that previous versions are going to work at all.
Read carefully, it does. The quote goes:
You need Fusion (Free) or Fusion Studio version 9.0.2 or later running on Mac, Windows or Linux to enjoy the FULL FUNCTIONALITY...
This means that you need 9.0.2 or higher only to use the FULL FUNCTIONALITY and below 9.0.2 you can only use it with limited functionality. This quote doesn't express that 9.0.2 is required to get going AT ALL, you only need it for full functionality.
alan bovine wrote: The scripts and files I've provided to you (fusion.fu) files lets you do this stuff. If not explicitly then at least they'll show you the way.
Relax, I'm already reading the scripting documentation but
I have problems using python. When I use the py2, py3 tabs in the console it says that neither 2.7 or 3.6 are found. In the Preferences > Global > Script the python versions are greyed out, I can't select them. I'm on Xubuntu so I have python3.5 pre-installed but it's not recognised and I'm struggling to find out how to fix this.
since out of legacy most scripting around Fusion is Lua based, I'm now learning Lua, make myself familiar with the syntax and stuff but that takes a little time, so be a little patient with me or did you got into Fusion scripting over night.
at the end of the day I'd rather be a Fusion user than a Fusion developer. I can't spend all my time scripting some macros and plugins and stuff to develop functionality that rather/better should be implemented nativly.
So please
alan bovine wrote: ...but there HAS to be SOME investment on users behalf
I think I'm doing enough to consider it more than "SOME".
You'll need to have some sort of index of which outputs are being requested. Like 1-10 or whatever. So you make an array that's stored in the comp's CustomData where you set each entry in the array to an output and you get/set those with a hotkey. So you might have hotkeys that assign and output to the index and one that takes the indexed output and puts it in the viewer.
It's possible to make a GUI for this, but it's not really necessary, it sounds like you just want to set up the number row to be the hotkeys with a modifier key.
ThomasManz wrote: I can't spend all my time scripting some macros and plugins and stuff to develop functionality that rather/better should be implemented nativly.
You sort of have to. Fusion is marketed as a compositor but it's designed as a image pipeline tool. You can do compositing with it out of the box, but what you're asking for is the kind of things that it does via customization. Any wish that is nothing more than a customization of existing functionality is a sink for BMD and should be left in the hands of the users.
Miltos Pilalitos
ThomasManz wrote: In Fusion the only way I see to get a rapid change comparison is to either drag the nodes into the viewer or select nodeA hit 1, select nodeB hit 1 again, select nodeA hit 1...and so on. Both methods require you to take your eyes of the viewer get the required node and load it to the viewer.
Have you noticed the 'A', 'A|B' and 'B' buttons in the lower part of the viewer? Those are the viewer's buffers. You can simply drag and drop the nodes you want in each buffer and then press ',' or '.' to swap between them.
',' and '.' are strategically placed next to each other for minimum finger displacement and zero eye movement. It is really quick.
As a bonus you can press the A|B button and manually drag and wipe between the two buffers for additional pleasure.
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Chad Capeland wrote: You sort of have to. Fusion is marketed as a compositor but it's designed as a image pipeline tool. You can do compositing with it out of the box, but what you're asking for is the kind of things that it does via customization. Any wish that is nothing more than a customization of existing functionality is a sink for BMD and should be left in the hands of the users.
Ok, that's a question of philosophy.
How far does customisation go and where does development start?
In one of my examples, comparing nodes instantly with the number keys, your solution involves some significant scripting/development. I need an array, listen to keystrokes, evalutae them, save nodes in the array at specific indeces and then load them to the viewer. That's much more than customisation for me, where you go into the preferences, choose whatever option you want to customise, click save and done. Your not suggesting customisation of functionality that is there but to develop functionality with an api that is there. Big difference for me. With the same reasoning you could almost say: Download yourself C, C++ and customise in a way that you get your ideal compositing software.
If you got a missing feature on your house, like no balkony, do you go to the hardwarestore (your api with all the tools you need) and build that functionality yourself or do you request a professional, with much more experience, to do if for you?
Miltos Pilalitos wrote: Have you noticed the 'A', 'A|B' and 'B' buttons in the lower part of the viewer? Those are the viewer's buffers. You can simply drag and drop the nodes you want in each buffer and then press ',' or '.' to swap between them.
I knew about the A/B swipe comparison but didn't know about ",", "." hotkeys. I think I can accept that as an intermediate solutions but it's still clumsy to settup the A/B buffers everytime I wanna do that and it's still limited to two.
But thanks for hint.
ThomasManz wrote: Ok, that's a question of philosophy.
Um, YOU are the professional. You're the builder. The homeowner is the client who needs an ad or title sequence or VFX shot finished. The client doesn't want a shed that rolls off a flatbed, they want a custom house, and that's what you are supposed to be able to provide. If you can't handle the full amount of work that professional compositing requires, sub some of it out to someone who can. No one is expecting you to be the hero, but they are expecting you to be professional.
What's the difference between a Blur node and Image:Blur(Output, {})?
Fusion doesn't composite footage for you, you arrange nodes in the flow and tell it which to render. That's the same "customization" as setting up some hotkeys. The developers aren't paid to do the work for you, they just provide the means for you to do it. If you start up Fusion and just sit in front of it, nothing will happen. Everything you do with the software is custom development. That's the point. You bought a toolbox and you need to treat it as such to be successful.
If the tools don't exist at all, then sure, request something. No user was going to build a Linux version on their own, you needed the developers to make that happen. But when everything is already there waiting for you, you're expected to do the work in a professional manner or subcontract that out.
Marin Goleminov
Toggle local/world transform in 3D view, and some more
I'd like to see some basic additions to the 3D transform (gizmo):
- a toggle for local/world orientation of the move/rotate/scale handles
- a plane movement handle, or a modifier key that enables movement along a plane (e.g. holding shift and dragging the X-axis-handle moves along the plane perpendicular to it, YZ)
- a handle, or again modifier key, that enables scaling along two axes.
I like working in a single viewport, use a lot of 3D elements and want less viewport switching. I guess the addition would speed up some 3D related workflows.
Marc Gasser
+1 for better audio support, also visible in the Timeline.
and what I really miss is a working Network Rendering under Linux.
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Support could indeed be better, but it is already visibile in the timeline so that's 1 out of 2 fulfilled.
Todd Groves wrote: I would like to see the Polygon node be capable of containing multiple masks in one node, like Nuke has, as shown in this image.
What's nice about this setup, is that you can create multiple masks, and then use the "Root" as a point where you can attach a track.
old fusion did this. i prefer the way they changed it to individual nodes, personally.
i doubt they'll dial this back to something from 10 years ago
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Aurore de Blois wrote:
Something I WOULD like to see is a non-rasterizing mask setup. Like you have 10 tools with 10 shapes and only the currently viewed tool rasterizes. Would allow for transforms with no filtering losses and memory savings by not having multiple images in cache. Would also allow for tools like offset, signed distance, etc..
PixelMan
Real Name: Chip Daniels
New to Fusion so there's a lot I don't know yet. I don't want to come in here and tell people way more experienced with this app "how it should be," but I do want to share a few things that I think will make Fusion adoption increase. Would love to see this app unseat After Effects given how slow that team has been to develop a new core to leverage modern hardware, and to update the layer-heavy workflow in substantial ways.
The main problem... having done a lot of work in AE and C4D, to me the #1 issue with this app is accessibility. And by that I mean the UI. I don't have a problem working with or learning to use new kinds of nodes, but the problem is that a lot of the functionality is obscured behind the iconography that is used in the toolbar. I get that there's a user base and ingrained user habits to consider here (again I don't want to be "that guy") but it goes against every HUI guideline I've ever seen to set up toolbar icons as letters and abbreviations rather than symbolic representations of the function in question. I get that it's very space-efficient and clean-looking, but it's also very cryptic. I did check UI preferences and layouts in Window menu but do not see an iconographic option. Feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken. If not...
Suggestion 1: UI Improvements: build in an OPTIONAL workspace / layout type that includes true symbolic iconography for all of the toolbar nodes / functions. This will be a big deal for people coming from AE and 3D apps. It's what we're used to.
Other than that, the S1, S2, S3 mode of operating in the Tools tab is a little off-putting / visually non-descriptive, but all else seems pretty clean and nice UI-wise.
Suggestion 2: SDK / Plug-in Friendly: if it hasn't been done already supply an open SDK for developers like Red Giant, Video Copilot, and others, so that they can (if they choose) bring their top products to Fusion. I know there's a ton you can do in Nodes but sometimes people don't have time to learn the thousands of possible permutations to get the look they want. Make the switch from AE easy: work with top plugin devs to get the most important products into this space. IMHO this is the easiest way to make thousands of AE converts.If I could come to Fusion knowing that all or most of my skills with Trapcode suite or Stardust or VCP are not lost, it would make the transition a no-brainer.
No subscription BS and fair license pricing? check
Better performance / more frequent performance updates? check
Integration with Resolve? check
Minimize lost investment in terms of plugin skills lost? check
Suggestion 3: CUDA / CL / Metal everywhere: if it hasn't been done already GPU accelerate all effects where it makes sense programmatically, and give those three platforms parity so people don't end up with GPU purchasing decision headaches. I realize this one is easier said than done and not necessary in all cases.
PixelMan wrote: I get that there's a user base and ingrained user habits to consider here (again I don't want to be "that guy") but it goes against every HUI guideline I've ever seen to set up toolbar icons as letters and abbreviations rather than symbolic representations of the function in question. I get that it's very space-efficient and clean-looking, but it's also very cryptic.
I wouldn't mind seeing an option for icons, but to be honest, I generally find icons to be more cryptic. When PFTrack shifted to pictograms where they used to have text buttons, it slowed me down. I don't like having to squint at the screen and try to guess what the designers had in mind with two little rectangles and an arrow. Is that copy? Paste? Save? I don't know.
In any case, if you would like an iconic tool selection option, try opening the Bins. It takes up quite a lot of screen real estate, but you'll get icons and more descriptive tool names that will help you to learn the tools in your early days.
Suggestion 2: SDK / Plug-in Friendly: if it hasn't been done already supply an open SDK for developers like Red Giant, Video Copilot, and others, so that they can (if they choose) bring their top products to Fusion.
An SDK exists, although it's not advertised. And Fusion can run OFX plug-ins, provided they're compliant with the OFX spec. Many aren't—they have compromises built-in to make them work for the particular host apps they were tested for that causes them to not work so well elsewhere. And Fusion hasn't had enough market share in the past to motivate the plug-in vendors to code toward it. BUT, many do run. Neat Video, Re:Vision, Sapphire (if you're made of money), and Frischluft all run in Fusion. I'm sure others do, too, but those are the ones I can vouch for.
I don't see any point in porting Trapcode—Fusion can do pretty much everything TC can with its own tools.
In addition to compiled plug-in support, Fusion can also run scripted plug-ins called Fuses that are written in Lua and/or OpenCL. Motivated TDs can thus create their own tools to fill in any gaps they perceive. We hope that the recent launch of the Reactor package manager will prompt even more people to create and share new tools.
Most of Fusion's tools have an OpenCL mode. The jury's still out on whether it actually does run faster. I haven't run my benchmarks on 9.0.2 yet. 9.0 was actually faster with OpenCL turned off for some reason.
Fair points Bryan.
UI: I do get that iconography when not done well, is also cryptic and that some symbols would be easier to figure out than others (i.e. it's not a trivial request). But definitely I think it should be an optional thing. I wouldn't suggest removing the existing metaphor, only adding to it, in order to help bridge the familiarity gap. Sort of wearing my alpha- / beta-tester hat for this one, as much as the end-user hat. Just feels like the right thing to do.
Plugins: didn't know that about the OFX compliance compatibility thing. Honestly I'm not sure which of my favorite would be OFX compliant (probably not most), but it's worth Black Magic partnering with major plugin developers to make this happen in some cases. WRT Particular I had a feeling someone would say that and I don't doubt it. Really it's less about the power of specific nodes being able to perform some function or create a look (I'm sure given enough time the possibilities are pretty limitless) but more of a way to help new users get stuff done quickly when they don't have time to drill down into the large set of functions that are available through various FX nodes.
PixelMan wrote:
On the viewer, have you tried right clicking on the icons ? You can set them to :
Icons only
Icons AND text
On tools that provide you with on screen controls (paint, gridwarp, tracker etc) you can also right click the icons and change them to text, icon or both.
Curious about icons and tools ? Open up the bin (ctrl+b) and see beautiful colored icons depicting the nodes functionality for each tool.
Don't like the bar at the top with the shortening of node names ? Right click and get rid of it and use the bins or right click menu or shift-space menu to add nodes instead.
I'm no ux expert; but AE's workflows and UX is something I wouldn't use as a reference when talking about Fusion; broadly speaking.
-aln
It's also worth noting that the toolbars were always meant to be customized. Yeah, it ships with a default toolbar that used to be used to "announce" new tools, but now it's just there. Best case? Make your own. Second best case? Delete it, since in it's default form it's using too much real estate. But that explains why it is text instead of icons, if you make a custom glow setting or a macro for light wrapping or whatever, you want to put that in a toolbar according to your needs, but you don't want to necessarily make an icon for that. Would it be cool if you could store a bitmap alongside the item referenced in the toolbar and have it display that? I guess. I wouldn't use it, but maybe others might.
As for OFX compatibility, OFX is garbage. If I had to choose between BPD spending resources to get plugin developers making Fusion-specific OFX shims or spending resources to get plugin developers to use the SDK, I'd choose SDK. When Avid and Adobe start supporting OFX plugins, maybe my opinion would change, but right now, it's better to let OFX languish in favor of native support.
I have one request.
(or maybe there is a solution already but I don't know about it)
Typing values with 'coma' doesn't work. You have to use 'dot'.
Values like 1.37 will work
1,37 will not.
It annoyes me since I work a lot with numeric keypad, and there is coma there.
Also I'm working on multiple screens. Pretty often I can't use ctrl+spacebar to activate the tools menu. It just doesn't work.
In this case, I have to click somewhere on the main screen first and then I can use ctrl+spacebar.
Small bugs - lot's of annoyance...
Chad Capeland wrote: It's also worth noting that the toolbars were always meant to be customized. Yeah, it ships with a default toolbar that used to be used to "announce" new tools, but now it's just there. Best case? Make your own. Second best case? Delete it, since in it's default form it's using too much real estate. But that explains why it is text instead of icons, if you make a custom glow setting or a macro for light wrapping or whatever, you want to put that in a toolbar according to your needs, but you don't want to necessarily make an icon for that. Would it be cool if you could store a bitmap alongside the item referenced in the toolbar and have it display that? I guess. I wouldn't use it, but maybe others might.
Interesting re toolbar customization / custom icons. Didn't know that but will look into it.
Re; OFX vs. SDK, didn't realize they were mutually exclusive but to me the only thing that matters is, can we get some of the top plugins in this environment and working reliably for version 10? How it gets done matters less than it getting done and it being stable.
PixelMan wrote: Re; OFX vs. SDK, didn't realize they were mutually exclusive but to me the only thing that matters is, can we get some of the top plugins in this environment and working reliably for version 10? How it gets done matters less than it getting done and it being stable.
The SDK is there, just have to ask for it. Send an email to Red Giant or whomever and tell them if they make a Fusion plugin you'll buy n copies. Blackmagic likely doesn't see a need to spend money to motivate other software companies to make money. Could they put a page up on the site with more information about the SDK availability? Probably would be a good idea.
EDIT: https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/developer/
EDIT2: Uh... Come on guys...
Last edited by Chad Capeland on Thu Apr 05, 2018 3:13 am, edited 1 time in total.
[Edit - quoted wrong post, apologies...]
Alan:
Need clarification on toolbar customization and the right-click > Text and Icon, Text Only, Icon only thing. Is that Studio version only? The only option available in the version I have results in the Customize Toolbar dialog opening with a full list of all tools that can be added but no ability to chose text vs. icons or any other features. I can either leave the "common set" of text buttons intact or remove them and add a different combination of text buttons.
Checked UI prefs again to be sure I didn't miss an option here for icons. None found. v9.0.2 (free)
Will dig into the PDF manual, see if I can find something but suspect my issue here is the version I'm using. That or I'm misunderstanding something.
I DO see the icons for all the tools when looking at them via Bins > Tools on LocalHost... so it seems that iconography does exist for all of these things. I'm just not clear on whether or how that could be applied to any/all tools that are in the Toolbar. The search continues, but posting this comment in case others new to the app view this thread / have the same confusion.
Last edited by PixelMan on Thu Feb 08, 2018 7:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
That's only for the buttons in the Viewer, not the Toolbar.
Untitled.png (46.09 KiB) Viewed 6924 times
Bryan Ray wrote: That's only for the buttons in the Viewer, not the Toolbar.
Thanks Bryan. We just posted at same time / I corrected myself on the quoting, elaborated a bit further but I see now what you guys are driving at from your screenshot.
So basically that iconographic option doesn't exist for the toolbar, you'd have to roll your own sounds like. Which I get this isn't a beginner's toolset but I do think it's further evidence that Black Magic needs to somehow leverage the tool bin iconography for the toolbar. Maybe hire a UX person on contract to do just that so it's not a drain on the regular development cycle.
Icons for the toolbar will only cost screen real estate and there are way more tools by default than there is space on the toolbar anyway. Biting the bullet and just learn the couple of abbreviations you actually need might probably your best bet.
Or if it is really, really, important to you: roll your own, create a custom Fusion UI especially for this purpose and share it on Reactor. All these options will be quicker than hoping that Fusion 10 will bring this to you in a magical way.
Wouldn't so much be done magically as the developer just deciding it's important and doing it one day down the road, but your point is taken. Learning this UI is going to be challenge. Other than the basic connection and parameter editing methods, nothing about this app is familiar when compared to Cycles or other nodal environments I've used.
Since it's out of scope for a FR thread, if anyone has recommendations beyond the manual (which is thorough but not a how-to style reference), a PM with your favored how-to Fusion web sites or tutorial sites is appreciated.
After a few months I love the simple UI of Fusion.
Recently had to work on a AE comp again (did AE for 7 years), and found that AE has way too much menus and windows and plugins and layers and precomps and timelines....
New usable UI feature I'd love to see:
- Thumbnail previews of loaders in timeline
@PixelMan:
I learned Fusion from his tutorials: https://www.patreon.com/Vito
Kel Philm
Would love to see integration of the Resolve Panels into Fusion.
Colour nodes could use all the functionality of the panel but also this could be extended to transform/merge/etc.. nodes as well (the active tool). For example the first trackerball could be used for center, 2nd tracker for pivot, first ring for rotation, second ring for scale, 3rd ring could be for blend amount etc... maybe even allow custom mappings from the panels for each tools control?
Is there an SDK for the Resolve Panels?
Modyelmock
Real Name: Mohammad Galal El Nahhas
Arabic text from right to left, connected letters support, would be great to include in fusion 10,
Ludvig Friberg
Real Name: Ludvig Friberg
Like Todd I would like a mask node with many masks. Also a better corner pin would be great.
RamiGh
Real Name: Rami Gharib
I am an architect I do a lot of Compositing in photoshop usually I started using fusion lately and I think I am not going back to photoshop again. I really love the tools and the workflow so far but it frustrates me when I try to make something that works in my mind but reach a dead end in practice because a tool is not available or maybe it is there but I just coudn't find it.(please tell me if it is there)
-I would like to have access to some raytracing maybe not a full renderer but some features like sweet soft shadows/Area lights or raytraced AO
-actually it is not a bad Idea to implement a GI system (raytraced or not I don't care it just should look convincing) that can be computed once and saved as a Voxel Volume maybe to run in real time (If you do this one I think I will dump Vray not just Photoshop )
-Some texture creation tools are welcome like a tileable bitmap replicator and a grid based bitmap replicator and 2d Array system.
-PBR and a SSS material (SSS in Marmoset toolbag 3 is outstanding and real time you should check it out)
-some basic UV mapping tools
-Parallax-crrected cubemaps
some people are arguing that the tools can do everything but the user should be professional to get the best out of them or that fusion is for compositing and users are asking for unrelated stuff...well how I see it the easier the tools of a software are the more comfortable the users are and the more likely new users will like it and be serious about using it in production, not that I find fusion very hard but a lot of people do ,I would listen to them and try to achieve a more user friendly experience. furthermore it is true that the software is a compositing software but the definition of compositing is changing over the years and the stages of production are getting closer to each other I think with time the boarders will vanish and rendering and compositing are going to merge as a single stage because well it is only logical to do them together and the only thing stoping us from doing it is that raytracers are extremely slow but today we have great real time technologies that cover a lot of raytracers job so it is time to merge the tow stages....at least I think so.
Todd Groves
You can only make a program only so user-friendly. When you want a powerful program, logic would tell you that there will most likely be a learning curve to picking up and utilizing the power.
You can't hold someone's hand every time they have difficulty creating a project or getting the effect(s) they desire. Sometimes you just have to work harder and learn more to get where you want to go.
When I read "wishlists" new users write for programs that are new to them, quite often they are asking for effects that are finalized by clicking one button or adding one tool. It becomes quite obvious that a lot of new users don't want to do much work, or make much of an effort, to achieve dramatic results.
If you want dramatic results, expect to put time into learning a program and understanding its tools to achieve those results. When you've put time into a project and you get results that make you happy, chances are you will look back and appreciate all the time you put into that project. And you will realize it was all worth that time and effort.
So, sit back. Watch some video tutorials. Experiment with the tools. Put time into designing and planning your project. Then throw on your seat belts and dive into the hard work that precedes all successful projects.
Shawn Astrom
Expanding on the VR tools. We need a 180 degree fisheye camera not just a spherical...
Nodes for converting all standard VR cormats from and too...
- Shawn
Abel Milanes
Support for Deep Compositing. Not the Deep Tools currently in Fusion, but support for deep sampling data both in EXRs and in the 3D Render node and other Native tool. Nuke is the best example (not perfect) of how this is implemented.
Abel Milanes wrote: Support for Deep Compositing. Not the Deep Tools currently in Fusion, but support for deep sampling data both in EXRs and in the 3D Render node and other Native tool. Nuke is the best example (not perfect) of how this is implemented.
Would you be willing to pay extra for that functionality?
Asking for a friend...
Michael Wolf - db&w GbR
http://www.db-w.com
Michael Wolf wrote:
This could definitely be part of Fusion Studio.
That's not really answering the question.
If you already have Fusion studio, you're done paying for it - if past BMD policies are an indication - so there's no more revenue to be had from existing users.
So the question is - I think - will you pay for the effort of 3rd parties who invest serious time (and thus money) into providing what you ask for? i.e. will you pay for plug-ins/custom macros/fuses/interesting set-ups?
I'm sure studios and freelancers that have adopted Fusion would allocate budgets for this if it's justified. Deep composting is a huge - render - time saver in many cases. I use Nuke and can say that without deeps I wouldn't been able to get some complex shots done in the time I did.
I personally wouldn't mind paying for 3rd party plugins and Fuse tools. Especially if they can be used in Fusion inside Resolve.
But would *you* pay for it? I'm not asking about hypothetical studios/budget allocations. I am asking you.
Abel Milanes wrote:
Are you making a private sell?
I “personally" don't have a need for it. My post is just a suggestion to improve/expand Fusion's tools set... Which I think it would widen the scope of compositors more seriously considering the software.
But you can talk to Todd
Building business cases helps. We hit that wall with Krakatoa and OpenVDB and Octane. Fusion was an ideal host application to the tools, but we couldn't figure out how to make it financially viable.
And no, having 50,000+ Resolve licenses doesn't help that much because most Resolve Studio users aren't going to use Krakatoa, Octane, OpenVDB, or Deep Images.
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Cyclists turn out in their 1000s to say "Give us streets for people!"
The rallying call had gone out via blogs, via Twitter, via the London Cycling Campaign. The word had spread like wildfire; via posters, newspapers, internet forums and good old word of mouth. And London's cycling community responded to the call; over 2500 of you gathered to protest on the bridge and demand safe routes for cycling.
(1) The politicians line up for the ride (2) What do we want? (3) The starting line up stretched half way back to Waterloo
We were led by representatives from all four main political parties; 2012 Mayoral hopefuls Brian Paddick (Lib Dems) and Jenny Jones (Green Party) were there, as was Andrew Boff (Conservatives), Val Shawcross (Labour) and Caroline Pidgeon (Lib Dems). All on bikes, and all parties agreeing that London's everyday and ordinary cyclists shouldn't have to fight to make their way home safely from work every night just because of their choice of transport. They'd already united to pass a motion at the London Assembly demanding that Transport for London reconsider their plans; but democracy had gone unheard.
Brian Paddick and Caroline Pidgeon
There were representatives from the CTC, Living Streets, Sustrans and the Cycling Embassy of Great Britain all coming together in one coherent voice to show that Transport for London's plans for Blackfriars Bridge truly are unnaceptable.
And of course there were the wonderful cyclists of London - not political campaigners or professional cycle advocates - just ordinary people who get about on foot and by bike who know that the bicycle could be key to unlocking London's potential, if only the conditions were right. A woman scurrying home in a sharp suit and high heels shouted "I've ridden a bike since I was 5. I'd be with you tonight if I wasn't so terrified of this bloody bridge!"
There were dogs in baskets and kids in bakfiets. Old people, young people, and people from all across the city. My phone was in meltdown as messages were coming in from Scotland, from the Netherlands from Argentina(!!) that cyclists around the world were watching and sending their support. Having been blogging furiously since the subject since it all began back in February it was an overwhelming evening.
Thank you, London pedestrians and London cyclists, for showing that you care and for coming on the flashride. It's up to Mayor Boris now to wrestle some control back from the tyranny of TfL and their lunatic road designs. Come on Boris, the message was clear; give us streets for people now!
Personal thanks to LCC for their excellent campaign work on this issue, to Cyclists in the City for the constant inspiration. Thanks to the volunteer marshalls and the Police who kept the slightly miffed traffic at bay. And thank you, of course, for your support and for coming!
C Kenyon said...
Great post that captures the spirit of the event. We will prevail and this campaign will be seen as a great accelerator of the cycling renaissance we already have in the city.
Chris Kenyon
Group51 said...
Maybe I don't understand, but does Boris really need to 'wrest' control from TfL? I don't recall the previous Mayor losing control of TfL. Surely Boris just needs to change his policy direction to 'smooth traffic flow'. Looking at the TfL design for Blackfriars, it clearly makes the East to West road very fast indeed. I can imagine drivers flying through that on green. That's why the LCC/T-junctions was rejected.
ibike said...
I was there, the first time in 49 years that I have ever attended anything like a protest.
This was also my first visit to rush-hour London for many years, and I was blown away by the sheer number of cyclists on the streets. Never mind the protest ride, cyclists are EVERYWHERE!
On my way to the start I was struck by the fact that there is nowhere for cyclists to go. You are either sharing a route with hordes of pedestrians (and forced to ride at walking pace) or else you are “running with the bulls” on the road. Never has the need for segregated cycle lanes been clearer.
When's the next one?
@Group51 Thanks for taking the time to comment. Unfortunately the only person who has public accountability who can change the designs on the bridge is Boris, so it is a case of him having to step up and take control. I personally believe there are a lot of quite old school road engineers at TfL who have taken Boris's "smoothing traffic flow" agenda to go wild, which is how we've ended up with a shitty design like Blackfriars.
@ibike Thanks for coming! Your comment in really inspiring. You're quite correct, of course, there are certainly lots and lots of commuting cyclists in London these days - it would be so nice if they all felt invited by the streets, as oppose to feeling that the streets are there to be endured. Thanks for coming on your first protest in 49 years(!!) and being the change.
Let's hope this all helps to make a difference!
Nick Salt said...
Has anybody seen any news articles reporting on the flashride? I've read the articles published before the event in the Guardian and Evening Standard, but nothing reporting what happened and how many people attended.
The police estimate was between 2000 and 2,500 which is pretty spectacular. We will have to wait for news coverage, though I'm not sure what press was there on the night.
Mike Smith said...
Been watching from up here in Edinburgh. Really inspiring. Thanks so much for the campaign. I hope some of the change in London will rub off on Edinburgh's politicians!
People (like me) outside London can still help - by writing to TfL. What else can we do?
Also find out about local campaign groups (e.g. I help (a little bit) with SPOKES).
Richard Mann said...
If we force the street to be bike-friendly, then it can't be big, and it will be genuinely people-friendly. People on bikes need to hold their nerve and demand to be able to use the streets in safety. If we try to make separate cycle tracks, there's a distinct risk that the traffic will remain untamed. We need to be more ambitious than that.
@Richard Mann People have been holding their nerve for 30 years hoping for a fully tamed street, and it's got us where we are today on Blackfriars. This is a major artery in to the city, there *has* to be traffic on this bridge, it's not going to go away. Have you seen the balanced and well compromised plans the LCC have planned? They are a million miles ahead of TfL's plans, and with safe, wide , comfortable space for cycling, a new public square and better pedestrian crossings I think it's about as 'streets for people' as you could ever hope for on such an important and busy road. And 2500 people clearly agreed last night!
Kevin Hickman said...
@Richard Mann I can't visualise that. I don't remember seeing that anywhere I've cycled. Is there a working example of what you're proposing?
The LCC design almost certainly can't handle the 35000 motor vehicles on the bridge (let alone the extra once the traffic from the Embankment joins in). If you want it to be people-friendly, then it has to be simplified. The LCC design might work if there were about 4 lanes each way, but that would be horrible.
@Kevin Is there a working example of a people-friendly 50,000mvpd junction? No, this is uncharted territory. But converting it into a single 3-arm junction is probably the starting point.
Sigh. It's all too easy for us to bicker via comments on blogs about something that *is* a complex junction. The consensus built up around LCC's design is a rare thing indeed and not something to be underestimated. It's been brought about by months of behind the scenes campaigning and negotiation. Richard, I appreciate your concern and your sentiment, but it might be more useful to come down to London yourself if you've got alternative suggestions and help with the cause rather stand from afar and knit worries about 'loosing the road'.
townmouse said...
I think we have to start questioning those 35,000 vehicle movements and whether that will still hold in the future, rather than treating them as something that's just _there_ like the weather. As Mark Wagenbur has just pointed out on twitter, Amsterdam traffic has fallen by a third since 1991, while bikes have doubled. Why shouldn't London be aiming for similar cuts? Closing or limiting road capacity cuts traffic in total, especially in a city like London where there are so many other ways for people to get about. Sure we'll never stop Blackfriars from being a major artery, but that doesn't mean we can't have ambitions to lower London's traffic over all, making room for the bikes (and buses, taxis, pedestrians) that will form part of the alternative.
The right place for the techie stuff is here I think...
http://bit.ly/no7D7T
Where LCC are specifically asking for feedback on the proposal.
I was unable to join the protest yesterday with sadness.
I was knocked off my bike by a car last month at the north end of the bridge. The car was going fast and did a left turn with noticing me in the bike lane. Luckliy I had only had cuts and bruises, I cant believe they are going to increase the speed limit here.
Has anybody suggested using the old piers from the LCD railbridge for a combined pedestrian cycle bridge? I admit to not being there recently to see if they still exist or what probs there might be at both ends but it might give an opportunity for safe exits onto the riverside routes at both ends.
Antique railbuff.
@Pauline That's terrible! I hope you heal up soon and feel comfortable enough to get back on your bike. No one should have to endure that sort of thing just to get to work in the morning. Hope you are okay.
@Antique railbuff I believe the old railway bridge piers are now in use as part of the new Blackfriars railways station which spans the whole river and is currently under construction.
Estudio27 Architects said...
Great photos Mark, looks like one hell of an evening. Inspiring stuff.
David Arditti said...
Thanks for a fantastic account Mark of what was a great event. I hope this proves to be a turning-point for cycle provision in the UK.
It is good to see so many UK cycling organisations and campaigners now in step in understanding and promoting the real, practical solutions, as in LCC's excellent design.
Richard Mann really needs to go on a study tour in the Nethertlands to understand how it is possible to combine universal cycling with all the other transport modes in a modern European city.
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Rabbit Polyclonal to RASL10B
Supplementary MaterialsS1 File: The rRF5 and rRF3 series. (rRF5 and rRF3)
Posted on June 20, 2019 by Kitty Ward
Supplementary MaterialsS1 File: The rRF5 and rRF3 series. (rRF5 and rRF3) were precisely aligned to the 5′ and 3′ ends of the 5.8S and 28S rRNA gene. The rRF5 and rRF3 series were significantly more highly expressed than the rRFs located in the body of the rRNA genes. These series contained perfectly aligned reads, the lengths of which varied progressively with 1-bp differences. The rRF5 and rRF3 series in the same expression pattern exist ubiquitously from ticks to human. The cellular experiments showed the RNAi knockdown of one 20-nt rRF3 induced the cell apoptosis and inhibited the cell proliferation. In addition, the RNAi knockdown resulted in a significant decrease of H1299 cells in the G2 phase of the cell cycle. These results indicated the rRF5 and rRF3 series were not random intermediates or products during rRNA degradation, but could constitute a new class of small RNAs that deserves further investigation. Launch Little RNAs (sRNAs) are often non-coding RNA substances, only 200 nt long typically. XAV 939 pontent inhibitor The well-known classes of sRNAs consist of microRNAs (miRNAs) [1], little interfering Rabbit Polyclonal to RASL10B RNAs (siRNAs) [2], piwi-interacting RNA (piRNAs) [3], transcription initiation RNA (tiRNAs) [4], little nuclear RNA (snRNAs) [5], little nucleolar RNA (snoRNAs) [6] and the as [13]. It had been also reported that DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) could be introduced inside the rDNA repeats, that could after that trigger the creation of rDNA-specific sRNAs that mediate DSB fix on damaged recurring rDNAs [14]. Because XAV 939 pontent inhibitor of the imperfections in the collection structure protocols or the sequencing depth and duration, the prior studies cannot provide adequate information to research the rRFs systematically. In this scholarly study, we built the tiny RNA collection of hard ticks (Koch, 1844) using the most recent process and sequenced this collection in the Illumina System. As a total result, we reported two highlighted group of rRFs (rRF5 and rRF3). The profiling and characterization from the rRF5 and rRF3 series indicated that these were not really arbitrary intermediates or items during rRNA degradation, but could constitute a novel course of sRNAs that should get further investigation. The tiny RNA-seq data is certainly offered by the NCBI SRA data source under the task accession amount SRP084097. Outcomes Total RNA was extracted from two adult feminine ticks (Koch, 1844) and pooled jointly to create one sRNA collection, that was sequenced in the Illumina Hiseq 2500 system. After data quality and washing control, a complete of 13,723,268 single-end 50-bp organic reads (0.69 Gbp data) were prepared to 12,134,881 cleaned reads, using the Q20 percentage of 99.3%. The distance distribution of total cleaned reads (Fig 1A) ranged from 15 bp to 40 bp and was enriched in two expected regions, which were the miRNA and siRNA region (21~24 bp) and the XAV 939 pontent inhibitor piRNA region (26~30 bp). The two highest histogram bins at the 29-bp and 33-bp position could contain a large number of PCR-duplicated reads, which needs to be analyzed in the following study. Using sequence alignment, 30.4% (3,688,594/12,134,881) of the cleaned reads could be mapped to the reference rDNA sequence of (Genbank: “type”:”entrez-nucleotide”,”attrs”:”text”:”AF291874.1″,”term_id”:”17979676″,”term_text”:”AF291874.1″AF291874.1). The length distribution of these rRNA reads (Fig 1A) suggested the lengths of rRFs could span a wide range. This high mapping rate of 30.4% and the wide length range of rRFs were out of expectation, suggesting the rRF abundance had been underestimated in the previous studies [9]. Open in a separate windows Fig 1 Length distribution of the small RNA-seq data.This small RNA sequencing (sRNA-seq) data was from two adult female ticks (Koch, 1844) using the single-end (PE) 50-bp sequencing around the Illunima platform. After data cleaning and quality control, a total of 13,723,268 natural reads were processed to 12,134,881 cleaned reads for statistics calculation. (A). All reads and rRNA reads represent all the washed reads with lengths above 15 bp and the reads aligned to the reference rDNA sequence (Genbank: “type”:”entrez-nucleotide”,”attrs”:”text”:”AF291874.1″,”term_id”:”17979676″,”term_text”:”AF291874.1″AF291874.1) allowing one space or mismatch, respectively. (B). The lengths of rRF5 and rRF3 series from your 5.8S and 28S gene vary progressively with 1-bp differences. This pattern is usually conserved in ticks and human. The alignment result showed more than 95% rRFs could be derived from the 18S, 5.8S and 28S rRNA XAV 939 pontent inhibitor gene, while only a few of rRFs could be derived from the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) and the internal transcribed spacer 2.
XAV 939 pontent inhibitor
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Senju Forest
Konohagakure
Residential District
by Copycat on Mon Aug 06, 2018 1:43 pm
Kanna's quick to make her first-thing visit be to her residence within Konoha. Once she's gotten there, she immediately removes the belt keeping her cloak secure, and at that point she allows her cloak to fall slack. That's only among many of things that she has to remove, though. The Chuunin gets to work, proceeding to take off her leather armguards, followed by the knee-length boots she has on. After she casts those aside, Kanna throws off her finger less gloves, and soon removes her leggings.
The high-collared shirt comes next before she's actually entirely undressed, with the backpouch and kunai holster still locked in place upon her pants. Naturally, her underclothing comes next, and she's promptly strolling on into her bathroom, opening the door to slip on in and closing it behind her. She turns on the shower head and just heads beneath it, pushing her messy locks aside as soon as they've gotten wet. The female stands under the water for the time being, mostly just lamenting on what occurred.
Kanna shuts her eyes and stays silent, hugging her arms around her body. She mostly just does her best to avert her thoughts from seeing their corpses again, but it's far too clear for her to omit it from her mind. She snaps her eyes back open at that point, peering at the bottom of the shower to avoid seeing it in the far more vivid fashion it appeared to her as soon as she shut her eyes. With a definitive bitterness overtaking her, the female sinks to a crouch. Rather than crying, or being mad, she just stares at the same spot from her now hunched position, her body curled up as best as it can while upright. As the image starts fading from her head at last, Kanna averts her focus from her troubles. She slowly elevates her body again, allowing her inky black threads to tear forth from the base of her palms, eliciting a wince from her. They snake on forward, grasping at both the soap and washcloth within arm's length of her, and beginning to clean her body in her hands' stead. They dedicate themselves to scrubbing away the dirt, while she dedicates herself to scrubbing away the ill thoughts.
Honestly, she felt like a failure of a leader. Their lives should've been more of a priority than her own. If she'd just protected them instead of making the split second decision she did, or instead of being rash, then they could've been saved. She thought they had it under control--that they could get away. But that just didn't end up being the case. And she had no excuse for it. It was an unacceptable screw-up on her behalf. There was no aversion of blame for their deaths. Both her and the coalition's assailant were to blame. "... I can only try to make it better next time. To be strong enough for next time..." She murmurs to herself, just about finishing up with scrubbing herself from head to toe. She washes the soap off and turns the shower head off, moving on out and wrapping a towel around her frame. Kanna trails out of the bathroom and shuts the door behind her, taking a seat at her bedside and peering at the plethora of makeup and such upon the night table. After some contemplation, she ultimately decides to go ahead and not go with her basic look. After all, she wasn't going on another mission anytime soon (hopefully).
With that mindset, Kanna decides to express her current emotions in full. Between drying off and applying makeup on more of a Gothic side, it takes about an hour and a half before she's actually done with her little 'transformation' so to speak. After giving herself a little look in a hand-held mirror, the female pulls her hair up into a small bun, letting the rest fall to frame her face in the form of locks. It was a mature look that definitely made her look older than she was, but that was in a good way. Upon completion of that process, Kanna simply throws on a pair of black arm warmers, matching knee socks and shorts, and a murky, purple off-the-shoulder top with a fishnet area just past the chest, guiding itself to her neck.
Accentuating the outfit was a spider-oriented hairpin, she runs blood red lipstick around her lips as a small little final touch, before heading over to retrieve her kunai holster and hip pouch. Once she's placed those upon her frame, she heads for the door, deciding that it'd be best to find something to distract her.
(exit)
Re: A Place Called Home
by Copycat on Sat Aug 18, 2018 7:53 pm
Kanna returns to her home in silence, keeping her arm covered to the best of her degree for most of the way. From the moment she enters the door she locks it behind her, of course, and heads on into the bathroom to sanitize the burns. Rather than using alcohol, the Chuunin runs cold water over it, applying some soap to it directly and just giving it some time to properly be removed of any germs it was in direct contact. Over the course of the five minute period in which she let the water run over it, she slowly applied some of her Ijutsu to it again, flowing the green energies over the burns to treat them a little more.
Healing it in intervals was the best thing she could do. As soon as she started to notice that she was getting a little more delayed with her healing, she stops, deciding to give it a rest. As she begins to apply some soothing cream to the scorched skin in question, the woman starts to reflect upon her interactions for the past few days. She'd met two new Genin, both of which were interesting in nature. One had been gifted access to the Eight Inner Gates, and although she was confident, had the talent to back up that confidence. On another hand there was the other Genin who she'd met, who was raised by wolves and as a result didn't have too good English, but was also incredibly gifted at Taijutsu as a result of being unable to use chakra normally.
It was an interesting dynamic, and it honestly made her feel good to be helping out the rookies. Kanna peers up at the mirror as she starts to wrap her arm in bandages to cover up the now cream-lathered wound, frowning a little bit at her appearance. Now that she was starting to slowly think positively again, just looking at herself in the mirror made her feel so.. gloomy. So much dark, foreboding makeup. It was an unhealthy look for her, but it matched just how down in the dumps she was, and she'd been subconsciously applying it in the same way for awhile now.
Not wanting to keep looking like shit, the female starts to remove her makeup, working away at the process intently. After a good deal of time spent, Kanna peers at herself within the mirror, letting out a breath of fresh air upon seeing her usual old self. She's removed the eerie black contacts as well, leaving her amber gaze to shift about as she analyzed her facial features. Satisfied, the Chuunin strides from the bathroom of her home, off to do something productive to keep her mind off of things.
Kanna slips on into her home after a rather quick departure from the morgue within the hospital. She unravels the scroll within her grasp and drops it upon her bed, proceeding to slap her palm against the surface of the seal in the scroll. Upon injecting chakra into it from physical contact, the jiongu thread-covered heart is summoned forth, nice and preserved for her to effectively utilize. There was still limited time for her to get it sealed away in her, so she had to pick up the pace.
With that in mind, the female forms the clone handseal, and channels half of her chakra into the technique. In a plume of gray smoke, a shadow clone is formed, and positions itself behind her at that point in time. The Chuunin pulls the straps of her blouse down and brings it beneath her chest, proceeding to lean forward a little bit. The shadow clone goes ahead and retrieves an ink brush and some ink itself, then gets to work on inscribing the seal.
The seal itself begins to be etched into her skin, the ink delicately applied to it to make sure that the seal is properly constructed. By the time it's done, the kanji for 'Fire Release' has been printed upon the upper left part of her back, surrounded by a circle with numerous symbols and marks to effectively form the miniature sealing formula required to complete the process. After drying it, the clone gets to the real task at hand. Upon completion of this, the shadow clone fetches the thread-covered heart, removing the threads themselves so that it's just holding onto the heart itself.
From there, the clone forms numerous handseals with its single hand while holding the heart in the other, before grasping onto the heart with that very hand. Resting the heart between her own palm and the dried sealing formula itself, chakra is injected into the heart as well as the formula, and thus in a plume of smoke it's sealed away. The seal itself remains partially locked as per her own choice, solely for the purpose of allowing the chakra necessary to leak out, and still effectively giving her the heart she needed. Upon completion, Kanna allows the shadow clone to disperse in a plume of smoke, and she keeps the top-half of her blouse down for now, just in case the ink has to dry some more.
"I should add a trigger later down the line. Just so that it automatically unseals itself if something is to happen to my own heart."
She sits there for a little longer, then stands up and inhlaes briefly. Slowly but surely, she focuses her chakra output on her back, and starts to use the leaking chakra, intermixing it with her own. Slowly but surely she begins the kneading process, just trying to do her best to imagine and apply the properties of Fire to her chakra. Kanna forms half of the Ram handseal, helping the channeling of her chakra as it gradually flows to her two elevated fingertips. Slowly but surely, her energies flicker to life, flames igniting upon the tips of them.
Kanna's shocked for a moment, but when it becomes evident that she isn't feeling immense pain from her fingers being on fire it registers within her; it worked. It was all true. The hearts. Getting her own hearts. Placing them upon or within her body. It all worked! She had her own element now! Well... sure she stole it from a guy dying to a plague but she was told to. And as Yami had said, the male's passion would live on within her. The kinjutsu in itself was extremely unorthodox, but when put that way it sounded noble--letting someone live on within you.
She snuffs the flames out by dispersing the flow of chakra, and then sighs briefly. Still sucked that the plague had taken more lives; often times things felt lonely in the village. And while Kanna liked having the free time to train and read and basically do whatever, socializing was something everyone needed. Whether "monster" or human, the healthy benefits from building bonds is built into the sentient. She still missed Ayumi despite not knowing her for any longer beyond a mission. She still missed the six Chuunin that she failed to save.
Even if she carried pieces of others within her, at the end of the day it just became a reminder that they were gone. It seemed as though as time went on, she became less fearful of death and more fearful of loss. Maybe that was why she'd become so dejected towards others, and opted to avoid building any serious bonds with others. Just being someone's teacher or instructor was enough, because she knew it wouldn't last. After all, she's just a Chuunin; it's only a matter of time before they'd get assigned to a Jounin. Both Sachiko and Yui, for that matter. So keeping herself detached was the best way to go. Even if she felt her old tendencies of trying to eagerly help others swarming towards her.
And all of this was all because of that excuse for a human. The inhuman filth that torched her comrades for the sake of some shitty religion, some asinine belief, some garbage ass desire for a 'new world'. She'd corroded those children in the process, one of which who thought she understood. One of which who thought that the entire world deserved to be purged all because of a few meatheads in a village. It was fucking stupid. And it was complete manipulation on that snake woman's behalf.
Just thinking about it made her blood boil in the way she thought it would when her fingers set ablaze. All of that passion and immature, young belief that everything was fine---and the goal to help the village strive, all of it had burned away just like them, leaving behind a woman who couldn't even muster the courage to try and rebuild the bridges that had been burnt. Fear coupled with distress and desire for vengeance against someone she'd only met once. It was incredibly unhealthy, but if she didn't fixate her rage to that woman it'd be directed to the very village she cares about, and probably even the accomplices of hers that didn't know any better.
"I just need power..."
She tenses her hand into a fist, clenching her teeth for a moment, before slowly ascending. After that opportunity to reflect and what not, Kanna just tries to slip away from her negative thoughts. The Chuunin steadily brings the top of her blouse back over her upper body, assuring it's on snug like before. Afterwards, the woman inhales, rolling the scroll on the bed up and tucking it away, before going to attend to other things.
'Just... focus on something else for now.' Kanna muses with a sense of finality in her thoughts, before making her way from her home at last.
Learned - Organic Inscription Sealing Method
» Mtarfa -- Have i posted these in the right place ! They are now!
» Spruce from Home Depot
» home made fuel tanks
» The Girl in the Fire Place
» Apple Snails laid eggs...
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The Scarlet Region
Ruins of Uchiha Castle
Rescuing the princess! [Mission]
Uchiha Akihiro
Skills & Elements:
Ryo: a looot
by Uchiha Akihiro on Mon Oct 08, 2018 8:28 am
Mission Details:
Mission Name: Princess rescue
Mission Type: Rescue
Mission Rank: C-rank
Mission Goal: Rescue the land of water daimyo's daughter.
Description: The land of water daimyo's daughter has been kidnapped by a bunch of...well, kidnappers. She has been taken to their hideout in the Land of Fire. The two allied countries have put together a task force to rescue the princess.
Payment: 15,000 ryo
Requirements: C-class at least. One shinobi from Konoha and another from Kirigakure.
Akihiro arrived at the scene,for the very first time, before Zurui. Perhaps it was because he was more familiar with the Land of Fireor maybe just because forests and trees seemed to distrub the Kirigakure ninja a bit. Whatever it was the fact remained that Akihiro was here and Zurui was not. Today they had been sent on a search and destroy rescue mission to save the daughter of the Land of Water's daimyo. She had been kidnapped while travelling on a ship and brought here to be heldfor ransom.The price for keeping her head on her shoulders was insultingly high. But Akihiro knew the Land of Water was willing to pay it should their mission fail. Alas the bandits weren't complete idiots either. They had brought her to an old fortress, which was ruined now but had once been defended by the mighty Uchiha Clan in its prime state. It was clearly old but the rocks from which the walls were made were still strong and some towers still stood tall. A frontal attack on this place would certainly bring in many casualties...naturally a more stealthy approach was the better option. Akihiro stood still, examining the fortress from the safety of an old ruined mill which was still quite some distance away from the walls. The fortress had three walls, each one standing taller than the previous, although not necessarily bigger. They were clearly old although Akihiro could see they were in good shape,probably due to the repairs the bandits had been doing on it, as evidenced by the construction materials laying around on top of the walls. These guys had money. It was best to wait on Zurui for now.
Zurui
Class: E
Ryo:
Re: Rescuing the princess! [Mission]
by Zurui on Tue Oct 09, 2018 6:33 pm
"Well, that's inconvenient." Said Zurui, walking up alongside Akihiro. He'd been late, gathering some things from the Land of Water before making his way over here to meet Akihiro. Unlike last time, there were more places to visit in this go around, one in particular that spurred Zurui's change in appearance. He knew well that he'd not be likely to see the Hidden Mist Village for at least several weeks, maybe longer, judging by this monstrosity of a bandit base.
Go on a C-Rank Mission, it'll be quick, they told him. Like hell. A ragtag group managed to break into the Daimyo's residence and kidnap his daughter, probably the second most heavily guarded person in the entire Land, second only to her father, naturally, whose own defenses and resources were right there and yet still the bandits prevailed. That alone meant they were highly skilled and this mission was going to take a while. Then he'd heard that Akihiro managed to track them down to this immense fortress, and it looked now like they were renovating the place. A group with resources like that most definitely constituted more than a C-Rank mission. This was some serious crap right here.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. You know how I am with trees." The wretched things.
by Uchiha Akihiro on Tue Oct 09, 2018 7:47 pm
"I know, I know. No worries. Look." Akihiro nodded towards the fortress, implying Zurui should take a better look at it. "Those are the ruins of an old Uchiha Clan fortress, from before the founding of Konohagakure no Sato. We thought it had been destroyed, but these guys made one hell of a job restoring it. " Akihiro pointed towards places on the wall where "patches" of rocks seemed to cover the earlier wall holes. "They're not using the same kind of stone which composes the original wall, but they're still using doing a good job with regular rocks. I've seen them entering the place while guarding a prisoner- It was from a distance but the woman they were escorting in seemed to match the description. " He had seen about ten bandits entering the fortress through the main gate while escorting a tied up woman. There was a certain air about the way the woman moved that made Akihiro believe she really was a noble. Perhaps it was the way she walked, or her attitude towards the bandits- Akihiro couldn't say. But he was almost certain she was the Land of Water's Daimyo's daughter.
"Any ideas for infiltrating the fortress? Maybe we could approach from the cliffside?"
The Kiri-nin considered the castle. It was a massive construct -a really, really massive construct. They were as ants in its shadow. To climb that cliff on the other side would take a very long time even if they used chakra to run right up the side. Plus, there was the time wasted in just getting to the cliff base. They were closer to the wall from their vantage point, but it was likely to be guarded. They'd have the advantage of hiding from sight behind the rock formations if they took the cliff, which alleviated any need for subterfuge. However, if they could find a method to bypass those defenses, it would be much quicker and time was of the essence. The Water Daimyo wasn't in a mind to waste much time in waiting on a couple of ninja to save his precious child; it took a great deal of convincing just to put him off long enough for the mission to begin. It was entirely possible that the money was already on its way, and if this group got a hold of those funds, they'd became a serious force.
"That'll take a while. We could go underneath the wall using Doton, try to find a quicker way to reach the princess. With your Genjutsu, moving around inside shouldn't be a problem. What do you think?"
Akihiro considered Zurui's idea for a moment. He didn't know the inside of the Uchiha fortress, all he knew was that it existed and that it had been extremely well guarded once upon a time. "Well, it's not a bad plan... but I wouldn't trust the Uchiha not to have some sort of built-in countermeasures against that kind of infiltration. We fought the Senju after all, and they were Doton masters. We can try, but we should thread carefully." Akihiro gave one last glance to the fortress. It was indeed quite a sight... it was a shame they'd have to go underground to enter it. Was there no other way? He considered the climbing option one more time...but if it was true that the Uchiha had built countermeasures against complex underground infiltrations then they sure as hell built something to prevent something as basic as a climbing technique. Perhaps this was the less risky method to attempt an infiltration. He shrugged, and turned to Zurui.
"Well then, I'm ready when you are. I trust you can find your way underground towards that huge fortress? I'm certain you'll find no trees buried here." Truth to be told he *wasn't* that certain. The Senju used some crazy Mokuton jutsu...no one could guarantee they wouldn't find the roots of some crazy ass tree lurking underground from ancient battles still.
by Zurui on Wed Oct 10, 2018 12:07 pm
Zurui held his hand out to the ground. Akihiro was probably right. A fortress designed by a Clan that was often at odds with Doton masters was likely to have some kind of safe guards built in. If they were going to infiltrate this place, they would have to use care; there was no telling what had been full rebuilt by these bandits and what had been added since last this fortress stood strong.
The ground open up like a secret door, sliding the top part back to reveal a tunnel. This was not some secret entrance, however. Zurui had managed to manipulate the ground beneath their feet using Earth Release to make an open path for them. This was his alternative to simply digging or phasing through the ground with other techniques, because at least this way, they'd both have more room to react to any unexpected traps.
The Jounin looked up to gauge the tunnel's path before walking inside. Once his vision of the area was gone, he'd be unable to accurately determine the exit point of the tunnel, so he fashioned it all the way to the first outer wall, where he made the exterior lining thinner, so that he'd be better able to create an opening once they reached it. It was going to be dark, though.
With a wave, Zurui beckoned Akihiro to follow him inside, using his mind's recollection of the tunnel to guide his way. It wouldn't be long now before they were at least inside, but then the hard part would begin.
by Uchiha Akihiro on Wed Oct 10, 2018 12:22 pm
Akihiro did little more than watch as Zurui cast his fancy Doton technique. He used it to nake a tunnel which led directly to the first outter wall through an underground path. Akihiro was still quite unsure about this plan, considering the Uchiha's history with the Senju. But it was the best they had an honestly the duo was running out of time before the Land of Water's daimyo barged into the Land of Fire with a freacking army.
Following Zurui's signal Akihiro jumped into the hole the Kirigakure Ninja had created, moving deep underground and following the Jonin. Of course it was dark and Akihiro couldn't see a thing, vut considering the size of the fortress he decided notnto waste any chakra on using Katon to illuminate the place. If the enemy had sensors they would also be easily spotted. So instead of risking that, Akihiro would simply follow behind Zurui and trust that the man knew where they were going. The path was still long to walk especially when walking in darkness, but eventually the duo reached the wall. Now it was only a matter of waiting and see if Zurui had a way to break through.
As they walked along the path, Zurui could feel the occasional rumbling. He wasn't sure what it was, but as they came near the endpoint of the tunnel, he found out first hand just what kind of defenses the Uchiha employed. You would think they'd set Fuuinjutsu that needed to be unsealed or fire release type explosives or some such, but no, they knew that people manipulating the earth itself would simply find ways around that. they had in the past, and it proved far too troublesome for the Uchiha to make a mass of traps only to have them work maybe a tenth of the time. Frustrated, they went to another source. A more...unavoidable source.
The rumbling got closer and until by the time they'd come to the wall, it was very obviously right on the other side of the tunnel. Zurui waved his hand to react, but before he could even muster his chakra, a massive wyrm bust through the tunnel wall and shoved them straight up through the ceiling. Fortunately, it was part of the thin lining that Zurui had made beforehand, and so the duo would be quite undamaged when they recovered from being flung from their tunnel and onto the courtyard. That was hardly a concern, though, with a gigantic burrowing monstrosity bearing down on them. Funny enough, that wasn't even the worst part.
by Uchiha Akihiro on Wed Oct 10, 2018 3:45 pm
"Holy sh- what is that?!" Akihiro asked. He had never seen this kind of creature before, at least live. The wyrm looked very much like a dragon but with no wongs or any sort of legs or feet. It was just slithering around underground and waiting for someone to try exactly what the two of them were trying. The two ninjas were flung off the tunnel and into the courtyard. By a pure stroke of luck, there were no bandits present on the courtyard at the time.
"Over here!" Akihiro yelled out to Zurui as he ran over a small stone wall present on the courtyard which separated the entry area from a small training ground. Ducking, he managed to avoid a wave of fire that completely razed everything between them and the wyrm. The creature was huge, several meters tall and many more meters long. Its screams made Akihiro's ears hurt, but more importantly than that they alerted the bandits who were now coming out to the courtyard and drawing weapons to face the creature. Akihiro (and probably Zurui) managed to stay hidden for now, but that wouldn't last unless they made a move now. "We gotta get out of here or we'll be found. See if you can find a way out!" Akihiro glanced over the wall just in time to see a bandit being flung by the beast's tail, hitting the wall with an audible "crack".
by Zurui on Wed Oct 10, 2018 3:53 pm
Making a mad dash to the small stone wall, Zurui barely managed to join Akihiro in his small cover before the flames torched the area. Bandits rushed out and proceeded to get stomped by the monstrous wyrm. Zurui scanned the courtyard for any escape. He'd need to think quick, lest the beast finish with the bandits and come for them. That, or the bandits beat the creature and then come for them. No matter who won that battle, the two invaders were in trouble. The Jounin found no obvious signs of escape. To leave the cover of the wall both opened them up to another wave of fire and greatly risked exposure to the bandits. The only way out was to go underground. Hopefully, there wouldn't be another monster waiting for them down there. What's a real shame though is that nobody around here had a Sharingan to forcibly tame that monster. Do you know how much easier this mission would be if they had that thing helping them?
Zurui opened another underground passageway. This time, rather than an entire tunnel, he simply parted the ground to let them slip down into a basement level and then closed it up behind them, placing a solid layer of stone between them and the chaos above ground. Now they were on their own, in an underground hallway lit with torches and little idea of where the princess might be.
It was a good thing Akihiro hadn't unlocked the sharingan yet. It meant the two ninjas would have to get more creative and thus find space to grow and learn new things! Truthfully a shinobi was also measured by his ability to innovate, come up with new ideas and -"We're going underground again?" Akihiro asked, raising an eyebrow. He wasn't all that fond of going back to darkness. Alas, he didn't have much of a choice since yet another wave of fire just passed right over the wall of stone and far too close to his head for comfort. Akihiro shrugged and jumped into the hole again, landing and looking around while Zurui closed it.
The hallway seemed ancient very much like the rest of the fortress. If the torches weren't lit Akihiro would have guessed no one walked these corridors in many years, but that clearly wasn't the case. Screams could be heard on the upper level of the courtyard. The poor bastards clearly weren't having a good time against the supernatural creature they were facing. Akihiro was glad they didn't have to kill the thing. Akihiro walked down the corridor, hopefully, followed by Zurui. Upon taking a turn, he found a group of guards guarding a door and immediately retreated, signaling Zurui that there were two of them.
Two guards meant two things. One, the door they were in front of lead to something of value to the bandits. Two, the threat level of whatever they expected to enter or exit that door was rather low. This meant that the princess could very well be behind that door, or that this was the entry point to the castle's next level and while they didn't necessarily expect company from the basement, they also didn't want to chance someone sneaking in unnoticed. Either way, it was a door they would need to go through. Fortunately, the entire passage was surrounded by earth, and Zurui could move it with just a few motions of his hand. Unfortunately, he didn't want to waste any unnecessary energy because his reserves weren't all that great.
The Jounin nodded to Akihiro and moved up beside him at the corner. The Jounin drew out a kunai, motioned the Uchiha to go forward, and lunged out in concert with his ally to fling the kunai at the neck of the guard closest to him. As smart as his companion was, Zurui was sure that he'd be able to deduce the proper target so that both guards would be taken out simultaneously. Sadly, the guard Zurui had aimed at possessed a little more padding on his body than expected, and was able to take the kunai without drawing much blood, let alone taking a loss of life. Zurui sighed at his own lack of strength and rushed in to deal with the guard before he yelled. Only a brief mutter escaped his mouth before the Kiri-nin was upon him, grasping his weapon with one hand and covering his mouth with the other. A few seconds of struggle later and that kunai found its way back into the man's neck, this time buried deep.
Akihiro confirmed Zurui's nod, nodding back when he saw the kunai the Kirigakure no Sato ninja drew from its sleeve. Akihiro was surprised however when the Jonin chose to throw the kunai. Considering both their lack of strength Akihiro had just assumed the duo would move on quickly onto the guards and take them out fast, making use of their natural speed. So you can understand why he was surprised when he dashed towards the guard on the left side and saw a kunai slipping past him towards the guard on the right side. Alas, he was sure Zurui knew what he was doing.
With a quick movement of hand Akihiro would use his kunai to slice the guard's throat, killing him immediately and without letting the man make a single sound. He turned towards the other guard just as Zurui was finishing him off. "We would be smart to hide the bodies. Can you bury them real quick? No need for a deep grave, a shallow one will do. Let them find the bodies in a couple of weeks through the rotten stench." Akihiro would wait for Zurui's reply and then turn towards the door. He was hesitant a first, considering whether or not this thing would be trapped. But the young Uchiha figured out that if they placed guards then that was unlikely. Despite the risk, he took a chance. He opened the doors and entered the room behind them. Looking around, Akihiro saw a huuuuuge corridor, the door they had gotten through was but a small access through the sides. The ceiling was incredibly tall, easily lost in darkness. "We must be inside of the second wall..."
The Jounin quietly activated a technique to cause the earth to swallow up the two guards. It looked like they had simply sunk into stone-looking water and were no more. As Akihiro said, they would be found in a week or two via the stench, but they'd be rather difficult to recover if the people that found them didn't possess the Doton element.
Zurui followed Akihiro into the massive corridor, stunned at first by the sheer size of the place. There was so much space wasted on what could only be described as a grand gesture, a show of power and riches. But the loss of functionality here was just devastating. There could easily have been an entire prison here, or enough rooms to house a village, but instead, they made a grand corridor.
The Jounin found the nearest wall and moved alongside it, staying close enough to hide behind the passing pillars as needed but far away enough to not be fully exposed by the torches lit all along it. The bandits seemed determine to renovate this entire fortress and by the looks of everything, they'd been doing a good job. He hated to think how many they had at their command, how many soldiers filled this one building. Getting caught was becoming less and less an option.
Zurui skipped practically every door he came across until he reached a large, winding staircase towards the end of the corridor. They'd probably need to go up; it seemed like every princess that was ever kidnapped was always trapped in the tallest tower. However, given the lack of guards here -probably sent to deal with the monster in the courtyard, there were bound to be more up the stair case. They'd need to use care.
Akihiro followed Zurui after he buried the bodies and moved up towards and into the grand corridor. He couldn't help but be of the same opinion of the Kirigakure no Sato ninja. He wasn't sure of what exactly was here during the time the Uchiha reigned over this place but he would certainly be disappointed to find out the Uchiha wasted space like this. No, certainly there was something more to this wall back then. A weapon storage unit? Food storage? Storage for...anything? Or maybe a prison or even a training area. Heck, he'd be happy with a common room. But he doubted his clan had the luxury to afford time for those back then, after all, they were constantly at war.
The duo kept on moving through the corridor. The lack of guards in this area was obvious, and Akihiro found himself glad that they had chosen to take an underground route and awaken a wyrm. Not only had they gotten the chance to see a rare mythical animal, but they had also had the opportunity to see that animal shred guards to pieces. Guards that were supposed to be guarding...this staircase. Akihiro looked at Zurui, shrugged and moved up the stairs. It wasn't like they had any choice, there was no point in going back now. Akihiro climbed a long way up, until he found a door sealed with a wooden bar. Akihiro took out a kunai and used the Flying Swallow technique to slice the wood bar in half and grant acess. Upon opening the door Akihiro found himself on the main tower of the third wall. Overlooking the castle, Akihiro found soldiers on the third wall shooting arrows towards the top of the second wall where a bunch of soldiers were fighting the wyrm which had somehow managed to find a way to climb he massive wall.
by Zurui on Thu Oct 11, 2018 10:46 am
The Jounin followed his companion up the stairs and through the door. Like Akihiro, Zurui looked over at the wyrm battle still commencing below. It was a bad sign for the bandits that it had figured out how to climb so far, though he wondered how they'd gone so long without coming up with a way to deal with it. Maybe they just hoped to ignore it and it would return the favor. Or maybe they weren't even aware of its presence, since it really took a use of Earth Release to even find the thing and it was entirely possible that nobody here could use it, save Zurui.
As the Jounin looked around, he could notice that some of them were moving beyond the capacity of his eyes to follow. This troubled him, because he knew the bandits weren’t particularly skilled, and any others they ran across may have the same level of speed, thereby preventing him from accurately dealing with them simply because he couldn’t clearly see them. Before moving on to deal with the archers on the third tower that had yet to take note of their presence, the Jounin drew a seal on his forehead and immediately activated it. This was a new technique of his that he’d not yet tried, but should serve to aid his eyesight enough to follow at least the bandits’ movement.
It was like a curtain had been removed. In an instant, he could see everything that everyone did down below and up on the third level with no problems at all. So, with this new sight, the Jounin fired off a Katon ninjutsu to ignite the archers. They screamed and they burned but it wasn’t likely to give their position away, since that wyrm was spitting flames in every direction.
Trained Seal of Vision, C-Rank Custom, 306/200 WC
by Uchiha Akihiro on Thu Oct 11, 2018 4:12 pm
"Good aim." Akihiro stated as he watched the fireballs dextrously chasing their targets and lighting them up in fire. It was almost like his demon lantern jutsu really. Zurui also somehow managed to find a way of utilizing this technique in a manner which made it seem like the wyrm was the one burning down the bandits. Looking down Akihiro almost felt pitty for these guys. They were being chased, burned and murdered by a beast who they did not awaken. A smart person would try to make a run for it since, you know, wyrms have no legs. But bandits weren't exactly known for being smart were they? These were good builders at least. Maybe the Uchiha Clan could claim this fortress once these guys were kicked out. Then again that was unlikely. The Clan had settled quite nicely in Konoha and Akihiro didn't think the majority of the clansmen would want to come back here.
Alas now they were here and needed to look at the what was ahead and not behind them. The third level of the fortress held several buildings: A small stone building which Akihiro figured was either the armory or some sort of storage unit, the main fortress building which towered tall above the rest of the fortress, and a tower with hallway pass to the main building. Akihiro moved towards the tower and began climbing it, but as peeked through the tower's window he had a stroke of bad luck and found himself face to face with a bandit. The man's reaction was to pull a Jaime Lannister and push a little boy off a window. Luckily this little boy was a ninja and with a quick backflip Akihiro drew a kunai and used the Flying Swallow to not only slice the string which held the alarm bell but also stick the kunai to the tower wall, creating a large cut as he slowed down his fall. Hanging from the kunai, Akihiro would glance at Zurui. "We need to prevent that sentry from crossing the tower pass hallway and alerting the guards."
by Zurui on Thu Oct 11, 2018 4:38 pm
Zurui nodded to Akihiro, thankful that this didn't end in broken legs, a coma, and a three-eyed raven, and proceeded to scale the tower by simply running up it. With his enhanced vision, he was able to trace the bandit and predict his path. All that was left was to place himself in front of him, but that didn't seem likely to happen, given Zurui's speed. So naturally the Jounin activated the body flicker technique as soon as he reached the window and darted through it and along the pass and right into the back of the fleeing bandit with a quarterback-level tackle.
The bandit and Zurui regained their footing and entered a skirmish. Neither had any particular physical advantage, but Zurui continued to use openings to draw another seal, this time on his torso. When he activated the seal, he neglected to dodge the bandit’s next punch. Instead, he took the punch like it was nothing, now having more resilience than before, and knocked the bandit out with a solid hit to the side of the head. Medical knowledge had its uses, of course, even in combat.
The Jounin tapped both of the seals on his body to deactivate them and continued along the path to the part of the castle where the princess was sure to be kept. Hopefully.
Trained Seal of Endurance, C-Rank Custom, 223/200 WC
Thankfully there were two ninjas on this mission and not a single one. If Akihiro had been forced to chase this bandot after falling, he would never have been able to catch him and would have ended up in a battle against an entire fortress of bandits. Fortunately Zurui came through and ended up managing to put down the man just as Akihiro approached the fighting duo. Yeah he was late, but to be fair he had been thrown off a tower and had to climb all the way back up and then go through the pass without using Body Flicker. It wasn't that he couldn0t use the technique, it was just that Akihiro trusted Zurui to be able to take care of one single bandit, of course. Yeah, that was definitely it.
Alas, they kept moving towards the main building and found themselves face to face with a ridiculously huge wooden door, reinforced by steel and iron plants on what would be its weaker points. The symbol of the Uchiha clan was engraved on these metal plates along with what seemed to be representations and figures of important people and battles. The whole thing seemed ancient. Akihiro doubted they would be able to take down the door with raw power alone...but what other choices could they possibly have? Tearing down this door through force would also mean blowing their cover.
One look at the door told Zurui that the time for sneaky infiltration was over. They were either to going to turn away and waste inordinate amounts of time seeking another route or they were going to make so loud a ruckus that everyone in the compound would hear them. Zurui began to make the hand seals for a powerful ninjutsu but suddenly leaped onto the door, using chakra to hold himself afoot as the wyrm shattered the pass from below and rose to face the Kirigakure Jounin. The two locked eyes and in a moment's notice, the wyrm lunged forward, busting through the door. It splintered and caved in while the bar that held it in place from the other side cracked in two and collapsed to the ground far below. That was their way in, so long as they could deal with the wyrm in some way. Luckily they had a Sharingan use- oh, that's right.
It was a good thing that Akihiro had yet to acquire his sharingan! This provided both him and Zurui the opportunity to deal with a deadly creature which had killed several dozens of men already, but to deal with it in a way that wasn't cheating. No, they would be fighting mano a mano, hombre to hombre, man to deadly mythological creature. This was a test of bravery, of courage, of skill! A test of might and power, intelligence and other general attributes usually associated with heroes. Above all, Akihiro really hoped this was a test Zurui would pass.
Oh, did I not mention? This wasn't a "men to deadly creature" sort of battle. It was a "man to deadly creature" sort. Plus, Akihiro was only fourteen, one couldn't really expect him to take part on this challenge, right? So instead, as the Wyvern got distracted with Zurui, Akihiro slip past it using its shadowy ability and entered the main building. Once he was fine and safe he would try to find a way to help his friend. Whatever guard were there guarding that place, they all seemed to have vanished with the sight of the wyvern. Akihiro glanced at the door and noticed a large metallic structure above it. It seemed like an additional iron door held in place by a long metal chain. Akihiro calculated the trajectory and got himself ready. As soon as Zurui managed to place the beast under the doorway, Akihiro would use a powerful fuuton to blast the chain away and drop the large metal door on the wyvern. Hopefully killing it.
Momentarily baffled by the Uchiha slipping inside the doorway and leaving him alone with the monstrosity, Zurui quickly composed himself and prepared for the battle at hand. He'd need to handle this thing while Akihiro located the princess. Of course, this wasn't what the Chuunin actually had in mind, but with no visibility, Zurui had no way of knowing. He jumped down and stabbed the thing on the head. the wyrm cried out in pain and flung Zurui into the doorway, where he could now see Akihiro ready to drop a heavy iron door. This was good. All the Jounin needed to do was lure the beast inside long enough to get killed by that door. Unfortunately, he'd spent too long looking up and the wyrm was deceptively fast. It lunged in, snagged Zurui by the leg, and pulled him outside where they both toppled down to the ground below before the door had a chance to fall. Either Akihiro had reacted swiftly, closing the door and putting a barrier between himself and a falling Zurui, or he was too slow and the door had yet to fall, leaving the option to either continue on with the mission, trusting the Jounin to handle the small lizard, or turning back to save his ally, costing them time and possibly success, now that they'd been discovered.
Akihiro's plan was to let the door down on the wyrm, but placing a barrier between them and the creature would also work! So as soon as Zurui stepped inside he cut down the chain with Wind Release: Slash. The wyrm was fast however, and snagged Zurui pulling him towards the outside area. If this happened it would mean serious trouble since Akihiro would have placed a barrier between he and his ally, and his ally would have a large ass mythological creature to deal with, all by himself. Akihiro couldn't allow this to happen so as soon as the wyrm began pulling Zurui out he made a quick set of handseals and cast a Genjutsu upon the creature. The false surroundings technique, tricking the creature into believing it was actually grabbing fire. The sudden change in scenario was enough to shock the creature and cause it to drop Zurui just as the iron gate was closing in. Suddenly, they would find themselves inside the main building, with a wyrm screaming outside. Had they really been found? Akihiro looked around but he couldn't see anyone, or anything. The entire room was empty except for a large staircase which led to the upper floor. He had to wonder, was this where the princess could be found?
Thankful for his ally's hastily delivered judgement, Zurui dusted his clothes off and headed towards the staircase. It seemed that the place had cleared out to deal with the wyrm, which made this part really easy for them. Ascending the staircase, Zurui came to an open hallway with many doors, but only one was guarded by two armed men. The shinobi threw several shuriken at them and closed in, using his feet to knock them down so that he could finish them off in a moderately bloody mess. With that complete, he opened the door to find a...mushroom?
"Thank you Zurui! But our princess is another castle!"
Zurui quickly murdered the little man and proceeded on to the princess.
Akihiro did little more than watch Zurui deal with the guards all by himself. If he had tried half this ahrd against the wyrm the young Uchiha was sure they would have been able to deal with it quite nicely. But oooh nooo, it was such a creaaature... apparently killing wyrms was too difficult but murdering innocent mushroom men was okay. For some reason Akihiro couldn't help but feel a lot of satisfaction for seeing the mushroom man's corpse on the ground. It was as if for years this guy had haunted him in a video game or something, crushing his hopes every time Akihiro was close to rescuing the princess. Well, not. This. Damn. Time.
Akihiro childishly kicked the corpse and moved on. After having acquiring the princess, who had been so shocked she suddenly turned quiet, the duo would leave that place. They had to be careful to avoid the wyrm, but it seemed like the creature was tired of the last battle bandit massacre and was now asleep on top of the main building. Which was great, because it meant the three of them could slip away unnoticed and not be troubled by any bandits. Once again, the joint task force had saved the day!
[exit]
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Let's be honest: Islam has a problem today
When television host Bill Maher declares on his weekly show that "the Muslim world...has too much in common with ISIS," and the author, Sam Harris (a guest on his show) concurs, arguing that "Islam is the mother lode of bad ideas," I understand why people get upset. Maher and Harris made crude simplifications and exaggerations.
And yet, they were also talking about something real. I know all the arguments against speaking of Islam as violent and reactionary. It is a vast world of 1.6 billion people. Places such as Indonesia and India have hundreds of millions of Muslims who don't fit these caricatures. That's why Maher and Harris are guilty of simplification and exaggeration.
But let's be honest: Islam has a problem today...There is a cancer of extremism within Islam today. A small minority of Muslims celebrate violence and intolerance, and harbor deeply reactionary attitudes towards women and minorities. And while some moderates confront these extremists, not enough do so and the protests are not loud enough. How many mass rallies have been held against ISIS in the Arab world today?
But now the caveat, Islam today, is important.
Watch the video for the full Take or read the WaPo column.
Topics: Fareed's Take • GPS Show
Next entry »What role can the Peshmerga play in fighting ISIS?
« Previous entryFormer prime minister of Iraqi Kurdistan on ISIS
It is true that Islam is more Volience Religions in world compare to any other religions existed . If you see the history of Islam right from the beginning of prophet his son in law was killed and its generation of them was killed my own relatives for the power of the Religons and it carries so many generation Now Sunnis kill shias , amedyias, sufis and so on .
Any religions won't recommend to kill any one including enemy .
if prophet was there he was 100% objecting all these killing and he would have recommend all the ppl to love all the religion and follow the Islam.
Beginning of Gandhi's letter to Hitler.
"Namaste, My Fuhrer. I implore you to propagate the Aryan race and remove all semitic impediments in this endeavor. We look forward towards your wisdom and guidance with respect to dealing with British and exterminating Jews. I continue to expound on my hobby of banging my goat and niece Manu. Of course not to mention other tender aged boys and girls and my cow ... Lakshmi. Your Obedient Servant , Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi."
i donno who this farid is but, the context of using india to dilute the religious problem is absolutely cnnism. India was,is tremendously plagued and affected by islam. Look at the history mister farid before you try to make a career in journalism! Your job is to potray facts rather in this commercial world we get its too hard to speak truth!
mccainin4
Harry – Farid is a well respected and world-wise person whose opinions are based on facts and observations. We are not speaking about a studio shut-in like Bill O'Reilly, where to world comes to Bill, nor are we talking about a uneducated malatrope like Rush Limbaugh, whose own opinions could use a strong dose of truth serum.
So, when it comes to opinions, which would you rather have?
stopterror
Conservatives say the true, liberals and nazis are not
October 12, 2014 at 6:40 am |
wansaloot
How have you followed any news and not heard of Fared? He's probably the most respected voice of fact-based moderation out there.
Fareed – my autocorrect apparently doesn't like them foreign names
Who are you kidding... The cancer is in the whole human race.
billbfit
Speak for yourself, and I do applaud your personal honesty.
Fareed is a CIA agent implanted at CNN to spread misinformation. He is a convicted plagiarist. He is from India. We are well aware of his pro Indian and Israeli leanings.
For all of us who watched the Maher show know how eloquently Ben Affleck expressed his opinions which were very balanced. He explained ISIS better than POTUS.
Fareed needs to seek atonement and perhaps another profession. His ethics are third world and similar to the woman bashing Microsoft guy who is also of Indian origin. Shame on them. They are misfits in our western society.
Racist much Shalimar? You need a real education on the meaning of the word racist sunshine. A racist is someone who hates a race of people, your use of the word "India" and "Indian origin" shows just how racist you are. Disliking a religion is called being a bigot, there is a huge difference. Also claiming Fareed is a CIA agent shows what a deluded and quite stupid a person you are.
Blessed to be a Muslim
It is not anybody's fault that Fareed is of Indian origin. He is the one who referred to India in his blog. Are you having a Saturday morning hangover from drinking the cheap liquor in Bombay? Hallucinating?
"Indian" isn't a race sunshine.
The problem is not with Bill maher and to much is made of that to Fareed.....the problem is religion and its beleif in a Santa Claus to save itself and killing in his or her(dare I say) name. Educate and understand that religion is the cancer on mankind and will be its downfall if not tackled.
Mark Wolfson
Here, here Thor. Well said.
vacavalier
Affleck showed himself as an extreme apologist, that is all he did on the show and in a very hyper fashion. Also showing that he really knows nothing by labeling Muslims as a "race", insinuating that Mahr (and others with the same thinking) are "racists"... How on earth is being a Muslim a race Mr. Affleck? What a genius...
In any event and at the end of the day, IS/ISIS/ISIL and other like-minded Mohammedans would lop off Ben's head and put ii on a pole for display in a quick minute.
tseringdolker
Ben Affeck really made a fool out of himself at that show. But I know he thinks he was really on point when it could be nothing further from the truth. You cannot pull out the racist card when there is no race involved. Islam is the mother lode of bad ideas and its prophet is a murdering rapist pedophile. Batman will know that if he had bothered to read the Quran, the Sunnah, and the Hadiths.
PeeVee
that's insane.
Actually Ben as well as other ppl esp Muslims need to be much more vocal about speaking out against extremists within that community. They're far too silent on the henious beliefs a lot of them harbour and far too often sympathetic to honor killings and other idiotic beliefs. And I'm not excluding you dirt bag Christians that believe you can shove your beliefs down everyone else's throat either.
Proudly Muslim
Moderate American Christians has agreed that their USA gov. kill over a million people in IRAQ searching for mass destruction weapons which they never found, whereas most Christians countries has those weapons and more. It is ok for Christians to kill as much as they like, but when it comes to Muslims defending themselves then they are terrorists. Do not forget that in WWI and WWII over 50 millions died by Christians fighting each other.
You people really love exaggerating figures don't you. I also hardly call ISIL executing other Muslims and minority faiths as a group of Muslims defending themselves from Christians either.
You people? Are you a racist bigot? A terrorist?
Proud of your delusion
1) you believe in fairy tales, and this alone makes your thinking dangerous
2) you believe that others who do not believe your fairy tale to be infidel
The fact is, you are dangerous because of your delusion. Even in death, you will learn nothing, because you won't go to see your fairy tale Allah...you will simply cease to exist.
The Nazis did not practice Christianity as their state religion, nor did they go into conquest of nations/peoples in the name of Christianity and the same can be said of the other Axis powers. Religion played ZERO part in their ambitions for world dominance.
Likewise, the Allied response and counter-insurgency within occupied countries was not in the name of Christianity. Your assumptions are unfounded.
When a group/state/nation PROCLAIMS itself to be at war in the name of said god/religion for the said purpose of religion, then you can state without a doubt, that it's being done in the name of a particular religion; i.e. IS/ISIS/ISIL, Al Qaeda, Taliban, etc...
So let us talk about the muslims in India since Fareed segway(ed) this into his post. The muslims in India have been massacred, suppressed, maimed and rayped by the hindu majority in India. They have been living in oppression. Suffocated. Genocides committed against them.
The time has come for Muslims in India to rise and demand a separate independent state for themselves. Where they can live in dignity, in peace, in a civilized culture and not under Hindu subjugation. We have seen the fear in your eyes and the quiver in your voices. From the ashes of India shall rise the Phoenix.
The western world and Americans support a separate state for the Muslims in India. A state based on democratic principles , capitalism, a belief in the unity of god .
Well articulated. You mske a good case to classify India as a terrorist state.
Let me tell you ..India has always tolerated a lot of non sense stop behaving like a fool and inferior india is a democracy nothing will be done to u if you are not creating problems we treat all religions same but if you force anything on us things will happen forget abt any independent things ...if we are silent doesnt mean we will remain
Muslims in India did rise up and demand their own state(s): Pakistan (which use to be part of India) and Eastern Pakistan (now called Bangladesh, which also use to be part of India). Both were majority Muslim areas of British India. In 1930, the philosopher Sir Muhammad Iqbal called for an autonomous new state for Indian Muslims, and his idea gained political momentum throughout the 1930's. In the wake of WWII, the British no longer had the will and/or wealth to hold on to their Empire, which since the 1700's included British India. While exiting India, the British helped establish Pakistan and Eastern Pakistan (now Bangladesh) for Indian Muslims.
P.S. – that was in 1947.
Just saw your post... Great response!
No, they know fully well the deal. What they do is create a state and then those who remain start some trouble and then claim persecution and then demand more land and more rights or special treatment. They do this everywhere they go in the world. The whole world is beset with problems with Muslims. There is only one religion that accomplish this level of conflict in the world and It is Islam.
Um, they've already done that... The country is called Pakistan.
There are already two (Indian) Muslim states: Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Just migrate there. Wouldn't that be easier?
BTW, Arab Muslim conquered Indian eons ago and forced Hindu INdian to convert to Muslim.
The Hindu are just fighting back.
Total crap! Muslims have the aggressor throughout history, slaughtering Hindus and Buddhists all over India. They have accomplished an absolutely horrible figure of 70,000,000 deaths of Hindus and Buddhists in 7 or 8 centuries of their brutal rule in Hindustan. Muslims are usually the aggressor in almost all the religious conflict in India and it has always been that way.
Second point, Muslims can go and live in Pakistan. Pakistan is a state created for Muslim. There never was a state called Pakistan and it was a made up country. Go and live there.
It is time for religions to dissolve themselves.
What baffles me is that hundreds of thousands of people have been and continue to be slaughtered in Indian Occupied Kashmir. A lot of them have been buried alive and rayped. Human rights outfits have provided coordinates of these unmarked graves to the Indian Government. How strange their compasses ceased functioning!!!
Furthermore, UN resolutions have also gone unheeded. No one in the western world.... No one hears their screams. Nobody sees their plight. Nobody smells their burning bodies. NOBODY!!!
In this case hindus in India are the real terrorists.
the only good Muslim is a dead Muslim.
Well, stop sending Terrorists over to steal Indian land. Once again, it is Muslims starting the war and then claiming victim once they get their rear handed to them. You have Pakistan, live there. If any Muslims are not happy in India, they should go to Pakistan.
Muslims defending organisations like ISIL are the real threats to this world alongside said organisations of course.
Wrong. Here is the real threat.
AL QAEDA/TALIBAN AFFILIATED
TERRORIST GROUPS IN INDIA WITH GLOBAL REACH: MULTINATIONALS
RASHTRIYA SWAYAM SEWAK SHANG (R.S.S.)
VISHWA HINDU PARISHAD (World Hindu Council)
HINDU MUNNANI
SHIV SENA
BHARATIYA JANATA PARISHAD (BJP)
SANT SAMITI
HINDU MAHASABHA
BAAJRANG DAL
LEADERS: Narendra Modi/ L.K. Advani/ Ashok Singhal/ Bala Saheb Devaras/ Bal Thackeray(EXTERMINATED)/ A.B. Vajpayee/ Savarkar/ Baikunnth Lal Sharma “Prem”/ Balraj Madhok/ The Shankaracharya of Puri, Niranjan Dev Theerth/ Rama Gopalan/ Variyar – Vishwan Hindu Parishad/ Dharmalinga Nadar/ Cho Ramaswamy
Doesn't Modi have a boyfriend in Myanmar?
Indian Muslims....rise from the clutches of Hindu suppression in India for a separate nation of yours . The world is behind you and supports you. Break away from the shackles of slavery that Hindus have subjected you to. YOU HAVE A DREAM ....OH YES YOU HAVE A DREAM AND THAT DREAM SHOULD BE FULFILLED. These are the words of Martin Luther King that are so applicable to you. Have your own independent country which you can call it your own. We shall call it 'Republic Of Aspirations'
Suffice to say that plebiscite must and should be held in Indian Occupied Kashmir in accordance with the mandate of UN. Nothing more nothing less.
This is a matter of principles.
The concept is no different than what we Americans are doing in Puerto Rico. Let the people decide their fate. This is what democracy is all about.
Unlike what hindoos did in Indian Occupied Kashmir, we Americans didn't send in the Army to Puerto Rico to occupy it and raype the people.
Muslims really dont have any shame... you see what you people are doing around the world and dont speak up but keep complaining and complaining and praising how great your religion is. As you can see the world is fed up with you people.
October 13, 2014 at 6:52 pm |
From the ashes of India shall rise the emancipation of all cultures in India who have been subjugated for so long. Whose talents have been suppressed by India for centuries. Whose aspirations have been trampled by India's Hindus for ever. NO MORE ! We will tear down this wall of subjugation by Hindus . From the ashes of Hindu India shall rise the future of the minorities. From the shackles of poverty in India shall rise prosperity for all minorities under a new capitalism.
Fareed, read my lips. Quit your bigotry.
This is about hindus killing Kashmiris in Indian Occupied Kashmir. UN has passed several resolutions requiring India to grant independence to Kashmir. India has not complied FOR SEVENTY YEARS!!!! We should start droning India without further ado
Please don't talk in riddles. Be straightforward and condemn India for bad things they are doing in Indian Held Kashmir
Rights activists say at least 28,000 people have gone missing in Indian Occupied Kashmir since the freedom fighters began fighting in 1989 for independence from Hindu-majority India or a merger with Muslim-majority Pakistan. Indian government crackdowns have killed at least 150,000 people."
Why is it taking so long to hold plebiscite in Indian Occupied Kashmir?
Fareed, pull your head from inder the sand.
GENOCIDES IN INDIA:::
"Amnesty International is calling for an impartial investigation into mass graves found in Indian-Occupied Kashmir. Sunday, India's Jammu and Kashmir State Human Rights Commission released a report saying a three-year investigation had uncovered 2,156 unidentified bodies in 38 sites in the region.
I have a simple question. Why the problem with Islam which Zakaria mentioned was not there 15 years back? Why everything started after the US war on Iraq. The answer is simple, its a reaction of the people against constant suffering and injustice since 15 years that made them frustrated with the government and now they want to try their own system.
if you think 15 years, your grossly ignorance. you need to add a couple more zeros to it.
The birth of Islam nearly 1500 years ago that give rise to this violence doctrine called Sharia is caused of all the problem in the Middle East.
Haji Allah Baksh
By the grace of almighty, the Muslims are here to stay and thrive. And that they will. To those who even as so much as cast an evil eye on Muslims, will be put in place appropriately under International Law and Geneva Conventions. as is to be expected under any standards.
To those who mean them harm, will be surprised much to their chagrin. Needless to say that as history has shown, Muslims fight for their rights and do not give up. Palestine and Indian Occupied Kashmir are examples. After seventy years Muslims are still fighting for what is rightfully theirs no matter what the cost, whatever the sacrifices in blood or kind and however long it takes. It will never be forgotten as these are causes based on principles and international law.
Whoever will come in their way will be appropriately put in place till victory is achieved.
We support your cause. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.
Stay and Thrive you shall. But as long as you don't accept and study science and enslave your women, you will continue to wipe the Christian asses for eternity.
Islam is a force to reckon with. The muslims will stand for their rights and fight for their dignity. Cost does not matter. Time does not matter. Don't mess with muslims. They will come at you with guns blazing if you do. If you are friends with them they will die for you but if you are their enemy they will dig you in the ground. The Russians and Hindus know that well. Ask them. Remember once there was USSR... NO MORE!!!!
These are not idle threats. This just the way it is gonna be.
You can try to comfort yourself with lies, but a lie is a lie, whether or not you claim it to be a threat or not. Do you plan to kill all of those who do not believe your lies?
He will hand them over to hindus in India who will behead and raype them in that order.
nafzak
@Haji Allah Baksh .. you are a fake. No Muslim will ever take the name "Allah". I am a Muslim and I agree with Fareed Zakaria. btw, Zakaria is from Pakistan.
I am as real as a proud muslim can be. We are the future of this world.
ISLAM STRONG !!
MUSLIM STRONG !!!
Delusional thinking of all kinds need to be eradicated, as people who use them to justify whatever evil they do are the danger. When you believe in the unreal, you can be convinced of anything. When your mind becomes free of delusion, only then can you truly understand the world, and your place in it.
Yeah, and once the great civilization of Ancient Greece believed in gods like Zeus and Thor. What happened to those deities? If only we stopped indoctrinating our children, organized religion would disappear from the planet in just a few generations.
FAREED...........
PARDON ME:::: BUT------>>>>>
There are 4 million muslims being subjected to genocide in Indian Occupied Kashmir by Hindus. Hundreds of thousands have been killed.
Over 20,000 muslims have been killed by hindus in Gujarat
About 6 million Palestinian muslims have been made homeless and their lands taken away by jews in collaboration with Americans/British et al. One million have been killed.
175 million muslims in India are living in oppression, subjugated by hindus and therefore seeking independence.
300,000 muslims have been killed in Iraq by western forces
250,000 muslims have been killed in Afghanistan by NATO.
Tell me Fareed, don't you have a conscience? A soul? Or have you sold yourself for a few bucks.
Fareed, unfortunately has sold himself to CNN propaganda machine. His program is juvenile and his journalistic abilities sub par. Affirmative action?
There are two balls of fire globally. Israel and India. One larger than the other just like my sweaty balls.
All you have to do is map out terror on a map and you will see these two cults right in the center.
Your juvenile necessity to use a vulgar description to cradle your equally juvenile ideas belies you.
Why? Don't you have balls? It is what it is. Don't be shy.
Hannah: your lack of intelligence is obvious, and clear. Your juvenile rantings are those of a child.
@George... a not so original connection but a good angle all the same. Right now Israel is kicking butt on one end and India is chopping appendages off on the other. You forgot the Great Satan on one side and the Russians on another. In your global jihad movement, are you forgetting what Putin is doing to errant chechens?
What Al Qaeda and ISIS have achieved is franchising their brand and shaking up the so called pseudo "world order". Russia is kicking it also to finally crack it open. Iran is the vulture waiting to munch on the carcass. Folks it is over. Obama will soon be kissing the Chinese ring. Cameron will be steaming dumplings in Shanghai alongwith Tony Blair.
More delusional thinking...correction: what you believe is immaterial. Facts are facts, and you don't subscribe to a factual universe. You use delusional thinking to justify what you do, and people who think in delusional ways, rather than in factual and scientific ways, need to be eradicated. You who believe in delusional fairy tales will believe anything.
I for one am not an apologist for Islam. Islam has been around for thousands of years. Many books have been written and translated on Islam. It is one of the, if not the largest, religion in the world. It is the fastest growing. It is a way of life. Islam has a rich legacy that is out there for everyone to see.
More delusional thinking. Here are the FACTS:
"The origin of Islam can be traced back to 7th century Saudi Arabia. Islam is thus the youngest of the great world religions. The prophet Muhammad (circa 570-632 A.D.) introduced Islam in 610 A.D. after experiencing what he claimed to be an angelic visitation."
The 7th century origin of Islam is not thousands of years ago, delusional thinker.
Seeing how Mohammad died less than 1400 years ago, I would question your math. And your ability to judge facts.
You must be referring to cult hinduism who have been rayping for centuries in accordance with Rg Veda.
Hannah: there is no such word as "rayping". Thanks for showing your hooked phonics vocabulary. It shows you lack of intellect, and disdain for the factual and precise.
In other words, Muhammed had a delusional experience, and thus started preaching based upon his delusion. Millions of goat herders started to believe the same delusion. Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with goat herding, but the intellectual prowess of a goat herder is not something to be proud of. You can convince a gullible, non intellectual person of just about anything, which is why democracy is almost always a mistake, and which is why democracy so often appears to fail.
When you give the stupid people the same voice as the smart people, you will get a stupid world. This is exactly what we have. You can try to convince yourself that you are smart, but if you believe in fairy tales, like religion, you are *not* smart. You are mentally ill.
Guru Nanak humped Lord Ganesh from rear and rewarded him by putting an elephant's trunk on his face. Therefore the word elephant man was invented to describe these h omo hinddoous.
Hannah: Silly girl. When you evolve into a more enlightened individual, your posts will take on an air of intelligence. Until then, they will continue to resemble the ramblings of a child.
I would like to know Farheed's opinion as to why the Christian world evolved to a more tolerant, peaceful society (as compared to the Crusades era) and certain Islamist groups are going in the opposite direction, from a more tolerant and advanced society to one that espouses violence as the primary means to dominate the world.
It is because stupid people are reproducing at a rapid rate, while those who actually use their brain for something other than a seat cushion use it to actually think. With this dynamic in full force, intellectualism, and thereby intelligence, will eventually die. The world will soon be filled with only delusional imbeciles.
And what we can do about it considering that the certain violent Islamist groups are not particularly scholarly, and in fact, are anti-education in many instances (particularly as applied to women).
You are referring to the microsoft guy from India who said women should not ask for a raise. I say unto him take your hindu beliefs back to India. You don't belong in out western countries.
He also believes that men should not ask for a raise. Silly girl. Your lack of intelligence is showing again.
Are you kidding me? Christians killed over a million moslems in Middle East. They were protestants mainly.
What delusion do you believe? Do you believe that the descendants of slavery over 400 years ago deserve reparation from people who had nothing to do with it? Silly girl. When you evolve into a more enlightened individual, your posts will take on an air of intelligence. Until then, they will continue to resemble the ramblings of a child.
So? They should have killed more moslims you dumm stu pid beetch
It only took him 1400 years to notice.
That Lord Shiva was gayyy?
Hinduism is one of the most evil pagan cult still operational in the world today. While we think of it as the faith of Mother India, it actually traces it origins to a mysterious tribe of Africans called the Afryans who invaded and conquered Northern India from 1500 BC to 500 BC. The dark-skinned Brahmins of Northern India claim to be their physical and spiritual descendants.
@Hannah. Sux to be you. Thanks for the history lesson. Beecth
One of the reasons that Islam has this problem is that popular Muslim figures do not come out publicly and denounce these extreme and terrorist practices. So non-Muslims are quick to conclude, "oh, they all must be like that", because no other Muslim, even in the US, is standing up saying "They don't represent Islam." I find it curious that many Christians, even popular figures in our culture, will stand up for their faith and denounce atrocities made by other Christians or Christian-based nations, but I have yet to hear 1 Muslim public figure do that against either ISIS or al-Qaeda after 9/11. Until I start to see that, I will believe that Islam is not a peace-centered religion and either advocates or condones violence when they feel it is right or appropriate.
Tzvi Norensberg
Hey Fareed, I am forced to believe that if there was a Christian group slaughtering people in the name of Jesus there would be a gargantuan response opposing them and their views from Christians worldwide. They would be right and hopefully as a result of the response of the vast majority of Christians the rest of the world would quickly understand that such behavior in no way represents Christians or Christianity. However, after decades of terrorist attacks perpetrated by Muslims in the name of Islam there has yet to be an appropriately large and coherent repudiation from the Muslim world. The only repudiation we get is from Western media and governments (PM Cameron, President Obama) assuring us that Islam is a "religion of peace", whatever that means.
Bunch of right wing pro-paki, anti-india tea partiers. We all know that the muslim religion and all others are a myth.
Bunch of sukkers
And there is no Santa Clause either. Du mmies.
newageoftruth
Reblogged this on newageoftruth.
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#VOTD - Visual of the Day
Durrington Walls Super-Henge
James Hicks
I LOVE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY!!
The remains of a major new prehistoric stone monument have been discovered less than 3 kilometres from Stonehenge. Using cutting edge, multi-sensor technologies the Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project has revealed evidence for a large stone monument hidden beneath the bank of the later Durrington Walls ‘super-henge’.
The findings were announced on the first day of the British Science Festival [Sept. 7th 2015], hosted this year at the University of Bradford.
Durrington Walls is one of the largest known henge monuments measuring 500m in diameter and thought to have been built around 4,500 years ago. Measuring more than 1.5 kilometres in circumference, it is surrounded by a ditch up to 17.6m wide and an outer bank c.40m wide and surviving up to a height of 1 metre. The henge surrounds several smaller enclosures and timber circles and is associated with a recently excavated later Neolithic settlement.
The Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project team, using non-invasive geophysical prospection and remote sensing technologies, has now discovered evidence for a row of up to 90 standing stones, some of which may have originally measured up to 4.5 metres in height, Many of these stones have survived because they were pushed over and the massive bank of the later henge raised over the recumbent stones or the pits in which they stood. Hidden for millennia, only the use of cutting edge technologies has allowed archaeologists to reveal their presence without the need for excavation.
At Durrington, more than 4.5 thousand years ago, a natural depression near the river Avon appears to have been accentuated by a chalk cut scarp and then delineated on the southern side by the row of massive stones. Essentially forming a C-shaped ‘arena’, the monument may have surrounded traces of springs and a dry valley leading from there into the Avon. Although none of the stones have yet been excavated a unique sarsen standing stone, “The Cuckoo Stone”, remains in the adjacent field and this suggests that other stones may have come from local sources.
Previous, intensive study of the area around Stonehenge had led archaeologists to believe that only Stonehenge and a smaller henge at the end of the Stonehenge Avenue possessed significant stone structures. The latest surveys now provide evidence that Stonehenge’s largest neighbour, Durrington Walls, had an earlier phase which included a large row of standing stones probably of local origin and that the context of the preservation of these stones is exceptional and the configuration unique to British archaeology.
This new discovery has significant implications for our understanding of Stonehenge and its landscape setting. The earthwork enclosure at Durrington Walls was built about a century after the Stonehenge sarsen circle (in the 27th century BC), but the new stone row could well be contemporary with or earlier than this. Not only does this new evidence demonstrate an early phase of monumental architecture at one of the greatest ceremonial sites in prehistoric Europe, it also raises significant questions about the landscape the builders of Stonehenge inhabited and how they changed this with new monument-building during the 3rd millennium BC.
Our high resolution ground penetrating radar data has revealed an amazing row of up to 90 standing stones a number of which have survived after being pushed over and a massive bank placed over the stones. In the east up to 30 stones, measuring up to size of 4.5 m x 1.5 x 1 m, have survived below the bank whereas elsewhere the stones are fragmentary or represented by massive foundation pits, says Professor Neubauer, director of the LBI ArchPro.
This discovery of a major new stone monument, which has been preserved to a remarkable extent, has significant implications for our understanding of Stonehenge and its landscape setting. Not only does this new evidence demonstrate a completely unexpected phase of monumental architecture at one of the greatest ceremonial sites in prehistoric Europe, the new stone row could well be contemporary with the famous Stonehenge sarsen circle or even earlier, explains Professor Gaffney.
The extraordinary scale, detail and novelty of the evidence produced by the Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project, which the new discoveries at Durrington Walls exemplify, is changing fundamentally our understanding of Stonehenge and the world around it. Everything written previously about the Stonehenge landscape and the ancient monuments within it will need to be re-written, says Paul Garwood, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Birmingham, and the principal prehistorian on the project.
Beyond cool!
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Sensi-IP
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Roar Askheim
Business modelling and transaction specialist. Key team member on the sale of Ocean Nutrition Inc. to DSM for $560M. CFO and key negotiator at Ascenta Health for its sale to Nature’s Way for an undisclosed amount.
Andrew Doyle
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Peter Saladin
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Prior to moving into sustainability Peter was Global Head of Diagnostics Licensing with Roche. Peter bring a valuable set of skills and experience to IR Scientific, especially in the structure and terms on global technology licensing and intellectual property acquisition. Peter’s career with Roche has spanned more than 20 years working in areas such as finance, operations and as CFO of Roche Operations in California, Norway, Peru and Colombia. “I am excited to work with such a motivated and innovative group of people at IR Scientific. We are truly involved in the development of products that will improve the quality of life of millions of people.”
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Ian brings more than 40 years of marketing and business experience to IR Scientific as an Advisor to our company. His career has seen him head up global marketing at companies like Astra Hassle (prior to the merger of Astra with Zeneca) and Novartis before moving to Bayer. His depth of knowledge of product commercialization and marketing will be invaluable to IR Scientific. “I am inspired by the IR Scientific team and our determination to address challenges head on. This is an opportunity where I can contribute to important work in the area of oral health and beyond.”
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IR Scientific is focused on the development of cosmetic and preventive oral health products. We make the world better by creating unique compositions of matter to help the body heal itself, feel better and look better while doing as little damage to the planet as possible.
Our oral care ingredients offer better solutions in health and healing, pharmaceutical efficacy and delivery, among other oral health applications. We strive to create ingredients as good for the planet as they are for our customers and patients. To ensure broad access to the power of our ingredients, we design lower cost or competitively priced products that perform better than comparable ingredients.
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iwchamilton.ca
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Book Review: THE ILLEGAL
The Illegal (HarperCollins) is the latest novel from Hamilton-based author, Lawrence Hill. Released this past September, the timing of book seemed perfect, if for an unfortunate reason. Its release ran alongside the world’s attention forced toward the thousands of refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and the surrounding areas, and the sometimes-deadly voyages they faced in hopes of to finding homes elsewhere.
IWC Team on January 26, 2016
By Lindsay Hutton
Hill’s widely acclaimed previous novel, The Book of Negroes, was released in 2007, and was developed into a miniseries airing earlier this year on the CBC and BET. Hill has also served as a writer-in-residence at McMaster University, a reporter, a teacher, and has published other titles as an essayist and memoirist.
The Illegal is the story of Keita Ali, a young marathoner who becomes stateless due to the political repression and violence in his native Zantoroland, a fictional country Hill sets in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Keita flees to the neighbouring country of Freedom State, and earns money winning local foot races, all the while living in constant fear of being discovered. The book captures an imagining of the perilous life of an “illegal” refugee, complete with a series almost-captures and near-escapes.
The use of running as a metaphor for the lives of refugees isn’t accidental. “It seemed perfect for this character and the story I wanted to tell,” says Hill. “Keita has to use his body¬¬¬—not for Olympic glory—but to stay alive. For food money, for shelter money, and to help his sister. [Long-distance running] seemed perfect as a symbol of a flight.”
Not unlike the book’s protagonist, The Illegal moves fast. Any reader would note its near camera-ready polish. It’s little wonder the book’s film rights were picked up even before its publication. The book is not only a profound masterwork of storytelling, but a storied fight song for those on the run.
This book represents years of interest of the lives of refugees for Hill, both formal and informal. Hill notes inspiration found in the life of a refugee who was the partner of his late sister, Karen Hill. Living in Berlin in the 1980s, the
Sudanese “illegal” was a political cartoonist who fled the political turmoil of his homeland, and later made ends meet drawing caricatures for tourists on the street.
“There’s often a hustle among the undocumented refugees,” laments Hill, explaining that an “illegal” status forces people under the radar as a means of survival. “I didn’t base the main character [of The Illegal] solely on my sister’s lover. But watching how hard he had to work to survive became a point of fascination for me.”
“We all know how hard it is to get your life going when you’re a registered, landed immigrant. But when you have no state, and are living in a country ‘illegally’ (which is an offensive idea, but one that is perpetrated by governments around the world), then just living is a challenging matter.”
Hill’s illumination of the lives of refugees is not only saved for words set to print. In 2008, while working as the writer-in-residence at McMaster University, Hill volunteered with the IWC, mentoring many service users in writing about their experiences as immigrants and refugees. “I enjoyed it completely,” says Hill.
Be it on the bus, a beach, or a few pages snatched here and there while your boss isn’t looking, The Illegal delivers a gratifying read. Not only does Hill illustrate a sort of life invisible to many Canadians, but offers a modern classic we can be proud to have emerged from our very own community.
www.lawrencehill.com
Lindsay Hutton is a freelance writer and activist in Hamilton, Ontario.
Posted in: Justice & Politics
Tagged in: book review, canada, hamilton, HarperCollins, immigrant, immigration, Lawrence Hill, refugee, Syria, The Book of Negroes
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Stock Option Backdating Ethical And Accounting Cha |authorSTREAM
Options backdating fine cooking, become an ft subscriber.
Shares are issued to options backdating fine cooking holders at artificially low prices and the company gets an artificially low amount of capital in return for its shares.
None — victimless crime; just fine the company for back taxes and penalties? As an economic and practical matter, backdating and cherry-picking dates with the lowest market price of the afro love dating stock may be evidence that the options granted were not reasonable compensation, because the grant of the options would not be performance based.
That qualifies as a capital gain and is currently subject to only a federal income tax of only 15 percent.
Your feedback matters to us!
Why is there this emphasis on stock options? So companies can save on taxes by handing out lucrative stock options instead of lucrative salaries.
Annual and quarterly reports filed by the company did not include the compensation costs that stemmed from the options backdating incidents. Some of the more prominent corporate figures involved in the controversy currently are Steve Jobs and Michael Dell.
In addition, executives themselves benefit by exercising the stock option and waiting a year to sell the stock. Broadcom is likely to tone down option issuance even further since the company started expensing options at the beginning of required by GAAP.
Sing or Keep Mum? The FBI has not alleged that Reyes backdated stock options for his own financial benefit.
Stock option backdating
Second, do the backdated options constitute "nonqualified deferred compensation," in which case the companies may be liable for excise taxes?
Whether these measures ultimately work depends entirely upon the U. While reports of past indiscretions are likely to continue to surface, the good news is that companies will be less likely to mislead investors in the future.
Denial of deduction under Section m of the tax code[ edit ] The Clinton tax increase amended the Code to include Section m which presumptively makes compensation in excess of one million dollars unreasonable for public companies.
What lawsuits have been filed by investors over stock option backdating? Lin was accused of backdating stock option documents in order to give the appearance that options were granted on earlier dates than issued.
Even if grant dates are fixed and happen at the same time every year, there's still room for shenanigans.
Apple settles backdating class-action lawsuit for $15M
Recipe This recipe is developed specifically options backdating fine cooking provide enough dough for a single-crust slab pie or sheet-pan pie; a food processor makes it come together quickly. There is nothing illegal or necessarily immoral about paying deserving executives and employees very well.
In short, it is this failure to disclose - rather than the backdating process itself - that is the crux of the options backdating scandal.
Deferral of recognition into employee's gross income[ edit ] According to Section 83 of the Codeemployees who receive property from the employer must recognize taxable income in the year in which that property vests i. BRCMa communications chip company, stands out as one of the best examples of how an excessive option plan can dilute shareholder interests.
Spotlight on Stock Options Backdating
The executives of companies involved in backdating scandals may also face a host of other penalties from a range of governmental bodies. At one extreme, where it is clear that top management was guilty of conscious wrongdoing in backdating, attempted to conceal the backdating by falsifying documents, and where the backdating resulted in a substantial overstatement of the company's profitability, SEC enforcement actions and even criminal charges have resulted.
There is a five-year statute of limitations for securities fraud, and under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act ofoption grants to senior management must be reported within two days of the grant date. However, if the company granted options with an exercise price below fair market value, there would be a compensation expense that had to be recognized under applicable accounting rules.
Quest trio to pay more than $, in fines to close backdating case - latimes
It works like this: Retrieved 11 December InSchroeder filed a lawsuit against KLA-Tencor in the California Superior Court asserting contract and tort claims in connection with the termination of his employment and cancellation of certain equity awards in October Jail for individual who ordered it done?
Although it may appear shady, public companies can typically issue and price stock option grants as they see fit, but this will all depend on the terms and conditions of their stock option granting program.
Toward the other extreme, where the backdating was a result of overly informal internal procedures or even just delays in finalizing the paperwork documenting options grants, not intentional wrongdoing, there is likely to be no formal sanction—although the company may have to restate its financial statements to bring its accounting into compliance with applicable accounting rules.
Initially, lax enforcement of the reporting rule was also blamed for allowing many companies to sidestep the rule adjustment that stemmed from Sarbanes-Oxley. Also, management teams usually wait for a significant run in the stock before issuing a secondary, rather than doing so at average prices over a long period.
Presentation Transcript Stock Option Backdating: The facts cannot be made unclear or confusing. Recipe Sweet, juicy blackberries and blueberries topped with oats and brown sugar join forces in a buttery crust.
Another way to look at this table is to calculate the percentage of future free cash flow pledged to option holders.
Nicholas was also indicted for violations of federal narcotics laws. The stock options are awarded just before news, usually positive, is announced. The backdating concern occurs when the company does not disclose the facts behind the dating of the option.
But are options really as great for all parties as many have assumed? Disordered, untimely paperwork was cited as the cause in some cases of unintentional backdating.
In essence, the revision enabled companies to increase executive compensation without informing their shareholders if the compensation was in the form of stock options contracts that would only become valuable if the underlying stock price were to increase at a later time.
When the executive performs well, the company is going to improve and the value of the company's stock is going to increase.
Options backdating
Perhaps this exposure will occur at a pace similar to the exposure of stock option dilution. He suspects that it will turn out much worse than what has been exposed in the media thus far emphasis added: But, there are also some companies out there that have bent the rules by both hiding the backdating from investors, and also failing to book the grant s as an expense against earnings.
Holding the supply of goods and services constant, the added supply of money and credit will exert pressure on asset prices, goods, and services in fairly unpredictable fashion. Reporting by Duncan Martell, editing by Phil Berlowitz.
Apple settles backdating class-action lawsuit for $M
Among the agencies that could be knocking on the door are the Justice Department for lying to investors, which is a crimeand the IRS for filing false tax returns. Here, a lattice top gives this pie a classic look. Vice President Al Gore.
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CHRIS BONNOR. Discrimination recriminations in the debate about private schools.
Posted on 7 November 2018
Debates about discrimination in schools need to go much further, argues Chris Bonnor
The war of words about real or imagined discrimination by private schools doesn’t look like going away soon. Latest skirmishes are between Anglican schools and their mainly ex-students. The former say that current protections are needed so that schools can “maintain their ethos and values with regards to core issues of faith”. In Fairfax newspapers John Collier attempt to explain it away But Cathy Sherry suggests that banning LBQTI teachers might shrink their pool of quality educators. This debate can be never-ending … but it can still go much deeper.
Schools are characterised by inequitable discrimination at a number of levels. The right of some schools to reject gay kids is just one oddity in a school system plagued by an unequal mix of obligations, responsibilities and accountabilities. Although unintended, the Ruddock review may yet place this oddity under the spotlight.
The oddities are especially noticeable between the school sectors. We know that public schools must be open to all students from all backgrounds in all places, but private schools have long been considered to be just … private, with no such obligation and free to serve who they like and where they like.
We now need to ask what public obligations should really accompany public funding of schools, regardless of sector? It is a fair question to ask: taxpayer funding of private schools has reached a level where they receive almost as much funding as do similar public schools. In financial terms, and high-fee schools aside, most non-government schools are now government schools. For them to be government funded and private is neither logical nor sustainable. Equivalent countries such as New Zealand don’t allow this; neither should we.
We need this debate. Last year’s marriage equality plebiscite demonstrated that when it comes to sexuality the public mood has changed. The penny has dropped in Canberra that a public that supports marriage equality is hardly likely to turn a blind eye to discrimination around sexuality in schools. In a similar way there is now much greater awareness of issues of equity and a commitment to a fair go within and between schools.
The reality is that while the funding has risen the legislation and regulations surrounding private schools largely hasn’t changed. There has been some convergence between the school sectors in areas as curriculum, assessment and teaching standards, but significant differences around their operation, accountability and obligations remain.
Examples are easy to find. We don’t, for example, really know how many gay students private schools have expelled. In fairness, probably not many, but non-government schools simply don’t have to tell us. Notwithstanding their substantial public funding, private schools are not ‘government agencies’ under Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation.
The biggest difference between the sectors is created when students try to enrol at school – and the biggest act of discrimination is the charging of fees. The very existence of school fees at different levels guarantees that we end up distributing children to schools on the basis of family income – creating a socio-economic hierarchy of schools, something which makes an almost unique Australian contribution to our overall mediocre student achievement.
Other enrolment discriminators play their part. While most fee-charging schools claim to be non-selective they can routinely ask for some or all of non-refundable fees, reconfirmation two years prior, full family details, referees and additional details at interview. Schools are variously able to apply additional discriminators or incentives in the form of selective fee exemptions, scholarships, entry tests, previous school reports and test results and other restrictive (including religious) criteria.
Some government schools are also able to employ some of these discriminators. Despite enrolment regulations, high demand public schools can be quite selective in who they let through the gate – a process which is institutionalised in the case of selective schools.
We are constantly told that it is about choice by parents and the capacity of schools to create a preferred ethos, uninhibited by the intrusive need to enrol “certain cohorts” – as less desired students were once described by a prominent politician. But the downside of this discrimination is huge as some schools accumulate the social, cultural and even financial capital of some families – leaving deficits to pile up in the schools of the less fortunate.
Maybe we’ll quite successfully reduce the discrimination faced by LGBTI students. We need to celebrate this achievement, but the headlines will fade away and that’s as far as we’ll go. There aren’t many headlines in the slow and grinding impacts of discrimination across the rest of our system, just big problems that continue to accumulate.
Chris Bonnor is a Fellow of the Centre for Policy Development.
This entry was posted in Education. Bookmark the permalink.
3 Responses to CHRIS BONNOR. Discrimination recriminations in the debate about private schools.
Sandra Hey says:
Religious teachings should be the responsibility of parents. There was a time Christian teachings took place at Sunday Bible classes and Church what ever the chosen faith. Why should the Australian taxpayer fund Christian teachings at private Schools. It is a CON and should be stopped. The nation desperately needs those education dollars for our Government Schools. It is hard to comprehend we still have Government Schools without any air conditioning. It seems Religous teachings compliments of the taxpayer is more important th an the health of our students in the public sector.
R. N. England says:
My eyes glaze over when I read all this discrimination stuff. We all discriminate: in favour of kindness and against burglary, for example. There is nothing morally bad about being discriminating. We just need to get rid of pointless old punitive traditions.
The key to this kerfuffle is the Salafist Anglican Archdiocese of Sydney. The great good that could come from it would be the final overthrow of that barbaric régime.
Jim KABLE says:
It’s time for the government to simply take control of any educational institution receiving public funding and to declare such institutions public. Any personnel within those formerly so-called private institutions who do not wish to become public will be free to leave, resign or whatever. I am quite frankly sick of the assumptions of class and privilege carried by the implications of all the St Grammars scattered across the leafier zones of our towns and cities. It should be mandatory in the interim that all serving state or federal MPs must send school age children to their local state school. Must! By such means this society will “fair dinkum” find its public sector schools much more equitably and properly funded – for teachers, buildings (maybe a bit of ivy for growing up red-brick walls, too) and student opportunities – city and far-flung rural alike.
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Home » Dating » Security issues in gay dating app Grindr exposed users’ locations
Security issues in gay dating app Grindr exposed users’ locations
December 14, 2016 admin Off Dating
Organizers said the government limited the event to people. The ‘dark side of society’ In , Beijing banned depictions of gay people on TV and the internet in a sweeping crackdown on “vulgar, immoral and unhealthy content. A recent report by Human Rights Watch examines how Chinese parents threatened, coerced and sometimes physically forced their adolescent and adult LGBT children to submit to conversion therapy. Yet in April, when Chinese microblogging site Sina Weibo decided to impose its own, apparently unofficial ban on gay content — erasing more than 50, posts in one day — Beijing seemed to mirror the disapproval of internet users. Still, LGBT activists say conservative social attitudes in China are just as big a problem as government restrictions. Verbal and physical violence by parents against gay children is not uncommon, with some parents committing their offspring to psychiatric hospitals or forcing them to undergo conversion therapy, which is widely offered. The government doesn’t release official statistics on any of this, but LBGT groups say family and social disapproval — especially outside large cities — means only about five per cent of gay Chinese have been ready to come out publicly. Closely regulated In light of this, Ma’s app walks a fine line. At Blued’s headquarters, there are several rows of workers who scan profiles, pictures and posts on the dating app in real-time, around the clock, to make sure nothing runs afoul of China’s regulations. The offices of Blued in Beijing have the feel of a Silicon Valley startup.
Grindr: The No. 1 gay dating app in the entire world
Paul is living in what feels like dating Armageddon. Long gone are the Hollywood-esque romances, extended candlelit dinners and gentle wooing. I split up from my partner last year.
Apr 03, · Grindr, a popular dating app for gay men, said it will stop sharing users’ HIV data with third-party companies that analyze mobile and Web apps. .
September 02 6: As of August 17, the gay dating app, which has over 12 million members in countries, has removed all programmatic advertising; it also no longer requires users to list their race or ethnicity. These ads are automated by targeting specific demographics like the gay community, using data provided by the app.
In an interview with The Advocate over email, Eric Silverberg, CEO and cofounder of Scruff, said its change in advertising came about in part to increase the security of user data. The regulation, which went into effect May , made it “impossible” for Scruff to continue programmatic advertising in Europe, Silverberg said. Grindr, a Scruff competitor, came under fire in April after a report revealed it was sharing sensitive user data like HIV status with third-party vendors.
It has since ceased this practice. In doing so, Faden could access those users’ unread messages, email addresses, deleted photos, and location data. Giving away users’ locations is dangerous, but especially in homophobic nations where some gay and bi men are entrapped through gay dating apps. Grindr has since taken steps to correct these flaws and cautioned users not to share account information or password with third parties. To heighten security, Silverberg also said Scruff will no longer consider an integration with Facebook — by allowing a login through a Facebook account, for example — due to the controversy surrounding reports of how Cambridge Analytica mined information from the social media service to influence the U.
In terms of the second change, Scruff will now only require users to share their name, email, and birthday — ethnicity and all other profile fields are optional.
Grindr launches ‘Kindr’ initiative to combat racism, discrimination
It may not be the sexiest new feature — but it could be the most important one. Grindr and other primarily gay dating apps are exploring ways to add the ability for people who test positive for an STD to notify partners using the app, Mashable has learned in multiple interviews with public health experts. Bauer and Wohlfeiler, the most immediate and likely iteration of this functionality will be through a section in the apps that links out to existing anonymous notification services.
Wolfheiler said that this sort of service is “currently being designed and piloted,” but that there is no firm timeline for release. In-app messaging — in which an STD notification takes place entirely within the app ecosystem — is on the table as well. Bauer said in a recent phone call with Mashable.
Sep 20, · LONDON, Sept 18 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Gay dating app Grindr has announced a “zero tolerance policy” towards racism, transphobia .
Go to a gay club with your boyfriend, and you may be approached by other men seeking to join a threesome. Meanwhile, anonymous encounters and late-night hookups are the norm in gay culture, while actual dates and long-term relationships are often an anomaly. The result of this promiscuity? Nearly 60 percent of American gay men in relationships cheat, while 50 percent of British gays admit to infidelity.
Studies show that marriage greatly increases lifetime happiness , and many of those gains are also present for long-term relationships. Married people are also healthier , less likely to get heart disease, and more likely to survive cancer. They save money on taxes, insurance, and countless other expenses. One mental health expert from Yale dared to be a tad politically incorrect in his evaluation of Grindr culture: A survey from HumaneTech found that most Grindr users spent an hour on the app daily, but 77 percent reported feeling unhappy or dissatisfied after its use.
Many gay men report feeling more anxious or depressed after using the app for anonymous hookups. This is clearly an exercise in absurdity. In the absence of ill intention, racial dating preferences are no more racist than preferring men to women is sexist. If only the company was as concerned about combatting rampant sexual immorality as they are about punishing people who find physical fitness attractive.
Eminem said he uses Grindr and fans are confused
Learn the truth about low carb. Amazed at the new him I asked him how his dating life was. He reported that he was so happy because of the dramatic change in his dating life!
Grindr is the world’s No. 1 gay dating app. Every day thousands of gay men are joining this app and looking for casual relationships. Grindr is the world’s No. 1 gay dating app. Every day thousands of gay men are joining this app and looking for casual relationships.
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There are plenty of fantastic dating apps out there and only minor differences set this one apart from the rest. You might be wondering what criteria we used when deciding the winner. Well, this is a well-rounded application which fulfills most a gay man’s needs and expectations. Using this app will likely result in the most pleasure, fun, and sexual adventures. Sit back, relax and enjoy Grindr http: Grindr is mainly a social network for gay, bi, and bi-curious men.
The gay dating app Grindr says it shared its users’ HIV status with two companies, a practice it vowed to halt amid concerns about data privacy.
Email The gay dating app Grindr says it shared its users’ HIV status with two companies, a practice it vowed to halt amid concerns about data privacy. Grindr says Localytics and Apptimize were paid to test and monitor how the app is used. The company says the firms are under “strict contractual terms that provide for the highest level of confidentiality, data security and user privacy.
In our opinion, Grindr fails to do so,” said Finn Myrstad, director of digital services in the Norwegian Consumer Council , in a statement. In a statement, Case confirmed his comments. Grindr says it’s important to remember it is a public forum and users have the option to post information about their HIV status and date when last tested. It says its users should carefully consider what information they list in their profiles.
Still, Case defended the data sharing, arguing in the statement that it “is standard industry practice for rolling out and debugging software. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Major data flaw exposed in gay dating apps Grindr and Jack’D
Scott Chen, who became the president of Grindr after it was bought by a Chinese gaming corporation, wrote and later deleted a lengthy post on his personal page that criticized Christian groups fighting marriage equality, but also suggested that his personal beliefs clashed with gay marriage. And I think so too. Taiwan votes down same-sex marriage as China welcomes midterm results Read more Chen acknowledged his post in a comment responding to the Into article, but said he was a supporter of gay marriage: I am a straight man married to a woman I love and I have two beautiful daughters I love from the marriage.
This is how I feel about my marriage. Different people have their different feelings about their marriages.
Grindr is the world’s largest dating app for gay, bixsexual, transgender and queer people according to its website. Trever Faden, founder of property management company Atlas Lane, discovered a flaw in Grindr’s Application programming interface (API) that allowed users to find data that was previously unavailable, including deleted photos.
Responding to this, Chen shared his views including criticizing Wang for funding organizations against gay marriage. He also revealed that he would be boycotting any of her smartphones and accessories from her Taiwan-based company for a lifetime. I agree but that’s none of our business,’ Chen wrote in Chinese, which was translated by an independent translator for INTO. That’s also none of our business. There are people that are simply different from you, who desperately want to get married.
Why spend money to stop people in love from getting married? Is nothing important in life? Chen later dismissed INTO’s article, calling it ‘unbalanced and misleading,’ in a comment directed to staff writer Matthew Rodriguez. This article is unbalanced and misleading. I am a straight man married to a woman I love and I have two beautiful daughters I love from the marriage. This is how I feel about my marriage,’ he explained.
The father of two who later deleted the controversial post after his year-old conservative aunt got involved in the ‘heated discussion’ added:
Grindr Announces ‘Zero Tolerance’ Of Racism, Fat Shaming And Transphobia
You have signed up and will start receiving the Vibe Mix Newsletter immediately. In case you forgot which, we doubt , West stopped by TMZ’s offices and said: That sounds like a choice.
6 days ago · The president of Grindr wrote on Facebook that he believes “marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman”, sparking backlash inside the .
Gay Blog Grindr Review Grindr is mainly a social mobile application that is aimed at gay and bisexual men. This app has gained much popularity amongst the LGBT community due to its geosocial function, where you can get the chance to interact with others nearby. The sign-up Process To start on this mobile experience, users will have to first download the app from their device’s respective download centre. Next it is compulsory to agree to the Terms of Service which states that the user is 18 years old and above.
Users will automatically have a profile created, but will have a blank profile. They are encouraged to fill in the profile and upload a picture so as to increase the chances of finding a date.
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Grindr says it will stop sharing users’ HIV data with third-party firms amid backlash Grindr Grindr, a gay dating app launched in , has more than 3 million users. Grindr, a gay dating app launched in , has more than 3 million users. Grindr Kristine PhillipsWashington Post Grindr, a popular dating app for gay men, said it will stop sharing users’ HIV data with third-party companies that analyze mobile and Web apps.
The decision comes after BuzzFeed reported Monday that Grindr, used by 3. The report prompted a backlash among some users and advocacy groups that saw the sharing of data as a breach of users’ trust.
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Grindr is the world’s largest dating app for gay, bixsexual, transgender and queer people according to its website. Faden also discovered a second flaw in the app in which user data was sent unencrypted over the internet. Grindr claims it does encrypt user data and obscures user location despite not specifically denying accusations in the current leak in its statement published on Twitter. Ensuring safety and security of our users is of paramount importance to us and will continue to be our top priority.
We cannot emphasize this enough: Location is a critical element of our social network platform. This allows our users to feel connected to our community in a world that would seek to isolate us. Grindr has users in countries and territories worldwide but homosexuality is still illegal in more than 70 countries, and is punishable by death in at least 13, according to a report by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association ILGA.
Four Men Used Grindr App To Rob And Assault Gay Victims
On June 18, , Grindr announced that it had officially hit 4 million users in countries across the globe. In April , Grindr announced that About. Additionally, both Grindr and Blendr were selected as Official Honorees of the Webby Awards for award-winning work in the Social handheld devices category. In August , Grindr released an updated version of the app which requires users to create an account.
Grindr says this was done to reduce spam and improve portability. This new version also adds iPhone 5 screen support, so users on newer iOS devices such as the iPhone 5 no longer see black bars along the top and bottom of the screen when using the app.
At Grindr, we’re into diversity, inclusion, and users who treat each other with respect. We’re not into racism, bullying, or other forms of toxic behavior.
GHunt is a great gay dating app like Grindr It may be easy for gay men in America to find a partner for hookups because there are bars and parties. But it will be difficult for them to find someone who is really compatible with them. There is no time for them to get to know each other in the real world before they hookup. However, the rise of gay daddy dating app and gay dating sites is something that you can search help from because there will be more gay singles beyond your imagination on those platform looking for someone special.
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Armed Men Targeted Victims Using Gay Dating App Grindr
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Junior Members are a special designation for young ladies ages 18 through 35 years of age who are members of NSDAR. They hold full membership and are encouraged to participate at every level. When qualified, Junior Members may serve as chairmen or officers at the chapter, state and national levels of our society. Leadership training is available and encouraged. Juniors often serve as Pages at state meetings and Continental Congress. This provides unique opportunities to meet and network with other young DAR members and to learn all about the mission Junior retreat at Hindman and work of DAR. After reaching her 36th birthday, a member may continue to serve as a Page until her 41st birthday. Pages are essential to DAR and their service is truly valued.
Junior Retreat at Hindman 2018
KSDAR Pages at the 2018 State Conference
Junior members provide energy and fresh ideas and are the future of NSDAR. Our Junior Membership Committee, Junior Club, and Page Committee welcome new members to join them in service and fellowship. Join the fun!
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Heusis Ranch - Khomas Hochland
The main hunting ground is located in central Namibia, in the Khomas Highland Mountains, just 50 km west of Windhoek. Farm Heusis is part of the Khomas Hochland Conservancy which gives us a hunting area of 150 000ha. The Khomas Highland has the character of a typical bush land high plateau with rolling hills and mountains up to 2044 metres high. Wide plains crossed by river beds are found in between the mountain ranges. The Khomas Highland is very versatile regarding its landscape as well as the amount of species that are found here.
About 30 species of wild mammals are found in the Khomas Highlands. The Highlands are Namibias prime hunting area for Large Kudu Bulls, Gemsbok, Hartmann Zebra, and Leopard.
Our game roams freely and one is almost always completely alone in the beautiful landscape of the Khomas Highland, exactly as described passionately in old hunting books of Africa.
The Elephant Lodge - Kalahari
The second conservation area is situated at the east of Namiba, about 100 km away from Windhoek International Airport. Here, in the heart of Africa, Okambara with its 15 000 ha of untouched nature is found. The character of the farm is typical for the eastern edge of Namibias great Escarpment merges with the Kalahari, resulting in a landscape dominated by contrasts of savanna and mountains.
Great herds of Giraffe and Gemsbok populate the vast savannas of the Kalahari. Here these populations were able to increase undisturbed during the past decades. Elephant, Rhinos Leopards and Cheetah can be encountered during your stay.
With the mountains in the back the gaze wanders across the pristine Namibian landscape in the evening. The impression of our herds of Zebras and Oryx at sunset and the wish to return to Okambara will last a life time.
Waterval Lodge – Khomas Hochland
Waterval Ranch is situated in the rolling hills and ever-changing landscape of the Khomas Highlands, approx. 85 km to the west of Namibia's capital, Windhoek. The stress of a long flight melts away with each kilometer as the journey winds through seemingly endless mountain ranges to Waterval.
Visitors are often astounded at how man, fauna and flora can survive and flourish in this arid, austere and ruggedly beautiful landscape.
Mount Valley - Namib Dessert
Your African dream dessert hunt becomes true here. Mount Valley is more than any other hunting area, it sets an example in conservation. The 21 000ha are there for nature. Thousands of Gemsbok and Springbok roam and Leopards, Spotted hyena, Cheetahs and even Lions pass through. Mount Valley is untouched by commercial farming. This is the last Gem of the dessert, where nature can florish. Less than two hunters visit this conservation area per year.
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Welcome to Jessica-BrownFindlay.Com your #1 fansite for the beautiful and talented British actress. Best known for playing Lady Sybil Crawley in the ITV series Downton Abbey but you may also know her from Albatross, The Riot Club and Lullaby. Jessica is set to star alongside Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy as Lorelei in Victor Frankenstein (2015). Please browse the site and visit our image gallery featuring over 20,000 photos. The site is still growing and we will continue to bring you daily Jessica updates! If you have any questions comments or donations please contact us xoxo
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>A Guide for the Ghost Radar App
I seem to have started a fad several months ago when I downloaded the Ghost Radar app on my BlackBerry and began tweeting about it. A lot of my friends began playing with it too, and subsequently, a lot of questions about its use have come to me. There are several versions of the app, including free versions and paid versions, all for Droid, BlackBerry and iPhone. I’m not sure if the app is available on other smartphones but you may certainly find out by looking through your own apps. I have used the free version for BlackBerry, the paid version for BlackBerry, and the paid version for iPhone. Of those, I have judged the paid version for iPhone to be the best. I would bypass all free versions of this app, however, because it’s rather limited, it doesn’t keep records of your sessions, and there is very little control over how the sessions are operated. Pay the $0.99 on iPhone or $2.99 on BlackBerry. It’s worth the price and does nothing to harm your phone.
I have been using the app for several months and in general I find it to be very satisfactory. It does, however, take some practice in learning to use it properly.
Here is the description of Ghost Radar from the product website:
Ghost Radar is a portable application designed to detect paranormal activity. Currently supported portable devices include the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, BlackBerry and Android devices. Ghost Radar attempts to detect paranormal activity by using various sensors on the device on which it is running. Like traditional paranormal detecting equipment Ghost Radar employs sensors that measure electromagnetic fields, vibrations, and sounds. However, traditional paranormal equipment can be easily fooled when simple mundane bursts of normal electromagnetic fields, vibrations and sounds occur. Ghost Radar sets itself apart by analyzing the readings from sensors giving indications only when interesting patterns in the readings have been made.
Ghost Radar employs a proprietary algorithm to analyze the quantum flux. This application does NOT detect EMF nor gravity. Readings for various sensors are analyzed to detect QUANTUM Fluctuations. Interpretations of the sensor readings are displayed graphically as blips on the radar along with numeric and textual readouts on the VOX. Use your Ghost Radar to hunt for odd changes in the flux. Hunters of all types may find anomalous areas of their environment where readings simply can’t be explained. You be the judge. Are the results of your hunting evidence of paranormal activity?
The theory of what is happening is that intelligent energy can be made aware of their ability to influence the sensors of the mobile device. The various readouts are an interpretation of certain readings from the sensors. An intelligent energy should be able to influence the readouts and communicate with you. What those readings mean and how you interpret them is up for debate.
I began using this app as a joke. My friend downloaded it, so I thought it would be funny. The more I used it and the more my friends used it, the more we realized this might not be so much of a joke after all. Many of us began receiving words and activity in direct response to questions done in the style of classic EVP sessions. One of the first instances that alerted me to the possibility that something genuine might be happening was when my friend received the word “potatoes” while she was driving. She brushed it off as nothing until she reached her destination a few minutes later and found her grandmother peeling potatoes in the kitchen. Several other similar instances followed from other friends of mine.
In my case, I decided I should try to ask questions of my regular entities that would be harder to chalk up to coincidence. I asked if Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was present and the readings started jumping around and going crazy. I then asked what my brother was doing (we live in different states) and words describing him being in an office and rolling in a chair started appearing on the screen, as did the word Tom, which was what my brother’s name was when Lawrence knew him. I asked my brother what he was doing at that time and all of the words on my radar log matched with his activities. If I didn’t know what my brother was doing, then an inanimate object like a cell phone could not be influenced by any prior knowledge either. Other key words that I have told Lawrence to use with mediums also came up on the screen during that session, which lasted about twenty minutes. The words are specifically uncommon and unique to us in order to prevent false leads through coincidence.
Then all activity ceased for several hours. That in itself is telling for me in that if the app was entirely fake, the activity would not correspond with questioning or other forms of activity like noises, shadows, and so forth. I have left the app running for entire 24 hour periods to see how it does and it will be completely dead (excuse the term) for hours and hours at a time. But when I begin seeking an entity, the activity picks up again in most cases.
Not long after I began using the app, my friend and I went to the Kennesaw Battlefield to see what kind of results we would get amongst hundreds of Civil War soldiers. Most of the words received that day were military in nature. There were also a lot of words we didn’t understand having to do with a farm, but much later we realized there was a farm heavily involved in the battle. My friend also kept the radar away from me so that I could see if my senses as a medium corresponded with the blips of concentrated energy on the radar screen. Much to our surprise, things matched up in every instance.
We also acquired the spirit of Dan McCook from Ohio, who named himself on the screen. As we were walking along, many words came but we didn’t make sense of them until we came to a plaque discussing the work of McCook in Kennesaw. It all made sense then. He followed us to dinner that night and lingered around for a few days before leaving, although he seems to visit my friend at times. He described his family as a tribe and offered names of specific family members, which I knew nothing about until I researched his life later. Almost every word received during the encounter with McCook was matched later with information gathered in research. The likelihood of coincidence became less and less with every matched word.
Also during our exploration of Kennesaw, I drove my wheelchair too fast and got stuck on large rocks. My friend came to my rescue and words like “careful” appeared on the screen as if the spirits there were concerned about my accident.
The entity who utilizes the Ghost Radar the most in my case is John Wilkes Booth, as I have discussed in another blog. I got several names, including John, and at first the names made no sense to me until a couple of days later when I started doing some reading about him for the project I’m writing for him. I found out that the names being listed on the radar were all of John Wilkes Booth’s siblings. One of the results during that session was actually the phrase “locate Asia” and even though I’m not sure what he meant by that but asking for name and getting Asia was beyond coincidental in my opinion. Asia was his sister and they were very close.
I also noticed that every time my friend came over for a visit, within five minutes of her coming into my house, it would say words like “plain” and various other words that described a person’s opinion of her looks and her personality. We both kind of laugh about this because it happens every time she’s here. She has rather short hair like a pixie cut and she never wears dresses and she would be considered rather plain by Victorian standards, so we both have this hunch that it’s John Wilkes Booth expressing his opinions about her since he was so used to beautiful, feminine, compliant and swooning women in his lifetime. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain nor my other entities would be so audacious as to express opinions of that nature about someone I love so much like my friend. That kind of audacity has to come from someone with an audacious personality. John Wilkes Booth. These are not just assumptions though because there are times when the word John comes up on the screen when I’m looking for identification.
How does the Ghost Radar work? I don’t really know. I don’t really know how other paranormal equipment works either. I do, however, have a few tips for people.
1. Pay attention to the concentrated energy blips on the radar screen. They indicate where there might possibly be an entity present. From the product website: “On the Radar view the colors of the blips are an indication of signal strength. Red indicates the signal is strongest. Yellow is a little weaker signal than red. Green is a little weaker signal than yellow. Finally blue indicates a very weak signal.”
2. Don’t pay attention to the words in the first ten minutes of turning on the app. If you notice, every time you turn it on, it seems like all the measurements are going crazy and a lot of words are coming out as well. It’s not because you have a spirit jumping up and down trying to talk to you. It’s because all the energy disruptions in that environment are registering at the same time because it’s not acclimated to reading your environment yet. Give it time to even out before you start looking at it as possible evidence.
3. If the words don’t make sense right away, they might later. For example, I kept getting the word “fire” when I was at home and I never understood it. Later, I went to an antique store and found rather long photographs of fire damage. My area of Atlanta had burned down in a great fire of 1917 that destroyed 300 acres and displaced thousands of people. I was not aware of this fire and had I not found those photographs, the repeated word of fire would never have made sense to me. Typically when words don’t make sense, it is due to one of three reasons: a) the words come from spirits you don’t know and it’s like trying to understand a conversation walking halfway into it, b) the words are random with no meaning and are the result of interpretations of natural fluctuations of energy, or c) spirits having difficulty manipulating the energy to pull the correct word from the dictionary.
That is the biggest issue people have – what to do with words that don’t make sense. I have found that it is a matter of patience and a process of elimination. It’s important to get to know the history of your locality and learn about the people who lived in your vicinity before you. I get a lot of words from spirits I don’t know at all because they are simply local to my area. If the words don’t match up with anything known to my area or my regular spirits, I typically try to find out if it’s a spirit passing through my area. Being a medium, I get a lot of unseen passersby. It takes a lot of patience and repetitive questioning to discover the patterns and how to identify this or that spirit. It is also very important to remember that this is not an exact science. This is not a device designed for measuring spirit energy. This is a cell phone using its existing structure to measure possible spirit energy. Therefore, there are going to be nonsensical words and misinterpreted readings of natural energy fluctuations. My advice is to really get to know the history of your locality in order to better understand the words you are receiving.
61 responses to “>A Guide for the Ghost Radar App”
virginiebarbeau says:
>Thanks for posting this. I haven't used my Radar all that often because I wasn't sure what the hell was going on most of the time! lol I think this will help me out a lot 🙂
>At first, many of the words didn't make sense to me. Until, about an hour into the second day I used it (on my iPod touch) and it said Ice Porch. There was ice and snow the day before, and I had not gone out to clean off the ice. The next day, it said Richard grew field huge. Richard is my landlord, known to the former owners of the house who are both now dead. And, indeed, Rick hadn't cut the second hay last year. The field was full height. I haven't used it much lately, but I easily figured out at least one of my people is the former owner.
genialc says:
>Sounds like a contemporary high tech ouijah board.
I’ve been wondering, do this application work in other country which uses different language?
Stefon says:
I am Russian, I use this app. Russian ghosts speak English like a native.)))
it is even more scary
My siblings and I were sitting around playing a card game on Christmas Eve this year. It was our first year without our grandparents, they died in this house. My sister and I both have some ‘ability’ and I was showing her the app, forgot I had it on and it said “Rice” which was my grandparents last name. She and I just stopped and stared at each other. Neither of us has been able to feel our grandparents presence since their passings. I’ve been in awe of the app since. I’ve been snowed in at my parents house for a few days now and I leave it on. I’ve had a few things make sense to me, but others are cryptic. I do know there is more than two spirits in the house. I just can’t pinpoint how many.
Last night for almost two hours my boyfriend and I were using it. Today we have also been using it. He is a skeptic and said “I think this is a scam, its not real” and right away it said real. Last night he plugged my phone in on the charger and layed it on my stomach with the wire across my chest. Without me asking anything it said “wire”. This app is helpful with the normal things that I can see and hear.
CREEPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Madelynne says:
My friend Destiny and I are new into this. Going on a Ghost tour in Chattanooga, TN I found out I can see them but not hear them. I can also sense when a strong one is near. We’ve been using the Ghost Radar Classic around my neighborhood mainly my house (Its pretty old) We found a bunch of ghost in my area. But the words we are getting are just random. I can’t hear them but last night I’m sure I saw one outside my window. He was dressed in a old uniform and that is all I could make out. Clarksville, where I live hasn’t really seen much war action. Can someone help us out please?
There is a air force base in Clarksville
….My first experience with Ghost Radar ….after the first few minutes of calibration I got the word Asia……need I say more?
Stephanie peake says:
Lol yes I got that too 🙂 o looked up what it meant on the glossary and now it is all clear
Sandra Brown says:
What is Asia?
andrew mallone says:
This ghost detection app is much better. The radar is more precise https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ghost-observer/id615256100?mt=8
Ive recently put this app on my Iphone .After an hour or two i went to log in to an email account and just as i was about to type my password in it said “Pass” .Ok !!! A little while after i was about to give my dog some medication in a piece of bagel and was poised with a knife to chop it up and it said “Cut” which was exactly what i was about to do. Then it said ” Blood” and looked up and there were a few cupboards open above my head which if id stood up quickly would have sliced my scalp.Spooky.I like.The thing im curious to know is its said “beauty” when i was looking in the mirror brushing my teeth and “pretty”. Hmmm… I like this appp very much already.
Mine also tells me I’m pretty
Yeah mine says beautiful buddha, and grace, and sheoard proud awh sweeties
I would love to know how the word aspect of this app works. After one use practically every word fitted into my situation.
The first time I used it I got the words “choice” “England” “shore” “distant” “country” “rain” “wise” “pick”. I’m currently living on the island of Malta and have recently decided to relocate back to England, it was a hard decision. It also said “Canada” which is the last and only other country I’ve lived in, and was the last time I had to relocate. No other countries were spoken of so this can’t just be random. Crazy!
i got this apt today we had a storm it cause a wire to burn out a voice said wire lee scared, my middle name is lee
i downloaded this app last night after seeing my friend had it, too. anyway a man passed in the house i reside in. his name was kevin, who had 4 children. one of which died from cocain addiction. anyway, we contacted kevin, who replied one of his child’s names, Johnny. john was in the room sleeping on the couch when this happened. he wasnt very enthused his father contacted him through my broken smart phone. XD
I downloaded this app a month ago but until now I can not understand how it actually work. I downloaded the free version from app world on blackberry to test its ability but. All I can see are several spots on the radar with different colors and lots of numbers. That has no meaning but the random words made me start to question if this app was real!!!!!!can anyone explain to me how it actually works??!!
Cristy Hernandez says:
Thank you I now have a better understanding of this app.
I have ben going to different ghost tours here in El Paso TX. Still working on the random words. How long do I keep it on ?
It Works!!
Maybe u keep it on as long as u want and do u know why it said forty and gone????
da says:
I got it and found some werid stuff at my house
It said tom and water idk why and p.s. I’m 9 just saying
I think the ghost got mad cuz it broke stuff and wanted to kill me
While at work, I went into the back room with the ghost radar while I was getting some water. It said disease, then atmosphere. It totally made sense to me because the inside of the roof is infested with pigeons. I can hear the babies chirping and the rest of the little feet scratching around constantly. Yuck. Made me not want to breathe the air back there afterwards. Lol
Yeah mine said mercury led poisoning frozen meal, and keep monitor running then on youtube the next documentary that came up was one on led poisoning and the guy who discovered it and fought the oil and gas companies and thier “scientist” who said there were no findings that were harmful. And also froze means that were stuck in 3D when we shouldn’t have to be, and they were saying that there is mercury led poisonings in alot of the gods now and now I won’t eat anything but organic
pey555 says:
Im not getting any words. why?
walter says:
second day into it i was at work making a milkshake and it said cold mixture, then i dropped the milk and it said milk. i was driving and trying to use it and it said observe then it said pay attenion.. I said observe what then it said road. Not that the radar is special or anything, but i think spirits can use any devise that has a lot of words to pick from like radio tv and yes radar, a digital dictionary.
I just got the GHOST RADAR – connect version, and i had it on during work. The first few times, letting it settle out and adjust to the surrounding area/energy was fine.
But as i had my ear phones plugged in, and thinking this as a ‘joke’, i was very surprised to hear what came thru.
I work in an medical billing office. my office is located on Lincoln Ave, and the machine said, “Lincoln” “Street”… which caught my attention.
Then it said ‘eat’ @ 1pm, which also happens to be my lunch time. When i was eating AT MY DESK, the voice said “DESK” …. amongst many other words thrown into the mix. Not sure what to make of it…. but all i can say is, i’ll be watching and tuning in to see what else other words will come thru.
I just got a smart phone for the first time when I found this app. Personally, I have been “sensitive” to things since I was around 9 or 10. Much more so in the past two or three years. When I started using it, I had quite a bit of activity. Lots of blips and words, but when it said “Bob”, I was shocked. Bob was my step dad. He died in 1991 at age 50 and it devastated me. I think of him constantly so it was pretty cool hearing that! I always write the words down as I get them so.. This has been quite helpful. Thank you. Really like your blog.
Renner Strassel says:
I have been playing with Ghost Radar about a year now. In the beginning I got amazing and chaotic gibberish both.I researched http://thinktoask.com/2012/04/29/ghost-radar-explanation-glossary/ and discovered the words in the app randomly reorganize when the app is turned on. That inspired me to mentally set a circular field around the phone and declare “Only High ascended masters and archangels with complete knowledge of human DNA and the greater evolution of humankind may influence my Ghost Radar App – so say I” and the number of words I got plummeted but it was worth the waits. However I got tired of that. I changed my ‘set up enchantment to “Only those of my own line from my mind and heart to the great cosmic sun Source of Everything working for our advancement may influence my Ghost radar”
Since then I have been having the most amazing sessions and I wished to share that to inspire others to experiment with such also.
gaurav mishra says:
i read the above page and throughout it i have
now try to work on this app
m an indian
and it speaks
mirror, bow, norway, wealth, russian, movie, expect.
what does it means???
Salom900N says:
My friend and me will start using GR Classic and start the new mission call ‘Operation HT-Ghost’ (Operation Hunt The Ghost). Prepare to meet with the real ghost………
kousani says:
I am using the free app…I am from India…after a while my radar says ” Betsy”…but who is Betsy…even generally we don’t have such kind of western names in our country…But I got 2 such names…can anyone help me out?
I read the things told to everyone else… My ghosts said many of the same things… England and Canada on the same day… Also said Betsy… Which seemed like such a cool thing at the time because I was hanging out with a friend who was just talking about his sister I’m law named Betsy yet he hadn’t actually mentioned her name out loud. But now after reading what ghosts have told all the above commenters it seems much less interesting
I just downloaded this yesterday. So far I’ve seen just random meaningless words but a while ago I saw a red blip, asked its name and it immediately said “Paul.” Probably a coincidence since last night it also said “David,” followed by “Ann” without me having asked anything. I’ll keep playing with it.
Hi there ~ I’m new to this too , but I have been bombarded by spirits wanting to talk . I always knew they were here , but didn’t expect so much and this is only the second day I’ve used it. And ,these are not words that don’t make sense. It’s amazing . We’ve lived here for 30 years and my Mother passed away here. Now that we’re retirement age , my husband wants to sell our home , but I worry that she is here and won’t be able to come with me . As strange as that sounds, she did not believe in any of this as she was a very devoted Christian and was taught that spirit communication is bad because they’re all believed to be demons. I’m a Christian too , but I don’t share that belief. Too many things have happened to me over the years to be denied. There’s good and bad in all , spirits included.
RK says:
I am Rakshan. I downloaded the paid version of this app. when I started this app for the first time the words gone crazy. after sometime many words came like Henry, drown, saw, conversation, Sally, etc. but then it said Debbie, I thought this app was a joke and I simply asked “where are you”, it said only one word “door”, I was scarred because I was sitting behind a door. suddenly next second radar showed a blip in the place where the door is. and then I asked “what do you want”, it said “drown”, “major”, “brown”. I’m confused with the last conversation. please help me.
Hi, quite an interesting app but can anyone tell me how will the spirits communicate where nobody speaks English. My app shows English words but I live in an area where there is no chance the spirits would know English.
Lexi says:
One night I was worried about my husband (long story), but I left the bedroom and went downstairs to sleep on the couch. I turned this app on for the heck of it and it told me “Mr.”, “asleep”, and then his name! It completely freaked me out but it was true.
Another time I asked it where “Spot” (my cat) was because she was missing. It told me “cat” but no answer as to where she was Very cool.
Mayow says:
I’ve been playing this for maybe 2 months. And stopped this 2 weeks ago. The more I played this, the more it get creepy. One night, I’m about to play this with my classmates at the bathroom of our strange building. We’re just standing in front of the bathroom sink. And my classmates began to ask. “Where are you ?” And suddenly 3 red signals came. The directions are at our back and disappear. Then, it appeared on our sides. It said “SINK”. Then we’ve began to run. And we say sorry after that. My classmate said “I wish this is the end of our conversation and don’t follow us. And it said. “FINAL.”
Ghosthunter says:
Mine, it say “sarah”(my niece),”jacob”(my friend name),”danie”l(member of my other friendz),the “word is “death”,the apps asked me to look up and the last word that it say is “nothing”
June says:
After reading your experiences with Ghost Radar Classic I was very amazed. It’s because 30 minutes before I’ve read your blog I’ve used my brother’s Ghost Radar Classic App. I don’t know if my brother was scared that time but when he looked at the clock he suddenly said “Oh no! It’s already 3 am in the morning” then the voice in his smartphone says “COMFORTABLE”. Then I said this words loudly and faced to the spot of the red signal “Oh! So you thought we were scared”. Then suddenly the phone signaled that it’s battery is nearly empty then my brother was about to plug his phone to the charger when the phone says “PORT”. We both stopped for a little while then another word says “USING”. That time there were three signals of ghost in front of us simultaneously disappeared a minute before we are about to close the application… It was really quite creepy but there was an application we’ve used just like Ghost Radar Classic that really senses ghost talking to each other showing the words they we’re saying… We even sensed a red signal into that app and said “THEY KNOW”. I immediately understood what he meant. We only sensed them inside our room roaming around us. Others says “FUTURE” and suddenly one fast red signal appeared and was getting near us then another blue signal appeared just onto our position and immediately says “RUN AWAY”.. Then both signals disappeared.. VERY CREEPY… It’s called GHOST DETECTOR ULTIMATE if your interested. It’s just like GR Classic and is much more creepy to use.. Exciting and Scary!!!
So I’ve used this app for a year or 2. Since using it I’ve had several occasions of coincidences. (Italian, forgotten, Fred) and a few other words I forgot. My fiances father passed that year, he is Italian, cousin is Fred and he may feel forgotten since he was center of attention. In October last year 2013. I got a job at a doctors office… I started the 28th. On the 23rd ( Nervous, Form, Dr.) Crazy. One thing I noticed, it says
Last night I was watching ghost adventures so I rere-downloaded the app, I already knew it had to get used to the room or calibrate so I did. After awhile I was getting blips so I said out loud “if anyone is there, feel free to come in and make urself at home.” Not but 1 second after it said “fine.”
Also, my back has been bothering me so I was in my room laying down. It said “johnson/lay/room.” Johnson is my last name.
So idk about anyone else but im conviced.
lizzy j says:
That might be a good thing
lizzyJ says:
OK well the first day I got it it said my name “Liz” than I was reading Esperanza rising and it said hope than it said rise witch Esperanza rising means hope riseing than I didn’t math home work it said division an when I went to school to hang with my bf it said his name “Gabriel” and it scared me
Then I went to my living room it said fireplace than t.v than it said aunt Liz qich FREAKED MEOUT cauz my niece died 3 weeks ago in a car crash “(she was 7)
I had the application running while at work. I had the words Dutch & Sad come up just as I was working on a case. It was a very sad case I was dealing with, and looked up the meaning of the patient’s last name, lone behold it was of Dutch background. I was a solid believer after that.
80s_Chick says:
Recently got Legacy. While I think it is really just for fun and most probably just random words from a database, I could not ignore that it said the name of a friend that I was intending to call, and that it said “born” and “Pennsylvania” in that order. I happened to have been born in PA. The only thing I could think of is that the app is somehow accessing text messages, but nowhere in my texts do I remember speaking of where I was born. It is pretty interesting. I am going to say that is really just for entertainment and not a serious paranormal investigation tool, but for 99 cents it is a cool app. I highly recommend echovox, too. Thanks!
I put my LG G3 on the charger and let the app run. while i was playing a facebook word game i was struggling to find a word, the app said the word “motor”, so i said out loud, “are you trying to help me?” and immediately a response said “yes”. So i said thank you. LOL btw there was no possible way to make the word motor. but i love this app. its interesting.
There is absolutely no such thing as “quantum flux” in real science. Even if there was, one would need millions of dollars to investigate anything on the quantum level (that is what they are doing at CERN in Switzerland!). I am both a Civil/Structural Engineer and a Psychic Medium. I also tutor Physics. The spirit world is very real to me, but that is no reason to get the science incorrect.
This program just like the OVILUS probably detects changes in the Electromagnetic Field. “QUANTUM FLUX” IS just a marketing tool!!
I would say out of 500 words, maybe 25 apply to my life at any one time. Some are very personal. However, the other 475 HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO BEARING ON MY LIFE! I can do the exact same thing this device does by randomly paging through a dictionary!! Try it.
I would say actual Mediumship or seeing a Psychic is about a thousand more times accurate than this program.
Uh….I had it say Incubus….turned that puppy off immediately.
Charley lyons says:
What do the different colors of the dots signify on the screen
Chattanooga Hay Farm App | Online Farming Games Blog says:
[…] A Guide for the Ghost Radar App | Jessica Jewett – I seem to have started a fad several months ago when I downloaded the Ghost Radar app on my BlackBerry and began tweeting about it. A lot of my friends began playing … […]
Bazza says:
A couple of years ago we were being plagued by ants in our kitchen. I sealed around the door and window frames and that seemed to work. Then one day I was in the kitchen and the Ghost Radar app was running on my android phone. I then noticed several ants running along the inside window sill. The app suddenly said 3 words…ANTS…ABLE…RETURN.
Coincidence ? Incredible one if it was. I noticed there was a tiny gap in the sealant around the door.
Hey Gang, I’m very interested in this app but after watching all kinds of ghost hunting shows(Ghost Adventures is the best, on t.v.anyway), I’m very aware of all the Ins and Outs of Ghost hunting. What would you Believers say to Protecting yourself from unwanted or uninvited activity or communications? Wouldn’t want anything following or even attaching itself to me!! Can you recommend any Dos or Don’ts before And after a session? I saw one person say you have to make a stern statement about Not communicating with you without permission After a session.
Dee Dee says:
I am new to using it so for the moment I just turn it on in different locations and observe and listen without interacting with it or asking questions. Recently I was sitting in a nursing home waiting area. I turned it on, and set it on a table. A little while later my water bottle, which had about 2 ounces of water left in it, tipped over when I leaned against the table. Some water splashed on the floor. IMMEDIATELY Ghost Radar said “wet” “electrical” “equipment” in exactly that order, the words about three seconds apart. I had grabbed a paper towel to dry the table top. When I looked UNDER the table, I saw that some water had splashed against the wall and trickled down next to a power strip on the floor with four cords plugged into it. I have had other accurate things happen with it as well. It will be awhile before I use this on an investigation or before I ask it questions. I try not to react to it or interact with it yet without proper preparation because, as with a Ouija board, I do not want to open a portal. I have been investigating since the mid 1980s so I am always very cautious with an investigative tool that is new to me.
Laurel Lee says:
My 7 year old granddaughter put this on my phone one night as we were getting ready to go to bed. She was spending the night at my son’s house. I have a bedroom there. She opened the app on my I-phone. So many ghosts kept appearing all over the room. It kept saying their names and how old each one was. One said it was over 700 years old. She could see them moving around in the room very quickly. I turned it off. I opened the app only two more times in other locations. Each time I have had multiple entities surround me. Naming off their names and ages. I could also hear voices coming through my phone. Too creepy for me whether it is real or not.
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For Sharon & all others lost too soon.
(aka - The Fearless Vampire Killers, or,
Pardon Me, But Your Teeth Are In My Neck)
1967 MGM Studios - See The Trailer!
Directed by Roman Polanksi
Starring - Roman Polanski, Sharon Tate,
Jack MacGowran, Alfie Bass,
Ferdy Maine, Terry Downes, Ronald Lacey
"Dance of the Vampires was immediately embraced by European audiences who were enchanted by the film's unique blend of fairytale beauty, sly comedy and baleful horror...Polanski's aim surely was the construction of a fairytale - the original kind with horror and humanity - but devoid of easy sentiment. It's Into the Woods, minus hope and happy endings, plus lots of snow." Glenn Erickson (DVD Savant)
Excerpt from MGM Memo
sent to Roman Polanksi
while filming Dance Of The Vampires
Please avoid any overemphasis on the girl's cleavage.
Please avoid any overexposure of the girl throughout this bathing sequence.
Alfred's intimate caressing of the girl would be unacceptable as described in scene 101.
It would be important to avoid excessive gruesomeness throughout this production. Specifically, we ask that you eliminate the "bloodstained mouth."
The double meaning dialogue on this page should be toned down. Specifically, we ask that you eliminate the expression "...have a quick one?"
Pages 22/4
The attack on the girl will have to be done with restraint since she is in the midst of her bath. Please avoid undue nudity. Also the "biting" and "gulping" could not be approved as described at the bottom of page 23.
We cannot approve the line "I'll stick it somewhere up you..."
We cannot approve the expletive "Jesus!" Also, on this page we ask that you avoid using the word "whore" twice.
We caution you against nudity in connection with this bathing scene.
It is quite obvious that Herbert is to be characterized as a homosexual. We do not object to this fact, but do ask that you avoid any physical advances on his part toward Alfred. This would refer to any embracing of fondling, while his attack as a vampire would not prove objectionable.
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Jiří Zlatuška
Bored with finest-songs lists that are dominated by the identical handful of bands? It took an assiduously groomed and promoted Elvis Presley — who, legend has it, walked into Sam Phillips’s tiny workplace to make a record for his mom’s birthday — to assure the triumph of rock & roll. Begin by creating a e-book of keywords correlated to your corporation.
If he would like to buy a site with the phrase SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING is I had to create a domain-polinfor positioning -> + or institution reputation word. The Ramones might be extra familiar to many as a t-shirt relatively than a band today, however the group’s affect on US rock culture can’t be understated.
Begin beside making a e-book of key phrases associated to your online business. Attendees are invited to tour the school, which pays tribute to Florida bands and musicians, take a free music lesson, enter prize drawings and giveaways, and luxuriate in live performances.
The runaway success of Bill Haley and the Comets following the usage of their Rock Around the Clock” in a key sequence of the 1955 juvenile-delinquent film The Blackboard Jungle was a clear sign that R&B and C&W (Haley’s Comets had been a former C&W band recording R&B tunes in a mode resembling Louis Jordan’s) weren’t going to stay ghettoized from the pop-music mainstream for much longer.
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Amanda Roberts
Jason Stoffel
Lynn N. Hughes
Child Custody in Nevada
Las Vegas Divorce
Nevada Adoption Attorney
Paternity in Nevada
Name Change for Adult
Annulment in Nevada
Joint Physical Custody and The Rivero Decision Analysis
by Roberts Stoffel Family Law Group Staff | Aug 14, 2017 | Child Custody Help | 0 comments
On August 27, 2009, the Supreme Court of Nevada denied rehearing on the merits of this case, but withdrew a prior opinion, affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded the decision in this contested post Decree custodial case. (See 125 Nev. Adv. Op. No. 24).
As every family law practitioner knows, Rivero is the case that recently attempted to define what exactly is “joint physical custody” and how does this designation factor into a child support calculation from one parent to the other. Rivero v. Rivero, 195 P.3d 328, 124 Nev. Adv. Rep. 84 (2008). The Court is supposed to determine the time each Parent has with their child (or children for purposes of this article) and determine custody in terms of “significant, frequent, continuous, and meaningful time.” (Practice Tip: When I litigate these types of cases and wants to include the above “buzz words” in oral argument is the acronym SFCM, which I can remember as “San Francisco Chow Mein.” As cheesy as this may sound, this works and you just laughed, didn’t you?).
The Supreme Court determined that a rehearing on the October 30, 2008 decision was not warranted since the Court did not overlook material facts or question of law. However, portions of the October 2008 decision were withdrawn for a number of reasons.
First, and consistent with the brief submitted by the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Nevada, “joint physical custody” requires that each Party have physical custody at least 40 percent of the time. This is a label that practitioners can readily apply to basically add up the hours that each parent has with the children and basically “bean count” so that a specific designation of a custodial arrangement now has a bright line test that can be applied in practice.
In Rivero, Ms. Rivero had the minor child five (5) days a week and Mr. Rivero had the child two (2) days per week. Because the Parties stipulated on the label of joint physical custody in their Decree, the Court was not persuaded at the District Court level to change this custody designation. Rather, the District Court, in reading the plain language of the stipulated agreement of the Parties within the four (4) corners of this document, determined that an equal child timeshare was appropriate although specific findings were required for this change is each Parties’ custodial time that the change was in the child’s best interest. The Court further clarified that “parties may enter into custody arrangements and create their own custody terms and definitions.” This is basically telling the Parties that they can certainly proceed at their own peril should they agree to one thing but basically intend it to mean another. However, the Court (in this case with the label of Joint Physical Custody) left it up to the Court what was actually intended, hence the District Court basically making the call that Joint Physical Custody meant an equal timeshare. Such a change in custodial time required findings of facts and conclusions of law that this modification served the child’s best interest.
Custody Issues
2 Prongs of Custody: Legal and Physical Custody
1) Legal Custody
Legal custody has long been defined as the decision making component of a child’s life, such as education, religion, and health care decisions. See Mack v. Ashlock, 112 Nev. 1062, 921 P.2d 1258 (1996). In Rivero, this custody component was never really at issue but the Supreme Court took the time and at the persistence of the Family Law Section to go ahead and define labels used in custody cases. Sole custody is simply where one parent basically calls all of the shots whereas joint legal custody instills this decision-making obligation to both parents.
Moreover, Joint Legal Custody requires a level of communication and cooperation between Parties, which in reality is not always possible. At least in Clark County, the COPE class (required by EDCR 5.07) is an attempt for parents to get the messages that relationships sometimes end but families don’t: Mom will always be Mom and Dad will always be Dad as I personally explain it to my clients. Luckily, Cooperative parenting classes are available and are occasionally ordered in high conflict custody cases. If the Parties have Joint Legal Custody, major decision-making must be done jointly whereas minor decisions can be done with the parent having the child during the particular timeshare.
The exception to this is basically in terms of education (child must go to a particular school in one parent’s district to avoid being simultaneously enrolled and attending two schools) and health care (if little Johnnie or Suzie falls off the bike needing immediate medical attention, one parent should just make the decision for immediate medical attention rather than confirming with the other parent if taking the child screaming bloody murder to the hospital is the right thing to do). However, having a child get braces or other non-emergency surgery is quite another story and requires Court intervention and the Court is free to determine what is appropriate under the circumstances.
2) Physical Custody
Physical custody is simply defined as the amount of time that the child spends with each parent. The labels are Joint Physical Custody or Primary Physical Custody (subject to the visitation rights of the other parent). Rivero reiterated past decisions that the label of physical custody affects three situations: (1) Standard of Review to modify physical custody; (2) Procedure to move out of state with the child; and (3) Child Support.
To clarify existing confusion, the Supreme Court adopted that Joint Physical Custody does not necessarily mean an “equal” timeshare. We cannot simply “split the baby” or wake a kid up in the middle of the night because that may be determined as the 84th hour in a 168 hour week. The legislature was free to adopt a definition of a label of a specific timeshare in NRS 125 and the time was now right for a case to come along and clear the air. Rivero is that case.
The Rivero decision identified that at least one prior case, “joint physical custody approximates a 50/50 timeshare. Wesley v. Foster, 119 Nev 110, 65 P. 3d 251 (2003). The question then becomes is a 50/50 timeshare “to the hour” required for the label joint physical custody? ANSWER: NO. However, the Court held that “consistent with legislative intent and our caselaw, in Joint Physical Custody arrangements, the timeshare must be approximately 50/50.” Rivero identified the need for flexibility in any timeshare and that an exact 50/50 timeshare is not possible in every circumstance. The Supreme Court adopted the “40% rule” (adopt the Family Law Section definition) so that in a Joint Physical Custody arrangement, each Parent must have the child 40% of the time, or 146 days of the year. The quality of the time is more important than counting hours when the child is sleeping, in school, being taken care of by a third party provider, etc. This “40% rule” is the bright line test that Nevada family law attorneys have long sought. The bar has asked and the bench has delivered so that attorneys can not counsel our clients accordingly.
Primary Physical Custody
Primary Physical Custody can then be defined as basically where the child is going to reside most of the time, subject to the other parent’s visitation rights. See also Ellis v. Carucci, 123 Nev. 145, 161 P.3d 239 (2007) and Barbagallo v. Barbagallo, 105 Nev. 546, 779 P.2d 534 (1989). To say it another way under NRS 125C.010, when addressing physical custody subject to the visitation rights of the other parent, the Court must determine the “habitual residence” of the child as stated in the Rivero decision.
In Rivero, the Court has discretion to apply Nevada law – what exactly is the approximate timeshare for Joint Physical Custody, i.e. approximately 50/50 – and not necessarily what the Parties intended – a 5/2 split in favor of Ms. Rivero. Thus, specific findings of facts were required so that it could be determined if the modification of the timeshare did support a conclusion that the modification also served the best interest of the child.
Child Support Issues
When other family law colleagues of mine initially reacted to the “modified” Wright v. Osburn in place from the initial Rivero decision, it could only be described in one word: HEADACHE. Some firms had computer programs to determine child support based on each Parties’ custodial time. However, the flavor was still there: it should not require a Ph.D in mathematics to determine child support in Nevada. Child support calculations should not be in the same book as a Calculus book. More importantly, this new child support formula proved to cause more work for the judiciary and also increased litigation because each hour that each parent has with the child was relevant. It was well known that some members of the Judiciary were even reluctant to even apply the Rivero child support formula. This invited litigation and that is probably what the Supreme Court of Nevada did NOT have in mind. Luckily, as this case was discussed at the 2009 Family Law Convention in Ely as well as briefing by the Family Law Section in anticipation of revisiting the child support issue under Rivero, the Supreme Court correctly withdrew the Rivero formula for calculating child support.
A change of circumstances is always required to modify child support. The NRS 125B.145(1) “three year review” only gets the matter in front of the judge but the Court still must consider the best interests of the child to determine if modification of the child support calculation is appropriate. Under NRS 125B.145(4), the Court may review the child support award based on a showing of changed circumstances (change of 20 percent or more of the obligor’s income). However, the Court is not required to modify child support in this discretionary review. Rather, these reviews only get the litigant in front of the judge.
The reason that the Rivero Court made it clear that a change of circumstances is always required in child support litigation is to prevent multiple motions like Ms. Rivero filed subsequent to her Decree of Divorce was entered (2 months after the Decree was entered, a motion to establish child support was denied and 11 months later, a motion to modify custody and set child support was denied).
Evidently the Family Law Section’s brief to the Supreme Court was convincing and thus, the child support formula set for Joint Physical Custody situations under Wright and Barbagallo was reaffirmed. Child custody considerations should of course always be under the “best interest of the child” standard rather than just spending time with the child. Public policy considerations were not ignored since having more “time” with the child (including sleeping or school time) did in fact matter with the child support calculations as the percentage of time the child had with each parent was part of the multi-step calculation that is no longer a part of Nevada jurisprudence and therefore does not need to be repeated here.
Since Joint Physical Custody in Nevada is now defined as a near-equal timeshare, a separate formula put in place by the October 2008 Rivero decision became unnecessary (as hundreds of practitioners jumped for joy reading the 2009 August Rivero decision). As it has been said in my experience, many attorney’s chose the law school route to avoid math whereas the October 2008 Rivero decision interpreting new child support calculation became every practitioner’s worst nightmare.
Child Support in Primary Physical Custody cases
Child support is set under NRS 125B.070, subject to the legislative caps established every year by the Nevada Supreme Court, although the Court can consider the deviation factors enumerated in NRS 125B.080(9) to modify the obligor’s child support obligation. This was also expressly identified in the Barbagallo decision in Primary Physical Custody situations. Given the fact that the Rivero case was one where the Parties have Joint Physical Custody of the child, this calculation remained unchanged under Rivero.
Child Support in Joint Physical Custody cases
As clearly stated in the Rivero decision, family law practitioners must know that the Wright v. Osburn Joint Physical Custody child support formula overrules Barbagallo’s Primary Physical Custody child support calculations.
Rivero confirmed the holding in Wright v. Osburn as to how to calculate child support in Joint Physical Custody situations. The Parents’ respective incomes are determined and then the NRS 125B.070 formula is applied based on the number of children. The differences in each Parties’ obligation to the other is determined and then the parent with the higher income pays the parent with the lower income. For example, if Parent One earns $4,000 per month and Parent Two earns $3,000 per month and there are two children, Parent One would pay 25% of the difference of the incomes. Thus, Parent One’s child support obligation would be $250 per month to Parent Two. The label of Joint Physical Custody is all that matters and not the actual hours each parent spends with the child (e.g. the Court no longer needs to bean count and determine which parent to credit school time, etc).
Other Rivero Issues
The main reason for this lengthy briefing on the August 2009 Rivero decision is based on basically doing away with the modified Joint Physical Custody child support calculations and to provide the 40% label on Joint Physical Custody cases.
Other items of note that we can take away from the new Rivero decision is that the Court must making specific findings regarding deviations to child support calculations. At the District Court level, the Court improperly denied Ms. Rivero’s request for child support without findings but rather merely relying on the specific language of the Decree that neither Party would pay or receive child support from the other. This issue has been remanded to the district Court to determine if a child support obligation is appropriate based upon a finding of a change of circumstances since entry of the Decree.
There was a claim of bias and that the District Court judge should have recused herself. However, the motion lacked merit and the District Court judge did not abuse her discretion by remaining the Trier of Fact. It was determined that “Ms. Rivero did not prove legally cognizable grounds support an inference of bias, and therefore, summary dismissal was proper.” In other words, based on the record before the Chief Judge of the Eighth Judicial District Court, the claim of bias lacked merit and no hearing on the merits was warranted. Ms. Rivero was sanctioned $750 in attorney’s fees for filing the motion for recusal and disqualification of the District Court judge but the record does not support the sanction and therefore the sanction was set aside since it was an abuse of the District Court Judge’s discretion. There needed to be findings of fact and that the motion was brought without reasonable grounds. This was not done so the sanction cannot stand but the issues was reversed and remanded to the District Court for further proceedings.
The dissent by Justice Pickering stated that the Legislature should establish child support formulas and social policy, not the Court. Also, since the Court must determine the exact percentage of time (e.g. 40% rule for Joint Physical Custodians) that each Parent has with the child as determined by the preceding year, this encourages litigation and contrary to public policy. Moreover, the record did not show that Ms. Rivero had a basis to file for child support and therefore the majority was incorrect remanding this issue back to the District Court. In other words, the August 2009 Rivero decision just encourages more litigation. Justice Pickering is concerned that the 40% rule is too rigid and does not allow the Court to basically consider all factors necessary in custodial determinations. By making the Parties still count hours, this is contrary to allowing flexibility while focusing on the best interest of the child.
Since the 40% rule basically encourages Parties to keeps a log of time spent with the child, this may hinder the co-parenting process. The Court should have just enforced the stipulated Decree of the Parties and not remanding the case for more litigation.
In conclusion, the Rivero decision fills gaps in Nevada custody law. The astute family law practitioner should have a copy of this decision easily downloaded from the Supreme Court website. It is truly a disservice (and malpractice) for attorneys not to check the website for new decisions from the Supreme Court. As such, the purpose of this article is to not only educate the members of the bar about this decision but to promote responsibility in the practice of law. Mission accomplished.
Jason Stoffel is a family law practitioner in private practice since 2004. He is employed by Roberts Stoffel Family Law Group , a Las Vegas, Nevada family law firm.
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Health on the Hill
Vice President's Message
Rural Doctors
Public Hospital Doctors
Australian Medical Student’s Association
Indigenous Taskforce
Medical Workforce
Ethics and Medico-legal
Deadline looms for election health policy
BY AMA PRESIDENT DR TONY BARTONE
As Christmas draws nearer with the promise of, hopefully, a quieter time for most Australians, the pressure is growing on the major parties to finalise the health policies they will take to the next election, expected in May.
The Government has been sent a very clear message by the results of the Victorian election and the Wentworth by-election, with health featuring prominently in both those elections.
Former AMA President, Professor Kerryn Phelps, the new Independent Member for Wentworth, ran hard on health issues in her winning campaign.
The Victorian Labor Government went to the voters with promises of significant investment in hospitals, a mental health royal commission, and free dental care for state school children.
Health must and will be one of the priorities for voters in the Federal election.
The Government still has many balls in the air, which need urgent resolution.
The biggest, of course, is the MBS Review – and it is starting to cause significant alarm in the profession as new items are being rushed out to clear the decks ahead of the election.
Haste makes waste, and this is becoming clear as the MBS Review rollout continues at pace. It is almost impossible to keep up. Doctors, health insurers, government agencies, hospitals, and other authorities are having problems absorbing the new information and reflecting the changes in fees and business practices.
It seriously is bordering on a crisis. The AMA has and continues to advise the Government and the Minister to consult more closely in this process. This could end badly.
The AMA position on the Government’s My Health Record is quite clear. Following very robust representations from the AMA, the Government has legislated changes to make the Record more secure by tightening controls on privacy, confidentiality, and third-party access.
It is our view that the My Health Record needs to succeed. There will be teething issues, but the Record will make a difference. It will be part of that innovative next step in the process of transformation in the way we handle and manage health information for the benefit of our patients - and with the stewardship of scarce health resources critically important in the mix.
It will reduce duplication and wastage. It will reduce complications and readmissions through medication mismanagement. It will have the potential to save lives - our patients’ lives.
On private health, we have called on the Government to undertake a public education campaign to explain the new Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Basic categories of private health insurance policies. These changes are far from perfect.
However, private health insurance is perilously facing possibly becoming an irrelevant commodity. Patients need to know clearly what they will get for their significant investment. Otherwise they will shun the product, and the system will suffer.
On a positive note, the AMA exerted significant influence over the passing of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Bill 2018 with an amendment that stipulates a Chief Clinical Advisor, who must be a medical practitioner, will be appointed to assist the Aged Care Commissioner.
Aged care has re-emerged as a significant health policy issue.
Meanwhile, the AMA remains in tight, detailed, and lengthy negotiations with the Government over one of the ‘make or break’ policies at the next election – a significant new investment in general practice.
We have made it abundantly clear to both Minister Greg Hunt and Shadow Minister Catherine King that general practice is the mainstay of primary care in Australia – but it is at breaking point.
We continue to press strongly for a significant package of GP reforms – backed by appropriate funding and resources to refresh and upscale infrastructure.
Our hardworking and dedicated general practices and GPs need support. Their integral position needs to be understood and appreciated by our political leaders as a valuable piece of the health care system. It is local. It is efficient. It is cost effective. And, if properly resourced, it can enhance the linkages in our health pathways and truly deliver better outcomes for our community.
What about Labor, I hear you say? The Labor Opposition cannot be complacent on health policy either. They have already announced a funding policy for public hospitals, but remain vague on My Health Record, private health, mental health, and aged care.
Labor cannot depend on going into the election with another Mediscare campaign. Voters want positives, not negatives - another clear message from the recent Victorian election. They must engage deeply with the electorate.
Both sides need to tell us what they will be doing on public health, prevention, Indigenous health, asylum seeker health, aged care, and mental health – along with the major structural, access, and affordability reforms.
They need to articulate a vision, a blueprint for change, which is both transformational and recognises that we need to get ahead of the curve in management, presentation, and, more importantly, prevention.
The AMA will release its election policy manifesto early in 2019.
So, strap yourselves in. The next six months will be quite a ride all the way to election day.
I wish all AMA members and your families a safe, relaxing, and rewarding holiday season.
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FAQs On ACs’ Temperature Setting Recommendations By Power Ministry
A Frequently Asked Questions' list on Bureau of Energy Efficiency’s recommendations on the temperature setting of Air Conditioners has been released by the ministry. In a press release, the department has tried to clear the doubts and confusions regarding the recommendations, especially, about the default temperature setting of ACs. These are as follow…
Dust Storms From Rajasthan Creates Havoc In Delhi
New Delhi: The high pollution levels during this time of the year in Delhi are unusual and primarily due to dust storms from Rajasthan. Rajasthan is facing extremely dry weather conditions, with high temperatures and wind speeds.
Monsoon Associated Heavy Rainfall Along West Coast
New Delhi: Southwest Monsoon has further advanced into some more parts of Central Arabian Sea, remaining parts of Goa, Karnataka and Rayalaseema, some parts of south Konkan, south Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada, Vidarbha, south Chhattisgarh and south Odisha, entire Telangana, most parts of Coastal Andhra Pradesh, remaining parts of West Central Bay of Bengal and most parts of North Bay of Bengal.
Rapid Rise Likely In South Rivers’ Water Levels
New Delhi: Rainfall Forecast issued by India Meteorological Department indicates that Heavy to Very Heavy rainfall is likely at a few places with extremely heavy fall at isolated places over Konkan and Goa, Madhya Maharashtra during June 7 to 12. Due to this warning, there is likelihood of rise in water levels in various river basins such as West Flowing rivers Between Tapi and Tadri, Godavari and its tributaries near the west coast, Krishna and its tributaries near west coast, Cauvery and its tributaries near west coast as well as in West flowing rivers between Tadri and Kanyakumari.
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Ashland Mayor Wants Environmental Impact Statement of Proposed Industrial Farm in Bayfield Co
A forum about the impact of CAFOs (Concentrated (Confined)
Animal Feeding Operations) on quality of life and health
in rural communities was held in Ashland, Wisconsin
Feb. 28, 2015. Later participants stood on Lake Superior.
- From Left to Right, Dr. Keeve Nachman,
Gordon Stevenson, Dr. John Ikerd and Lynn and Nancy Utesch
Photo: Scott Dye
The Mayor of the City of Ashland has requested a detailed Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
The letter by Mayor Debra S. Lewis requesting the EIS is dated last Friday and comes as sentiment against the proposed Concentrated Agricultural Feeding Operation (CAFO) has rapidly grown in Bayfield and Ashland counties in far-northern Wisconsin.
Lewis' letter is reproduced below:
Ms. Cathy L. Stepp,
Secretary Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
P.O. Box 7921 Madison, WI 53707-7921
Via email: DNRSecretary@wisconsin.gov
Re: Badgerwood, LLC Hog Facility Reicks View Farm CAFO
Dear Ms. Stepp:
I write as the Mayor of the City of Ashland to respectfully request, in the strongest possible of terms, that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources require an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) before taking any action to permit the operation of the proposed Badgerwood, LLC Hog Facility, also known as the Reicks View Farm Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) in the Town of Eileen, Bayfield County. While the CAFO would be located outside of the City of Ashland, some of the CAFO's greatest impacts would fall directly on the City of Ashland, due primarily to the location of the proposed CAFO near the headwaters of Fish Creek, and to Ashland's location, just seven or so miles east, at the mouth of Fish Creek, where Fish Creek enters Lake Superior's Chequamegon Bay.
I understand that the types of permits required for the CAFO to operate have generally been excepted by Natural Resources rule from EIS requirements, either as a "minor action" or as an "equivalent analysis action." However, I believe that the Badgerwood CAFO is of such magnitude and complexity that the DNR should exercise its discretion under NR 150.20(4), Wis. Admin. Code, to follow EIS procedures. Virtually every factor listed in NR 150.20(4)(b) points to the appropriateness of an EIS in this case.
The Ashland City Council recently passed, unanimously, a resolution calling on the Bayfield County Board to exercise its authority to adopt more stringent standards than contained in ATCP 51 to regulate CAFOs. In issuing the call, the City Council cited its concerns for safe drinking water, beach safety, tourism, and public health factors. I am confident that if the timing of the DNR's decision on an EIS for the project allowed it, the Ashland City Council would take similar action specifically to request that an EIS be required. As it stands now, the City's resolution directed to Bayfield County does state our policy on the matter and as such should be considered as a factor under NR 150.20 (4)(b)(2), that the "project may be in conflict with local . . . environmental policies."
The City of Ashland has the following specific questions which can only be answered by the careful preparation of an EIS :
l . What would the Badgerwood CAFO's environmental impact be on the City of Ashland's drinking water?
2. What would the Badgerwood CAFO's environmental impact be on the Chequamegon Bay fishery?
3. What would the Badgerwood CAFO's environmental impact be on the City of Ashland's swimming beaches?
4. What would the Badgerwood CAFO's environmental impact be on odors in and near the City of Ashland?
5. What would the Badgerwood CAFO's environmental impact be on small-scale farming near the City of Ashland?
6. What would the Badgerwood CAFO's environmental impact be on tourism in the City of Ashland?
I will briefly address each of these points so that you can understand why I am asking these questions. Clearly, at this point we all have more questions than answers, which is why an EIS is so important.
1. What would the Badgerwood CAFO's environmental impact be on the City of Ashland's drinking water?
The City of Ashland obtains one hundred percent of its drinking water from one intake pipe in Chequamegon Bay. The City's Utility Supervisor has advised the City Council that extensive algal blooms could greatly interfere with our intake and treatment of drinking water, requiring increased back-flushing of the system to unclog it, reducing efficiency, and raising costs. Installation of a second intake pipe would be a multi-million dollar project and is unaffordable for the City.
Chequamegon Bay has no algal blooms of any significance now. Our concern is that the CAFO will add nutrients to the Lake resulting in such blooms. We do not know how water circulation patterns in the Bay would affect our water intake were blooms to occur.
Ashland has a vibrant sport fishery on its doorstep in Chequamegon Bay. Summer and winter, visitors and locals alike find their way onto the Lake, contributing to our quality of life and the Ashland economy at the same time. Eutrophication, de-oxygenation, and fish die-offs would be devastating to this aspect of our lives and our economy. We are aware that CAFO's are thought to be responsible for eutrophication in other locales, and we are extremely concerned that it could happen here, too.
Ashland's primary swimming beach is adjacent to the Fish Creek estuary and less than one mile from its primary mouth. The water is clear and clean and because it is shallow, ideal for young children. Algal blooms resulting from excessive nutrient loading from the CAFO could ruin this resource, as could infectious agents from pig waste.
Ashland is a city of over 8,200 inhabitants. The prevailing west-to-east winds leave the City downwind from the CAFO and the fields where it intends to spread manure. Ashland is not an Iowa farm town where the smell of pig manure might be expected. Ashland is a lakeshore town where people come to breathe deeply of the fresh, invigorating air. We need to know if the millions of gallons of pig manure being collected and spread just a few miles upwind of us will detract from our fresh-air resource.
Small-scale, sustainable agriculture is a thriving and growing sector of our local economy. Awareness and selectivity of what we eat in Ashland is on the rise and becoming part of our local "brand." The Chequamegon Food Cooperative just completed a major enlargement, fueled in part by a booming interest in eating healthy and local foods. The Co-op in turn provides support for local farmers through a number of innovative programs. People in Ashland like pork just as much as the next guy — which is why small-scale, local, sustainable, family hog farms such as Maple Hill, just outside Washburn, and Angel Acres, just outside Ashland, are very busy. The risk of importing swine disease from Iowa and thus destroying existing local farms is of serious concern to those of us who see sustainable agriculture as a key component in our economy.
By many measures, our area is the poorest in the state of Wisconsin. Our greatest source of wealth is our clean air and clean water. Without those assets we have nothing special to offer the visitor. The tourist coming "up north" wants to feel that he or she is going someplace special and pristine.
Many of us who live in Ashland have had the experience of standing by the shore of Chequamegon Bay, perhaps while on an evening walk or bike-ride, seeing a car or minivan pull up, maybe with license plates from South Carolina or California, and watching the driver and passengers get out, stretch, inhale a deep breath of Lake Superior air, and marvel at the blue water laid out before them. Often there is a smile; sometimes there is a look of amazement, and if there are children usually there is a race to the water's edge. Whatever it is, we know that the first experience of standing beside the largest freshwater lake in the world will stick with that person for a long time. Our nightmare: that same car pulls up, the driver steps out, takes a deep breath and chokes on the pig-manure scented air, and then has to tell her children to stay out of the algae and scum-laden water lapping on our beach.
The DNR needs to thoroughly assess the risk of this scenario coming about. The only way to do so is to perform a full EIS. The future of our lives as we know them in Ashland may well depend on the information that can only be developed through the EIS process.
Debra S. Lewis Mayor
Duane Popple
1300 W. Clairemont Avenue
Via email: duane.popple@wisconsin.gov
CAFO Intake Specialist
WT/3
Wisconsin DNR
Via email: Tyler.Dix@wisconsin.gov
Posted by MAL at 4:16:00 PM
Labels: adgerwood, Bayfield County CAFO, concentrated agricultural feeding operation CAFO Wisconsin, industrial farm animal production (IFAP), LLC Hog Facility Reicks View
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Psycho-Pass S2 OP Comparison and Thoughts
Anime, Episode Review
(comparison as of episode three)
So from the moment season two started, I was enthralled by the spoilerific opening and went over it and over it trying to piece together ideas and theories. I got over it and proceeded to enjoy the episodes which have been super good so far. Then episode three aired. I had been distracted as the opening came on but when I looked back, I thought something seemed off so I kept watching it more closely and sure enough it was very different.
Not different in a big “new animation” way but different enough for it to ignite that spark curiosity again. There was already a lot of colour in the opening originally but now it’s being used to muddle and distort the images that were originally very clear and easy to see. In fact there’s nearly a filter (either a line screen tone kind of effect or pure static) on everything. I had wondered if they were just not done the OP in time but there’s no way this blurry, static mess would be the final product.
The repeat of Akane shielding her eyes usually ends on just her smiling but ends with her being shot. In the original you can faintly see but it’s so faded that you can hardly see it happening. Here it’s very vivid. However, I don’t necessarily think this means she’s going to get shot in the head (because that would be incredibly blatant huh) because it wasn’t from a dominator and the object that goes through her head doesn’t look like a bullet. I mean, it could totally be something else entirely but I just kind of doubt she’s actually going to have that happen to her.
It might not be notable since the whole Akane in the water/print on window/Shimotsuki flower scene is pretty heavily distorted as well but the Togane/Kogami scene is practically impossible to see especially compared to the vivid colour they used originally.
(There’s a lot more little stuff that just comes down to “this was blurry it was not before” or “this was unclear before but now it is” of course)
You might asked, “yo why does this matter at all?” if you weren’t watching the show, that is. This drastic change lines up with the episode where Shimotsuki doubts Akane, where Akane doubts herself and wonders if she can be going insane without her hue changing colour. Can you lose your mind when it broadcasts to the world just how healthy your mind is? Where her mental state is called into question, the OP goes full crazy. It’s a pretty interesting thing for them to have done and I appreciate it.
Actual thoughts on the episode though:
Ginoza’s worry about Akane is troubling and hard to watch because he was there when Kogami did the exact thing Akane is doing now and Ginoza knows first hand how that ended up. That’s why I think it’ll be Ginoza (or Shimotsuki, no one else besides those two) who finally point out that Akane’s hue never changes and it never gets worse. I would imagine this leads to Shimotsuki turning on Akane because how can someone that Sibyl can’t judge be trusted with Sibyl’s own judgement and power?
I would like to believe Ginoza is a good enough guy now that he wouldn’t turn on Akane for this, since he is worried about her. Shimotsuki, however, is so loyal to Sibyl that I think she would see Akane as a traitor. Especially since she’s jealous of her relationship with the chief (ha).
If it does go the route where Akane loses her mind and goes insane while still appearing fine and with a healthy hue, I will be disappointed. I mean it would be incredibly interesting but I don’t want Akane to end up like that. Though I imagine no matter how far she falls she’ll pick herself up, heal herself and rehabilitate herself because she doesn’t rely on or is controlled by Sibyl. Which might be what it takes to stop Shimotsuki from being a blind sheep?
There’s still the question of where Kogami will play into all of this. The OP references him twice so it’s only a matter of time, right? What if, just what if, Kogami doesn’t come back and the scene with Akane and Shimotsuki both facing each other when he disappears means he was never there, Akane was chasing something that doesn’t exist and it’s a part of her going crazy? The the scene where he and Togane are beside each other is just Togane taking Kogami’s place and filling the void for her? Kogami never returns (until like the movie or the last episode w/e) and it’s all just a part of Akane going off the deep end?
Haha that’s pretty farfetched. That would be silly! Kogami will return and have some connecting to Togane (was the Chief telling Akane that a red herring so Akane doesn’t suspect Togane has some connection to the Chief or does Togane actually not and he just maybe knows the truth of Sibyl?) because Togane is evil or blah blah blah.
Tags: Theories and Speculation
Pingback: Do You Need To Watch Psycho-Pass 2 before the Movie? – Loli Salad
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6 Steps to NAILING the Mainstream Spotlight
by Loolwa Khazzoom • December 1, 2013 • Writing and Editing Tips
You are a badass. Some people would call you a pain-in-the-ass, but that’s just because they don’t get you. I, however, do get you, because I am you. You and I, baby, we see, feel, and know things that other people don’t. We follow voices and energies into uncharted territories. We explore, discover, and invent cool stuff – from self-healing methodologies to paradigm-shifting educational systems to revolutionary products with the potential to rock the foundation of multiple industries.
If – you know – said industries would only pay attention.
The central problem of our game-changing, pot-stirring, rabble-rousing, mad-scientist-with-freaky-hair genius is that we are out to overhaul the very system that must recognize and embrace our work, in order for the system to be overhauled. That’s why we need to get strategic, sneaky, and downright silly.
We may not have the power to change the game, but we most certainly have the power to manipulate it. All the while laughing and singing and eating raw, dark, organic chocolate and dancing to Zydeco music. Messing with the system is not only entirely doable but also downright fun.
And in my upcoming six-week live and on-demand intensive, I will show you how to seriously toy with said system so that you get your message smack dab in the middle of mainstream media. Find out all the details on my Subversive Marketing sister site. Early Bird registration gets you $100 off through December 13!
If you are a business coach, marketing professional, life coach, author coach, or some other kind of professional whose clients may benefit from this seminar, ping me to find out about my affiliate sales program.
Top 5 Disadvantages of a Freelance Writing Career
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About Loolwa
Loolwa Khazzoom has worked with leading media outlets, including The New York Times, CNN, Rolling Stone, and ABC News. In addition, she has published two books and has lectured at prestigious venues including Barnard Center for Research on Women, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and Harvard University. Loolwa is passionate about health, music, dance, multiculturalism, and Judaism.
Holistic Media, Marketing, PR
Loolwa Khazzoom is a a public relations manager specializing in holistic media, holistic marketing, holistic public relations, and holistic promotions. Her services include branding and messaging development, image and communications management, website content development and optimization, social media management, traditional media campaign management, book development, and in-house writing and editing.
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3 Steps to Game-Changing Marketing
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Tragacanth
Tragacanth is a black/death metal band with broad symphonic influences. Hailing from the heart of the Netherlands, their songs however tell of ancient Babylonian tales and times.
Composer and lead guitarist Erik Brouwer set everything in motion in 2014 and soon Jasper van Minnen (theNAME) joined on drums. Adrian “OQ” Neagoe (Negură Bunget) joined on guitar and with Terry Stooker to perform the vocals Tragacanth completed their recording line-up for their debut album, called ‘Anthology of the East’.
‘Anthology of the East’ gives a great summary of what Tragacanth is about. Entrancing melodies and energetic drums, woven together by vast symphonic sections and interlaced by lyrical themes ranging from spiritual wars and long forgotten lore, to mythical creatures. The album is recorded in various studios and mixed and mastered by Adrian “OQ” Neagoe.
The band members are all experienced live musicians and can’t wait to bring their mystical tales to the stage.
http://tragacanth.net/
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Choose Me by RC Boldt
Choose Me, an all-new standalone coming-of-age romance
by RC Boldt.
Wearing the nicest suit I own, I stand in the very back with a flask full of whiskey in my inner pocket. I put on a brave face as I watch her walk down the aisle.
Because it’s too late.
I refuse to be the bastard who makes her cry on her wedding day, but I’m dying to tell her what I’ve always known. She’s my best friend, but she doesn’t realize she owns my f*cking heart and soul, too.
Each step down that aisle takes her farther away from me and brings her closer to him, forcing me to face the truth: I’ve fallen in love with someone who can’t be mine. If she’d just turn around, maybe she’d realize I love her more than he ever could.
I won’t ruin her perfect day, but my broken heart begs me to try and convince her.
Choose me.
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2D0gId4
Amazon Worldwide: https://geni.us/Hk4LBm
Apple Books: https://goo.gl/XtUPsx
Nook: https://goo.gl/pi59Fw
Kobo: https://goo.gl/h6jQ9r
Google Play: https://goo.gl/DH3z82
Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2DRjwJL
“Hollis?”
I startle at the male voice calling my name. When I turn, I find a guy about my height wearing a button-down shirt beneath a sport coat and a pair of pressed slacks. He regards me with a mixture of surprise and recognition while I have no idea who the hell he is. He steps closer with a smile.
“Sorry to catch you off guard,” he apologizes and holds out his hand to me. “Grant Stevenson.”
I shake his hand warily. “Hollis Barnes.” I pause before adding, “But somehow, you already knew that.”
He grins, and if I’m being completely honest, I don’t detect any douchebag vibes. “I recognized you from one of the photos Magnolia has in her room of the two of you.”
It takes all my control to suppress the jolt that zigzags through me at his words. She still keeps a photo of us?
His eyes crinkle at the corners, and he lifts his chin to gesture to me. “Although I have to be honest, the ink and beard initially threw me off.”
A surprised laugh escapes me, and I slide my hands into my pockets.
Grant steps closer and glances around before lowering his voice. “I’m actually glad you’re here. I know you and Magnolia haven’t seen one another in a while, but you’re her oldest friend…”
Oldest friend. Not best friend. I don’t miss the phrasing. Although I don’t feel it’s intentional, it cuts deep just the same.
“I’m nervous as hell, and I’m hopin’ you can tell me if she’d like this.”
It takes me a moment to realize what he’s pulled out of his pocket.
A velvet ring box and a packet of Pop Rocks.
F***, f***, f***.
I resist the urge to rub at the center of my chest, where searing pain radiates.
He flicks open the box to reveal a ring with a large diamond that’s fancy as hell. Something Mrs. Barton would love and deem appropriate. But Magnolia? Hell no.
“Her mom helped me pick it out.”
“And I know she loves Pop Rocks since she always has a pack.”
Not the strawberry flavor.
But he’s trying. I can see the nervousness in his expression. The hope. The excitement.
I can’t crush this guy. He’s exactly what her parents have always wanted for her. The kind of guy who doesn’t get his hands dirty. The one with money and connections.
The one who can give her the future her parents expect her to have. The one who won’t come home with rough hands, callused to hell and back from working on a project that’s for a high-end client or due to be auctioned off to a car collector with more money than they know what to do with.
The man who wears button-downs like they’re second skin. Designer clothes.
So caught up in my thoughts, I don’t immediately realize that he’s pocketed the items and is gazing in another direction. When I turn and follow his focus, catching sight of her weaving through the crowd, I take advantage of the moment and let my eyes drink her in. She’s…so g**damn beautiful.
Her long blond hair spills down her back, and even beneath the shapeless graduation gown, her sleek, tanned legs peek out from the bottom hem, her heels accentuating her toned calf muscles.
When she catches sight of Grant, her entire face lights up, and…go**ammit.
I can’t do this. This was a f***ing mistake. It’s like someone’s performing open heart surgery and just cracked my chest open without anesthesia.
About RC Boldt:
RC Boldt enjoys long walks on the beach, running, reading, people watching, and singing karaoke. If you're in the mood for some killer homemade mojitos, can't recall the lyrics to a particular 80's song, or just need to hang around a nonconformist who will do almost anything for a laugh, she's your girl.
Connect with RC Boldt:
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Posted by CJ Butcher (Janeen) at 8:30 AM No comments: Links to this post
The Billionaire Boss Next Door, an all-new hilarious romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Max Monroe, is available now!
My new boss has it all. In spades.
Gorgeous green eyes? Check.
Hard-and-sexy body? Check.
Intelligence? Check.
Success? A big fat billionaire… Check.
Too bad I haven’t started out on the best foot.
My big mouth has already turned him against me, and tempting good looks and success aside, Trent Turner is no peach either. He’s stubborn and thick-headed, and son of a fruitcake, he thinks he knows everything there is to know about the hotel business.
With him running the development of the new Vanderturn New Orleans Hotel and me doing the design, our work relationship is far too intimate for two people who absolutely despise one another.
See, he isn’t just my billionaire boss from hell. He’s my new neighbor, too.
Same city.
Same building.
Same floor.
Trent Turner is my billionaire boss next door.
Holy moly, let’s hope my career—and hormones—can survive.
Disclaimer: If you generally love to suffer, hate fun of any kind, and are allergic to laughter, this book is not for you.
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Vy4KOk
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/TBBND
Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2uEva5S
It only takes five minutes inside the hotel gym to realize why my original plan was to eat a hamburger in bed. I do not got this. I’m not good at working out, I’ve never been good at working out, and I’ll never be good at working out. I don’t know what to do with the equipment, and it doesn’t know what to do with me. Clearly, it’s been designed for people with half a foot more height and fifty percent more muscle, and even on the lowest of settings, I fumble my way through biceps curls like an uncoordinated inchworm. I can barely reach the handles, so I have to kind of stoop to get in position, but the newly formed curve of my spine makes me have to arch and wiggle to complete the curl. If it weren’t for my kick-ass Metallica T-shirt, I might start to worry that I look foolish. The ten-pound weight clanks as I drop it the inch and a half I managed to lift it in the first place, and I stand up to find a different machine. Surely there’s something in here I can operate without having a special license. I find some kind of seated thing with weights on one end and a padded face rest on the other. I sit, lay my face down, and attempt to slide my legs underneath the weighted bar. But, it’s completely awkward and uncomfortable, and I start questioning what in the fuck this thing is even supposed to do. Just before I give up completely, a throat clears deeply beside me, and I look up to see a far too muscular man staring down at me in confusion. “Uh…wow…I didn’t realize you could use it that way…” Huh? I nearly ask him what he’s talking about, but his actions answer any and all questions I might have. He sits down on the machine beside mine—an identical machine to mine—and it’s then I realize the face rest is not a face rest. It’s a seat. For asses. A seat for sweaty, workout asses. Jesus Christ. I shudder and disentangle myself from the machine. “You okay?” Arnold Schwarzenegger’s long-lost brother asks, but I just nod off his question and put some much-needed distance between us. Also, I scrub my face with the hand towel I brought down from my room like it’s a fucking Brillo pad capable of removing the ball sweat that’s probably found itself a home in my pores. Note to self: take one thousand scalding-hot showers tonight. With a deep inhale, I try to regain some of the pride I lost back there by Mr. Muscles and peruse the room until I find a machine that’s labeled with instructional pictures to boot. Hip. Abduction. Do I need aliens to use this thing? Against my better judgment, I study the pictures and peptalk myself into sitting down on the seat and swing my legs over to the inside of the knee pads. No face-to-butt-sweat mistakes happening here, folks! The weight is set on one hundred and fifty pounds from the person before me, and it makes me wonder if Thor is staying at this hideous hotel too. I pull out the pin and put it on forty instead. After a quick test push with my legs, the setting seems doable, so I take out my phone and start scrolling through it to set up some music to accompany me. Yes. Yes. That’s exactly what I need. Some workout jams. Of course, once I’m on it, I get distracted by Instagram, and five minutes go by before I realize I’m sitting on a machine, not a couch, and the purpose here is to do something other than lounge. I glance up from my phone and scan the room, wondering slightly if anyone knows how long I’ve been sitting here. Mr. Muscles has moved on to a new machine, but a different guy across the room makes eye contact and smirks. Busted. Normal human decency dictates he should let me off the hook and go about his day, but this fit, Adonis-looking, sweat-covered, brown-haired, green-eyed—good God, he’s attractive—man apparently has no manners. Shit. His sleeveless white T-shirt clings to his tanned body as he strides my way, and his athletic shorts conform to a muscular set of thighs and ass. I look everywhere but at him, fiddling with the machine as though I’m doing something productive, but he still doesn’t get the hint. Raspy and firm, the clearing of his throat sounds right next to me. I look up as innocently as I can manage and pull out my earbuds as though I had music playing. “Um, hi,” I say with a cute little manufactured laugh. “I’ll be done in just a second.” He laughs too, but his seems genuine and undeniably directed at me. “If you keep up your current pace, I think it’s going to be a little longer.” “Excuse me?” “Come on,” he says good-naturedly—the prick. “You’re just pretending to work out.” Oh no, he did not just say that…. “I’m not pretending to work out,” I deny. “I’m just getting warmed up.” He nods knowingly. “And setting up my music,” I continue. He hums. “I’m just about to catch my stride.” “Sure you are.” He calls bullshit with his smug, green as fuck eyes, and for the briefest of moments, they glance down at my chest and my legs before meeting my gaze again. “But there are people who would like to really use it, so if you’re done…” What. The. Fuck. Who does this guy think he is? “Are you always this rude?” I question, and his green eyes lighten a bit. “All right, you’re right. I’m really not trying to be a dick,” he says and runs a hand through his hair. Should it really take that much effort not to be a dick? “Let’s start over…” He pauses and pushes a small smile to his full, kissable lips. “How are you enjoying the hotel?” Start over? How about let’s never have started at all? Still annoyed, I don’t censor my answer. “It’s…swell.” He laughs at first, but when I raise an eyebrow in contention, he frowns. “You don’t like it?” “Maybe ugly décor and a whole buttload of pretention are good for some people, but not for me.” “Ugly décor? Really?” How can he be shocked by this? Anyone with eyes could see the design flaws here. “Are you kidding? I feel like I’m in my ninety-year-old grandmother’s living room, except it’s a waking nightmare and I’m about to be eaten alive by the curtains.” “I don’t think it’s that bad. It’s timeless.” Normally, I’m not such a snob about design, nor do I make a point to make other people feel bad for their likes and dislikes, but for some reason, this handsome prick and his dickish attitude just bring it out in me. Before I know it, I’m channeling Regina George. “Well…” I pause and scrunch up my nose dramatically. “I’m sorry to break the news to you, but the design of this place looks like it was done by a blind rat. Gilded sailboat pictures and tapestries with oxen on them aren’t timeless. They’re old.” His eyebrows pinch together, highlighting the otherwise perfect features of his face. Goddamn this ugly hotel for housing such perfect-looking humans. “What did you say your name was again?” Shit. Emory will absolutely murder me if she finds out I got into some kind of confrontational tête-à-tête with a random Romeo in the hotel gym. Let’s also not forget this hotel gym is located inside a hotel that is owned by the company you’re about to interview with… Shit. Yeah. I’d better cut and run while I can. “I didn’t.” I jump up from the machine with the exact agility I’ve lacked during the rest of my workout and offer a saccharine smile. “But, hey, good news. Machine’s all yours.” “Aren’t you going to wipe it down?” he asks as I walk toward the door, and I can’t help but turn around for my parting shot. “Why?” I smirk at the pouty-lipped asshole. “After all, I was just pretending to work out.” Because you know what dicks can do? They can go fuck themselves and wipe down their own workout equipment, tight asses and chiseled jaws be damned. Suck on that, workout Romeo.
About Max Monroe:
A secret duo of romance authors team up under the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling pseudonym Max Monroe to bring you sexy, laugh-out-loud reads. Max Monroe is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of more than ten contemporary romance titles. Favorite writing partners and long time friends, Max and Monroe strive to live and write all the fun, sexy swoon so often missing from their Facebook newsfeed. Sarcastic by nature, their two writing souls feel like they’ve found their other half. This is their most favorite adventure thus far.
Connect with Max Monroe:
Website: https://www.authormaxmonroe.com/
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Stay up to date with Max Monroe by joining their mailing list today: https://www.authormaxmonroe.com/newsletter
This was an awesome last minute read that I couldn't get enough of and was a welcome distraction to my work week!! I enjoyed the cast of characters and the humor of the book and would highly recommend this to anyone wanting to bypass the day-to-day drama.
Callum's Hell by V.F. Mason is available now! #DarkRomance #Standalone #DarkAsHell
Amazon -- https://amzn.to/2DPvdkj FREE with #KindleUnlimited
She knew no chaos...until I claimed her. She was a florist. He was a serial killer. She created beauty. He created chaos. She belonged to nature. He belonged to the underworld. She was an angel. He was the devil. She wanted to escape. He trapped her instead. They played a dangerous game with their lives at stake. Where the winner took it all and the loser burned in hell.
ADD TO YOUR TBR -- http://bit.ly/2X2mv9h
They say obsessions and insanity go hand-in-hand, but I have another theory.
Possession and desire go hand-in-hand, because they create such deep insanity a man is willing to eliminate everything and everyone in his way to get to what he wants.
I flick my fingers and knock two pawns from the chessboard, ready to strike again.
By the time this is done, there will be no one but the queen left standing.
About the Author: V.F.Mason always loved reading books and had quite a few fights with her momma over the genre she liked (romance, duh!) She studied filmmaking and thought that would feed her desire for stories, but that didn’t happen. Finally, when she was tired of all those voices in her head, she sat down and wrote a book. It was a huge decision to make and she thanks her friends and family for supporting her in it. When she is not writing, she can be found with her friends doing all sorts of crazy things or reading recent romance books that were written by her favorite authors. Connect with V.F.! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorVFMason/ Instagram: http://bit.ly/2SE0hsp Twitter: https://twitter.com/Author_VFMason Bookbub: http://bit.ly/2ozrS0W Newsletter: http://vfmason.com/newsletter/ Website: http://vfmason.com/
Title: Rocket
Series: Hell's Handlers MC
Author: Lilly Atlas
Logan “Rocket” Carrera has a history he prefers to leave buried under prickly layers of standoffish personality. He’s seen and done things that would make most people lie awake at night. A master of compartmentalization, he’s never had trouble moving on until the night he rescues the redheaded Chloe from a sadistic gang.
Kidnapped, beaten, and abused by criminals, Chloe has a difficult time assimilating back into the world after the most traumatic experience of her life. With each passing day, her anxiety builds until she’s forced to find an outlet. Finally, Chloe discovers her own way to make sense of the world and steal a few moments of peace. There’s just one problem: she can’t tell a soul what she’s doing. Who could ever understand the risk she’s taking?
Unable to stay away from the fascinating woman who’s screwing with his head just by breathing, Rocket tails Chloe as often as he can. His curiosity over her actions borders on obsession. Before long, and despite the MC president’s orders to keep his distance, Rocket succumbs to the urge to approach her.
Logan, the handsome man Chloe meets in a bar, gives her exactly what she needs. He’s accepting of her unusual requests in a way she hadn’t thought possible. The fantasy unravels, however, when she discovers who he really is, the outlaw biker who saw her at her very lowest moment. Will Chloe be able to accept Logan as the biker, Rocket, and allow him into her life enough to help her heal? The answer won’t matter if his violent past sucks him away before she has a chance to try.
What the hell was the infuriating woman doing?
Two months of this bullshit, and Rocket still didn’t understand what the fuck her deal was. He wasn’t a man that appreciated unanswered questions. He tended to dig and dig until he uncovered what he wanted to know. That tenacity was a part of his personality and it had served him well in the past, but sent puzzles like Chloe to obsession level.
“What’ll it be, man?” the bartender asked. Rocket spared him a quick glance. This lounge had one man and one woman working the highly-trafficked bar. Smart business move. A broad to subtly flaunt her tits and draw in the men, and a dude with the sleeves of his collared shirt rolled high enough to show his tatted and bulging forearms for the ladies. Rocket’s friend’s ol’ lady, Toni, had described the look as badass gentleman or some shit. Guys who dressed all proper and suave, but under the pricy threads were bad to the bone. Apparently, the look worked to get women’s motors revving. At least the women he knew.
According to Toni, when Rocket dressed up—which was usually rarer than a hot pink helmet on one of his bothers, he had much of the same look. Might explain the table of women currently eye-fucking him. With no choice but to blend in with the professional crowd, he’d slipped into some slacks, a tailored shirt, and a tie.
A fucking tie. Noose, more like it.
Enter the table of late-twenties women sending him come-fuck-me vibes. Whatever. While the release would be nice, they weren’t a part of his plans for the evening.
“Jack Daniels.” He held up two fingers, and the bartender nodded before turning to the bottle-loaded shelves.
Rocket’s attention strayed back to the woman who’d set up camp in his mind almost five months ago and had yet to leave.
Chloe Lane.
Five-foot-nine-inches of sex appeal wrapped in a curve-hugging purple dress. And damn, did that woman have curves. Instead of sleeves, the dress had thick straps and a low square neckline showing off her tits in the most appealing way. Every man in the bar got an eyeful of creamy white cleavage, but not too much of it. Classy, while still being erotic as fuck. But it was the color of the dress that had half the men in the room slobbering into their martinis. The deep purple made those green cat-eyes ten times more intoxicating than the overpriced liquor.
Like some kind of witch, she cast a spell over every man within a ten-foot radius, Rocket included. When the hell had he even noticed the color of a woman’s outfit, let alone what it did to her eyes?
The fact that she was currently conversing with a man didn’t seem to matter in the least to the other dogs in the room. Nor did the fact that many of them had dates or at least hook-ups of their own. No, all over the damn lounge, eyes strayed in her direction, fixating on those small but high and perky tits. Or maybe it was the short skirt riding up a pair of toned thighs that did it for them.
The woman was fine as fuck.
And she was out of her goddamned mind.
“Here you go, man,” the bartender said as he placed Rocket’s double of Jack in front of him. “You starting a tab?”
“Nah, just the one, thanks.” He dropped a twenty on the bar top, and waved the bartender away when he lifted a brow in an unspoken, need change?
One drink was all he’d have time for, if that. Chloe wouldn’t stick around long. God knew, after practically stalking her for months, Rocket had her routine down pat. And it was a disturbing fucking ritual.
For the first three months following the assault, Chloe rarely left the house. While concerning, her self-imposed house arrest wasn’t exactly surprising considering what had been done to her. Then, one night, out of the blue, she emerged looking like sex on a stick. She drove to this very bar, had one drink, picked up a polished and manicured gentleman, and drove to a fairly nice motel. The pair had disappeared into a room, and Chloe emerged an hour later almost to the second.
And so began a habit she engaged in every Friday and Saturday night.
Every week.
For the past two months.
The bars changed, the dresses changed, but the pattern never did.
One drink.
One guy.
One room.
One hour.
And Rocket, being the stupid fuck he was, followed her every single time.
He told himself it was to protect her. To make sure Lefty never came sniffing around again. In reality, it was the unsolved mystery of what the hell she was doing that drew him in like a fish on a hook. And the boner he got pretty much any time he laid eyes on her? Yeah, that had nothing to do with his stalker act.
Any one of the men she invited to the hotel room could hurt her in ways he’d describe as unimaginable, but unfortunately Chloe didn’t have to imagine. She knew exactly what the fuck could happen to an unprotected woman.
Which made this entire thing, including Rocket, crazy.
What the hell was she doing in there?
Drugs? Crying on their shoulders? Raging?
Surely, she wasn’t fucking them? Not after what she’d been through.
Drugs seemed the most logical answer. Self-medicating to chase away the demons she hadn’t been allowed to purge through therapy. But why snag a random guy? And she always left the hotel room looking as put together as when she went in. Not a hair out of place. Not a wobble in her step. She even drove home without swerving.
Drugs were seeming less and less likely.
Most nights, Rocket lurked in the shadows to avoid being spotted, but tonight, the overcrowded bar had him sitting much closer. In fact, he was on the barstool next to her, however her attention was fully trained on the man sitting to her opposite side. The suit had come on to her before Rocket made it through the door, and she’d never so much as glanced his way. Some snooze fest in a fucking Armani suit. Actually, most of the men in the bar, including Rocket, were dressed in professional attire. The place was hands down a martini and banker bar.
As were all the establishments Chloe visited. Swanky, post nine-to-five meet-up locations Rocket wouldn’t be caught dead in, if it weren’t for his newfound obsession. A whiskey swilling, music blaring, dive bar was much more his speed. But concessions had to be made if he wanted to continue stalking Miss Chloe. He’d have stuck out like a sore thumb in jeans and a leather cut. Not that he gave a shit. Fitting in with this crowd was dead last on Rocket’s priority list, but remaining incognito was at the top. She’d never seen his face, but a Handlers’ cut carried the risk of freaking her the fuck out.
“Excuse me if I’m overstepping, but that dress makes your eyes look like two sparkling emeralds,” the bro on Chloe’s left crooned.
Rocket couldn’t keep his eyes from rolling skyward. Was that the shit women in these snazzy joints wanted to hear? Sure, the guy’s description might be dead on, but, shit, who spoke like that? In his experience, women preferred a dirty mouth working hard between their legs to a sweet one whispering in their ear. Talk was cheap, but oral? Yeah, that was the shit.
“Thank you,” Chloe responded, her soft voice stroking over Rocket’s dick.
No doubt about it, he was a sick fuck. No matter how many times he jerked off before tailing Chloe, or how many lectures he gave his damn cock, the prick wouldn’t lie limp in her presence. No, it filled to capacity just from the sight of her. Now that he was close enough to smell and hear her? He was in some serious damn discomfort.
A hard cock was probably the last thing Chloe wanted anywhere near her. A mere five months ago she’d been raped. By three vicious men. Rocket gripped the glass in his hand to a near shattering point. His hands ached to squeeze the life out of Lefty. The MC was working hard on finding him, but it’d proven more difficult than they’d anticipated.
“Do you live nearby?” the dude asked in his cultured voice. Cultured, hell, that was just a fancy word for snobby and obnoxious.
Come on, there was no way she’d choose this guy for whatever would go down in that hotel room.
“No,” she said. “Just in town for business. I head back home tomorrow morning.” Her voice dropped, taking on a husky quality that left no question as to her desire.
The woman wanted to be fucked and she wanted to be fucked now.
Didn’t. Make. Sense.
The sultry way Chloe spoke did nothing to stem the flow of blood to his cock. Through the mirror along the wall behind the bar, he had a clear view of her body language. Yep, the woman was open and ready for business, at least that’s what her heavy-eyed, pouty-lipped look portrayed. She leaned in, giving the guy an even better show of her stellar cleavage, and her crossed legs brushed against his thigh. On any other woman, this would scream do me big guy. But surely not on Chloe. He just couldn’t let himself believe it. What the fuck was her game?
“That’s too bad,” douche bag replied. “I was hoping to take you out, show you a good time.”
"verdana" , sans-serif;">Chloe tilted her head, giving the man an assessing gaze. Then, she tossed back the last of her Cosmopolitan. Shit, even the way her throat worked swallowing down the liquid, had Rocket ready to bust a nut.
Lilly Atlas is a contemporary romance author, proud Navy wife, and mother of two spunky girls. By day she works as a physical therapist for a hospital in Virginia. Lilly is an avid romance reader, and expects her Kindle to beg for mercy every time she downloads a new eBook. Thankfully, it hasn’t happened yet, and she can often be found absorbed in a good book.
This latest book from Lilly Atlas was a page turner for me for several reasons:
1. Rocket has always been an interesting character for me - starting from the very first story and continuing with this one. I wanted to see this side of the story through Rockets's eyes.
2. Chloe was so broken from what happened to her but she was coming through it. She was beautiful and brilliant but didn't think she was. I loved her character.
3. I loved the chemistry between these two characters and I really liked how they worked the it's not a black and white world, but lots of grey.
4. What I didn't like was all the violence and abuse in this one that was written in the name of backstory. That kind of bothered me.
I almost DNF'd several times because of the subject matter and it might cause several others to do the same.
You murder a man, and all of a sudden people are scared of you.
Slate Solis went from being a guy that people went to in times of need to an ex-con that people crossed the street to avoid being too close to.
He knows he’s done wrong, but out of all of his sins, only one really bothers him—coveting thy neighbor’s wife.
Harleigh Belle—the cute little lady that never gives him a second glance.
After seeing her for the first time while he was in prison, she’s stayed on his mind for three long years. Each time she comes in to visit with her friend on family day, he can’t help but stare.
Then the day comes that he’s set free, and he’s almost disappointed that he’ll never see her again.
Except fate has different plans.
He hasn’t been back in his house for more than three hours when he sees her.
Harleigh Belle in all her glory…oh, and her husband that is everything Slate isn’t.
He tells himself that her being fifty feet away from him, all day every day, is a complete coincidence.
One that he shouldn’t take advantage of. The more time passes, the harder it gets to stay away. Until one day, and one very ill-timed thunderstorm, ruin everything.
Who knew that baby-making-weather was a real thing?
AMAZON | AMAZON UK | AMAZON AU |
AMAZON CA | B&N | KOBO | APPLE
I love Slate in this book and I loved Harleigh Belle with him. The thing about LLV is that all her books are connected in some way and you really have to go back sometimes to reread the parents book (which is what I did and loved it!!) I also really loved the fact that Harleigh is one tough character - even though they're always talking about how tiny she is and how she has to be taken care of all the time...she just had some internal strength that I think no one but Slate saw and he just never gave up. He was probably one of my favorite characters right up there with Silas and those are some big shoes to fill because I ❤❤ Silas something fierce. I had been waiting for Slate's story probably since the very beginning of the Bear Bottom MC series. If you've read all of the series, then it's a no brainer to pick this one up. If you've not read any - that's totes okay because you're not going to be lost if you pick up here and start. This might bring your love for all things LLV!❤🙌
Lani Lynn Vale is a USA Today Bestselling Author of over thirty titles. She is married with three children, two dogs, two cats, a donkey, and a couple (a couple also meaning over twenty) chickens.
When she’s not writing, you can find her curled up in her favorite chair reading.
Lani is married with three children and lives in the Great State of Texas.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | BookBub
Choose Me by RC BoldtRelease Date: May 21, 2019Ch...
The Billionaire Boss Next Door, an all-new hilari...
Callum's Hell by V.F. Mason is available now!#Dar...
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Debase by Rachel Van DykenRelease Date: April 30,...
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Posts tagged “Elven Ambassador”
More Stuff… 28-Aug-2017
Another blog about more stuff I feel like talking about from games, to sci-fi/fantasy, to art or whatever I feel like ranting about.
Blizzard Strikes Again!
The release of the final patch of the Legion expansion on September 29, 2017, this most likely means no further content until the next expansion. It’s likely they will announce the next expansion in November 2017, then the new expansion won’t hit until late summer next year at earliest, or probably November 2018 which means a year to possibly 15 months with no new content between the release of 7.3 and the prepatch of whatever comes next. Plus you have no catch-up mechanics for your alts. So if you don’t have that third “relic slot” and if you’re item level is low on those alts- “f**k you!” Blizzard isn’t giving you shit for catchup for your alts- you’re just expected to keep feeding them $15 subscription payments for them doing nothing for you every month.
But Blizzard seems to have no problem letting WoW break while pumping all their time and effort into Overwatch and Hearthstone and kissing the asses of Destiny 2 players now. This is why I’m doing more Skyrim and Second Life, and just playing whatever I got on Steam, or just doing whatever other hobbies I got these days for myself. Once my WoW sub money runs out I’m done until 8.0 – and even then depends on what the xpac is going to be.
How about we start in Skyrim again today like last time? This time we have the semi-naked Nyrva fighting an enemy outside of Whiterun. I decided to kill Saadi after turning her over to the Redguards for the bounty. Then I killed the Redguards. Unlike WoW at least I have more control over what goes on in Skyrim with the use of addons and mods so I can make the game a little more my own. Plus you get player housing, no one to kick you out of dungeons or compete against you for loot- everything in the world is yours for the taking! There’s a lot of plus things about a game like this. Only thing is because you become the thane of every city and hold every major position there is in Skyrim, you pretty much become a Mary Sue. lol!
A frontal shot of Nyrva in the same leafy outfit in Skyrim in another one of those slow-mo battle poses. This version outfit does not have anything to cover the crotch. So her “feminine” area is constantly showing, yet no one scolds her for being naked because she has these very skimpy “clothes” on.
Of course you can always just have a straight-up nude Nyrva fighting her foes.
All of my depictions of Nyrva, whether in Skyrim, Second Life, or anywhere else are all based on my original character concept I conceived several years ago, represented in drawings I have done of the character also. Ideally any models of her should have very long brown hair with bangs and blue eyes but this is not always possible to do. I also hope to get away somewhat from the quasi-Anime style I’ve used to draw her with and develop more my own style for the character in time. She is ultimately a character I created for a novel I have been working on that has undergone several rewrites, and until recently has been gathering a bit of “cyberdust” in my computer- but I’m starting to tinker with it again, and I have a lot of work to do to tinker with the back story and finally finish the first book. I had at least 2 books planned based on Nyrva as the main character of the story- other characters were possible if those books were of enough interest, but I figured finish one book first then seen.
I never wanted to do anything to destroy Nyrva as a character of course – just put her in all sorts of interesting situations in the story and see what happens with her. I’m not a writer, my story creation ends up being the result of sort of the elaborate roleplay of ideas, then I try and write them down. But it’s not easy to do. Nyrva is not dead here, or even harmed- simply sleeping in a strange, surreal alternate dimension in which her physical body is trapped. In the past I have given different explanations for this drawing and others like it as I have tinkered with ideas. But I like to roleplay putting her into strange situations and try to figure out the outcome. This drawing depicts trapping her in a strange place outside her world called “Dimension Zero”- how she gets in, and what she must do to get back out. More importantly, what does this strange experience do to her, and is it just a strange dream? Fitting concepts like this into the story of the novel she is in are part of the challenge I have faced given the direction of the general story- and I have even considered redefining her entire world.
I have drawn this also. This is another drawing of Nyrva pregnant, but instead of standing in a side pose, this time she is sleeping nude. And in one little lore bit I have about Nyrva she has a habit of also throwing off her covers. Sometimes it’s not clear the fate I want to decide for a character- do they live, do they die? What kind of things define and shape their lives? In this case, does Nyrva marry, does she have a child? I never have decided if she actually does become pregnant, and even if she does, by whom. Originally I decided to have her killed at the end of a novel by an enemy to create a tragedy and a legacy for a follow-up story. I won’t say that I have 100% ruled out this possibility- I would do it if I felt it really lent itself to the betterment of all characters involved, including Nyrva if she dies for a purpose. Does she become a mother? That isn’t clear either. I did draw this as visualization of the concept- an obvious depiction of offspring in her belly and the possibility of a continued legacy on her part as well. Nothing is ultimately decided about the future of the character. As I stated, the first story isn’t even written, but decisions like this will no doubt come as things begin to take shape.
This is one I drew of Nyrva standing nude on the beach. She covers her chest but unfortunately for Nyrva her vagina has no covering. On a more personal note I used to try and draw “hair” yes but it got tedious, so I just figure my women characters “shave”. This is one drawing I want to redo in the new style I’m trying to develop for drawing Nyrva that is slightly less Anime-ish than the past. But I’m still working on it. It’s not a complete change from how she looks now but I do want to start re-imagining the character to something I like better of course.
This is a drawing I did back in 2009 originally of my character, Nyrva, drinking coffee. It kind of became “poster girl” art of her I used for a long time and it still kind of is. Her outfit was originally white but I later re-colored it “Wood Elf” green. She was originally to appear in a bar-like scene drinking with her friends; something I still plan to do. I’ve already begun to draw a revised version of this with a full-body drawing of the character and had begun to draw some of her friends for the originally-planned scene. I never finished this but I want to reprise the drawing, this time in my newer style of drawing her when I do it, and accompanied by some of her friends- but it will take some time to do.
Here I decided to try and make a Second Life version of my character Nyrva sipping coffee. I mentioned redrawing Nyrva less anime looking, and I’ve also considered a different Second Life model- that is if I can find another mesh model that will look better than the one I currently use and more like I think how she should look.
Nyrva and Haime in Second Life in Nyrva’s kitchen having ale and lager together at Nyrva’s table after dinner. (I made the mugs myself).
The Elven Ambassador for their province and personal friend, Llewellyn, joins Nyrva and Haime for dinner that evening and sips a mug of Elven lager with them. All 3 characters are original characters of mine, these are just Second Life “versions” of them of course. I have never done concept art of Llewellyn but that is in the plans. This Second Life model is generally how I want her to look however.
Another shot of my Second Life conception of my character Llewellyn. I still want to do some concept art of her but so far nothing I’ve done has been satisfactory yet. I will likely now base it off the model since I like how she looks here. I don’t know if she will be the “Elven Ambassador” in the novel I’m writing- I use her in that role in RP in my Second Life RP groups, but her role in the novel is yet to be determined. She is however, one of Nyrva’s friends in the story. There is also Nyrva’s sister in the story, Raiya. Other Elven friends of Nyrva’s include Kyra and Myrna, and some neko-eared females shown elsewhere in this post- Mychelle and Raechelle- since that is also a race on Nyrva’s home planet in the story.
Nyrva and Haime eventually retire back to the main house after dinner and drinks. You have to know eventually the alcohol kicks in after enough drinks, people get horny… sometimes this is how kids even happen… lol!
On Second Life – Nyrva and Haime in her home – Nyrva, taking off her clothes, throws herself on Haime, feeling the “heat of the moment”. Of course he’s not going to say “no” to the girl he loves throwing her nude body on top of him. Second Life, of course, may roleplay possibilities exist, even the erotic ones – especially the erotic ones. A lot of people do them whether they admit it or not, and as much as they cut down on other people for doing it.
Of course things can always get very personal very fast… Haime plants his face in Nyrva’s vagina and does a little cunnilingus on his lover? Hey they’re my characters I’ll do what I want with them. I mostly get the pictures just for pictures for shock value just like this. lol!
More RP: Haime and Nyrva spending some private quality time alone together in Nyrva’s home, in Second Life. Only bad thing about these characters, sometimes the body parts stick through the clothes and things like that, but I still like to mess around and take these shots just for fun.
Another shot of Nyrva and Haime alone together. Oops, she’s not wearing underwear. I never could decide if female elves value underwear or if they don’t care about covering their unmentionables. lol!
I guess this was a fun shot to do. Anyone with a foot fetish out there? Here you go! I guess Haime told Nyrva he likes her feet so she gave him both. lol!
Of course it doesn’t always have to be sexual. Sometimes it can just be two friends. This was a fantasy shot I did of my Nyrva in Second Life with my pandaren rogue Yakusa from World of Warcraft. Maybe Nyrva’s having a bad day? Who knows. I always pictured the pandas as being lovy-dovy characters so here you go. Yakusa may be Horde, but she’s still a panda. lol! 🙂 Unattached from World of Warcraft of course, the pandaren model does not exhibit the same animations they would in World of Warcraft, but it’s interesting what animations you can have them do in Second Life. But because of the bigness and bulkiness of the models, some animations work and some do not.
How about if I have Nyrva and Yakusa just pictured together in a wooded scene here. This kind of stuff is cool to do too.
VOL’JIN LIVES! In Second Life! Blizzard threw him under the bus. Screw Blizzard! Bad Blizzard! Some of us still like the character. Frankly I don’t see a difference between doing this and playing with the models in WoW Model Viewer. I’m not selling the darn thing. I use it only for my own personal use.
Here is Vol’jin with Nyrva in Second Life. She gets to spend a little time with the now former Horde warchief. I just think it’s really shitty how Blizzard barely used him in Warlords of Draenor at all, and then killed him off in Legion when we already had a warchief change- the Alliance I could see, they’ve never had a change since WoW began. It was about time to pass the torch in the case of the Alliance, but 3 warchiefs now in 10 years for the Horde? come on!
Nyrva with my model of Sylvanas Windrunner in Second Life, and I’m glad to have it before they covered up the mid drift. I don’t know what Blizzard’s problem is, if the devs are gay or something or what, since they suddenly decided sexy female characters are no longer cool and covered up Sylvanas’ mid drift. And no, that’s not a bash on the gay lifestyle so nobody send me hate mail or something claiming I’m doing that because I’m not. But let’s face it from a demographic standpoint; the majority of people are heterosexual and the majority of WoW players are heterosexual males- so it is not wrong to have some female characters with sex appeal in the game. It’s not a game for kids to begin with. I’m not saying they can’t put some characters for gays and lesbians or whatever, OK fine, I’m not into that but whatever, that sort of thing is just not for me then. But that’s another discussion, and I don’t know enough about that to entertain a legit discussion since I don’t live that lifestyle. Leave that discussion for people more into that stuff, OK fine, whatever. But I’m straight and that’s what I like. People regardless of their lifestyle should have characters they like in these games. There was no reason to change Sylvanas other than just to be asshats. But then the whole sexual debate thing aside, Blizzard changes a lot of shit just to be asshats because that’s exactly what their cocky arrogant troll devs are. Like they changed the weapons, they changed the game interfaces and a bunch of other things just to be dicks. And by the way– if you feel I wrote something “wrong” here as fair as I’ve tried to be in my comments, etc. remember one thing- this is still America, I have a Constitutional right to free speech and I am exercising that right. No one is forcing you to read my blog, go read something else if you don’t like what I say- and that goes for anything I do. ‘Nuff said.
A model of a Hofbrau beer dispenser I built in Second Life that also dispenses bottles of beer I made for the dispenser that characters “drink” from. I custom-made my own bottles and mugs for this dispenser- and there is at least 1 bottle with appropriate lables for each of the handles shown on this model. I drink Hofbrau and German beers in real life in addition to local Wisconsin regional beers such as Leinenkugels, Sprecher and Point. But I wanted my own beer dispenser in Second Life so I modeled this largely after a dispenser I saw on the internet, though I didn’t copy it exact- it’s loosely based on the model I saw online.
This was the online model I saw that I used as a basis to create my model in Second Life. Again, I didn’t copy it exact, but I made my dispenser like this one, or loosely based on it. I did my handles different because of the odd oval-shape of the handles here- a little hard to duplicate in Second Life prims. There’s some things in Second Life I haven’t quite figured out how to do yet in terms of shape-manipulation. So I’ve got a lot to learn- but that means I just made my own handles my own way. I’d still love to have one of these beer taps for home though, but too much money. And wouldn’t you know- Point Root Beer from Steven’s Point, Wisconsin is on tap on this dispenser! Awesome, I want some! Point and Sprecher are definitely two local beer companies I also buy root beer from. (Well, Steven’s Point is a bit of a drive from Milwaukee but it’s a Wisconsin company- good enough for me!)
I always love these bar wench pictures like this. I had to do some of my own in Second Life of course. And I still want to do some drawings of my female elf characters as bar wenches. I can do the Second Life thing but there’s still some satisfaction I get from doing actual art. And, not to mention this woman is… very pretty! I’ve always been more partial to brunettes, don’t ask why. 🙂
I showed this in the last blog but here’s my Second Life conception of Nyrva as a bar wench.
And again Nyrva as a bar wench, but this time, holding a bottle of Hofbau that I made in Second Life, that comes out of the Hofbrau dispenser I made. The bottles are scripted with animations I found to make the character “drink” from it.
How can Nyrva send herself a letter thanking herself for killing someone in Skyrim?! WTF?! This actually came from my twin follower of my own character, and yes it’s a real quest to turn in for a measly 100 septims just for killing the person named in this letter.
Yes, I actually have Batman as a follower in Skyrim. Superman too, but he’s sitting at a table sipping ale in Riverwood while I have Batman helping me in this shot.
Working at the drafting table without clothes is far less sweaty and easier on the laundry bill.
Yes, this is a unicorn in Windhelm. I usually stick a unicorn in cities, then console-set it to follower and relationshiprank settings for the Dragonborn like a regular horse, then appropriate setav confidence and aggression settings to that it will attack anyone who attacks my Dragonborn (like guards if I steal stuff! lol!) Sometimes I stick a horse in a city and do the same thing, but I never ride them in the cities so it doesn’t mess up the horse I am riding in the world outside on the world map.
My Second Life version of my Felinian character, Mychelle, nude in Second Life. I’m not big on furry/anthro stuff. But I got chased out of a Star Trek RP by some asshole named Spires in a red shirt over using this character and the group leader let him do it. (Never mind that Star Trek has the cat-like race called “Caitians”)
And Mychelle as I draw her. My Second Life version is a bit different since I use the paw attachments on the hands and feet. But my drawing does not have such features, she’s just a girl with cat-like ears and a tail.
My Second Life version of my Felinian character, Mychelle, nude in Second Life. She is classified as a half human/half Caitian for Star Trek RP purposes, but a Felinian (human-like race with cat-like features) outside of Trek RP. Raechelle shown in the picture is a multi-purpose RP character: I use her as a green Orion girl, an elf girl, and a human. Mychelle and Raechelle are otherwise my own original characters, not affiliated with CBS or Star Trek. I merely use them in RP situations in Second Life, one of which happens to be Star Trek-related.
This is my normal, original depiction of my character “Raechelle”, like Mychelle, a cat-eared “Felinian” character. In this case, in a role like a “dungeon master” or “quest giver” with an obvious wardrobe malfunction. But Raechelle is also my own character idea. I just do not use her as a neko-ear in Second Life.
World of Warcraft: Legion – my Enhancement Shaman, Treedragon in her class order hall. I scored a kick ass weapon appearance upgrade for my shaman’s Doomhammer that allows it to take on the appearance of a Zandalari warhammer. It was a world drop off the Tides of the Deep world boss in Aszara.
One of the major problems I have right now with Legion, is aside from my monk and rogue who are 907 (windwalker monk) and 896 (outlaw rogue), all my other toons are below 850 and missing the third relic slot. This means at this stage in Legion with 7.3 coming out they are so far behind they aren’t worth playing. I’m pretty much parking all my alts since there just is no catch-up mechanic this xpac. If there is anything in 7.3 I doubt it, but I don’t read patch notes, especially after WoD since all that ever was, was just “more garrison shit”. I’ve learned to expect nothing of substance from Blizzard anymore.
A quest I did on my shaman for her order hall in World of Warcraft where you have to recover Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker off this dead guy. Did someone say…?
Yes. Apparently someone did say… and they died for it too. (I still don’t have that damn thing on either my monk or my rogue, yet I had to recover it off a dead guy on my shaman? What’s wrong with this picture?!)
My favorite Skyrim bard (AFTER the Stormcloaks take over and she sings the RIGHT songs that is). I never tweaked her code in the console to make her a follower though. But maybe I should. Only thing is, what will she do, hit her opponents with her lute? lol!
A model of a Klingon D7 Battle Cruiser I have in Second Life- I shot it against a “bluescreen” then dropped in a space background in Adobe Photoshop again. I wanted to use something more worthy of the Klingons for this shot.
The Original USS Enteprise – NCC-1701. No bloody A, B, C, D, E, NX, JJ, or reboots. No redesigned Klingons, no band marching uniforms, etc. etc. I shot this entirely in Second Life with a model of the Enterprise against a star field. I like Next Generation Star Trek, DS9 and Voyager, but outside of those, this is the only other Star Trek I give a shit about- the ORIGINAL. Everything else is an offshoot. You nuTrek newfags wanna-be fans out there wouldn’t have your stupid JJTrek/Discovery reboot SHIT without this. (I’m tired of being nice about this, I’ve learned it doesn’t pay because I get tired of having to defend why I like the originals to those so-called “fans”.)
A miniaturized model of my ship, the USS Milwaukee, NCC-005 against the same star field. I also have the version you can walk around inside of as well. This is basically an archer-class USS Sagittarius model that I retextured with the name and registry of my own choosing. Since this is a small ship, I thought it was cool to base it off the real USS Milwaukee US Navy warship, also a small vessel- with a registry of LCS-5. That and I’m from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and I wanted a ship named after my hometown. I’m a homeboy. 😛
This was a fun fantasy picture to create- the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the year 2267, and the USS Milwaukee leaves a dedication ceremony at Bob Uecker Memorial Park for its maiden voyage into the stars. Bob Uecker of course is one of my favorite local personalities- known in baseball, his role on TV as Mr. Belvedere, and his role as a commentator in the movie “Major League” (which he does for the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team IRL- and much of what he did in “Major League” was ad-lib as I understand it – and “Major League” was also shot mostly in Milwaukee). I just felt an homage and tipping of the hat to Mr. Uecker was in order and they really should have a park, or street or something named after him here in Milwaukee. January 26 is Bob Uecker’s birthday- 3 days after my own. 🙂
If Next Generation Star Trek can name their bar, I can name mine too. So mine, being on a small ship is actually a “ward room” like they have on actual naval warships, and I called mine “The First Ward”. 🙂 Another picture I shot of my ship against a bluescreen then dropped in a star field for this picture. I then did some basic text effects for the sign.
I went for a bit of a “sports bar” feel for my “ward room”- the rest of the ship is “fleet business” but the whole point of the Ward Room/mess hall to me is to relax a bit. And who says they don’t have sports on Earth in the 23rd century? I don’t know much about FC Bayern- I play with some people from Germany and 1 or 2 of them like the team so I put up this picture. But I’m a Green Bay fan so that’s on the wall too. 😛
Nyrva in a Starfleet Uniform in Second Life for roleplay. There is an actual roleplay reason I use a fantasy Elf in Star Trek. But after all the purpose is “to seek out new life and new civilizations”- at the end of the day, this elf is just another alien female on another strange planet they found along the way. Prime Directive? oops, shit happens! I made up my own badges for the USS Milwaukee shown on her outfit since every TOS ship had their own unique ship badge. Oh, I didn’t make the Hofbrau mug by the way, as much as I wish I could claim credit for such a cool thing. lol!
Another beer sign in the USS Milwaukee ward room. A vessel like the USS Milwaukee, named after the warship and city of Milwaukee, would not be complete without a reference of some kind to “the beer that made Milwaukee famous”.
A mock book cover I made for a prop book in Second Life – the Starfleet Survival Guide for Redshirts. I guess this is why Next Generation Star Trek and everything that followed changed the uniforms, so we can’t make these jokes anymore. lol!
Another Trek fantasy where I took 2 ship models I had and shot against a bluescreen in Second Life and dropped in a star field in Photoshop. They were of the USS Milwaukee and the USS Enterprise. I wanted the two ships together in a scene. “USS Enterprise to USS Milwaukee- we want to discuss some cases of Romulan Ale we detected in your cargo hold…” lol! 🙂
Here is the original bluescreen image of both ships before the star field was dropped in with Photoshop. The same technique is used by Hollywood film studios of course to make epic special effects but on a more professional level.
Here’s another shot of the USS Milwaukee flying alongside the USS Enterprise in another space fantasy. I felt like it was so cool to make a sort of modernized fantasy of oldschool Star Trek ships, sort of up-to-date graphics, yet still looks sort of like the old TV show- so I love doing this kind of stuff. If I can do this, I don’t understand why CBS couldn’t have made Discovery more like this instead of just doing their JJTrekkish-style reboot. It’s going to be Trek fans from now on doing fan films or people like me making these kind of pictures in order to see classic-style Trek stuff anymore, they will never again come from CBS or Paramount because they don’t want to appeal to classic Trek fans at all anymore.
This cartoon pretty much sums up what I think CBS and Paramount have done to true classic and canon Trek fans- kind of said “piss on you” with all the damn reboots, etc. They’re just going to keep making the JJTrek nuTrek new timeline movies and now Discovery is a reboot along that same order too. They’ve pretty much pissed on, and given the bird to people who liked Star Trek the way it was. And their directors and actors are like a damn kid with their attitude towards Trek fans too. Even the guy playing the captain in Discovery doesn’t care if classic/canon Trek fans are pissed off. Jason Isaacs, aka “@Jasonsfolly” on Twitter, was even caught shit-talking classic Trekkies, and spat on the legacy of William Shatner and Patrick Stewart then tried to skirt around it after he got called out on it by William Shatner. As a representative and employee of CBS then, he’s representing the company’s views to the public with the shit attitude he has towards people who don’t like what he says. And he also called classic Trek fans who will tell him to go fuck himself “idiots” and dared them to watch the show. I also edited this last minute to add @jasonsfolly and change it to say “William Shatner” and “Patrick Stewart” fans because that’s more to the point- those who liked the original Trek timeline and TV shows are the ones being pissed on.
Any so-called “loyal” Trek fan who watches Discovery after a snippet like this, truly is a moron because this guy insults you and you cave in to this bastard’s self-fulfilling prophecy. He’s expecting you to hate the show but still watch anyways, and he’s counting on it, and “piss on” the legacy of Shatner and Stewart.
I’m actually planning to check out The Orville when it comes on. If I didn’t know any better I’d swear this was a new Star Trek show, maybe a sequel to the Next Generation or a clear cut parody of it. But it looks more like Star Trek now than the shit CBS is actually selling as Star Trek.
I don’t have much else for this blog. I let these things go for too long, but I hope to write shorter blogs of just whatever the hell I feel like talking about a little more often. Just me talking about my nerdy hobbies. I’ll close for now with a picture of my monk with Pepe on her head. This is my main now for a second xpac in a row.
Until next time! God bless!
Jade Draggon
aka Bigg Jim/Nyrvachan
The views expressed in this blog post and all others on this websites are the opinions of the writer of this blog and not necessarily anyone elses.
August 28, 2017 | Categories: fantasy, Felinian, Female Wood Elf, MMORPG, Monk, Mychelle Blackwood, Neko-eared, Nyrva, Nyrva Dragonwood, Pandaren, Raiya, roleplay, roleplaying, Second Life, she-elf, Skyrim, Star Trek, Sylvanas Windrunner, The Elder Scrolls, Uncategorized, User Created Content, Wood Elf, World of Warcraft, WoW, WoW Devs | Tags: @jasonsfolly, #blizzard, Abrams reboots, Abrams timeline, Abrams Trek, addons, ale, alt characters, alts, beer dispenser, Blue Eyes, blue screen, Bob Uecker, Bob Uecker adlib, breasts, Brown Hair, Brunette, Canon Trek Timeline, cat, cat ears, Cat girl, cat tail, cat-like, CBS, CG, CGI, Classic Star Trek, classic Trek fans, content drought, creativity, cunnilingus, Did someone say...?, Dovahkiin, Dragonborn, elf, Elf Ears, Elven Ambassador, fan fiction, fan films, Felinian, Female Elf, female elf nude, girl elf, Haime, Hofbrau, Hofbrau dispenser, Hofbrauhaus, Image manipulation, Jason Isaacs, Jason Isaacs pisses on classic Trek fans, Jason Isaacs pisses on the legacy of William Shatner and Patrick Stewart, Jason Isaacs speaks for CBS, JJ Abrams, JJ Abrams sucks, JJTrek, Kyra, lager, Legion, Leinenkugels, Llewellyn, Long Hair, Major League, male elf, Mary Sue, mead, mods, Mychelle, Myrna, naked, naked female elf, naked wood elf, neko, neko-eared, newfag Trek fans, newfag Trekkies, no alt catch-up mechanic in Legion, no third relic slot, nude, nude female elf, nude wood elf, nuTrek, Nyrva, Nyrva Dragonwood, Nyrva's boyfriend, Nyrvachan, original characters, original fiction, Original Trek Timeline, Paramount, Patch 7.3, Pepe, Pepe on my head, Photoshop editing, Photoshop edits, Player Housing, Point Beer, Point Root Beer, pregnant wood elf, pregnant wood elf nude, Prime Timeline, pussy, Raechelle, Raiya, Schlitz, Schlitz beer, sex, she-elf, sipping ale, sipping lager, sipping mead, Skyrim, Sprecher beer, Sprecher Root Beer, star fields, Star Trek, Star Trek Deep Space Nine, Star Trek Discovery, Star Trek Discovery sucks, Star Trek fantasy, Star Trek the Next Generation, Star Trek the Original TV Series, Star Trek Voyager, supporting characters, Thunderfury Blessed Blade of the Windseeker, Trek reboots, Trek ship models, vagina, William Shatner calls out Jason Isaacs on Twitter, Wood Elf, wood elf naked, wood elf nude, World of Warcraft, WoW | Leave A Comment »
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Wives of soldiers killed in the North East get reliefPhilip Nwosu, Lagos Over 50 widows of soldiers killed in battle in North East Nigeria have been provided with items to help [...]
NAF strike destroys more bandits bases, kills scoresMolly Kilete The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has said that its Air Task Force (ATF), engaged in the fight against banditry [...]
Julian Assange, Wikieleaks founder, ejected from Ecuadorian Embassy and arrested by British PoliceWikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been evicted from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London where he had been holed up since [...]
Coup: Al-Bashir ousted as President of SudanSudanese President Omar al-Bashir has been ousted in a military coup and consultations are under way to form a transitional [...]
Italian man murders Nigerian prostitute for failing to satisfy him An Italian man,Leopoldo Scalici, 41,has been arrested for allegedly murdering a Nigerian prostitute, identified as Benedicta and dumping her body [...]
FG declares Friday, Monday public holidaysRomanus Ugwu, Abuja The Federal government has declared Friday and Monday, April 19 and 22, 2019, public holidays to enable Christians [...]
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Breaking: I’m far more qualified than Atiku,’ Buhari tells tribunalGodwin Tsa, Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari has challenged the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar to produce [...]
Former Peruvian president kills self after police arrived at his home to arrest him over bribery allegations (BBC)Former Peruvian President Alan García has died after shooting himself as police arrived at his home to arrest him over [...]
Judge freed, arrested, faces fresh charges Romanus Okoye The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), yesterday, re-arrested Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia, few minutes after a Lagos High Court sitting [...]
APC adopts Gbajabiamila as Speaker(NAN) The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has adopted Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila as its candidate for the position of the [...]
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Supreme Court dismisses suit seeking Gov. Fayemi’s disqualification Godwin Tsa, Abuja The Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal filed by former Ekiti State Governor Segun Oni challenging the eligibility of [...]
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Court remands 2 traffic wardens for killing NSCDC, officer in AbujaMolly Kilete, Abuja The Police Force headquarters in Abuja, has said that the two traffic wardens who participated in the killing [...]
12m Nigerians to benefit from ‘Next Level’ social investment – FG(NAN) Over 12 million Nigerians are to benefit from the ‘Next Level’ of the Federal Government’s National Social Investment Programme [...]
Police arrests spiritual father of kidnappers terrorizing Abuja/Kaduna highwayMolly Kilete, Abuja The police headquarters in Abuja has announced the arrest of one Mallam Salisu Abubakar, 48, said to be the [...]
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9th Senate: Crack in APC widensFred Itua, Abuja and John Adams, Minna Cracks in the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the zoning of the various positions in the incoming [...]
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N19.4bn arms funds: Court fixes June 11 for trial of Dasuki, others Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf of an FCT High Court, on Monday, fixed June 11 for trial to begin for former National [...]
CBN targets 20% increase in micro-credits by 2020Omodele Adigun, Uche Usim and Chinwendu Obienyi In a bid to increase access to financial services for the nation’s economically active poor, enhance job creation [...]
CAN to FG: Release El-Zakzaky, Dasuki nowOluseye Ojo, Ibadan President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Reverend Samson Ayokunle, has urged the Federal Government to release the leader of Islamic Movement in [...]
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Anger over 2023 presidencyMagnus Eze, Enugu, Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja National president of the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Alhaji Bello Bodejo, has come under attacks over comment that the [...]
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From captivity to leaders: ex-bonded workers herald change in India
by Anuradha Nagaraj | @anuranagaraj | Thomson Reuters Foundation
Wednesday, 30 January 2019 13:18 GMT
A fisherman pulls his net on the shore filled with foam at the Marina beach in Chennai, India, November 23, 2018. REUTERS/P. Ravikumar
About our Trafficking coverage
We shine a light on human trafficking, forced labour and modern-day slavery
Game-changer for millions in India as three former bonded labourers elected to village councils
By Anuradha Nagaraj
CHENNAI, India, Jan 30 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The election of three former bonded labourers to village councils on Wednesday is a game-changer for millions in India who are trafficked to work and pay off debts, experts said.
One of the trailblazing winners was Kudumula Devamma, 40, who spent two decades fishing to repay loans taken by her father-in-law and husband in southern Telangana state.
More than 100 labourers, some of whom had been in bondage for three generations, were forced to sell their catch to the abusive family that owned the boats, who used intimidation to prevent them leaving the village, before being rescued in 2016.
"It is something I never ever dreamt of," Devamma - one the first female former bonded labourers to be elected to a panchayat or village council - told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a phone interview.
"My first priority is to improve the condition of my community and help them stay free."
Millions of bonded labourers work in India in fields, brick kilns, rice mills, brothels and as domestic workers to pay off loans. Most are illiterate, keep no records, are paid a pittance and do not know how long it will take to pay off their debt.
Two others survivors of debt bondage, the most prevalent form of slavery in India despite being banned in 1976, were also elected to councils in the area.
India announced an ambitious goal in 2016 to rescue more than 18 million bonded labourers by 2030.
But freedom is rarely enough to enable former slaves to move on. Most rescued workers battle "captivity mentality" as they are too scared to admit to suffering, such as sexual abuse, for fear of retribution from their former owners, counsellors say.
"What these men and women have achieved is quite remarkable and will change the rules of the game here," said C. H. Vasudeva Rao, project coordinator with the charity Foundation for Sustainable Development, which rescues bonded labourers.
"Their journey from captivity to being leaders is inspirational ... Today's victory is a great opportunity to speed up the rehabilitation for others in the area."
Campaigners hope Wednesday's poll victory will raise awareness about modern day slavery and ensure other rescued workers access government schemes offering compensation, housing and employment via village councils.
When Renu Devi - rescued from agricultural bondage in 2014 - narrowly beat her "owner's" candidate in panchayat elections in eastern Bihar state in 2017, her first move was to build a road connecting her village to the rest of the region.
"It takes months of 'freedom training' before a rescued workers finds the confidence to even speak up," said Zahid Hussain, programme coordinator with Justice Ventures International, a local anti-trafficking charity.
"When I first met Renu Devi, she was scared and didn't speak at all. Today she is too bold."
(Reporting by Anuradha Nagaraj @AnuraNagaraj; Editing by Katy Migiro. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)
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Venezuela's Maduro starts shutting borders to block humanitarian aid
Thursday, 21 February 2019 23:36 GMT
A Colombian police checks a car on the entrance of Tienditas cross-border bridge between Colombia and Venezuela, in Cucuta, Colombia February 21, 2019. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido
About our Humanitarian coverage
From major disaster, conflicts and under-reported stories, we shine a light on the world’s humanitarian hotspots
Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro denies there is a humanitarian crisis in the country
By Angus Berwick and Sarah Marsh
CARACAS, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro threatened to close the border with Colombia on Thursday as opposition leader Juan Guaido and some 80 lawmakers ran a gauntlet of roadblocks trying to get to the frontier to receive humanitarian aid.
Guaido, who is recognized by dozens of countries as Venezuela's legitimate head of state, was poised for a showdown with Maduro's government on Saturday, when the opposition will attempt to bring in food and medicine being stockpiled in neighboring countries.
Maduro denies there is a humanitarian crisis and said on Thursday he was considering closing Venezuela's key border with Colombia and would close the country's other main border with Brazil, effectively shutting off any legal land access.
The government has said soldiers will be stationed at official crossing points to repel any "territorial violations", although the opposition could attempt to cross anywhere along Venezuela's porous borders.
"I charge (Colombian President) Ivan Duque with any violence that might occur on the border," Maduro said in televised comments, surrounded by the military high command.
Venezuela has already closed its maritime border with the Dutch Caribbean islands of Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire, after Curacao's government said it would help store aid.
Opposition lawmakers set off from Caracas in a convoy of buses just after 10 a.m. on a 800-km (500-mile) road trip to the border with Colombia. Crowds formed alongside a main highway out of the capital, waving Venezuelan flags and whooping in support.
A roadblock at a tunnel some 100 km (60 miles) along the main road forced several buses to stop, Reuters witnesses and lawmakers said. Lawmakers trying to get through scuffled with soldiers in riot gear at the tunnel's exit, TV footage showed.
"We have a commitment and that is to reach the border. We will try to get as far as we can," lawmaker Mariela Magallanes told Reuters by telephone from the scene. "Humanitarian aid is not the whim of a few lawmakers, it is a necessity."
Magallanes said her vehicle managed to pass through the tunnel after being stuck for several hours but other buses remained behind.
Lawmakers said Guaido's vehicle continued but his exact location was being kept a secret due to security concerns.
One opposition lawmaker in southeastern Bolivar state said he and some 20 other politicians would also travel to the border with Brazil.
The Information Ministry did not respond to a request to comment.
Guaido still has not provided details on how the aid could come in. Opposition figures have suggested forming human chains across the land borders to pass packages from person to person and fleets of boats arriving from the Dutch Caribbean islands.
WILL MILITARY TURN?
The opposition says it is rallying relief efforts in Venezuela to alleviate widespread food and medicine shortages in the wake of its hyperinflationary economic collapse. The oil-rich economy has halved in size in five years.
Tons of aid sent by the U.S. and Colombian governments is sitting in warehouses on the Colombian side of the border. Guaido tweeted late on Thursday that Chile was also airlifting supplies there, while Brazil's government said it was sending aid to its own border.
Meanwhile a boat carrying 250 tons of aid left Puerto Rico's capital of San Juan headed for Venezuela on Wednesday, the local government said in a statement.
Maduro accuses the Trump administration, which has levied crippling sanctions against his government, of seeking to force his ouster.
The U.S. special envoy for Venezuela, Elliott Abrams, will lead a government delegation accompanying the delivery of aid from Florida to Cucuta via military aircraft between Thursday and Friday, the Department of State said.
Meanwhile, the office of U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said he would fly to the Colombian capital, Bogota, on Monday to discuss the crisis with leaders of the regional Lima Group of nations.
Guaido invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency on Jan. 23 and denounces Maduro as an usurper. Maduro still retains the support of powerful nations like Russia and China, as well as the key backing of the military.
Some political analysts say Saturday's border showdown is less about resolving Venezuela's needs and more about testing the military's loyalty by daring it to turn aid away.
"It's part of this calculus that sees the military as leading a transition in Venezuela," said Geoff Ramsey at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), a thinktank.
Guaido has offered amnesty to military officers who disavow Maduro, though few have so far done so.
Former military intelligence chief Hugo Carvajal, who Washington accused of involvement in the drug trade a decade ago, released a social media video on Thursday offering his support for Guaido. Carvajal distanced himself from Maduro in 2017 by opposing the creation of an all-powerful legislature.
"I'm sure that Venezuela will soon return to democracy ... How this happens depends on you, brothers in arms," he said, addressing the military.
Gustavo Marcano, senior aide to the opposition's envoy to Washington, told reporters in the U.S. capital on Thursday that 11 diplomats in the United States have defected from Maduro's government since Guaido declared himself interim president.
Bank accounts for Venezuelan embassies and consulates in the United States had been frozen, he said. (Reporting by Angus Berwick, Vivian Sequera, Fabian Cambero, Brian Ellsworth and Sarah Marsh Additional reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb in Bogota, Maria Ramirez in Puerto Ordaz, Tibisay Romero in Valencia, and Matt Spetalnick, Luc Cohen and Mohammad Zargham in Washington Editing by Bill Trott, Sonya Hepinstall and Lisa Shumaker)
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Lie detectors put on trial at the launch of the British Science Festival
Press release • Sep 06, 2013 00:00 BST
You will have seen them on the big screen countless times, usually in tense spy movies or US police dramas, but what are the realities of polygraph tests and why do our courts consider their evidence as inadmissible?
Polygraph on Trial is one of the first events of the British Science Festival which opens in Newcastle this weekend and explores the reliability of this famous test, which assesses a subject’s truthfulness based on their physiological responses to a series of questions.
Despite accuracy levels of more than 80% on average, polygraph evidence is not currently admissible in legal proceedings in England and Wales. This fascinating event will discuss the reasons why, while arguing the case for their reliability, and will even give visitors the chance to witness a live polygraph test in action.
Dr Michael Stockdale, of Northumbria University’s Centre for Evidence and Criminal Justice Studies, is one of the academics behind this event, alongside Professor Don Grubin of Newcastle University and experienced private polygraph examiner David Bird, a retired UK police officer with experience of using polygraph in criminal cases in Canada and Belgium.
Dr Stockdale said: “Critics of polygraphy assert that it lacks a clear theoretical basis and challenge its reliability, but the US American National Academy of Sciences found that reliability falls within the range of 81% up to 91%, depending on factors such as the type of test and the skill of the specific examiner.
“Polygraph evidence is regarded as not being admissible in legal proceedings in England and Wales. In other words, if the accused has taken a polygraph, the jury or magistrates should not be made aware of the opinion of the examiner. There are a variety of technical legal rules which are relied upon to justify the inadmissibility of polygraph evidence, which we will discuss at Saturday’s event.
“However, while polygraph evidence is not admissible, this does not mean that, in appropriate circumstances, it would not be possible to admit evidence of statements made by a suspect in the course of a polygraph test, for example, if they amounted to a confession. There are practical reasons this may not happen in reality and again we will explore this on Saturday.”
Dr Stockdale has lectured at Northumbria Law School since 1983. He has taught evidence since 1986 on a variety of the School’s programmes. He is frequently consulted on evidential issues both by practising barristers and solicitors as well as by supervisors and firms within the University’s Student Law Office.
Polygraph on Trial has been organised by Northumbria University and the School of Law’s Centre for Evidence and Criminal Justice Studies. The event takes place during the British Science Festival in the Fine Art Lecture Theatre, Fine Art Building, Newcastle University, from 4pm-5.30pm on Saturday 7 September. The event is free, but booking is required.
The British Science Festival is an annual celebration of science, engineering and technology which visits a different UK city each year. The Festival is organised by the British Science Association and this year is being hosted by Newcastle University with Northumbria University and Newcastle City Council as associate partners and AkzoNobel, Northumbrian Water, GE Oil & Gas and Saudi Aramco as sponsors. The Festival will take place in different venues in and around the city from Saturday 7 September through to Thursday 12 September.
For more information visit www.britishsciencefestival.org
Northumbria is a research-rich, business-focussed, professional university with a global reputation for academic excellence. To find out more about our courses go towww.northumbria.ac.uk
scienceresearch and innovationbusiness and engagement
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Dinosaur cloning, 3D action dolls created by lasers and robots and bacterial “kiss” portraits are just some of the activities on offer when the world-famous Maker Faire returns to Newcastle.
Science... but not as you know it!
As part of its role as associate partner in the world-famous British Science Festival event, Northumbria University is gearing up to a six-day showcase to help answer the question, what is science?
Book your place at the British Science Festival!
Bookings for events during the British Science Festival – of which Northumbria University is an associate partner – have now opened.
Family fun day brings science to life
A science-based fun day which includes the opportunity to play against the Newcastle Eagles basketball team, get advice on running technique ahead of the Great North Run and learn how to save lives is being held at Northumbria University next month.
Partnership to bring science to life
Two organisations committed to shaping the future of science in the North East have joined forces in a new alliance that will draw the public into the world of science.
Will cyber hackers create an electronic Pearl Harbour?
Could utility, transport and communication systems be hacked in a cyber-attack leading to widespread destruction? This is the question which will be asked during a debate being held at the British Science Festival next week.
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Teenagers who smoke and drink suffer ill effects by age of 17
Teenagers who smoke and drink suffer ill effects by age of 17 Teenagers who smoke and drink alcohol are causing visible damage to their arteries by the age of 17, a study has revealed. Tests showed stiffening of the arteries had begun by this relatively young age.
These physical changes have been linked with an increased risk of heart and blood vessel problems, such as stroke and heart attack, in later life.
But the study also found that the arteries of teenagers who stopped smoking or drinking returned to normal. BBC News - Health
Teenagers who binge drink and smoke are increasing their risk of heart attacks and strokes as their arteries are already stiffening by 17 - but quitting can reverse the damage Mail Online
Quarter of 14-year-old girls in UK 'self-harmed in last year'
Quarter of 14-year-old girls in UK 'self-harmed in last year' Nearly a quarter of 14-year-old girls in the UK said they had self-harmed, a report suggests.
A survey of 11,000 children found 22% of the girls and 9% of the boys said they had hurt themselves on purpose in the year prior to the questionnaire.
Rates of self-harm were worst (46%) among those who were attracted to people of the same or both genders.
The Children's Society report said gender stereotypes and worries about looks were contributing to unhappiness. BBC News - Health
The Good Childhood Report 2017 The Children's Society
Quarter of 14-year-old girls self-harm, study finds, amid warning of 'crisis in children's mental health' The Telegraph
Northampton brain injury charity fear end is in sight without formal funding in face of cuts
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Headway Northampton run a large day centre in Kings Heath where they help people who have sustained brain damage learn to live with their injuries.
But after losing out on grants and bearing the brunt of the county council's financial crisis, they now fear they will fold in as little as two years - and think other healthcare charities will follow. Northampton Chronicle and Echo
The end is nigh for paper prescriptions
The end is nigh for paper prescriptions Paper prescriptions will as good as disappear under a shakeup to allow more electronic authorising of medicines, the health and social care secretary has announced.
Regulations that prevent GPs sending prescriptions to pharmacies digitally in some circumstances will be dropped with the aim of saving the NHS £300m by 2021. The changes will also benefit patients, the Department for Health and Social Care says: it will mean they have to spend less time waiting in pharmacies and GP practices, repeat prescriptions will be able to be collected from the pharmacy instead of having to visit the GP first, and they will not have to worry about losing paper prescriptions. OnMedica
No-deal Brexit: Plan to maintain medicine supplies 'could cost £2bn'
No-deal Brexit: Plan to maintain medicine supplies 'could cost £2bn' Campaign group Best for Britain warns of cost to health secretary’s stockpiling strategy
The health secretary’s plan to set aside six weeks’ worth of vital medicines to avoid supply disruptions in the event of a no-deal Brexit could cost up to £2bn, campaign group Best for Britain warns today.
Matt Hancock wrote to healthcare providers last week, saying the government would set in motion plans to “ensure the UK has an additional six weeks’ supply of medicines in case imports from the EU through certain routes are affected”. The Guardian
Judge overturns south London hospital's ban on heart surgeon
Judge overturns south London hospital's ban on heart surgeon Marjan Jahangiri was excluded from St George’s pending disciplinary investigation
A heart surgeon excluded from working at a hospital pending disciplinary proceedings has said she is delighted to win the latest stage of a high court fight.
Prof Marjan Jahangiri had been excluded by bosses at St George’s in Tooting, south London, pending a disciplinary investigation into allegations made against her. The Guardian
Teenagers who smoke and drink suffer ill effects b...
Quarter of 14-year-old girls in UK 'self-harmed in...
Northampton brain injury charity fear end is in si...
No-deal Brexit: Plan to maintain medicine supplies...
Judge overturns south London hospital's ban on hea...
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Thomas Otten
Personal Statement Services Masterclass Videos Testimonials
International Young Artists Project, Italy
Qing Li was one of the first piano students I taught while an assistant lecturer during graduate school. He was a graduate physics student, and had zero physical and musical aptitude for piano playing. I was thankful to get him through one semester of lessons, where he tried very hard to do what I asked, but still ended up sounding like he was chopping wood rather than making music.
He then signed up for a second semester. I was dismayed at the prospect of having to put my ears through more wood chopping.
Yet something remarkable happened at the beginning of that second semester. At the second lesson, Qing Li had a breakthrough! He began playing expressively, in a manner where his physical movements supported and facilitated the musical intent of the piece – and continued to do so during the rest of his studies.
This happened over 25 years ago and was my first real insight into the great rewards of teaching, regardless of the level of the student. Qing Li was an intermediate pianist, but that didn’t lessen his accomplishment, or the sense of pride I had in it.
I’ve since taught many advanced and highly talented students, some of whom were very successful in competitions and had “the right stuff” to be a professional musician. But I’ve never forgotten Qing Li, and the impact his success had on me.
It is wonderful to be feted as a performer following a concert. Nonetheless, the gratification one gets from helping people become better musicians – where they can express themselves at the instrument in a more technically capable and musically artistic manner – is definitely more meaningful and long-lasting.
I certainly didn’t think I’d ever be a piano teacher. When asked during my undergrad years by a classmate, “So, what are you going to do after finishing school – teach?”, I replied with great assurance, “Me? No, I’ll NEVER teach!”
It is wonderful to be feted as a performer following a concert. Nonetheless, the gratification one gets from helping people become better musicians is more meaningful and long-lasting.
It all started with a toy xylophone when I was about nine or ten. I would bash around on that thing relentlessly, undeterred by the fact that I only had two mallets and a range of about one octave. I seemed to have a fascination for resonance created by striking objects: bells and chiming clocks were among my favorites, and hearing those sounds would pretty much send me into orbit. I was, in a nutshell, a sweet but somewhat weird kid.
Eventually I began to feel frustrated by the limitations of my percussive buddy. It was at this point that I asked my parents for piano lessons – a request they turned down, due to lack of money and piano at home.
We were living in Germany at the time; when my German grandmother – whom we called “Omi” – got wind of the situation, she marched down to a piano store in downtown Munich and secured a rental piano and piano teacher in one fell swoop. Had Omi been born 50 years later, I have no doubt that she would’ve been leading corporate takeovers. I was glad she was on my side.
I credit Ylda Novik with giving me the keys to the kingdom of being a professional musician. The one who unlocked the kingdom’s door, however, was my next teacher: Nelita True.
With UNC colleague Clara Yang and former teacher Nelita True
Since these humble beginnings, I have had a variety of wonderful teachers – and a few that were not so hot, as well. In retrospect, I learned a lot from all of them. I seriously thought my first teacher walked on water and was the best thing since sliced bread; however, once I got to my second teacher, Ylda Novik, I realized, much to my chagrin, that Herr V. hadn’t taught me doodly-squat (one of my dad’s expressions).
Suddenly, I was thrust into a world of nuance, detail, and requirement that left my head spinning. I had stomach aches the first couple months of lessons – but I was thrilled by the challenge. I also loved the camaraderie that she created among her students; I am still friends with some of these people 40 years later. It was an incredibly stimulating and rich musical/social environment, and I credit Mama Ylda (our family moniker for her) with giving me the keys to the kingdom of being a professional musician. The one who unlocked the kingdom’s door, however, was my next teacher: Nelita True. Mama Ylda tragically died of cancer at age 54 during my junior year of high school. I – along with the rest of her brood – was devastated, and could not imagine myself going to another teacher.
But after about six months of grieving, I did. It was one of the best things that ever happened to me.
I have always been someone who feels things intensely – especially music. Unfortunately, this can translate into debilitating physical tension – which, in turn, can pretty much wreck one’s musical expression, while also hurting like hell. Whereas Mrs. Novik made me aware of my tension and was able to lessen it to some degree, it still caused lots of problems: I often received only honorable mention in competitions because of my harsh sound – thus, I became her “Honorable Tommy”. Though somewhat amusing, this title was definitely a thorn in my side.
I adored Nelita and my lessons with her, as I received such a thorough grounding in the nuts and bolts of both the musical and technical elements of piano playing.
Nelita changed all that within one – yes, ONE! – lesson. I played Prokofiev Sonata No. 3 for her and beat the living crap out of the piece; she later confessed that I demonstrated one of the the most God-awful piano sounds she’d ever heard. With her trademark grace, humor, and patience she showed me how to remedy this by releasing my weight into the keys. It was a revelation for me! I thought piano playing just had to hurt as a matter of course, and couldn’t imagine that it could actually be easy and effortless. Gone was my egregious sound, and I proceeded to win prizes in every competition I entered that year.
I ended up attending the University of Maryland at College Park in order to study with Nelita. I adored her and having lessons with her, as I received such a thorough grounding in the nuts and bolts of both the musical and technical elements of piano playing. I am eternally grateful for that wonderful time, and strive to convey this pedagogical clarity – and humor – in my teaching, as well.
In the middle of my undergrad studies, my father was transferred to Germany. My mother was not keen on the idea of me staying behind in the States, and thus I ended up completing my junior year at the Hochschule für Musik in Munich, where I worked with Ludwig Hoffmann, a renowned German pianist and teacher.
Working with Hoffmann was quite the eye-opener. The essence of his pedagogy can be found in this assessment he made of one of his student’s performances: “I love how Hermann plays the Symphonic Etudes. He plays so few wrong notes!”
My pianistic pedigree, as it were, is varied and colorful. My teaching reflects this mix in a way that is uniquely mine: passionate, playful, dedicated, and always challenging.
Recital at Tagesstätte für Helfende Hände, Munich, Germany
And thus my year was one of trying to play as cleanly and evenly as possible; lessons consisted of devising fingerings and redistributions towards this end, with minimal attention to interpretive issues. There was also much discussion of pedal, most notably in finding passages to use the sostenuto (middle) pedal. It was anything but inspiring work – though it was a valuable lesson in seeing that different teachers value and emphasize different things, some of which can be diametrically opposed to one’s own values and training. I do still, however, have an openness towards redistributing difficult technical passages that my other teachers did not share – so I got something out of that tedious year back in the heimat (homeland).
After a wonderful senior year back in the States with Nelita, I ended up in my home state of California for graduate work. This was at the University of Southern California (or the University of Spoiled Children, as it was referred to by some) with artist teacher John Perry.
JP was – and still is – a formidable personality: brimming with vitality, a razor-sharp wit, and one of the most nuanced set of ears on the planet. Hearing him work in studio/masterclass was often highly entertaining and revelatory, as it was here that he truly shone, transforming students on the spot with his unflinching dedication to meaningful, personal musicianship grounded in stylistic awareness. His understanding and connection to Schubert is peerless, in my opinion – in fact, his understanding and teaching of Classical style in general is something quite special, so I made sure to study a lot of this repertoire with him – especially Beethoven, to whom we both feel very connected. But we also had great lessons on Bach, Debussy/Ravel, Albéniz, Barber sonata, Chopin, Rachmaninoff – we covered a lot of ground in my time at USC. I also was privileged to work as his teaching assistant, giving me the opportunity to teach his studio during my final two years at USC. What a joy to teach top talent and repertoire!
My pianistic pedigree, as it were, is varied and colorful. My teaching reflects this mix in a way that is uniquely mine: passionate, playful, dedicated, and always challenging. I welcome the opportunity to work with anyone who loves playing the piano and is serious about becoming the best pianist he/she can be.
Saarburg International Music Festival, Germany
In Person and Online Services
Private Lesson / Consultation
A one-on-one lesson, usually one hour in length, though it can be longer or shorter, depending on individual needs. It is also possible to schedule an “open” lesson, which will usually be somewhere between 1-2 hours, depending on how much time is needed to work the repertoire in question. One or multiple pieces can be presented. “Tune-up” sessions are also available, to spot-check certain passages in relation to previously-discussed musical and/or technical issues. These are generally 20-40 minutes in length.
Masterclass / Group Lesson
Instruction with multiple participants, usually with an audience. The repertoire performed in the class can be unrelated, or it could be grouped around a stylistic period (Classical, Romantic, etc.), a specific composer, or a genre (concerto). Length is usually 2-3 hours for one class, with 4-6 students performing.
In-person lessons are taught at my home studio, or at another teacher’s studio. I do travel throughout the west coast and the US, and can arrange to work as a consultant with teachers on-site at their respective studios. Masterclasses are held at locations away from my home studio: teacher studios, music teacher meetings/conventions, universities, and other institutions.
Online private lessons are taught via Skype, or Facetime if both parties have Mac devices. Masterclasses can be taught online, as well. For skeptics: online work can be an effective and productive forum, where issues of technique and interpretation can be addressed at a high level.
Injury Rehab / Prevention
I have had extensive experience in this area, both with my own injury and other students. Please see the injury page for more information.
Best Candidates for My Studio
I work best with students who are highly motivated and practice consistently; this usually means several hours a day. I have had excellent success with precollege and college students: many have won prizes in competitions throughout the country, and have received financial offers at top music institutions. I also enjoy working with intermediate-advanced adult students for whom piano study is avocational, but who are serious, focused students committed to reaching their highest level of pianistic development. I am happy to work with someone just once, occasionally, or on a regular basis.
If interested in working with me, please email me: thomas@otten.studio. Please include information about your background and current repertoire, as well as current/future goals. We can then set up a time to talk by phone to discuss these items, thus determining whether we might be a good match.
Teacher Consultations
Private teachers interested in consultation lessons/masterclasses for their studios are most welcome to contact me, as well! I have done this work for teachers around the country – both in person and online – and enjoy it greatly. In your initial email, please let me know how many students you’d like me to work with, their repertoire, pertinent information as to their strengths/weaknesses, and what our goals are for the coachings.
I was always doubtful about piano lessons through Skype, but was very pleasantly surprised after an initial session with Dr. Otten. It really works! What a concept!
— Olga Urick Nolan, prize-winning studio, Cary, NC
Workshops for Music Teachers on a Variety of Topics and Repertoire
Technique/Injury Prevention: It’s All in How You Move
Pedaling: How to Use It, and Not Abuse It
Sculpt Your Sound Like Michelangelo: The “Perfect” Sound and How to Achieve It
Audition/Recital Preparation: What Does It Take?
How Do I Get My Student to Sound Artistic?
My Favorite Teaching Repertoire from All Eras: includes Telemann Fantasies, early Haydn Sonatas, Grieg Lyric Pieces, Shostakovich Preludes, Turina Gypsy Dances
Survey of Intermediate-Advanced Repertoire
Music of the Baroque-Classical-Romantic-Impressionistic-Contemporary Eras: Differences in Articulation, Tone, Pedal, Rubato
African American Repertoire: Neglected and Unknown Gems
The Piano Music of Joe Utterback: Jazz for Everyone
Franz Liszt: It’s Not Just Flash and Trash
Debussy and Ravel: Let There Be Light! The Magical World of Impressionism
Beethoven Sonatas: The Pianist’s Bible – Something for Everyone
Seminar on Concerto Repertoire
Did You Shower Today? The Joys of Piano Duets
Play on the Vowel! The Art of Vocal Accompanying
Repertoire Consultation for Studio Teachers
Suggestions for appropriate repertoire for students, to help maximize musical/technical development
Repertoire Consultation for Auditions / Competitions / Recital Programs
For teachers, competitors, music school auditionees who would like assistance in planning effective programs
Masterclass Videos: UNC Chapel Hill Studio Class
Laura Yang
Notturno – Respighi
Ethan Chu
Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 58, second movement – Chopin
Andrew Zalesak
Soirée dans Grenade & Jardins sous la pluie (Estampes) – Debussy
Sonata No. 3 – Ginastera
Lee Treml
To a Water Lily – MacDowell
Marc Besson
Prelude in D Minor, Op. 34, No. 24 – Shostakovich
Sara Compinsky Masterclass Series, Los Angeles
Dr. Otten is not only a world-class artist, but a phenomenal teacher. He is devoted as a mentor, and persistent in challenging students to reach their full potential. For the diligent student, there is no limit to what one can achieve under his guidance. Perhaps most importantly, Dr. Otten genuinely believes in and loves his students. A wizard of soundscapes, he offers indispensable knowledge as an educator, and intimately shares the magic and beauty of music. He is a brilliant communicator, a true listener, an honest and caring teacher who has my eternal gratitude.
— Sam Gingher, DMA, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Thomas Otten’s guidance and encouragement were essential to my development as a young pianist. In his students he cultivates not only a strong basis in piano technique but also a sense of musical creativity, inquisitiveness, and critical thinking. His emphasis on injury prevention always kept me in good physical health. But most importantly, he was willing to meet me at my level, and able to push me far beyond what I had thought possible.
— Aaron Likness, DMA Candidate, CUNY Graduate Center, New York
Dr. Otten has revealed enormous patience and persistence in his teachings with me. I have had some enormous technical hurdles to cross and his support of me has been above the call of duty. I have enormous respect for his knowledge and his gift as a pedagogue of the highest caliber, not to mention his exceptional gifts as a performer!
— Kent State Student
I love my piano lessons with Dr. Otten via Skype. Both sound and image quality have been excellent, and I’ve even picked up fingering improvements when watching him demonstrate passages on his piano. Dr. Otten is a wonderful teacher with decades of experience and a sensitive ear, which provides for a very natural and enthusiastic lesson – even through the cloud!
— Eric M., Carrboro, NC
Dr. Otten is a mesmerizing and lucid expositor of musical concepts and pianoforte technique and style. It is truly an honor and privilege to be his student. He is fair, kind and holds all to high standards, which is conducive to a very high-quality learning environment. His musical comments are exquisite, and I can only repeat that it is a true pleasure and honor to learn from this master. He has opened my ears to truly listening, and it has unlocked a whole new realm of perception that had been neglected for so long in my life.
— UNC Student
Dr. Otten’s dedication to his students is exceptional. He has provided guidance in the fields of music, art, and performance that has been consistently insightful and creative.
I just want to say thank you for your incredible lecture-recital and masterclass. Everyone absolutely loved both, and thought you were fabulous. My students couldn’t stop talking about you. You also inspired me, and I felt I taught better than ever today, too! Thanks for all you do for our profession.
— Prof. Ingrid Clarfield, Westminster Choir College, Princeton, NJ
Dr. Otten is a member of a select group of musicians: the artist teacher, who teaches and performs at an exceptionally high level. It is rare to encounter someone who gives so generously and passionately to his students, audiences, and colleagues alike. His intensity and commitment are inspiring and even challenging, but tempered with a wonderful playfulness and warmth. We are fortunate in our music profession to have such a unique fellow member.
—Dr. Barbara Lister-Sink, Salem College, Winston-Salem, NC
The work Dr. Otten did with my students was enormously skilled. The acuteness of his ear, exceptional knowledge of style, understanding of physiology, and the ability to pinpoint the individual strengths and weaknesses of each performer accurately was seriously impressive.
— Robert McDonald, The Juilliard School, NY
My students have had in-person and Skype lessons with Dr. Otten. His high-energy involvement sparks a student’s creative side as well as activating critical listening. Lessons are engaging on physical, mental, and emotional levels – very interactive and fun for all involved. When I need to get comments that are straight to the point and solutions to students’ musical/technical problems, Dr. Otten is my first choice: his suggestions are deeply connected to the music.
© 2019 Thomas Otten
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On Sunday afternoon I had a date with one of my tiny boyfriends. They're both around 18 months old and I've begun seeing Max quite regularly - every Tuesday night in fact, which is helping greatly with my Winter of Frugality - although he's either already asleep or on his way to bed by the time I get there. I don't see my other tiny boyfriend, George, as often, but on Sunday I got to hang out with him properly - by which I mean, he was awake. We went to the park and then I took him for a long walk in his pushchair down to the sea to watch the planes and the seagulls. He is excellent company.
On Sunday evening we had classic movie Sunday. In honour of the recent passing of Elizabeth Taylor, we watched the 1963 version of Cleopatra. I've said it before about classic movies and I'll say it again: some of them are SO long. This one clocked in at four hours and five minutes. That's even longer than Gone with the Wind. Apparently the original cut of Cleopatra was six hours long, but thankfully the studio producing the film made the director edit it down.
While it was interesting to learn about Cleopatra and some of the figures in Roman history (although also slightly worrying as we did some scenes from Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra in fourth form and I did Classics in seventh form, so I should have already known some of the stuff in the movie), the thing that kept me going was Elizabeth Taylor and her outfits. She seemed to have a new one in every scene and all of them were amazing. Although some of her headpieces were a bit too much like ornate shower caps.
Richard Burton didn't really do it for me, I much preferred Rex Harrison as Julius Caesar. And although apparently Elizabeth Taylor recieved criticism for her performance, I thought she was great. She was very beautiful and very shapely...an ample bosom if ever I've seen one.
The sheer scale of the film was pretty impressive, all the sets and locations, the extras and horses and battlescenes. I think my favourite scene of all was Cleopatra's entrance into Rome - it just kept going and going, with more and more dancers and floats and coloured smoke. It was like Cleopatra was bringing the Mardi Gras to Rome and the Romans LOVED it.
Towards the end though we were hanging out for that asp. And ever since I've had the first line of this speech by Shakespeare stuck in my head:
The barge she sat in, like a burnished throne,
Burned on the water: the poop was beaten gold;
Purple the sails, and so perfumèd, that
The winds were lovesick with them; the oars were silver,
Which to the tune of flutes kept stroke, and made
The water which they beat to follow faster,
As amorous of their strokes. For her own person,
It beggared all description: she did lie
In her pavilion, cloth-of-gold of tissue,
O’erpicturing that Venus where we see
The fancy outwork nature. On each side her
Stood pretty dimpled boys, like smiling Cupids,
With divers-coloured fans, whose wind did seem
To glow the delicate cheeks which they did cool,
And what they undid did.
Antony and Cleopatra, II.2
I'm going once, I'm going twice, I'm sold to the l...
Food (Show) Glorious Food (Show)
Boredom in Seattle, hilarity in Gotland
Autumn ending
Shake-em-on-Downers
Light and dark
View from my window
Comedy of (sock) Errors
Days in lace
A right royal wedding party
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Home > PORT AND HARBOUR > SHIPS & BOATS > CROSS CHANNEL FERRIES > MV VALENCAY AND MV SENLAC >
MV VALENCAY AND MV SENLAC
Travels to Normandy
By Derek Longly
In 1973 a few years after I had returned to work in England following a period spent in Libya there came a great event for the Newhaven - Dieppe route with the introduction of the magnificent new ship Senlac. Arguably at that time the finest car ferry ever to serve on the crossing the Senlac was very much the jewel in the crown when she was first introduced to the service.
An early artists impression of Valencay
Derek Longly collection
When she made her debut Senlac was the largest ship that had run between Newhaven and Dieppe and she was easily the most spacious and luxuriously fitted in so far as the day time run was concerned. She was, however, provided with very few cabins and those there were were buried deep in the bowels of the ship, being less than attractive as a result. This was the only fault that could be found with her and as she was not primarily intended for use as a night boat her designers could, perhaps, be forgiven for having failed her in that respect.
Valencay at the ramp at Newhaven
Derek Longly
Having seen the ship's maiden arrival at Newhaven I was anxious to sample the Senlac's delights and in 1974 my opportunity came when a visit to Normandy was arranged. The outward crossing was however made aboard the Valencay and once I arrived at Dieppe I renewed my acquaintance with this attractive town spending some of my time visiting the impressive Chateau and in particular seeing the beautiful Napoleonic ship models housed there. I then travelled on to the delightful little town of Veule des Roses a few miles along the coast. Here I visited the Fishermen's Memorial in the ancient church, enjoyed an excellent lunch then returned to Dieppe where I was to take the late afternoon sailing back to Newhaven. To my delight the immaculately gleaming funnel and superstructure of the Senlac could be seen above the terminal building as I approached this just a short while before sailing time. I passed through the customs formalities, crossed the gangplank and entered the embarkation lobby of the ship.
Valencay as rebuilt in her later life
The Senlac still smelled fresh and new. On either side from where I had boarded were big lounges well provided with dark blue armchair seating arranged in rows with tables in between each group of chairs. Both lounges had yellow curtained windows running their full length and were very bright and cheerful, with their light cream walls, light grey linoleum flooring and chrome fittings. Between these lounges was to be found the duty free shopping area. Forward on this deck was a further lounge fitted out and decorated in similar fashion to the others, this one running the full width of the ship. Aft was a cafeteria lounge and bar, again in similar style with this one capable of being used as a TV lounge. On the upper deck there were covered promenades running aft from the largest public room on the ship, which was the main lounge bar situated at the forward end on this deck. The bar, situated forward in this room, ran across almost its full width and there were therefore no windows overlooking the fore part of the ship. The room was handsomely furnished with comfortable armchairs in subdued tones grouped around small tables, whilst there were also banquette seats in alcoves at the after end. Both the bar and walls were panelled in light mahogany. In contrast to the lounges on the lower deck here there was deep pile carpet on the floor and the curtains were in orange tones.
Senlac looking impressive as she departs Newhaven
Aft from the bar lounge was a spacious lobby where were to be found toilet facilities, with this lobby giving access to the external promenades. Leading further aft from the lobby on the starboard side was the restaurant. This was a very elegant room. The tables were set between sculptured gold effect screens, each alcove thus created having a window looking out onto the sea, meanwhile the black leather tub chairs set at the tables and the dark brown carpet and curtains provided a contrast to the gold screens. To port in a similar position to the restaurant was an area set aside for lorry drivers, who had their own lounge and cafeteria space. It was usually these travellers who were accommodated in the few cabins aboard the ship, where they were able to obtain some rest to prepare for the next stage of their normally long, tiring journeys across the continent. At the far end of the superstructure on this deck was a deck shelter supplied with plastic seating and open at its after end to give views over the ship's stern. Compared to the rather Spartan fittings aboard the Villandry and Valencay those on the Senlac were of a far higher quality and the whole ship exuded an air of solidity and comfort. Having explored all the ship's accommodation I found myself a seat in the forward Lounge Bar and enjoyed the crossing back to Newhaven, made over calm seas and with our arrival at the English port being right on time.
Senlac leaving Dieppe on a fine summer day
I made a number of crossings to France aboard the Senlac after that first experience of sailing on her and she seemed to wear well over the years always being smart, clean and welcoming. In 1981 I boarded her for yet another journey to France, this time accompanying a friend who was a native of Ouistreham near the city of Caen, en route to that city where I was to stay with her family. The weather was blustery and as the Senlac left the shelter of the harbour at Newhaven she began to pitch into the rough seas that greeted her. My companion was well known to several of the Captains and Pursers of the ships on the route since her husband, who had died some years previously, had at one time worked for the service. When the lady saw that the crossing was going to be rough she sought out the Purser and he made available for our use one of the officer's cabins. This was the first occasion I had been into one of these cabins and I found it very impressive. Situated a little aft from the Bridge the cabin was surprisingly large. It was provided with twin beds as well as a sitting area complete with a writing desk and had plenty of wardrobe and drawer space plus a big window. It was equally as good as many of the superior cabins to be found on cruise ships of the era.
Senlac in the Channel in poor conditions
My companion, despite protestations that she was not unwell, promptly took to one of the beds to sleep. Left to my own devices I returned below to the public rooms of the ship which, with the crossing being early in the year were only lightly occupied. I found a comfortable armchair and buried myself in a paperback book to pass the time. My interest in the book soon waned however so I went out for a stroll around the decks to get a good lung full of fresh air. Outside the sky was covered with scudding grey cloud and the seas were an even darker shade of grey between their frothing white caps. Although the sea was rough the Senlac rode the white crested waves with ease, only occasionally plunging her bow sufficiently deeply into a trough to throw water over her fore deck. The decks were however slippery with rivulets of water and the wind tugged at my clothes as I strode along. The spray being thrown up by the ship's progress through the waves wafted back over the decks lining my lips with a salty tang whilst the air was redolent with ozone.
Senlac arriving at Newhaven
Refreshed by my stroll I returned to the cabin to check on my companion and finding her still asleep went to the restaurant where I enjoyed an excellent lunch. By the time I had finished my meal the French coast could be made out in the distance, so I once more went back to the cabin, where the lady was now awake, to inform her that we were only some thirty minutes from arrival at Dieppe. With the ship into more sheltered waters and the sea therefore calmer it was agreed we would vacate the cabin and together went below to find the Purser to thank him for providing this retreat then sat in the Lounge Bar to await the ship's docking.
Senlac laid up at Dover together with the Caesarea
We disembarked from the Senlac and immediately boarded the waiting boat train, which was alongside the ship. Once all the remaining passengers had climbed on board the train set off, initially running along the quayside then through the quaint streets of Dieppe till it reach the town's main railway station where it picked up more passengers. From there it was a fast non-stop run to Rouen, where we were to change trains to take the local auto-rail stopping service from Rouen to Caen. The coaches of the auto-rail were very different to those of the boat train being entirely rudimentary. However they served their purpose and before long we were on our way, the diesel engine burbling merrily as we threaded our route through the attractive countryside of Normandy with its pretty thatched cottages and early flowering blossom trees.
In due course the train rumbled into Caen station where we disembarked. We were met by family members before setting out in a taxi to the apartment just a short distance from the city centre where we were to stay. There followed a thoroughly enjoyable sojourn in Caen together with outings to visit villages in the nearby countryside. I saw most of the sights of the beautiful city of Caen during my stay, including attending Easter service at the magnificent church of St Pierre, plus shopping excursions in the city centre. All good things must come to an end however and in due course it was time for me to return back to England.
In order to reach Caen in time to catch the boat train for Dieppe I had to leave at the uncivilised hour of 5.30am, which was a nasty shock to the system. In addition it was a bitterly cold morning with a thick frost. The auto-rail awaited me on arrival at the station and having found a seat its engine was soon revved up and it began its chugging journey out of the city into the Normandy countryside. Despite the cold it was a lovely journey through this countryside, which was white with hoar frost, the trees dripping icicles and the breath of the cattle seen on the way forming steamy little clouds in the chill air.
The connection with the boat train at Rouen went smoothly and within a short space of time it pulled in alongside the quay at Dieppe. There the Valencay was being readied in preparation for her sailing and I was quickly aboard where I found a seat in the panoramic bar on the boat deck. Once the ship departed the French coast I made my way down to her comfortable restaurant where I passed most of the voyage over an enjoyable meal. The crossing was calm and uneventful, terminating as the ship sailed into Newhaven harbour in the dusk of early evening.
This page was added by Derek Longly on 17/08/2018.
MV SENLAC
MV SENLAC & MV VILLANDRY AT DIEPPE
MV SENLAC AT BEACHY HEAD
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Home / Flasher Archive / archive-mar-2000
Subject: Re: FLASH: Dilemma
From: pwehner
My company doesn't do any work for anyone without at least %30 up front.
If they say they won't pay until delivery my experience is that you won't get paid at all.
You are a buisness offering a service they want. You'll have no leverage at all if you accept
payment in full after delivery.
> > ** Original Subject: RE: FLASH: Dilemma
> > ** Original Sender: "Brian" <mattone bhip [dot] infi [dot] net>
> > ** Original Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2000 09:10:54 -0500 (EST)
> > ** Original Message follows...
> > I have a bit of a dilemma that I would like to get some advice about.
> > I have the chance to produce a presentation in Flash for a client who's
> > looking to get it done by April 24th. Basically it doesn't sound like a
> > particularly over-the-top hard job per se, but I'm still a bit of a newbie
> > when it comes to Flash - in particular the programming aspects of it. But I
> > figured if nothing else I have a friend who knows Flash real well and this
> > list to act as resources should I run into trouble.
> > The main problem, however, is that I asked for what I considered a typical
> > freelancing payment deal - a third down up front, another third at some
> > milesone point, and the rest upon completion of the project. This was
> > rejected by the client, and from the best information I have it seems like
> > as if I wouldn't see a dime for my efforts until the project was completed.
> > This is a company who has a service that ranks third in the world (it
> > involves software that bundles e-mail, voice-mail and faxes into one
> > integrated accessible area, namely Microsoft Outlook), and I've visited
> > their offices, so they're for real as far as I can tell, and they have their
> > own system set in place to ensure fairness to both sides of a deal such as
> > the one I'm debating entering into.
> > But I have a wife and three kids (and a cat) and I've been laid off since
> > December and freelancing is a hard business and quite frankly, I don't think
> > I need to settle for not getting something up front so I can feed these
> > people and pay some bills.
> > What opinion does anyone have here?
> > -Brian Matthews
> > http://www.angelfire.com/fl/sapringer
> > flasher is generously supported by...
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > flashforward2000 and The Flash Film Festival
> > "The World's Premier Flash Solutions Conference and Expo"
> > March 27-29, Nob Hill Masonic Center, San Francisco, California
> > -Register before Feb 25 and save $200!!-- www.flashforward2000.com
> > To unsubscribe or change your list settings go to
> > http://www.chinwag.com/flasher or email help chinwag [dot] com
> >** --------- End Original Message ----------- **
> flasher is generously supported by...
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> flashforward2000 and The Flash Film Festival
> "The World�s Premier Flash Solutions Conference and Expo"
> March 27-29, Nob Hill Masonic Center, San Francisco, California
> -Register before Feb 25 and save $200!!-- www.flashforward2000.com
> To unsubscribe or change your list settings go to
> http://www.chinwag.com/flasher or email help chinwag [dot] com
flasher is generously supported by...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
flashforward2000 and The Flash Film Festival
"The World�s Premier Flash Solutions Conference and Expo"
March 27-29, Nob Hill Masonic Center, San Francisco, California
-Register before Feb 25 and save $200!!-- www.flashforward2000.com
http://www.chinwag.com/flasher or email help chinwag [dot] com
RE: FLASH: Dilemma, patrickf
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Training-support / Product-support / US Government & Military Support
US Government & Military Support
PACE Provides Equipment, Technology & Training to All Branches of US Military & DoD
Since the 1960's, PACE Worldwide (also known as PACE Incorporated) has had a long and rich history supporting the US Military and Department of Defense. Utilized at all major DoD, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and US Federal Government maintenance Depots, you'll also find PACE equipment and technology in shipboard repair shops, mobile maintenance vans, submarine reactor maintenance shops and thousands of intermediate maintenance facilities worldwide. PACE systems are legendary for their reliability, long-life and supportability. And most equipment, spares and replacement parts are readily available through National Stock Numbers/NSN's or via GSA Federal Supply Schedule/Contract. Click on the PACE logo above or HERE to download NSN Listing by PACE Part Number (in pdf format).
A 40 Year Partnership with the US Navy 2M/MTR Program
PACE has been an active participant of NAVSEA's 2M/MTR (Miniature-Microminiature/Module Test and Repair) Program for over 40 years. The 2M Program provides the tools and techniques required for certified Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force (under the AFREP Program) and Coast Guard electronic repair technicians to perform highly reliable, high quality repairs on complex circuit card assemblies.
PACE's PRC-350 Repair System was the centerpiece of NAVAIR's AMRIP/Avionics Module Repair Improvement Program during the
mid-70's. AMRIP was a precursor to NAVSEA's 2M/MTR Program.
In 1968, PACE was awarded a contract to provide the specialized equipment, tools, techniques and training required by NAVAIR's AMRIP/Avionics Module Repair Improvement Program (as 2M/MTR was known back then) technicians, to perform reliable component level repairs in the field. PACE performed the initial certification training onboard Aircraft Carriers in 1968, and fielded an early version of the PRC-350 Bench Top Repair Center (see image below), an integrated kit with all the necessary tools needed to handle the most delicate or difficult electronic repairs. The AMRIP Work Centers were an immediate success: benefits included increased readiness and operational availability, with the added payback of saving significant operating dollars. An exhaustive Training/Technical Manual was produced by PACE in 1969, whose specialized techniques and procedures were incorporated into later DoD/2M manuals, and are still in use today.
PACE and 2M/MTR Today
Under the skillful management of NAVSEA 04 since the early 1980’s, the 2M/MTR Program has significantly expanded. It is now a joint-service program with active participation from the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Air Force, and has been adopted for use by many of our foreign military allies. Cost savings are immense. From April 1996 to December 2014, Navy maritime commands outfitted with 2M/MTR capabilities reported 189,844 repairs completed, which resulted in 12,329 CASREPS averted/corrected and $689 Million in cost avoidance. The cost savings become more apparent if you consider that the 2M Program receives only $5 million per year in funding. For more information, please click HERE to download a pdf with detailed history as well as current status of the 2M/MTR Program.
A central component of 2M’s “Mini” and “Micro” Electronic Repair Kits is the PRC 2000 Miniature Microminiature Repair System, manufactured by PACE Worldwide. First introduced in the 1990's, over ten thousand of these workhorse stations have been manufactured (over 2500 for the 2M Program), many of which are still in use after 20+ years. Renowned for their reliability, sustainability and longevity, PACE continues to support the PRC 2000 series with upgrades and enhancements. For more on the PRC 2000 Series of Miniature Microminiature Repair Systems, please click HERE.
Renowned for their reliability, sustainability and durability, over 2500 PRC 2000’s have been fielded in support of 2M/MTR since 1994.
In 2006, PACE's MBT 350 was designated the primary electronics repair system in the US Marine Corp's field deployable TK-8641 Portable Microminiature Solder Tool Kit. Utilized exclusively for 2M requirements, the MBT 350 is much smaller/compact than the PRC 2000, rugged enough for field deployment, yet capable of handling the highest level 2M repairs.
PACE's MBT 350 is a central component of the TK-8641 Portable Microminiature Tool Kit supporting US Marine Corps 2M requirements
Over 500 have been supplied to the USMC. In addition, the MBT 350 was recently selected as the main circuit card repair station in Tobyhanna Army Depot's DMOF ("Depot Maintenance of the Future") Program. For more information on the MBT 350, please click HERE.
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USDA Seeks Applications to Promote Job Creation and Boost the Rural Economy in the Western Pacific
HILO, HI, April 24, 2013 –
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) remains focused on carrying out its mission, despite a time of significant budget uncertainty. Today’s announcement is one part of the Department’s efforts to strengthen the rural economy.
USDA Rural Development State Director Chris J. Kanazawa announced today that applications are being accepted from qualified non-profit and public organizations (intermediaries) to provide loans to support rural businesses and community development groups. Funding, which is intended to spark business expansion and create jobs will be made available through USDA’s Intermediary Relending Program (IRP).
CLICK HERE to view the Press Release in its entirety.
admin2015-06-09T08:33:44+00:00June 9th, 2015|News and Events|
PIDB Board of Directors Meet, Review 2018 Results
Heine Joins PIDB as VP
Marshall Islands Increases Shares in PIDB
Yap State and PIDB Execute MOA to Spur Private Sector Growth
Bank Board Meets in Pohnpei
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DON’T MISS THE ASTORIA MUSIC NOW! 1OTH ANNIVERSARY SPECTACULAR ON 7-20
News, Show Recaps November 3, 2014
STREETS OF LAREDO PACK THEM IN AT MERCURY LOUNGE
It only took a few minutes for indie-folk band Streets of Laredo to get a packed Mercury Lounge into their music on Wednesday. Only a few times did singer/guitarist Daniel Gibson take some time to joke around and talk with the audience, which didn’t seem to bother anyone as going straight from song to song kept people dancing and really into their new style of indie-folk music that could pass for a mix between Kurt Vile and Alberta Cross.
The local New York band (originally from New Zealand) is currently on tour in support of their debut album Volume I & II, which came out earlier this month. The group covered tunes that are all over the album including ‘Girlfriend’, ‘Slow Train’, and the brilliantly written ‘Laredo’. The mix of Daniel’s gritty, Bob Dylan-sounding voice with co-vocalist Sarahjane Gibson’s softer more innocent style of singing mixed for a perfect layering to go over the guitars, trumpets, and harmonica instrumentation.
The hour-long set was nothing but a loose and fun performance of great songwriting and musical collaboration between the members of the seven-piece band. Overall the group presented that close knit family vibe of old folk-style music with modern elements that made for a fantastic display of songwriting and bringing a great new album to life on stage.
Article by: Tom Shackleford
Photos by: Nicholas Fallon
mercury loungepancakes and whiskeystreets of laredo
Shayne Hanley
CMJ: P&W PRESENTS: STRNGRS, BLUE & GOLD, TAYMIR, CYMBALS, GREAT CAESAR + LE GALAXIE
CAPITAL CITIES HAVE A DANCE PARTY AT WEBSTER HALL
DROWNERS, SLOTHRUST & JULY TALK PACK BROOKLYN BOWL
On Tuesday May 19th, Drowners packed Brooklyn Bowl with fans who were ready to catch some energetic and upbeat post-punk tunes. Both opening acts,…
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LIFE CRIME Austria
LIFE CRIME - 02 Life Crime - Human Contact .mp3
LIFE CRIME is a DIY hardcore/punk/grind band that formed in Graz in 2010. Hailing from Graz, Austria, Life Crime was formed in Summer 2010 through a mutual love for old hardcore punk music a la Black Flag and Poison Idea, grindcore and blast beats. This band functions like a catharsis for each member because it gives the opportunity to let out all pent up aggression through the performance. The lyrics deal with everyday problems just as much as with personal experiences and political topics. Music and lyrics combined result in a harsh soundtrack for any train wreck. Since its inception Life Crime shared the stage with lots of bands from all over the world including Napalm Death, The Accused, Now You´re Fucked, Poison Idea and Onanizer. In 2014 the band released their debut album "Ordinary Madness Excess" via Unundeux Records.
2014 Ordinary Madness Excess CD
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A good race report is intended to recap the events of a race and how it went for the athlete. A good race report is also intended to express sufficient gratitude to those who helped get the athlete to the starting line, as well as across the finish line. The very intent and nature of a race report, then, is to be optimistic for not only what has transpired but also for what is planned for the athlete going forward. Unlike my intents for Ironman Arizona, then, this race report should be successful on all three counts.
Arizona was my third Ironman, and the decision to enter was somewhat hasty. Granted, I had been itching to do a long-course triathlon for some time, but when I received the text from friend, neighbor, and now fellow-Ironman Josh, events were set into motion.
At the time, I was an at-home dad, taking care of the preschool boy and few-month-old girl, while also searching for a new job that would allow Nicholle to resign and be at home. One morning, I off-handedly sent a text to Nicholle, telling her that Josh had gotten into Arizona. Given the prospects for our long-term plan of my returning to work and her resigning were looking positive, she asked if I wanted to go, too. After a few more exchanges and a visit to Ironman.com, I found myself registered to race.
The training plan for Arizona was intended to mimic that of what I used for Texas in 2011: Steady base building until four months out, then begin focused training of one key workout per week while sustaining work across three disciplines. For example, week one would be swim-focused, with one, long swim set thrown into regular workout sessions; week two would be bike-focused; week three, run. The fourth week would have no long sets but regular sessions of swimming, cycling, running before starting the focused weeks over again. Additionally, there would be strength training, as well as indoor rowing and stretching.
Such was the plan.
Like all best laid plans o’mice and men, this plan was rapidly riddled with complexities, ranging from a return to full-time work for both me and Nicholle; balancing time with family, work, and working out; as well as living with the complications of MS. While I do not have multiple sclerosis, Nicholle does, and when her symptoms are exacerbated, they often will ripple throughout the family. These symptoms can manifest in her experiencing feelings of extraordinary lethargy, difficulty with balance and/or walking, or even outright paralysis. While that last one happened only when Nicholle was fighting an infection and her fever spiked, any one of the symptoms surfacing meant training time took a back seat.
There was a lot of back seat time.
Still, I managed to get in some regular riding and running—and even swimming—the first half of 2016, but then I went back to work, teaching and coaching at a nearby high school. The lack of a swimming pool meant early morning practices in a neighboring district and late nights in the classroom or at home grading papers; family time took priority to training time in what little free time I was afforded. Non-swim meet Saturdays meant running in the morning and house/family stuff thereafter. Sundays offered early AM rides and then family and prep work for the week ahead. Ironically, triathlon helped prepare me for the constant juggling of so much with so few resources.
The Wednesday prior to race weekend, Josh and I piled all of our gear and bikes into his truck and hopped on I-10 West for the next fourteen hours until we hit Tempe. It was a long, punishing drive to Tempe that we hoped would take us longer than it would take us to complete Sunday’s race.
Once in Tempe, we got ourselves settled in for what would be home for the next few days. There were some difficulties with the condo setup to sort out, but I think everything got sorted out fairly OK-like. We had a place to eat and sleep and store our bikes until race day, so, in-all, we were good.
The race village at Ironman Arizona was a more lively, interesting experience than either Texas or Coeur d’Alene. Over the next few days, we were treated to pneumatic massages from Normatec and Rapid Reboot, great on-site food and talks by pros (including Kelly Williamson, with whom I have shared a running dialogue on subjects ranging from running to MS advocacy for several years; there is no better ambassador for sport), as well as the merchandise tent. Without question, WTC took lessons from Yogurt himself.
💩 = real pic.twitter.com/KN9qTHDmvc
— Dale Seiler (@off242) November 17, 2016
On Saturday morning, Josh and I checked our bikes and gear bags before dipping into Tempe Town Lake for a practice swim. I felt fairly relaxed and comfortable with the 66-degree water temps. Despite my wetsuit showing signs of aging (beginnings of tearing around the arms were present in the previous two swims I’d done, but I just hoped the suit would hold), it performed flawlessly as before, so I held off on buying a new wetsuit from any of the vendors present. Besides, most didn’t have my size on-hand.
Once all gear-check, practice swimming, and whatnot were all wrapped, it was back to the condo for nourishment and an afternoon of resting. Talk about challenging but worth it.
Racked. Marked. Ready. @joshadms79 @CobbCycling @IRONMANtri #imaz #neverstop #curems pic.twitter.com/K0cbtugqGO
Come race day, I found myself both fatigued and nervous. Despite several days away from challenges and demands of work and family life, I found myself unable to sleep soundly, for my mind was typically elsewhere with what I was missing out on from work and family alike. It was quite the conundrum I was (fortunately) able to set aside once my feet hit the water and the timer on the Ambit3 Sport was ticking. Sadly, such calm would be short-lived.
Within 100 meters of the swim, I knew something was wrong. I was experiencing a difficult time in controlling my breathing, which, as I continued to swim, I learned to be caused by excess water seeping into the suit through those tears around the arms. These tears would cause the arm to fill with water as I entered the water for the catch and pull; as the arm exited the water for recovery, there was additional weight of water. Every stroke was executed as though I had a bucket of water strapped to each arm. For 2.4 miles.
As I exited the water and peeled the wetsuit off, I felt much better due to being out of the water and being out of the water faster than expected. The trot to T1 was much quicker than I had anticipated and left me feeling ready for the 112 miles ahead. That was, of course, before I tried to tuck into my aerobars.
Because my arms were so fatigued from the 2.4-mile bucket swim, I had a difficult time getting comfortable in the aero position—which was crucial for the brutal headwind we had to fight on each of the outbound portions of the 3-loop bike course. Fortunately, there was a tailwind on the return of the first and most of the return on the second loop; any wind advantage had disappeared as the desert winds shifted with the wearing-on of the day. The saving grace were the overcast skies and a mercifully pleasant air temperature. Having such well-stocked aid stations and stupendous volunteers helped keep the mind focused and balanced as I fought to maintain my balance on the bike in a mostly upright position; getting aero was just too painful on sore arms, but the trade-off would come in form of legs sore from being forced to work differently than much of training had demanded. Being so fatigued and in less-than-idyllic shape didn’t help matters any.
Despite all of the seeming disadvantages though which I toiled, I still managed to hit T2 with a sub-6-hour bike split. If I could manage to eek out a 4-ish hour run (one of my goals), I could still manage a sub-12 hour finish (yet another of my goals). Such lofty goals, however, were put to pasture within the first 10k of the run.
Sure, I started out at what I thought was a good pace, running what I thought was just shy of a 9-minute mile. But, because the Ambit3 was not shifting sport modes thereby allowing me to see things like pacing and heart rate, I had precious little to go on to reliably track my pace mile-by-mile. By the time I hit the first turn-around on the run course, I found myself utterly drained, demoralized, and in full-on damage control. Still, as I shuffled along at little more than a walk, I vowed I would finish, no matter the time. I would not stop. I would fight on because Nicholle and so many others impacted by MS couldn’t.
Finishing the first loop left a large temptation in the form of splitting off and just accepting a DNF, but it was not for me. I all but literally limped into the special needs section of the run course and applied a bit more Chamois Butt’r where needed and downed a gel. Within seconds I felt like fresh and began a brisk trot. My hydration belt kept slipping down past my hips, making running uncomfortable, so I unclipped it and wrapped it around my left hand; this helped—a lot. As the sun set, I began to sprint the sandy portions along the trail and used the paved portions as recovery, kind of like a ramped-up variant of the Galloway Method. Miles ticked by much more quickly, and I continued to feel fresh through the first half of the second loop. By 20 miles, though, I was hurting. So it was back walking along for a few more miles.
With 5k to go, I found myself in a good stride, chatting with and encouraging others along the way while also being encouraged. We were all miserable and ready for the race to be over, but there was only one way for that to happen: Get across the finish line as quickly as possible.
The split into the finishing chute was a most welcome site, running onto the carpet and across the finishing line. Hearing my name (mispronounced, again) as an educator and father and 2-time finisher announced as I approached the finish line put spring in my legs, as I crossed the line, right arm held high and three fingers held higher. While the third time was not exactly the charm, I did finish. I was and am, again, an Ironman.
Suffering through this race, now one month ago, made me very aware of just how much of a toll the past five years had taken on me, physically and psychologically. A couple of days before the race, I chatted with a friend about my preparation and how I felt going into the race, joking that this race would be mostly run on muscle memory. Fortunately, there was a lot of memory in what remained of my muscles, even as five years’ worth of life with small children and the ripple effects of multiple sclerosis multiplied what would have been considered normal on someone of my age and ability.
At the time I crossed the finish line, I considered Ironman Arizona to have been my worst race ever.
No. 3 is in the books. (Even if it was my worst. Race. Ever.) pic.twitter.com/PkroyTfb9A
Looking back, and taking into perspective that I was even able to cross the line, it was miraculous what was managed to be accomplished in a little less than twelve and one-half hours. While that finishing time of 12:24:19 (and the abysmal marathon time of 4:48:04) kept me way outside of my time goals for this race, I cannot lose sight of reality: I finished.
The race would not have been possible without incredible motivation and support from Nicholle, as well as Josh (who had a fantastic first-time Ironman finish in just over twelve hours!), a great friend, neighbor, training buddy, and now fellow-Ironman. Additional on-site support came from Jen, Sharon, and Leah, as well as their respective entourages; it was incredible and incredibly helpful to have so many on-course to cheer and help smooth things out race morning.
I totally have to say thank you to pro triathlete Kelly Williamson for taking the time to talk at the race expo, as well as recording “You-Go-Girl” video for Nicholle. Again, there is no better ambassador for sport.
Another shout-out goes to Rudy Project (who sponsors me in the form of discounts on Technically Cool eyewear and helmets) and my rep, Ryan Marts, for hooking me and Josh up on aero helmets when it became clear that the Boost 01 helmet I ordered at the beginning of the year wouldn’t arrive in time for the race. The Wing57 totally served its purpose and is worth well more than its weight in gold, given how ultra-light the helmet is.
Thank you, also to the countless volunteers on-course and behind the scenes. You make Ironman happen.
What’s next, I cannot really say. I’m toying with the idea of selling my trusty Cannondale Slice (and a few other bikes in the stable) in order to get a nicer mountain bike for tooling around and maybe even some Xterra racing, but Nicholle has asked me to put the idea of Ironman Boulder on my back burner. Probably not for 2017, but maybe in 2018. The kids will be older and more manageable (ha!), Nicholle’s DMT (disease modifying therapy) Lemtrada will be going into its third cycle meaning hopefully continued improvement for her (thereby us), and her folks live in nearby Denver means an extended vacation of sorts. But then there’s the whole paying for it (and at the very least a new wetsuit), to say nothing of actually training for the race. Yeah. Me, train.
Much like the race itself, making it through this race report was quite the endeavor. No, it didn’t take me an entire month to write it; rather, the delay in writing and publication came about as a consequence of what kept me from adequately preparing for Ironman Arizona: Life.
Like a Monkey at an Event Horizon
PBS offers this great series of short talks on space & science called Space Time. One of these talks involves black holes and whether or not events inside of them actually happen and gives a phenomenal demonstration involving a monkey and My Little Pony, in which the monkey is perpetually trapped at the event horizon (edge) of the black hole with My Little Pony observing.
For several weeks, now, we have been that monkey, seemingly trapped at the event horizon, where the black hole is the vast, apparent nothingness that is healthcare—health insurance, in particular.
Until now, United Healthcare (UHC) has provided stellar health insurance for our family with minimal impact and cost to us. But, now, when we really need it (for approval of a Tier IV [re: stupid expensive] medication to put Nicholle's MS back in check), UHC is failing us. Badly. To the point where the physical, mental, emotional, and (potentially) financial health of this family is in peril.
When the previous medications were determined to no longer be effective for Nicholle, her doctor prescribed Lemtrada, a near-miracle disease-modifying therapy (DMT) that—while not outright curing patients of MS—has fast-tracked many to living as close to "normal" of a life as they can with minimal symptoms.The infusion center that is part of her doctor's office filed what should have been the necessary paperwork for insurance approval and what-have-you. There was a lot of what-have-you.
Not including Nicholle, there were four (4) parties involved:
Doctor's office/infusion center
Insurance company (UHC)
Specialty pharmacy (assigned by UHC; BriovaRX, in this case)
A liaison between the drug maker (Genzyme) and Nicholle (MS One to One)
Somehow, somewhere, the ball got dropped in that pharmacy approval for the medication through UHC was denied due to benefit exclusion (her employer did not include this particular drug for coverage through UHC) and a medical approval option has put the doctor's office in its own orbit around the same black hole.
Because the stress was having a tremendously stressful impact on Nicholle (and stress isn't good for MS—to say nothing of the fact that Nicholle has work to do), I got involved in an effort to learn where the ball got dropped.
A call with UHC member services pointed back to the doctor's office; a seemingly simple phone call for the medical appeal was all that was purported to be needed to get the medical approval greenlighted. UHC even tried calling the office while I was on hold to get said greenlight to no avail. So, I called the doctor's office. (I also called MS One to One and spoke to our rep. Both she—and the MS One to One program appear to be wholly useless existing as a superficial security blanket that "someone is on our side" to advocate for us and keep us covered. The only thing I feel covered in after the conversation with them is excrement.)
After several minutes of sometimes heated, sometimes emotional discussion with the infusion center nurse who handles insurance stuff (for lack of a better term; these events have left me drained on every level, save rage), it was asked what it would take to make me happy at the moment, to which I responded: A conference call.
For whatever reason, the phone systems at the doctor's office cannot handle conference calls, so it was the handy iPhone 5s to the rescue that got me and the nurse connected to the doctor's backdoor channels to UHC.
After several minutes navigating the infinite loop of UHC's automated system, we finally reached a rep who who was about as useful as an umbrella in a hurricane—even less-so than our MS One to One rep. The new UHC rep pulled up an authorization request that was denied at midnight.. Fifteen hours before the current call to UHC was placed and eight or so hours before the authorization request was even submitted to UHC. Now that's efficiency.
The nurse at the infusion center was told she could submit a peer-to-peer review appeal for the denied request (which she had attempted previously; denied requests cannot be appealed), and the call reference number provided by the rep was not inline with bona fide reference numbers provided to this nurse multiple times a day for other calls for other patients. Patients who have had no difficulty in getting approved for their medication. From UHC.
What would it take to make all of this better? Well, a genuine cure for MS would be phenomenal, though not at all likely right now. Getting Nicholle greenlighted for insurance or other financial coverage (and the drug in her system to do its thing ASAP) would be the next best thing, for we are fast-running out of time for not only alleviating her symptoms but also ensuring I can be by her side should she need me. (Because teachers have summers off, you know.)
This was long. And rambling. But so has been the black hole-like experience in which we've been trapped since sometime in early June. And we're tired of monkeying around with this whole process.
Katie2Rio
So it's been a week since the Yokahama race where, within hours of the race's conclusion, the men's field was named. In the highly more successful women's field, however, Katie Zaferas has yet to be named to the Olympic team. This, in spite of her stellar perfomances last and this season (including finishing in the top eight selection criteria in the Rio test event AND being currently ranked #4) then begs the question of whether or not USAT is playing by the rules it established prior to the Rio test event or if they are being rewritten as USAT so wishes for reasons I'd care not to fabricate, let alone entertain.
The fact remains that Katie Zaferas is "medal material" and deserves to be named to the women's Olympic team for Rio by not only meeting the pre-established criteria but also by the merits of her hard work and successful execution on race day. Yes, Gwen Jorgensen is a stellar athlete and will likely take gold, BUT if she drops her chain or flats or suffers some other detrimental bike mechanical—like what happened in London in 2012—no domestique, regardless of talent, is going to be able to get her to the podium. Therefore, having a proven talent in the form of Katie Zaferas is not just critical, it's what USAT said it would do.
Jorgensen, True, and Zaferas are all gold medal material. Show us, USAT, that your word is, too, by naming Katie Zaferas to the women's team.
Go, USA. Go, Katie.
Nonfiction used to be my least favorite literary genre. Then I began teaching Capote’s In Cold Blood and saw the genre from a different point of view and truly appreciated what it had to offer. Now, it seems like all I read is nonfiction--Rothfuss & Cline notwithstanding. However, one can take only so much nonfiction in literature or in life before some means of escape is desired and deemed necessary to save one’s sanity.
Such was the case for me whilst poring through The Witches: Salem, 1692 and related searches on documents related to the infamous Salem Witch Trials. While a fascinating read, I found myself too engrossed and unsettled by the parallels of then and now. As a nation, we’ve obviously not learned from the past and are erroneously repeating it with consequences likely to stretch to the seventh generation.
To turn my back on realities past and present, I flocked to comics. The print kind; the celluloid incarnations to which I’d been taking in unhealthy amounts via multiplex and Netflix alike just weren’t cutting it. At the top of my list was the latest incarnation of Black Panther by acclaimed writer Ta-Nehisi Coates. I had the impression going into it that the writing would be among the greatest possible in any universe, and I was not incorrect. But I was incorrect in thinking it would take me away from the world that was and the world that is.
Ingrained in the dialogue and narration of Black Panther #1 are obvious parallels to the world we know and live--obvious to me, anyway, as no one in my circles has taken me up on offers to peruse the comic, let alone engage in thoughtful discussion of its contents. I’ll not entertain any speculation or conjecture as to why because of the very reason that it would be speculation or conjecture. Still, given the popularity of Marvel’s screen presence, I have to say: I expected more from many of my peers. And better. But I (sort of) digress.
So I carry on in the notion that Coates is using his present station to illustrate parallels in the struggles of both the imaginary Wakandans and the very real residents of the region where Wakanda sits on the African continent, as well as those on the other side of the Atlantic. (Semi-intended pun.)
But I’m left wondering if Coates’s subtext may be easily missed, somewhat masked beneath the beautiful illustrations by Brian Stelfreeze and colorings by Laura Martin. As Samuel L. Jackson’s comic book-obsessed (spoiler alert!) villainous character Elijah laments in 2000’s Unbreakable:
I believe that comics, just at their core now... have a truth. They are depicting what someone, somewhere felt or experienced. Then of course that core got chewed up in the commercial machine and gets jazzed up, made titillating -- cartooned for the sale rack.
The intended message may get lost in translation--or worst, in the editing process. Granted, such garbling of a message may enable a comic to appeal to a broader audience, bringing in bigger bank, but at what cost?
Jackson’s character raised some very valid points a decade and a half ago in advocating for the need to take comics seriously--which made casting Jackson and his distinguished vocal talents so choice. A thing should not be judged as “childish”and unworthy of attention just because it is rendered in pictorial form.
Similarly, comics and the motion-based media comics inspire are not necessarily ideal for children. While visually appealing, the message (written and illustrated alike) can be easily lost on any lacking the mental maturity to appropriately absorb and process what is seen, what is read. Coates’s Black Panther, indeed, is visually appealing but offers so much more beneath the outer mask of marvelous illustrations. While Black Panther #1 did provide me the means of temporary escape from the realities of nonfiction, the themes and issues addressed in the comic’s roughly two dozen pages connect to a reality experienced by so many, connected to us all. May we have the wisdom to recognize it and the maturity to deal with it responsibly.
In 1989, The Cure released the best album ever, Disintegration. I, along with many of my friends became immediate converts to what some would describe as “whiny British music.” Fast forward to 1992 and the release of Wish, the non-remixed follow-up to Disintegration which, well, didn’t quite live up to what I was expecting. Wish wasn’t more of the same but more of a different side of The Cure and what they had to offer not pop music but music. Similarly, the recently-released follow-up to the 2011 smash hit Ready Player One has left many reviewers feeling disappointed that Armada didn’t deliver the freshly original futuristic environment that RPO did and that the plot line was lifted directly from The Last Starfighter. Personally, I found it more akin to Iron Eagle—to which Cline also referred throughout Armada, but that’s not the point of this. Rather, I’m just curious if reviewers are actually reading the books they’re expected—and paid—to review.
Added among the things I would really rather not do is go up against Ernest Cline in a pop culture trivia challenge. Reading through both RPO and Armada brought back many memories of films, shows, and music enjoyed throughout my childhood, though there were a few references in Armada that I didn’t know (I’m one of a very few my age who have never seen neither The Goonies nor Say Anything); it’s clear Cline really knows his stuff. But the pop culture kitsch serves merely as garnish to stories unintended to replicate one another.
OK, sure, Armada was really riddled with almost gratuitous pop culture references (such as the combination to the safe) but just because Armada didn’t reinvent the world with its contemporary setting is no reason to dismiss the novel as unoriginal or disappointing. Even the static nature of most of the characters or the somewhat predictable story arc of Cline’s work (lone, pop culture-obsessed dude goes on an eye-opening adventure, finding love with a woman who happens to be into the same stuff he is, and getting “saved” by someone of significant status at the zero hour in order to clear the level by seeing a movie before it’s released, winning the game/contest, or literally saving the world) fail to serve as sufficient reasons to think less of Cline or (worse) not read what he’s written. Cline is hardly the first to find something that works and serve it up.
At the risk of offending the literati, consider the follow-up (of sorts) from another author whose first novel defined her as a writer and became what any future novels would be compared to. Unlike Armada, though, Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman not only used several of the same characters from To Kill a Mockingbird but it was also apparently written beforehand. All the same, some have been purportedly unwilling to accept the novel, unable to get past the implication that their childhood hero is a racist. Well, from a certain point of view. So they pretend the novel doesn’t exist, and their childhood memories remain intact. Easy enough when the author has but two published novels. But when discussing Shakespeare, things get a tad more complicated.
One running joke amongst those in my former circle of high school English teachers (yes, high school English teachers have a sense of humor) is that Shakespeare wrote two plays: Everyone dies in one and the two most antithetical characters get married in the other. In spite of this, Shakespeare wrote some three dozen plays, most of which had predictable settings and story arcs allowing audiences of varying levels of education and/or social status to relate to them in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries through today.
This is not to say that Ernie Cline is today’s Shakespeare. No, that honor would be conferred by me to Joss Whedon in that Whedon is what I consider to be the most talented storyteller in contemporary times—even if so many of his stories have echoes of one another (the series Agents of Shield is actually Firefly which is actually Buffy the Vampire Slayer, although The Dollhouse references in Agents of Shield were great), including making the same film twice in one year. (You did know that the first Avengers film was actually Much Ado About Nothing, only with more elaborate CGI. Right?)
Unlike Whedon’s double dipping from Shakespeare and The Avengers/Much Ado About Nothing (the latter of which I found to be a far more enjoyable film, making one of Shakespeare’s comedies actually tolerable), Ernie Cline did not double-dip or otherwise gyp his readers by writing the same story twice (or thrice, if including Fanboys), nor did he fail readers by not creating another fantastical futuristic world the likes of which had never been seen for Armada. (Honestly, the most striking part of RPO for me was his vision of the future of school in the OASIS. Something along those lines was what I had imagined for the focus of my graduate research project of the classroom of the future; participants in my research study had a serious lack of vision, Cline’s or otherwise.) Instead, Cline took his readers to the world of their very own doorstep and had them question themselves and what they might do if encountering something akin to alien life.
Sadly, to some critics, Cline’s intent with Armada appears to have across as alien, not unlike the swastika on the surface of Europa. Seeing something so seemingly familiar, conclusions were leapt to and mistakes were made by dismissing Cline’s sophomore effort as simply more of the same pop culture allusions and storyline straight from 80s, unworthy of succeeding his debut. How literally superficial.
It’s been 23 years since the release of The Cure’s Wish, the studio follow-up to Disintegration. I somehow doubt there will be a multi-disc re-release of Wish in the same manner there was of Disintegration, complete with unreleased tracks and other B sides from the quartet of successful singles the album spawned. That said, in the time since first hearing the opening distorted chords of the aptly titled “Open” and wondering if I’d just wasted twenty dollars, an appreciation of Wish has grown—by listening to the whole album. A lot. Even though I’ve listened to Disintegration more. There’s no harm in preferring an original to a follow-up, but there is harm in providing an opinion on something when the opinion is formulated with inadequate information in order to rush to judgement. And press.
This past December, the City of Schertz began construction of sidewalks lining both sides of the roughly 3.1 miles of Roy Richard Drive, known to me as FM 3009. The presence of sidewalks will hopefully encourage more folk to take to foot and traipse about all or a part of those sidewalks as a means of visiting friends, neighbors, and shops dotting the main corridor cutting through Schertz. Additionally, sidewalks will open up an additional avenue for family fitness, especially for running. But adding in pedestrians where there have traditionally been none may pose problems for those afoot and those in-car alike. As a lifetime Schertz resident and longtime runner and cyclist, I felt bringing up some helpful reminders to ensure safe use and sharing of Three Dub by us all would be a good idea now, before the sidewalks are free for use.
Throughout, I’ll be referring to the Texas Transportation Code, which is available to read in its entirety at www.statues.legis.state.tx.us/?link=TN. It’s a ridiculously huge document, though, so we’ll just be focusing on sections 541 (definitions), 544 (vehicles), and 552 (pedestrians).
Because of sheer volume, size, and speed, I’m going to start with motor vehicles. Here, I’ll generically refer to motor vehicles as cars, but a vehicle includes cars, trucks, vans, motorcycles, buses, and any other form of motorized transportation traversing 3009 covered in Section 541.201; bicycles will be addressed in greater detail some other time–-but just be aware that bicycles are classified as vehicles in the state (Sec. 541.201.2) and enjoy the same rules and protections as any other vehicle, which includes riding on the road itself and not on sidewalks. But enough about bikes. Let’s get back to cars.
Gary Numan once waxed about how, in his car, he felt “safest of all,” which is not a far cry from how most of us feel when we’re behind the wheel of our multi-ton modes of transport. Because we tend to be seated comfortable with so many variables at our control: Speed, climate, audio, and even who is sharing the experience with us. However, our feeling of safety and comfort tends to remove us from the world beyond power windows and bucket seats. It’s too easy to forget about everyone else having their own experience in concert with our own. It’s too easy to forget to share the road.
If turning onto a side street or business of 3009 from the main roadway, it will likely be pretty easy to spot a pedestrian or two or six. This is made easier if scanning the sidewalks before and after the side street and not just the street itself. Coming out from the side streets or businesses and onto the main roadway of 3009, though, is where things can get tricky.
Each intersection of roadway and sidewalk should have a marked, designated crosswalk. These are the large, white rectangles painted on the road surface where many may stop before making their turn, oftentimes with the whole front end of the car occupying the whole of the crosswalk.This is not only not cool but also not legal as it blocks the right of way given to pedestrians outlined in Section 552.003. Vehicles are to “stop before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection” (Sec. 544.007.d & 544.010.c). If the car’s seat is adjusted properly, it is perfectly possible to be able to make the requisite left, right, left again visual sweep of the roadway—and sidewalks—before executing a turn. Sure, we may have to lean forward a bit, but a moment’s discomfort far outweighs the risk of running into or over someone, regardless of who’s “right.”
A pedestrian is defined by the TTC as “a person on foot” (Sec 541.001.4)—regardless of how fast they are moving, running or walking or anything in between. The TTC generally grants pedestrians the right of way when it comes to sidewalks, regardless of if a crossing signal is present. That said, this “right of way” does not give us as pedestrians a free pass to act without regard to the safety of ourselves or other users of the sidewalk or roadway, including motorists. It is critical—literally a possible matter of life or death—to be aware of everyone and everything around us at all times. Consequently, the use of headphones (or earbuds, or anything else that might fit in or over your ears that blocks or overrides external sound) should not be practiced in high-traffic areas like 3009. Being able to hear approaching vehicles by the pitch and volume of a vehicle’s tire rotation can clue you in as to how close that vehicle is, as well as how fast it’s moving—or if it’s slowing down in order to make a turn.
It’s been said that the eyes are the gateway to the soul, so use these gateways to safeguard soul and survival. At every intersection, look in every direction, every time—and not just a cursory glance, either. Visually sweep as broad of a field as possible. Make and lock eye contact with vehicle operators (see Sec 541.001.1) and even use hand gestures to ensure they know that not only you are there but also what your intentions are: Are you letting them go first? Are you making a break for it? Are you turning one way or another? Make yourself predictable and make your intentions known. And also make yourself visible by coordinating clothing and accessories to light levels. (Hint: Bright, flashing LEDs are your friends.)
It may be that, when the sidewalks open later this year, there will be absolutely no incidents involving vehicle operator and pedestrian. However, based on the numerous near run-ins I’ve experienced with vehicles just on Schertz Parkway (which boasts a lower speed limit and lower volume of traffic), the statistics just do not look favorable for anyone. The odds are further compounded if, as a vehicle operator, you’re opting to ignore the cell phone ordinance passed and put into effect back in October. (Oh, and pedestrians: Safe use of your cell phone is also incumbent upon you; don’t plan to walk & text/tweet/what-have-you with your face glued to the screen without consequence.) As pedestrian or vehicle operator, we all need to be aware and considerate of one another, sharing the resources that allow us to freely move up and down 3009.
“Five more minutes,” she would always say.
Even from the time she was a child, Nicholle enjoyed sleep. She once told me (and her mother corroborated this) that, when she was three and her mother was very pregnant with who would become her little sister, Nicholle’s mother would have to call the neighbor’s kids over to get her up from naptime. Nicholle knew that her pregnant mother was unable to make the climb upstairs to wake her up, and so she slept on.
Five more minutes.
Much of our courtship revolved around running and triathlon. We did, after all, meet on a run around Boerne Lake and got married in the midst of the Las Vegas Half-Marathon. So early mornings were nothing out of the ordinary, be it for track work at UT San Antonio (before they closed off the track to the public—boo!) before work or being up at stupid o’clock in order to be at the transition area of some race or other in order to get prime parking for our bikes and sundry other junk. But, on rest days…
Five more minutes
When Nicholle was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, we immediately made contact with the local chapter of the National MS Society. A good friend I knew from days volunteering with the American Diabetes Association was now the director for the San Antonio edition of Bike MS, formerly known as MS150—the very event that nudged me back into cycling, segueing me into triathlon, and eventually meeting Nicholle—and Cindy got us talking with people here and across the country in order to be proactive and to be as prepared as we could be to meet this head on.
But now, five years later, MS appears to be winning. In the months since the birth of our second child (a girl, Lisbeth*), Nicholle has endured multiple flare-ups, each more aggressive than the one before it. It’s like that episode of Battlestar Galactica, “33,” where the Cylon armada attack the civilian fleet every thirty-three minutes exactly—only MS isn’t nearly as predictable, nor is it as easy to outrun by simply revving up the FTL (faster-than-light) engines. Oftentimes, MS isn’t as merciful, either.
So we find ourselves asking, begging, pleading for a break of some sort from the relentlessness of this demon of a disease. Anything, even just five more minutes to pretend that everything is normal. That a fever or flutter in the seasons won’t spark a relapse, rendering the legs of a woman who ran competitively in high school and college—who ran on her wedding day (in her wedding for that matter), who ran in the Texas Independence Relay, who ran on the day she gave birth to her daughter—limp and unable to respond to her brain’s screaming commands to simply move and carry her across the room. Or even just out of bed.
In our own ways, we’re all masters at procrastination. But, now, in 2016, the time has come to quit hitting “snooze” on the alarm calling for a cure for multiple sclerosis. The people who live with the impacts of MS—both the diagnosed and their friends, families, and loved ones—can no longer wait.
Not even for just five more minutes.
* – Not her real name
A coworker & I exchanged a few emails today regarding work-related stuff, eventually devolving into writing about writing; English teachers, right?
Below is one of those exchanges.
Colleague writes
Thanks for sharing! Lots of symbolism there---needs to be commemorated in poetry...
Poetry isn't really my strong suit, despite my tendency to write in flowy words and expressions. Too much reading & teaching Capote, I suppose. For certain, though, my fondness for Capote has incapacitated me when it comes to my own writing; I feel the precedent too powerful. So, I have refrained from writing my own thoughts, thinking them invalid or otherwise not worth the time it takes to strike the proper series of keys, let alone making the strokes of a pen---a pen I in turn would need to fall upon for having permitted so much ink bleed unnecessarily upon a page.
Just between us girls, I've toyed with the idea of writing a nonfiction of sorts, chronicling my wife's journey to learning of her diagnosis with multiple sclerosis and how it has impacted her life since. Same with several friends I have known in one capacity or another, unified sadly in not only knowing me but also in having been told their own body is attacking and damaging their central nervous system without current hope of cure; rather, merely a management of varying, unpredictable symptoms with pharmaceuticals originally designed to eradicate cancer. Like a little bit of chemo. For the rest of your life.
Wow. this has gone on too long. Gonna let this go now. Would you mind, terribly, if I borrowed your words from this correspondence to blog about it? As you know, every writer needs a starting point. This may be mine.
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Home » Landlords » Rent ‘good value for money’, say tenants
Rent ‘good value for money’, say tenants
The majority of tenants say their rent provides good value for money, according to the National Landlords Association’s latest research findings.
More than seven in 10 tenants (73 per cent) rated their rent as ‘good’ or ‘very good’ when asked their opinion on whether it represented value for money.
One in five (20 per cent) perceived their rent as ‘poor’ value, while just three per cent rated it as ‘very poor’. The findings also show that the majority of landlords haven’t increased rents in the last 12 months, with three quarters of tenants reporting they’re paying the same rent (72 per cent) or a lesser amount (3 per cent) compared with a year ago. In total, 85 per cent of tenants said they were happy with the length of their most recent tenancy agreement and four in five (79 per cent) said that their tenancy was either renewed or continued on to a rolling Statutory Periodic Tenancy (SPT) at the end of the previous fixed term period.
When it comes to the end of the tenancy, fewer than two per cent of tenants said their landlord ended their last tenancy (1 per cent) or felt they were forced to move out because of increases to their rent (0.6 per cent). Three per cent of tenants said they decided to move on or end their last tenancy of their own accord.
Carolyn Uphill, Chairman of the National Landlords Association, said:
“It’s pleasing to see that so many tenants perceive their rent as good value because landlords face a lot of unjustified criticism for the rising costs of living.
“The NLA has long argued that rent levels in the UK are a consequence of a market economy, with the determining factor at present being a chronic undersupply of affordable housing, compounded by lethargic efforts on the part of Government to foster more construction.“On the whole the findings are encouraging for tenants: they demonstrate that rents on private lets over the past year have remained fairly stable and show that, in reality, very few feel pressured to move out or actually have their tenancy terminated by their landlord – a common misconception.
“However, most important of all the findings suggest that the majority of landlords are in the business of providing good quality, affordable homes and are making sustainable tenancies a mainstay of most tenants’ rental experience”.
January 23, 2014 Alex Bell Landlords, Letting
Don’t leave generation rent behind – CBI
Room for manoeuvre on timing of right to buy abolition
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PUNCH-IT ENTERTAINMENT 2ND QUARTER 2019 UPDATE
Hello everyone! Welcome back to the Blog… I know we have been radio silent for far too long around here, and for that, I must apologize. Going through a leadership change can be very difficult as you work towards learning parts of our business that had been done by another person. Additionally, your regular work doesn’t stop because of that, so needless to say my to-do list continues to grow while I fall behind in so many other things. While we haven’t been sitting around here at Punch-It, our outreach and communication have been too sporadic for my liking.
I’m hoping to fix that very soon as we can start sharing more information with you over the coming months.
BATTLE FOR SULARIA AND THE ALPHA PROGRAM
By all intents and purposes, the Alpha Program is doing a great job of keeping players interested in the future of Sularia. However, the reality of the program is such that we just do not have enough interest in the program to be doing monthly updates. In fact, since the Alpha Programs inception, we have received feedback from precisely three players on cards in the pool. One of our hopes with the program was that our Alpha players would try the cards and relay back to our concerns and feedback, a sort of final check against the cards before they would enter into the Omega Program. Because the input has not been high, we are going to bump the frequency of the Alpha Program down to once every quarter.
This means that your monthly Alpha Program Promo will transition to quarterly promos. Additionally, we will be no longer doing them as pre-orders. This means I will order a set amount for the quarter and they will exist to be purchased until they are sold out. Now you may be saying, but Jesse I thought you were going to set up recurring billing so I wouldn’t have to visit your site. While I would love to integrate that service, most providers that provide recurring billing incur additional expenses that at this stage in the Alpha Program are just not feasible. If the program grows and we find that we are selling through the promos faster and faster, then we will most definitely be looking at ways to improve the process overall.
For those of you with January Promo Card orders, those orders will begin shipping this week. I appreciate your patience as we work through the Alpha Program rework.
The Print and Play Alpha Program files will update to now include three Faction Specific Cards and one Mercenary Card from the set. If you downloaded Foundation Series Pack 1, you would need to re-download it when I submit the new file later this week. This will increase the length of the file, but it will also make it easier for you to get more cards to work with and see the set in greater detail.
Alpha Program prints by Punch-It
We will begin using a Print on Demand service to offer copies of our Alpha Edition packs here soon. This service intends to provide you with the convenience of having the cards printed on the official Battle for Sularia card stock. Please understand that these kinds of services are not as cost effective as retail services and we will continue to offer the free print and play for those of you that want to take the time to print and cut and sleeve the cards. I will have more details for you on the printing service in the next few weeks.
PUNCH-IT ENTERTAINMENT AMBASSADOR PROGRAM
We are working very hard to develop and Ambassador Program and alongside an Organized Play Program. Below you will find a link to sign up for our Ambassador Program. What do we see as Ambassadors for Punch-It’s games? If you are a content creator, podcaster, streamer, YouTube Content creation, etc.… then you should apply for Ambassadorship with us. If you are someone interested in running tournaments, demos, and other in-store events, then you should apply for Ambassadorship. We see the first step is to gauge interest in our audience for becoming an Ambassador. Once we get that sorted out, then we will set up an Ambassador only meeting across Google Hangouts to discuss how the program may operate. We want to build a fantastic program that can grow and scale with the success that comes from your support.
If you are interested in becoming an Ambassador, follow the link below and submit your application. A few minor things of note, we will not have more than one Ambassador per store, and Ambassadors will need to maintain their Ambassadorship.
GREAT PLAINS GAME FESTIVAL
Last month we went back to one of our most favorite local cons here in Lincoln. Great Plains Game Festival is quickly growing into one of the Midwest’s premiere cons. With nearly 450 attendees this year GPGF has increased by almost 150 people since the first time we attended 5 years ago.
Battle for Sularia and all of its accessories were on display and available to purchase, and I wanted to thank all of our friends that stopped by the booth to say hello and chat. We weren’t just hawking our wares at GPGF, but we took the opportunity to show off 2 of the 3 prototypes we are working on.
Play testing games is a lengthy and somewhat arduous process that can be difficult on the outside looking in to see progress on. But I’m delighted with the results and the feedback we received from our friends that stopped by to play the games.
I know you are all probably asking, what two games did you show? We are only using working titles for these games at this time, but the first game is Sularia: A Deck Building Game and the second is tentatively called Hunt.
SULARIA: A DECKBUILDING GAME
Sularia: A Deckbuilding Game is a traditional deck builder game where players will be purchasing cards from a market row and adding them to their decks to play. The unique hooks we are currently testing are a quest system where both players are competing to complete specific tasks on quests in a lane. The player that completes the three required tasks such as play a unit, play a site, and deal 3 damage will win the quest and the victory points. The second unique hook to the game is players starting decks are asymmetrical. Meaning that instead of everyone having 7 resource cards, 2 attack cards, and one particular card. Each player will have unique starting cards and abilities. The third and final hook for this game involves players playing cards into a permanent battlefield. In a traditional deck builder, players play out their whole hand and do whatever the cards say. In our game players will be playing out their full hand but they will be resolving those cards into play as permanents on a battlefield. We will have much more to talk about with this game in the coming months, but early feedback has been, and we are moving into phase 2 of development on this game, which will require us to start designing iconography and begin making card tweaks and changes. Based on feedback we want to also do a bit more work to quest system as well.
Hunt is an ambitious project and a freshman design concept for our in-house developer Neil Mohlman. I will be helping Neil through the design and development process and will be his co-designer on this title. Hunt in a way could be considered a dungeon crawler board game, but it has some unique aspects that push it beyond a traditional dungeon crawler game. Hunt will be a legacy game when finished, but we are currently focused very much on the core gameplay loop. The basic premise in Hunt is that you and up to 3 other friends will be exploring a dangerous forest full of natural hazards and ferocious beasts, on the hunt for one deadly creature. Set in a high fantasy setting, Neil pitched the game to me as a board game version of Monster Hunter. Our initials tests at GPGF were very encouraging as we are testing the core exploration and boss fighting mechanisms. Exploration of the forest is done procedurally by the players, and they will be collecting research on the monster they are hunting, crafting material, and encountering all of the above bad things. Combat is done through a set collection mechanism, and exploration will feel very similar to Betrayal of House on the Hill. There will be much more to talk about in the coming months on Hunt, but this game is massive and ambitious, and it will take quite some time to fully develop.
Well, that was a lot of information to share, and I hope you all enjoyed it. I will be doing individual blog posts for the Alpha Edition cards later this month to get us caught up. We will also begin slowing transitioning this site to help us be multiple games-centric versus just Battle for Sularia. That process will most likely take many months to complete, so please pardon our dust as we make the changes and transitions.
Tagged: Battle for Sularia: The Card Game!, Alpha Program, Hunt, Sularia: A Deckbuilding Game, Update, Ambassador
DESIGNING A STRATEGY CARD GAME PART 1
ALPHA EDITION JANUARY 2019 UPDATE
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Parishes Bridge Medical Practice
West Byfleet Health Centre Madeira Road West Byfleet Surrey, KT14 6DH
Consulting Times
Electronic Prescription Service - to your Chosen Pharmany
Extended Access
Extended access clinics over Christmas period. Additional appointments are available at Crouch Oak, Addlestone and Goldsworth Park between 22nd December 2017 and 8th January 2018 (exluding 25th, 26th December and 1st January 2018). Enquire at reception for details.
Planning Your Pregnancy
Child Health 0 - 6 Years
Children's Immunisation Schedule
Here's a checklist of the vaccines that are routinely offered to everyone in the UK for free on the NHS, and the age at which you should ideally have them.
Routine childhood immunisations
When to immunise
Diseases protected against
Vaccine given
Site**
Two months old Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) DTaP/IPV/Hib (Pediacel) Thigh
Pneumococcal disease PCV (Prevenar 13) Thigh
Rotavirus Rotavirus (Rotarix) By mouth
Meningococcal group B (MenB) MenB Left thigh
Three months old Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio and Hib DTaP/IPV/Hib (Pediacel) Thigh
Meningococcal group C disease (MenC) Men C (NeisVac-C or Menjugate) Thigh
Four months old Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio and Hib DTaP/IPV/Hib (Pediacel) Thigh
Meningococcal group B (MenB) Men B Left thigh
One year old Hib/MenC Hib/MenC (Menitorix) Upper arm/thigh
Pneumococcal disease PCV (Prevenar 13) Upper arm/thigh
Measles, mumpsand rubella (German measles) MMR(Priorix or MMR VaxPRO) Upper arm/thigh
MenB MenB booster Left thigh
Two to six years old
(including children in
school years 1 and 2) Influenza (each year from September) Live attenuated influenza
vaccine LAIV4 Both nostrils
Three years four months old or soon after Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and polio dTaP/IPV (Repevax) or DTaP/IPV(Infanrix-IPV) Upper arm
Measles, mumpsand rubella MMR (Priorix or MMR VaxPRO)(check first dose has been given) Upper arm
** Where two or more injections are required at once, these should ideally be given in different limbs. Where this is not possible, injections in the same limb should be given 2.5cm apart.
Immunisations for at-risk children
Target Group Age & Schedule Disease Vaccines required
Babies born to hepatitis B infected
mothers At birth, four weeks, eight weeks
and Boost at one year1 Hepatitis B Hepatitis B vaccine
(Engerix B / HBvaxPRO)
Infants in areas of the country with
TB incidence >= 40/100,000
At birth Tuberculosis BCG
Infants with a parent or grandparent
born in a high incidence country At birth Tuberculosis BCG
There is a good guide on the NHS website which describes various conditions affecting children. There is advice on how to diagnose them, how to treat them and if further advice should be consulted.
NHS childhood illness slideshow
When Should I Worry?
Having an ill child can be a very scary experience for parents. If you understand more about the illness it can help you to feel more in control. This booklet is for parents (and older children) and deals with common infections in children who are normally healthy.
Download the booklet
See the NHS Conditions and Treatments browser for an in-depth description of many common health issues.
These links all come from trusted resources but if you are unsure about these or any other medical matters please contact your doctor or pharmacist for advice
Child Health 7 to 15 Years
Girls aged 12 to 13 years old Cervical cancer caused by human papillomavirus types 16 and 18 (and genital warts caused by types 6 and 11) HPV (two doses 6-12 months) Upper arm
14 years old (school year 9) Tetanus, diphtheria and polio Td/IPV (Revaxis), and check MMR status Upper arm
Meningococcal groups A, C, W
and Y disease MenACWY Upper arm
The Meningitis C vaccination will be introduced during the 2013/14 academic year and the vaccine supplied will depend on the brands available at the time of ordering
Most symptoms of a fever in young children can be managed at home with infant paracetamol. If the fever is very high, they may have an infection that needs treating with antibiotics.
Bupa - more about childhood fevers
NHS Choices - what temperature is a fever?
Head lice are insects that live on the scalp and neck. They may make your head feel itchy. Although head lice may be embarrassing and sometimes uncomfortable, they don't usually cause illness. However, they won't clear up on their own and you need to treat them promptly
Head Lice Factsheet
Nosebleeds (also known as epistaxis) are fairly common, especially in children, and can generally be easily treated.
St Johns Ambulance
NHS Conditions and Treatments
Mens' Health
Five health symptoms men should not ignore:
"British men are paying the price for neglecting their health: more than 100,000 men a year die prematurely.
On average, men go to their GP half as often as women. It's important to be aware of changes to your health, and to see your GP immediately if you notice something that's not right." Find out more
Each year about 36,000 men in the UK are diagnosed with prostate cancer, making it the most common cancer in men. It mainly affects men aged over 50.
difficulty in starting to pass urine
a weak, sometimes intermittent flow of urine
dribbling of urine before and after urinating
a frequent or urgent need to pass urine
rarely, blood in your urine or semen and pain when passing urine
These symptoms aren't always caused by prostate cancer but if you have them, see your GP.
Find out more about the symptoms, causes and diagnosis of prostate cancer by using the resources below.
BUPA - Prostate Cancer
NHS - Prostate Cancer
Testicular cancer, though the most common cancer in young men, it is still quite rare. With 2000 new cases being diagnosed each year, this makes it the biggest cause of cancer related death in 15 - 35-year-old males. It accounts for around 70 deaths a year within the UK alone.
What to Look Out For
The most common symptom of testicular cancer is swelling or a pea-sized lump in one of the testes (balls). There is no current screening test therefore it is important that you look out for the following signs and symptoms.
A dull ache, or sharp pain, in your testicles, or scrotum, which may come and go
A feeling of heaviness in your scrotum
A dull ache in your lower abdomen
A sudden collection of fluid in your scrotum
Fatigue, and generally feeling unwell.
NHS - Information on Testicular Cancer
BUPA - Testicular Cancer
It’s estimated that one man in 10 has a problem related to having sex, such as premature ejaculation or erectile dysfunction. Dr John Tomlinson of The Sexual Advice Association explains some of the causes, and where to seek help.
Find our more on NHS
Cervical Screening (Smear Tests)
Cervical screening is a method of preventing cervical cancer by detecting abnormal cells in the cervix (lower part of the womb). Cervical screening is not a test for cancer, but it is a test to check the health of the cervix.
Most women's test results show that everything is normal. But for one in 20 women, the test will show some changes in the cells of the cervix. Most of these changes will not lead to cervical cancer and the cells will go back to normal on their own. In some cases, the abnormal cells need to be treated to prevent them becoming a problem later.
NHS - Cervical Screening
The why, when & how guide to cervical screening
NHS Inform (Scottish Patients)
Cervical Screening information, risks, benefits and tests for patients based in Scotland
This factsheet is for women who would like information about having a cervical smear test for screening. This means having the test when you don't have any symptoms.
Since September 2008 there has been a national programme to vaccinate girls aged 12-13 against human papilloma virus (HPV). There is also a three-year catch up campaign that will offer the HPV vaccine (also known as the cervical cancer jab) to 13-18 year old girls.
The programme is delivered largely through secondary schools, and consists of three injections that are given over a six-month period. In the UK, more than 1.4 million doses have been given since the vaccination programme started.
What is Human papilloma virus (HPV)?
Human papilloma virus (HPV) is the name of a family of viruses that affect the skin and the moist membranes that line your body, such as those in your cervix, anus, mouth and throat. These membranes are called the mucosa.
There are more than 100 different types of HPV viruses, with about 40 types affecting the genital area. These are classed as high risk and low risk.
How you get HPV?
Types of HPV that affect the skin can be passed on by skin contact with an affected person. The types of HPV that affect the mouth and throat can be passed on through kissing. Genital HPV is usually spread through intimate, skin to skin, contact during sex. You can have the genital HPV virus for years and not have any sign of it.
How HPV can cause cervical cancer?
Most HPV infections are harmless or cause genital warts, however some types can cause cervical cancer. Most HPV infections clear up by themselves, but in some people the infection can last a long time. HPV infects the cells of the surface of the cervix where it can stay for many years without you knowing.
The HPV virus can damage these cells leading to changes in their appearance. Over time, these changes can develop into cervical cancer. The purpose of cervical screening (testing) is to detect these changes, which, if picked up early enough, can be treated to prevent cancer happening. If they are left untreated, cancer can develop and may lead to serious illness and death.
HPV Facts and information
NHS - HPV Vaccination Why, how and when is the vaccination given and what are the side effects
This factsheet is for people who would like information about the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK. About 46,000 women get breast cancer in the UK each year. Most of them (8 out of 10) are over 50, but younger women, and in rare cases men, can also get breast cancer.
The NHS Breast Screening Programme invites over 2 million women for screening every year, and detects over 14,000 cancers. Dr Emma Pennery of Breast Cancer Care says: “Breast X-rays, called mammograms, can detect tumours at a very early stage, before you’d feel a lump. The earlier it’s treated, the higher the survival rate.”
Find out more about breast cancer screening
Macmillan Cancer Research
The causes and symptoms of breast cancer in women and explains how it is diagnosed and treated
Symtpoms, diagnosis, treatment, prevention & screening information
Seasonal Flu Vaccination
Influenza – flu – is a highly infectious and potentially serious illness caused by influenza viruses. Each year the make-up of the seasonal flu vaccine is designed to protect against the influenza viruses that the World Heal th Organization decide are most likely to be circulating in the coming winter.
Regular immunisation (vaccination) is given free of charge to the following at-risk people, to protect them from seasonal flu:
people aged 65 or over,
people with a serious medical condition
if you are pregnant
people living in a residential or nursing home
the main carers for an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if the carer becomes ill
healthcare or social care professionals directly involved in patient care
For more information on flu immunisation, including background information on the vaccine and how you can get the jab, see Seasonal flu jab
HPA - Season Flu Guide
Seasonal Flu Factsheet
Eating Well & Exercise - helping you maintain a healthy body
We're bombarded with scare stories about weight, from size zero to the obesity 'epidemic'. But a healthy body is determined by different factors for each of us.
NHS - Good Food Guide
Information on a healthy diet and ways to make it work for you
NHS - Why be active?
Even a little bit of exercise will make you feel better about yourself, boost your confidence and cut your risk of developing a serious illness.
Both men and women need to look after their sexual health and take time to understand the issues that surround contraception and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
For instance there are some STIs, like chlamydia, that you could be carrying without having any symptoms. This infection can affect fertility, so it's important to make use of the sexual health services available for free on the NHS.
Useful Resources:
Sex & Young People
A comprehensive guide to the questions you may have about sex from the NHS
Issues, symptoms and treatments
Sexual Health FAQs
Expert answers from a qualified Doctor
Netdoctor
Here you'll find tips for a fulfilling sex life plus advice on STDs, contraception and common sex problems.
FPA - The Sexual Health Charity
Sexual health advice and information on contraception, sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy choices, abortion and planning a pregnancy.
There are so many different types of contraception available that you should be able to find the right method. You may have to try several different things before you choose the one you like most.
Types of contraception
A Family Planning specialist writes about the different types of contraception, the benefits and pitfalls and how effective they are
Contraception - NHS
Information on Contraception from NHS Choices including why, when and how it should be used and with links to other useful resources.
Hormonal Contraception
This factsheet is for women who are taking hormonal contraceptives, or who would like information about them.
Chlamydia is the most commonly diagnosed sexually transmitted infection among under-25s. Often there are no symptoms, but testing and treatment are simple.
Causes and risk factors Chlamydia is usually passed from one person to another during vaginal, oral or anal sex, or by sharing sex toys. It can live inside cells of the cervix, urethra, rectum and sometimes in the throat and eyes.
NHS - focus on Chlamydia Information, videos and advice from the NHS website
This factsheet is for people who have chlamydia, or who would like information about it.
Friends of West Byfleet
Electronic Patient Records
Are You Under 18?
Care Quality Commission Information
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Get "Wicked" at the Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament!
National Geographic Channel will host a premiere screening of its new series, Wicked Tuna: North vs. South on Thursday, August 14th at 8:00PM in The Pavilion at Pirate’s Cove Marina. The new series was shot on location in the Outer Banks and features local fishermen as they battle Northern captains from the original Wicked Tuna series during North Carolina’s competitive bluefin fishing season. All are welcome to join and there will be cast members and special guests in attendance.
About the show:
The long, cold winter has just hit New England, and while the bluefin tuna season has come to an end in Gloucester, Mass., it’s just getting started in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. After a disappointing season, several of Gloucester’s top fishermen head south to try to salvage their finances by fishing for the elusive bluefin tuna in unfamiliar Carolina waters before the experienced locals beat them to the catch. It’s a whole new battlefield and the Northern captains must conquer new styles of fishing, treacherous waters and the wrath of the Outer Banks’ top fishermen. They’re gambling on what could be a massive payday … or a huge financial loss.
What boats are fishing:
Northern Boats
Hard Merchandise
Pin Wheel
Southern Boats
Fishin’ Frenzy
« Dare County Boat Builders Tournament Update – PCF LIVE
August 9th – Watch LIVE Coverage from the Carolina Redfish Series Event 2 – Swansboro Hook and Bones Open – Swansboro, NC »
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Sept. 24 - 29, 2019
Film selection
1st MIBFF KIDS PROGRAM
2018 FIBFF BLACK MARKET
2018 THE JURY
Being Black In Montreal
OUR 2018 AMBASSADORS
Buy Tickets and Passes
How to pick up your tickets
History of the festival
Montreal Guide
2017 Film selection
2017 MIBFF BLACK MARKET
“20 FEET FROM STARDOM “FREE SCREENING !
What would a pop song be without the riffs, refrains, and harmonies of its backup vocalists? Although these singers are usually relegated to the margins, and few, if any, become household names, their work has defined countless songs that remain in our hearts and collective consciousness. Twenty Feet from Stardom juxtaposes interviews with industry legends (Bruce Springsteen, Bette Midler, and others) and the relative unknowns who support them like Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, and Judith Hill as they illuminate the art of melding their own distinct voices with lead vocals and reveal their desires for careers as solo artists.
Join us 16th June, 9pm at la Place de la Paix ! It’s Free
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHH-rwIqU8Y
The Montreal International Black Film Festival is an innovative, bold and dynamic event aiming to stimulate the development of the independent film industry while fostering the creation of films on international black realities. We are proud to offer audiences a fresh look at black cinema from all four corners of the globe. In addition, we seek to give a voice to filmmakers who would otherwise go unheard, providing both grants and awards.
Copyright © Montreal International Black Film Festival 2017. All rights reserved.
Designed by Fortune Lab and Zaza Production
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Sinkhole Incidents On the Rise
Posted by Howard on January 5, 2015 at 3:30pm
"Stretch zones primarily experience sinking ground, as the support in the rock strata is stretched thin. Thus, buildings implode and gas and water mains break." ZetaTalk
What happens to rock layers under a diagonal pull, or being pulled apart? As can be seen during recent years, this has resulted in derailing trains, sinkholes suddenly appearing, gas and water main breaks, torn roadways and separating bridges. Despite the effect on man, crawling about on the surface of what they assume to be terra firma, these changes are superficial. When the pulling starts, weak points break and thereafter the plumbing and roadways hold, giving the impression that the pulling has stopped, but this is misleading. The North American continent is giving evidence that its rock layers are separating from each other, and sliding sideways in a diagonal, thus exposing portions of these layers to vent into the air above. If rock is being stressed, then where are the earthquake predictors giving evidence of this, the frantic animals, the static on the radio, the earthquake swarms? Rock in the stretch zone, pulling apart rather than compressing, does not emit the particles flows that animals and radios sense, nor register on instruments are tension and release quakes.
"We have repeatedly stated that the Earth changes will not diminish, but will increase going into the pole shift.
This is not a lineal matter, as the closer Planet X comes to Earth, an inevitable path, the more the torque effect and the polar wobble where the N Pole of Earth is pushed away violently on a daily basis, occur. The wobble will become more pronounced, more violent. The plates are tugged back West of the Atlantic, pulled forward East of the Atlantic, during the daily rotation of the Earth. The North American continent is allowed to roll East during rotation while the S Pole is pulled West, creating the diagonal pull likely to trigger the New Madrid fault line into an adjustment, and soon. The N Pole is pushed away and allowed to bounce back, daily, as the Earth rotates, a wobble that puts stress on all fault lines when the plates are suddenly in motion, and suddenly stopped!
"As there is no other explanation for the effect on the stretch zone, lacking any earthquakes to blame, and as these stretch zone accidents will continue to emerge, and with ferocity, this is a certain clue to those on the fence, that the influence of Planet X is the cause. Or is it Global Warming?"
ZetaTalk Chat Q&A for April 13, 2013
"Sinkholes almost invariably form in areas subject to karst limestone cavern formation. Underground water flows eat away the limestone leaving vast caverns and caves, which often give scant indication above ground that a cavern lies below. Karst limestone rock formations have been mapped and are known, however, but since one never knows just where a cavern might have formed, this provides little help in predicting just where a sinkhole might form. Sinkholes open up when the rock is fractured due to stress from being in the stretch zone, from the bending of a plate, or due to torsion."
Check your safe locations:
7 of 10 Safe Locations
Zeta advice on locations (Safe locations in general)
Determine Your Safe Locations - 7 Steps
Comment by Khan on March 24, 2018 at 12:03am
In Sun Valley just what residents feared
Is La Tuna Canyon Road in jeopardy of breaking?
(FOX 11) - In Sun Valley just what residents feared would happen.. Happened. A large section of a rain-soaked hillside gave way in the La Tuna Canyon area.
With regard to the hillsides along La Tuna Canyon Road near the 210 Freeway the words were chilling. LA Fire Department Spokesman David Ortiz saying, “It’s changing by the minute."
And, minute by minute firefighters, public works personnel and others look up and down the hills and especially a muddy-watery lake that popped up out of nowhere. To Ortiz, “It looks like several tons of dirt in there and its very very deep.”
Comment by Khan on March 7, 2018 at 2:35am
Peru: Huge Hole opens in Junín
A huge hole more than 20 meters deep continues to grow and puts at risk the inhabitants of the community of San Blas, in the district of Óndores in the province and Junín region.
As we have previously informed you, similar situation was presented in Cusco, where huge cracks are registered in the district of Llusco and the families were relocated.
Comment by Juan F Martinez on February 15, 2018 at 1:36am
Road collapses in Rome, Italy swallowing up cars in giant 10 meters deep crater – Buildings evacuated
Road collapses in Rome, Italy swallowing up cars
Comment by KM on February 8, 2018 at 2:58pm
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5366381/Eight-dead-three-mi...
Massive sinkhole the size of two basketball courts swallows eight-lane road in a Chinese city, leaving at least eight dead
Major road in Foshan caved in yesterday after a water leak on an underground construction site
Huge sinkhole measured 30 metres (100 feet) wide and five to six metres (16 to 19 feet) deep
Nine people were rescued while three remain missing as authorities investigate the case
Eight people have died and three remain missing in southern China after a massive sinkhole yesterday swallowed a major road in the middle of a city.
The eight-lane road caved in after a water leak occurred on the construction site of a subway station in Foshan, a city of seven million people, authorities said Thursday.
Nine people were rescued from the sinkhole, which is said to be as big as two basketball courts. The condition of the survivors are reportedly stable.
A sinkhole measuring about 30 metres (100 feet) wide and six metres (19 feet) deep appeared in Foshan, China, yesterday
The accident was caused by a water leak on the construction site of a subway station in the city of seven million residents
At least eight people were killed after the major eight-lane road suddenly collasped at around 8:40pm local time yesterday
Rescue work is underway for three people missing after the road collapsed above a construction site of Subway Line 2
The accident took place near the No.1 Ring Road Bridge on Jihua Xi Road above the construction site of Foshan's Subway Line 2, according to China Central Television Station.
The report said the collapsed area was as large as two basketball courts with a depth of five to six metres (16 to 19 feet). The report also showed an aerial video of the affected site.
Pictures of the scene showed a huge swathe of mud and broken concrete in the middle of the two-way thoroughfare in the city's Changcheng district.
The sinkhole is the size of two basketball courts and swallowed the two-way thoroughfare in the city's Changcheng district
A huge swathe of mud and broken concrete can be seen on the affected site after the major accident in Guangdong Province
The water leak was first detected at around 7pm, but construction workers failed to stop the water coming through
A huge crack is seen on Jihua Xi Road after a 30-metre-long (100-foot-long) stretch caved in near the No.1 Ring Road Bridge
The sudden leak flooded the underground site and caused a 30-metre-long (100-foot-long) stretch of the road to collapse at around 8:40pm local time, the city government said in a statement today on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent to Twitter.
The statement said an initial leak was detected by the construction workers at around 7pm, but the workers failed to control the situation.
It was unclear whether the dead and missing were all construction workers.
Rescue works is underway for the three missing. The authorities are investigating the details of the accident.
It remains unclear whether or not all of the people killed by the accident were construction workers of Foshan Subway Line 2
The city government said a specialised team had been dispatched to closely monitor the road after it collapsed yesterday
Nine people were rescued from the underground construction site and hospitalised. Their condition is reportedly stable
Industrial accidents are common in China, where safety regulations are often poorly enforced, which has angered citizens.
Official figures show 38,000 people were killed in workplace accidents in 2017.
Last May, 12 workers died following an explosion in a high-speed rail tunnel construction site in the southwest province of Guizhou.
Comment by Starr DiGiacomo on February 2, 2018 at 9:01pm
https://www.rt.com/news/417684-mystery-sinkhole-nice-beach/
‘Geyser? Volcano?’ Locals puzzled by mystery sinkhole at Nice beach (PHOTO)
Published time: 2 Feb, 2018 09:40
A municipal worker is helped to get out of a two-metre deep and five-meter wide crater, filled with brackish water, which has formed on the beach of Lido on the French riviera city of Nice on February 1, 2018
A mystery crater that appeared at a beach in the French resort town of Nice has left residents scratching their heads. Some suggest the large, round crater is either a geyser or a volcano.
A sinkhole 5 meters in diameter and 2 meters deep, filled with brackish water, emerged on Lido beach in Nice, along the famous Promenade des Anglais, local media report. Locals were stunned by its perfect roundness. Some wondered what may have caused the phenomenon.
“It's either a volcano or a geyser,” one Nice resident told 20minutes outlet. Others suggested the crater was from “a meteorite.”
The tram runs beneath [the place], and the ground moves down,” another local said.
Authorities say the hole, which began forming on Wednesday, doesn’t pose any danger to public safety.
“No worries, it's a natural phenomenon that happens four times a year. And for journalists – no, the tram did not make a detour,” Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi tweeted.
Comment by Starr DiGiacomo on January 19, 2018 at 12:22am
http://strangesounds.org/2018/01/malaysia-sinkhole-swallows-car-hou...
70-meter-long and 15-meter-deep sinkhole swallows car in Malaysia
Three people escaped death when their car plunged into a giant, 70-meter-long sinkhole and 15-meter-deep sinkhole that swallowed up half of the road they were driving on near Mersing, Malaysia. The cave-in occurred at about 2.30am on January 15, 2018 due to the continuous rainfall of the past several days. For safety reasons, Jalan Jemaluang which connects Mersing and Johor Baru is temporary closed off to traffic. However, the 3 passengers escaped unhurt.
and another sinkhole event in PA
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/bethlehem/index.ssf/2018/01/sinkhol...
7 Bethlehem townhouses condemned following water main break, sinkholes
Posted on January 15, 2018 1:15 PM
Seven Bethlehem townhomes have been condemned by the city after a private water main broke and two sinkholes opened up in the 2400 block of Blake Court.
After an inspection by a structural engineer, the city deemed the seven homes in the Spring Garden Townhouses complex currently uninhabitable, Bethlehem Fire Department Capt. Allan Burghardt said Monday. Units numbered 2442 through 2454 are affected.
Some cracking was visible on the brick to the rear of one of the units as crews worked on two sinkholes at either end of the units.
An emergency shelter has been opened in neighboring Spring Garden Elementary School and the Red Cross of the Greater Lehigh Valley is assisting evacuees, Burghardt said.
About 14 residents have been displaced from the condemned units, a representative of the complex's Altman Management Company said.
"We have everybody here doing whatever they can to get this remedied in a quick amount of time," the representative said.
Crews are working to repair the water main break, which was reported early Monday, and the sinkholes. The contractor has been able to isolate the broken water main and is working on a repair, according to the management company.
The break occurred on private property, explained Edward Boscola, city director of water and sewer resources. A city water crew was assisting in isolating the break and tying back the line, but the responsibility for the repair lies with the property owner and a private contractor, he explained.
Water has been cut off to all of the Spring Garden units east of North Boulevard and UGI Utilities has turned off the gas service for the condemned homes and an adjacent building of townhouses, Burghardt said. UGI is working to isolate the gas line, so service can be restored to the occupied building he said.
Officials are hopeful that water and gas service will be fully restored to all residents, except for the condemned homes, by the end of the day, Burghardt said.
Altman has a construction contractor and engineer drafting a repair plan for the units with the hopes they can begin work on Tuesday and get residents home as soon as possible, the company said.
Comment by Howard on November 20, 2017 at 1:25am
Massive Sinkhole Forms in Minas Gerais, Brazil (Nov 6)
Residents of a farm in Coromandel in Alto Paranaíba were shocked when a 20-meter diameter sinkhole appeared on a soybean plantation.
Fazenda Santa Cruz is 30 kilometers from the city. According to the owner, Diogo Tudela, the hole opened between 5 and 6 November and was discovered by a resident. "You can not imagine the size of the hole," he said.
The phenomenon had never occurred on the property before.
The farm owner hired a photographer with a drone to take the images.
They believe that the diameter is 15 or 20 meters and they could not calculate the depth.
https://www.geologyin.com/2017/11/mysteries-huge-hole-opens-up-in-m...
Comment by Yvonne Lawson on November 5, 2017 at 2:33pm
Penang floods: Large sinkhole appears in Tanjung Bungah
GEORGE TOWN: A landslide-cum-sinkhole tore up a road in front of a row of newly-built luxury houses on a hillside in Tanjung Bungah early Sunday.
The landslide occurred at Persiaran Tanjung Bungah 3, and the land slipped down to the base of a towering condominium downhill.
The sheer retaining wall between the houses and the condominium tower gave way and tonnes of laterite earth pushed a steel wall outwards.
It is believed that the houses are unoccupied and no casualties were reported.
Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/11/05/penang-floods-larg...
Comment by Yvonne Lawson on September 1, 2017 at 8:35pm
Huge sinkhole emerges from Storm Lidia in Mexico
AN ENORMOUS sinkhole has appeared in the middle of a street as tropical storm Lidia lashes Mexico
Tropical Storm Lidia strengthened after moving into the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula on Thursday.
Barrelling through the resorts of Los Cabos, the storm is blowing maximum sustained winds of 65 mph and moving north-northwest, the National Hurricane Centre said.
And about 1,400 people have been forced to seek refuge at storm shelters in area as heavy rains spread across a swathe of Mexico, including Mexico City where flooding briefly crossed the city’s airport.
In downtown Mexico City, a huge sinkhole of almost 30 feet in diameter opened up in the middle of the street thanks to an accumulation of water.
The massive sinkhole is about 30feet wide
The collapse was just yards away from the Paseo de la Reforma, a popular tourist attraction.
The storm is expected to produce total rainfall of 6 to 12 inches across the Mexican states of Baja California Sur, Baja California, Sinaloa and the coastal section of Sonora, with isolated maximum amounts of 20 inches, the NHC said.
Flash floods could also occur, with Lidia expected to bring a dangerous storm surge to Mexico’s coasts.
Lidia is expected to remain a tropical storm during the next day or so, though gradual weakening is forecast, it added.
Read more: http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/848959/Hurricane-Irma-sinkhole-...
Comment by Starr DiGiacomo on August 30, 2017 at 12:56am
http://www.express.co.uk/travel/articles/847307/viral-video-imgur-d...
WATCH: Terrifying moment huge sinkhole opens on busy motorway (Siberia)
A VIRAL video shows the terrifying moment a driver narrowly avoids a huge accident on a motorway.
PUBLISHED: 20:33, Tue, Aug 29, 2017
The video shows the scary moment that a car nearly gets caught in a huge accident on a motorway.
Filmed in Siberia, the video shows a long line of stationary cars whilst queueing on the road.
However, suddenly a huge sinkhole begins to open up on the road.
The driver narrowly avoids the danger through some luck.
The car appears to drive forwards to avoid it as the hole begins to open up.
The road then collapses into a circle shape, with no cars being dragged down.
However, no-one appears to get out of their vehicles to escape the dangerous situation.
Imgur users were just as confused.
One questioned: “At what point do you just get the f*** out of the car?”
Other users thought that the other cars were at fault for not moving.
Another commented: “I would have slammed the gas and shoved those other idiots out of my way.”
One Imgur user found the funny side, asking “Traffic so bad they're installing pools.”
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MOVIE REVIEW (NETFLIX)/When They See Us
Five Who Came Home Years After The World Moved On
A scene from the epic Nexflix film "When They See Us", directed by Ava DuVernay. Netflix
by Omar P.L. Moore/PopcornReel.com FOLLOW TWEET
A brooding, claustrophic New York penetrates the heart of the epically heartbreaking "When They See Us", Ava DuVernay's powerful choronicle of five innocent young Black and Latino teenagers convicted of an April 1989 attack on a white female jogger in Central Park that they didn't commit. Ms. DuVernay's five-hour film is an exclusive Netflix limited series, which will play to even more shocking effect on the big screen should Netflix decide to put it in cinemas for awards season at year's end.
"When They See Us" unfolds as the real-life nightmarish institutional desecration of innocence it is. Hellish and harrowing, the film introduces us to five Black and Latino boys whose everyday human existence and happiness is shattered. A large New York park lauded as a beautific Big Apple landmark becomes a cavernous nocturnal cauldron of terror and violations viscerally depicted in unblinking fashion. After the chaos of a bloody night the unbeknownst Korey Wise (played brilliantly by Jharrel Jerome) only wants to accompany his friend Yusef Salaam (Ethan Herisse) to the police station while he's questioned because,4 after all, that's what best pals do, right? "My moms will kill me if I don't," Korey says to a calculating New York City police detective in one fateful moment.
Innocence is a casualty when you are Black, and guilt is the presumption. In an American backdrop of 2019, where a sizable number of white people across the U.S. call the police on Black people for no reason but to see Black people punished or killed, the young Kevin Richardson (Asante Blackk) of 1989 happens to be in Central Park on a spring night to breathe, live and be the fun-loving boy he is. Within minutes an evil thunderbolt shatters the warm nightsky: a police officer chases Kevin and inflicts the first of many deep scars his budding adolescence will bear.
Most painful of all, Antron McCray (Caleel Harris) is told by his father (Michael K. Williams)--who thinks he's helping his son--to lie his way out of trouble and tragically into jail. Their father-son relationship is as tangled as the close relationship is loving between Raymond Santana (John Leguizamo) and his son (Marquis Rodriguez). The families and their sons are given a humanity and genuineness by Ms. DuVernay that no one else has on film. The five boys also grow up on camera and all but one are played by different actors as they navigate the penal system that kneecaps them for failure before they even enter.
The system convicted the boys and their families in two ways: the boys for their Blackness and the parents for their naivety. This sad, crude truth permeates "When They See Us", its unscrupulous chief antagonist Manhattan District Attorney Sex Crime Unit head Linda Fairstein (Felicity Huffman) as an architect of modern-day enslavement disrupter of families. In one heroic scene, Sharonne Salaam (Aunjanue Ellis) interrupts an interrogation of her son, much to the chagrin of Ms. Fairstein, who these days offscreen is getting the appropriate corrective measures to her infamous handling of this Scottboro-type injustice.
Everyone in "When They See Us" isn't black and white. Some of the boys' defense attorneys have interests that don't necessarily reside with their clients. People in the prosecutors office who question the efficacy of Ms. Fairstein's very weak case against boys whom the world is convinced are rapists. Linda Fairstein's relentless missive and assault (in real-life and onscreen) against the five young boys caught up in Central Park is the systemic equivalent of gunman Bernhard Goetz's proclamation against the Black youths he shot on a New York City subway train only a few years earlier: "I wanted to kill those guys. I wanted to maim those guys. I wanted to make them suffer in every way I could." This Goetz quote is Fairstein's own bigoted national anthem, and she lives by every word of it in her drive to destroy innocent teenagers.
"When They See Us" is a compelling articulation about systemic racism and the violence it wreaks on a psychological and institutional basis. The American criminal justice system is accurately captured as the monsters or wolfpack it is intended to be (the police, press and prosecutors), as inveighed against Black and Brown males. Then come the monsters the system makes behind prison bars. One extremely difficult and disturbing part of Ms. DuVernay's film is the brutalization of Mr. Wise as he is processed through one prison after another wading through another more dangerous circle of Hell. This chapter of the film is a singular separate horror movie that makes Mr. Wise's journey stand apart from his fellow survivors.
One of the many effective aspects of "When They See Us" is the inside-outing of America's media-hallowed mythology of "good" police. Long-celebrated in U.S. television as straight arrow can't-do-wrongs, from Joe Friday to Baretta to James Rockford to Steve McGarrett to the cadre of "Law And Order" detectives, the police in Ms. DuVernay's film are shown in ways more honest and true to 2019 (and forever prior to that time) as violent, opportunistic, law-breaking racist yahoos whose goal is to break the will of Black and Latino teenage boys over a 48-hour, no-food, sleep or bathroom break period. A moment in front of an American flag for twisted malevolent cop Mike Sheehan (William Sadler), who in actuality made a career in the New York television news media off his illegalities, crystalizes the film's title, the police (and by extension the society's) attitude to Black and Latino male (and female) youth.
"When They See Us" is a forensic roller-coaster ride of family, faith, fantasy, friction, with New York society, rich, poor and indifferent as a media-influenced Dante's Inferno. Ms. DuVernay captures a criminal justice system that operated far worse, insidious and heinous than the brutal crime Matias Reyes committed against Patricia Meili thirty years ago, to reveal a larger systemic terror crime: punishing the innocent despite exculpatory DNA evidence. Each story here is rendered so palpably and with such range so as to be an aching heartbeat of an American life that all too many Black and Brown people still experience.
Ms. DuVernay's film is a matter-of-fact dramatization of the events of April 19, 1989 (including the vicious attack on Ms. Meili) and the relentless institutional attacks on boys who only want to live life. Part of these boys' lives was killed off forever thirty years ago. Donald Trump, reintroduced here as a perverse monster of menace and malice as a media-beloved real estate mogul, served as judge, jury and excecutioner in chief then with his $85,000 published May 1989 newspaper ads of racist pronouncements of guilt on the five innocent boys. He has since extrapolated that psychopathy, hate, dishonesty and cruelty to the entire country.
For all the enduring horror and callousness of its systemic punishers there is fractious though loving support from family who do the time with their loved ones (an excellent Niecy Nash as the mother of Korey Wise), and the final frames of "When They See Us" accompanied by Frank Ocean's masterful, melancholic and ironic rendition of "Moon River", will bring smiles and tears. The lingering of Mr. Wise's name on screen -- and certainly not by accident -- is just one never-forget moment of an unforgettable five hours of essential, superb filmmaking.
With: Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, Justin Cunningham, Freddy Miyares, Marsha Stephanie Blake, Kylie Bunbury, Blair Underwood, Christopher Jackson, Joshua Jackson.
"When They See Us" is rated TV-MA. It contains disturbing violent content, sexuality, blunt and coarse language. It is exclusively on Netflix. The film running time is four hours and 54 minutes.
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Dunkirk, the movie – Review
Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk is about people navigating their way through a cataclysmic event as best they can, or as best as their conscience will allow them to.
Seen from a large 70 mm screen it turned out to be a surprisingly small film.
But then, the enormity of what took place during that particular week in the spring of 1940, along the English Channel near the border of France and Belgium, could have made for a sweeping epic, costing many millions, and still it would have fallen far short of the reality.
Instead of taking that on, the director smartly made an artistic film that used the idea of Dunkirk to focus on a couple of fundamental themes defining the human condition, with stakes sent sky-high by a faceless menace providing sudden death from that sky at any moment, as well as from land or sea.
I won’t spoil things by discussing those themes. But I will say, I enjoyed how the director chose to enhance them through non-linear storytelling, where we see certain events replayed at different times, from new perspectives.
The basic plot is that the good guys, or blokes in this case, are surrounded and nearing possible annihilation, which a history book will show was avoided by most of them. However, those living and dying through it could not know what lay in store from one moment to the next. Hence the drama.
Not that the film doesn’t pay appropriate homage to those who made Dunkirk synonymous with personal sacrifice and stoic British heroism. It does that quite well, mainly through the guise of the various big stars, like Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh, and Tom Hardy, as well as the voice that seemed to be impersonating Michael Cain’s R.A.F. squadron leader from 1969’s The Battle of Britain – which turned out to be an uncredited Sir Michael Cain.
But their altruism, focused on getting as many of their besieged countrymen home as possible, is offset by the main characters, all members of the common soldiery dedicated to getting themselves home by any means necessary.
For all the dire circumstances, there is some nicely underplayed comic relief. I had to chuckle at the affectionate display of inherent Britishness sprinkled across the film.
An old saying declares, “An Englishman standing alone is an orderly queue of one.” And our first glimpse of Nolan’s Dunkirk beach is seen through the eyes of just such an Englishman, as he looks out at queue upon queue of British warriors, all lined up and neatly waiting their turn for whatever fate lies ahead. And then he politely helps a stranger finish burying a dead body before he takes his place at the back the nearest queue.
I highly recommend seeing Dunkirk on the largest screen possible – not for the epic action movie carnage, which does not make an appearance, but for the full impact of the environmental effects that isolate most every shot in the film. Isolation being the key concept here.
Oh there I’ve gone and said one of those themes. But it still isn’t the central one.
A FEW MORE MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD
Nolan’s movie does explain what happened at Dunkirk well enough, in an almost stage-worthy condensed form.
The film opens with a decimated British infantry unit arriving at the beach of legend – setting up how this movie was going to use as few actors, extras, boats, and period aircraft as possible to tell its story.
For example, early on, a half dozen plucky French soldiers are seen standing their ground behind a fortified position, guarding the entrance to the seaside a few yards away. That is all that represents the 40,000 French soldiers miles inland at Lille, suffering genuine annihilation as they bravely held off the full might of seven Nazi divisions, so the British and other French forces could escape to England.
From that moment on, every person we encounter below the rank of admiral is a fictional character on a greatly reduced stage, standing for the great many that did what they did at Dunkirk, ultimately saving Western Civilization for at least another 75 years.
That’s a time period that expired two years ago, by the way.
Despite using the actual beach depicted in the film, along with some dozen historic vessels in the water that were there in 1940, the movie really isn’t about Dunkirk. All in all, it isn’t a war film. It’s a disaster movie.
Like The Poseidon Adventure and This is the End, Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk is about how various people behave in a catastrophe. And that may say something about the prevailing subconscious concerns of what stands for Western Civilization these days.
Dunkirk, the movie
Pinter’s No Man’s Land with McKellen and Stewart – Review
This entry was posted on July 22, 2017, in Arts and Culture, Film and tagged Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk, Kenneth Branagh, Michael Caine Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy. Leave a comment
Mr. Holmes Returns
Ian McKellen as Sherlock Holmes
The Living Treasure of English Actors Portrays the Living Legend of English Detectives
July 2015 – Mr. Holmes comes to the cinema screen
Was “chuffed” indeed to learn that Ian McKellen was to portray an “aging Sherlock Holmes.” But in 1947???
Sherlock Holmes would have been 93 at minimum. Seems improbable that a man of his years and unhealthy lifestyle would even be alive in 1947, let alone functioning in society as the trailer suggests – not to mention dressing in Victorian garb. Ridiculous is more like it. A pity they did not set it in the ’20s or ’30s, which would have actually made sense.
Still, I will see it and probably love it. At worse it is sure to far surpass the insufferable comic book action movie rubbish that were the Downy Jr. films.
This entry was posted on May 12, 2015, in Film and tagged Ian McKellen, Sherlock Holmes. Leave a comment
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Village of Orland Park » News » What's New » InOur.Community Orland Park Rewards Civic Engagement
InOur.Community Orland Park Rewards Civic Engagement
Orland Park area residents will soon be rewarded for being more engaged. The Village of Orland Park is ready to debut its newest civic engagement program, “In Our Community™ of Orland Park.”
“This is a free program that people join to be rewarded for doing things that add to the spirit of community in Orland Park,” explained Mayor Dan McLaughlin. “It’s a neat and innovative way to get people involved on the local level,” he said.
Area residents ages 18 years and older or ages 13 years and older with parent/guardian permission can join the program for free at www.inour.community/orlandpark
The site opens with 18 initial categories, each with multiple ways for members to earn points. These categories include Community Pride, Supporting Area Businesses, Village Programs, Spotlight on our non-profits, Community Venues and more.
“What makes this a novel program is that people can earn points for being more engaged and for things they do all the time in Orland Park, like eating at local restaurants, visiting village buildings, attending village events, shopping at Orland Square,” said Trustee Jim Dodge, chair of the village’s Economic Development Strategy and Community Engagement Committee.
The community pride category invites members to earn points by trying an Orland Park trivia contest, re-tweeting a congratulatory message for the Carl Sandburg High School Cheer Team, sharing information about the Orland Park Village Center and posting a photo of a favorite Orland Park location on Instagram with a specific hashtag.
The mayor added, “This program also encourages people to increase their sustainability efforts by going to the village’s list of things they can do around their homes to make them more energy efficient and to help conserve our natural resources.”
“I think residents of all ages will have a lot of fun with InOur.Community™. Navigating the site is very straight forward and easy. The opportunities to earn points are relevant and the components will change weekly to keep the program fresh and interesting,” the mayor said.
After members have earned points for being engaged, they can try to redeem their points for rewards and experiences found in the redeem section of the site. Earned points can be used to bid on numerous items as well as for entries into sweepstakes.
At launch, there are more than 25 different rewards on the site including four tickets to see “The Million Dollar Quartet,” the first dance at the Daddy-Daughter Dance, iFly Indoor Skydiving sessions, multiple free memberships to the Village of Orland Park Sportspex and a variety of gift cards.
The InOur.Community™ Program offers a cost-effective way for area businesses to promote their brands. Each category, as well as the underlying ways for members to earn and redeem points, provides space for custom advertisements, built and managed by the Chicago-based technology company behind the solution, BondingPoint.
“The InOur.Community™ solution was conceived with the purpose of tying all aspects of a community closer together --- its residents, institutions and equally important, its businesses. Knowing that communities thrive when their local businesses thrive, we’re making it possible for even the smallest of businesses to market themselves,” said BondingPoint CEO and Orland Park resident John Calzaretta.
“Businesses can advertise for as little as $80 per month, a month at a time if they choose,” Calzaretta said. Area businesses can also get involved by providing goods and/or services that would be used as rewards on the site.
Joining the program requires only basic information including a first and last name and a valid email address. Some of the opportunities to earn points are through social media outlets; however, there will be other ways for members to earn points. There will be several different ways for members to earn points, allowing any age group to easily participate.
“We will have locations in town where people will pick up a promo code for being there, sign into the site and enter the code and earn points for attending that event or they may earn for getting something done earlier than required, like a vehicle registration or for filling out a survey,” Dodge explained.
Data privacy is a key priority of the program. Any data collected will be kept private, will solely be the property of the village, and no 3rd parties will be provided access to the specific data. Details of the privacy policy can be found on the welcome page of the site.
Participants need not live in Orland Park to participate. Further information and free membership details can be found at www.InOur.Community/orlandpark. Advertising details and further information are available by writing to info@inour.community.
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Chance Quotes
Every second of every day is a chance to start again. - Unknown
Zero chance of being president. - Donald Trump
Zach did a good job for us. He gave us a chance to win. - David Brown
You've graduated high school, I think it's time to grow up. - Unknown
You've got zero chance if you spot somebody 20 and have to fight back in the second half. I thought our kids fought back and responded, but you can't get down 20 points and come back on a roll. - Rick Stansbury
You've got to welcome those types of situations. There's no question that playing on the road is very difficult. That's one of the things that you have to do you've got to just play. Its just a question of who's going to execute what they're going to do. - Van Chancellor
You've got to understand that it took me a lot of courage to make myself come to the realization that everything that I've ever wanted & needed is found within you. And for me to put everything aside again, everything that you once broke, is a remarkable task that took a lot of strength & faith in me. They say sometimes people put walls up, not because they want to block people out, but because they want to see who cares enough to knock them down. You know me like no one else does because I never was able to let anyone in, & you don't even know how glad & thankful I am that I gave you the chance. You stayed at our best, yet you stuck at it at our worse, & proved to me what truth in love still has. The sky is the limit & true love really is forever. - Unknown
You've got to try to put your best foot forward. Not that Nippert wouldn't have a chance against them, (but) you like to run most of your veterans out there against a team that's in first place and in contention to win the division. - Bob Melvin
You've got to think about winning, because everybody thinks about winning playing on this tour. If you're within two or three at the turn, maybe you have a chance. - John Senden
You've got to take something away. After the Pittsburgh game, there was nothing to build on there. This game, we showed we're going to fight. That's a Jeff Fisher-coached team, that's its mentality. Nobody gives us a chance in any game. What games are we going to be favored in this year? So we're going to fight you. - Zach Piller
Jeff Brown Nick Lampshire Justin Abdelkader Steve Dobey Frank Chumbley John Buchanan Larry Dins Sean Brown Brad McClellan Shannon Miller Josh Smith Sean Faris Lou Panzanaro Danielle Jackson Preston Early Brian Rush Chris Stewart Michael Bean Steve Foster Missy Bilderback Mike Ramsey Greg Brewer Jon Murphy Tom Dreesen Patrick Dixon
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Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics
Skewed X chromosome inactivation in blood cells of women with scleroderma
Özbalkan, Z.
Baǧişlar, S.
Kiraz, S.
Akyerli, C. B.
Özer H. T. E.
Yavuz, Ş.
Birlik, A. M.
Çalgüneri, M.
Özçelik, T.
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Objective. Scleroderma (SSc) is an autoimmune disease of unknown etiology. The disease is 3-8 times more frequent in women than in men. The role of X chromosome inactivation (XCI) in the predisposition of women to autoimmunity has been questioned. Until now this has not been illustrated experimentally. This study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that disturbances in XCI mosaicism may be involved in the pathogenesis of the disease in female patients with SSc. Methods. Seventy female SSc patients and 160 female controls were analyzed for the androgen receptor locus by the Hpa II/polymerase chain reaction assay to assess XCI patterns in DNA extracted from peripheral blood cells. Furthermore, skin biopsy samples were obtained from 5 patients whose blood revealed an extremely skewed pattern of XCI, and the analysis repeated. Since microchimerism in SSc was reported, Y chromosome sequences were investigated in all samples. Results. Skewed XCI was observed in DNA from peripheral blood cells in 35 of 55 informative patients (64%), as compared with 10 of 124 informative controls (8%) (P < 0.0001). Extreme skewing was present in 27 of the patient group (49%), as compared with only 3 of the controls (2.4%) (P < 0.0001). However, XCI was random in all skin biopsy samples. The potential contribution of microchimerism to the random XCI pattern is highly unlikely based on the medical histories of the patients. Conclusion. Skewed XCI mosaicism may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of SSc.
Androgen receptor
Autoantigen
Immunosuppressive agent
Penicillamine
Blood cell
Cheek mucosa
Controlled study
Disease predisposition
Hair follicle
Human tissue
Immunosuppressive treatment
Major clinical study
Microchimerism
Priority journal
Sex chromosome mosaicism
X chromosome inactivation
Chromosomes, Human, X
Dosage Compensation, Genetic
Immunosuppressive Agents
Scleroderma, Systemic
Published Version (Please cite this version)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/art.21026
Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics 407
Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology 1563
De novo balanced (X;14) translocation in a patient with recurrent miscarriages: Case report
Alpaslan Pinarli F.; Ökten G.; ÖzçelIk, T.; Kara, N.; Güneş, S.; Koçak I. (2011)
We report a 23-year-old phenotypically normal female patient who had previously suffered from recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) who found to have an X;14 trans location and a Methylene- Tetrahdrofolate-Reductase (MTHFR) ...
Skewed X inactivation in an X linked nystagmus family resulted from a novel, p.R229G, missense mutation in the FRMD7 gene
Kaplan, Y.; Vargel, I.; Kansu, T.; Akin, B.; Rohmann, E.; Kamaci, S.; Uz, E.; Ozcelik, T.; Wollnik, B.; Akarsu, N. A. (BMJ Group, 2008)
Aims: This study aimed to identify the underlying genetic defect of a large Turkish X linked nystagmus (NYS) family. Methods: Both Xp11 and Xq26 loci were tested by linkage analysis. The 12 exons and intron-exon junctions ...
Evidence from autoimmune thyroiditis of skewed X-chromosome inactivation in female predisposition to autoimmunity
Ozcelik, T.; Uz, E.; Akyerli, C. B.; Bagislar, S.; Mustafa, C. A.; Gursoy, A.; Akarsu, N.; Toruner, G.; Kamel, N.; Gullu, S. (Nature Publishing Group, 2006)
The etiologic factors in the development of autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITDs) are not fully understood. We investigated the role of skewed X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) mosaicism in female predisposition to AITDs. One ...
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Going Sleepless to War
June 14, 2015 by therestdoctor
War is hell, said General William Tecumseh Sherman, whose 1864 march to the sea changed the course of American and military history. And the practice of war, even in “peacetime” can be hell on the human body. That is the lesson of a panel at this year’s national sleep meetings in Seattle, entitled “Wounded in Action – What Sleep Science Can Learn From Sleep and Sleep Disorders of US Military Service Members.”
Among basic needs, sleep is on par with air, water and food. Totally sleep deprive an animal and it dies. Get an animal to sleep less than its usual allotment and you watch its bones erode, muscles weaken, cognition deteriorate and metabolism go haywire. As Dr. Carol Everson demonstrated at another panel at the meetings, the really horrible fact is that these debilities continue long after you stop partial sleep deprivation.
Chronic sleep deprivation is the lot of today’s American military.
Consider these facts: A. Most military personnel – 60-70% in several studies – sleep on average 6 hours or less each day. Lots get by on less than five. 2. Many military personnel perform shifts on what Dr. Nita Shattuck of the Monterey Postgraduate Military School described as “five and dime” schedule – 5 hours work followed by 10 hours off – in complete disregard of the human 24 hour biological clock.
What are the implications of sleeping less than 6 hours a day?
1. Poor performance- Chronically sleep deprive people and they can’t think straight. Cognition deteriorates, often worsening over weeks and months.
2. People become glucose intolerant and fatter.
3. The risks of infection, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and probably various tumors goes up.
4. Increased moral hazard – work done by Walter Reed Army Institute of Research showed morally fraught decisions – like what to do in simulated combat scenarios involving civilians – declines rapidly with encroaching sleep loss.
5. Increased irritability, anger and mood shifts. Recent reports of suicide among female personnel define numbers much higher than in civilian life. Sexual aggression, abuse and assault remains a major problem for the U.S. military. Chronic sleep deprivation can only worsen both problems.
6. Post Traumatic Stress – data presented at the panel by Colonel Vince Mysliwiec demonstrated that insufficient sleep was a far bigger associational factor for PTSD than traumatic brain injury – and pretty much any other factor.
7. Long Term Health Care Costs. The sleep patterns developed in the military did not necessarily end when people return to civilian life. Several panel members emphasized that with 2 million active service personnel, the civilian medical sector is unprepared for what will hit it once soldiers come out of the military.
Data from Harvard have shown very high rates of sleep apnea among police. Preliminary reports in the military also show high levels of sleep apnea among active military personnel. Sleep physician Dr. Robert Reyna explained to me that a diagnosis of sleep apnea can immediately trigger a 50% service connection – 50% disability for life through the VA system. Cost benefit analysis of potential sleep apnea disability payments alone should make eyebrows rise throughout Washington.
8. Shift Work – It’s well known that shift work increases cardiovascular risk, GI disturbances and depression. The WHO even wants to label shift work a potential carcinogen. So called “five and dime” type shifts have disappeared from the civilian sector because they are contrary to human biology.
A 24 hour clock resides in every human cell. It’s a basic design element of human beings, indeed of most life on earth. If you work on schedules that continually disregard that 24 hour clock, people feel tired, drugged, dull, and stressed. Even among fit, younger people, health and mental indices deteriorate.
In combat, life and death is 24/7. Shift work is a necessity for the military.
Yet as Lieutenant Commander Justin Campbell of the Navy carefully described for sailors preparing for the Middle East, the schedules of deployment – with accelerated training before and after departure, haphazard travel schedules added on to jet lag, followed by deployment into tent billets in the middle of the desert, even non-combat work can play havoc with soldiers’ performance. Dr. Shattuck was at pains to point out that the new Chief of Naval Operations has specifically commissioned many recent studies. A new military sleep research group has also started at the University of Pittsburgh, one of the nation’s most established sleep research centers.
American soldiers remain in combat roles in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, with “peacekeeping” duties throughout the world. Defense remains a global activity that never ceases. Yet fighting numerous and global asymmetric conflicts is difficult enough without fighting human biology.
The American Association of Sleep Medicine has just put out guidelines recommending “seven hours or more sleep” for adults every night. Hopefully more of the U.S. military will heed this recommendation.
They should. Much of the research comes from them.
Filed Under: sleep Tagged With: global defense, health, mortality, performance, shift work, sleep, sleep apnea, sleep deprivation, U.S. military
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Lower Beaumont Gorge and Millennium Trail
The secluded beauty of the Beaumont Gorge is one of the region's hidden treasures. The 9 km Beaumont Millennium Track runs from Beaumont, where SH8 joins the Clutha River, towards Millers Flat. It was formed on the old Clarksville-Roxburgh railway line which was pulled up in 1968. The Clutha Gold Trail Trust is developing a Roxburgh to Lawrence cycling and walking trail that includes this part of the river.
Beaumont Gorge at Talla Burn, photo Dr Barrie J Wills
Lower Beaumont Gorge
The remote character of the Beaumont Gorge provides a pleasant environment for recreation, and for tourists getting "off the beaten track." School groups and clubs use this section of the river for kayak training.
Beaumont Gorge and Trail
Horseshoe Bend (Footbridge left, Lonely Graves upper right)
Horseshoe Bend Footbridge, photo courtesy Borealnz, Flickr
Crossing Horseshoe Bend Bridge, photo Dr Barrie J Wills
The Horseshoe Bend Bridge walkway is 8 kms south of Miller's Flat. The bridge was built in 1913 to get sheep and school pupils across the Clutha. It was designed by John Edie (Jnr.), the Tuapeka County Engineer, and is a 70.2m span suspension bridge, with 9.3m high timber towers. It has been fully restored by the local community, providing walking and cycle access, from the main highway, to the gorge and the historic Lonely Graves, one of the most important sites on the entire Clutha River.
Lonely Graves Historic Reserve, threatened by dams?
In a peaceful location, 8 kms downriver from Miller's Flat in the Beaumont Gorge, the Lonely Graves are a poignant reminder of the harsh reality of the gold-rush. During the winter of 1865, according to folklore, William Rigney, a gold-miner, found the body of a handsome young man washed up beside the river at the Horseshoe Bend Diggings with a shivering dog beside the body. He buried the man nearby and on a wooden headboard he burned "Somebody's Darling Lies Buried Here". A marble headstone was erected in 1903 by the residents of the district with the assistance of a public subscription. The original headboard was encased in glass against the headstone.
Rigney died in 1912 and was buried there with a similar headstone that reads 'Here Lies the Body of William Rigney, The Man Who Buried "Somebody's Darling".' Historians now believe that Rigney's association with "Somebody's Darling" began some time after the young man was buried, when Rigney constructed a manuka fence to protect the grave, and made the headboard. He subsequently cared for the grave faithfully until he himself died. Some researchers believe that "Somebody's Darling" was Charles Alms, a Nevis Valley butcher or farm-hand, but no proof exists. Legend records that Rigney also cared for the dog, until it died years later, when he buried it beside its former master.
Upper Beaumont Gorge, Island Block below Miller's Flat
Either of the two proposed dams, at Tuapeka Mouth or Beaumont, would destroy this area, taking away not only farmland, orchards and homes, but the very heritage and identity of the local people, who have been living with the threat of dams for several decades. The cemetery at Beaumont would be inundated by a Tuapeka dam, which would also make the Miller's Flat Cemetery unusable because of groundwater problems, as would a dam at Beaumont.
Labels: Beaumont Gorge
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What We Are Riffing About!
TechCrunch: Pax Labs CEO Bharat Vasan and Serial Founder Keith McCarty Are Coming to Disrupt SF
Check out WAYV CEO and Founder Keith McCarty in the article below.
By Jordan Crook
TechCrunch – July 3, 2019
The legalization of cannabis and hemp for medicinal and recreational use in states across the U.S. and in Canada has opened up a huge vein of green, green cash for startups.
Two entrepreneurs tantalized early on by the smell of dank profits are Pax Labs CEO Bharat Vasan and Eaze and Wayv founder Keith McCarty. They will join us on stage at Disrupt SF to hash out the opportunities for investors and help founders avoid seeing their vision go up in smoke.
Bharat Vasan took over as chief executive at Pax Labs in February 2018. Before that, he served as president and COO at August Home, which sold to Assa Abloy in 2017. Prior to August Home, Vasan was co-founder and COO at Basis Science, which sold to Intel in 2018 for a reported $100 million. Vasan was also at Electronic Arts from 2002 to 2010, where he went from senior manager of Mergers & Acquisitions to serving as CFO and COO.
Pax Labs’ valuation, as of its latest $420 million funding round in April of this year, was at $1.7 billion. The company, which makes cannabis vaporizers, has plans to use the funding for international expansion and new products, but Vasan also hinted at a data play in this new market.
“People know about different kinds of alcohol,” said Vasan, in an interview in April. “They may know that they’re a beer person or a wine person. But none of that exists within cannabis. They see names like ‘Lemon Haze’ and ‘Cherry Fizz’ and they don’t know what that is. These are all really awesome names for a band but not great to let you know what you’re consuming. We want to provide more clarity around what that means.”
How Pax Labs plans to do this is unclear, but we’re hoping to learn more about it in October.
Keith McCarty, founder and CEO of Wayv, has a rich history in the tech space and as an entrepreneur. After spending five years at Yammer, and then Microsoft following the acquisition, McCarty went on to found Eaze, a legal cannabis delivery platform.
And while Eaze has continued to grow alongside the cannabis market itself, it put a new problem on McCarty’s radar. The supply chain logistics of the cannabis industry, combined with the fast-changing regulatory market, presents an opportunity for one startup to solve for this problem. McCarty wants that to be Wayv, a new venture that has raised $5 million in funding.
Wayv wants to be the Eaze of the enterprise, connecting licensed cannabis companies to licensed brands to provide next-day delivery of cannabis products.
These two titans will join us at Disrupt SF in October to discuss the changes in this market and the opportunities appearing before the tech world as a result of those changes.
Disrupt SF runs October 2 – October 4 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Tickets are available here.
© 2019, Riff City Strategies, Inc.
San Francisco Chronicle: High Cannabis Taxes Keep Black Market Alive in Cal... Newsweek: Naval Appeals Court Overturns Marine Colonel’s Child Sex Abuse...
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Tag Archives: American League
March 18, 2019 Uncategorized#toutwars, American League, auction, draft, prospectsadmin
This past weekend I made my 19th annual pilgrimage to Tout Wars.
For the second straight year, it was a bittersweet event after Steve Moyer’s passing last we lost my friend and former colleague back in my Mastersball.com days, Lawr Michaels. I met Lawr at the Arizona Fall League in 2000 and in 2001 we both participated in our first Tout Wars event in Steve Moyer’s basement, in Bethlehem, PA. I always looked forward to seeing him and catching up with him at events and certainly drafting against him, talking about our families, discussing our Strat league and music. His presence was missed even more so after having sat next to him at last year’s auction as we chatted throughout it.
Ok, you came here for what, why, and the how of what I did. Overall, I am reasonably pleased with the results.
Pre-Draft Strategy: After finishing last season, I am keen to redeem myself. To that end I budgeted $180 to $190 on hitting with the remainder on pitching with the idea that I would anchor my staff with an ace and closer and to draft a corps of hitters that were balanced in categories across the board. Mostly I just wanted to be patient and strike wherever I felt bargains were to be found. I’ve found in recent years that prices on players have been going higher than bid price more frequently and that even more discipline is required to stay true to your game plan. I also, per usual, but budgeted out my roster slots with the expectation that they would change and vary depending on where I could unearth value.
Draft Day Results: (Full Draft Day rosters can be found here.)
C: Mike Zunino $8
C: Jonathan LuCroy $7
1B: Edwin Encarnacion $24
2B: Dee Gordon $21
3B: Carlos Santana $25
SS: Jonathan Schoop $15
CI: Albert Pujols $5
MI: D.J. LeMahieu $9
OF: Aaron Hicks $23, Brett Gardner $15, Jacoby Jones $2, Willie Calhoun $1
UT: Nelson Cruz $25
Swing: Steve Pearce $3
Starters: Justin Verlander $36, Tyler Skaggs $9, CC. Sabathia $3, Mike Minor $7, Jamie Barria $2, Gio Gonazalez $1, Adam Ottavino $2, Blaine Hardy $3.
I didn’t purchase any players until the 21st player – Justin Verlander was nominated, rostering him at $36 which I felt was right around value. In retrospect, I could be have been more aggressive with my bids on Cole or Kluber who went for $35 and $34 respectively earlier and saved myself a $1 or two if I got to those numbers first, but on the other hand pitchers below this tier ended up being pushed higher than expected with both Ian Snell and Trevor Bauer hitting $30 and Jose Berrios hitting $25.
Closers: The upshot of spending $36 on Verlander backed me off a bit on going over $20 on a closer, though, spending $14 on Cody Allen. No closer is what I would define “a rock of stability” and Allen heads into the season as the Angel’s closer though I regret not having then highlighted $3 or so to target Buttrey later to lock down the save situation there. Allen, at least, has saved no fewer than 24 games the last five seasons and is still posting strikeouts well more than 10 per nine innings pitched. His walk rates, however, were well out of context with the rest of his career. Provided there is no hidden injury, I am banking on him rebounding to his career norms and mid 3’s walk-rates. If that happens, 30 to 35 saves is very attainable. The only other reliever I selected was Adam Ottavino who could have been a closer had he chosen to sign with a team looking for one, but instead opted to join the Yankees to win and is now quite some ways down on the pecking order despite his talents. He could still get a few saves, but I am mostly here for the extra strikeouts and good ratios. Blaine Hardy meanwhile will start the year in relief but was effective as a starter and I selected him with the potential to pick up innings in a swing capacity.
Catchers: I came in to this draft budgeting $5 and $3 for my two catchers., but once the early push for catchers and spending was over, they started to fall at reasonable prices, and I rerouted $8 to Grab Mike Zunino who I would’ve gone as high as $10 at the time on and Jonathan LuCroy at $8. While it is difficult to get excited about either player, I do not have two empty roster slots thought I’d be nice if either of these two gentlemen would make more consistent contact or draw a few more walks.
The Sweet Spot: At some point in every auction I tend to find a spot that seems me throw down quite a bit of cash in a short period of time. It comes as I start to find some bargains and players I have been waiting to be nominated finally come up. This happened between nomination 73 and 78 4 of the six players nominated. By this point I had decided that Edwin Encarnacion and Carlos Santana would be my 1B/3B combination and got them within moments of each other. Encarnacion I felt was a several dollar bargain, so it let me go a $1 or so over what I thought I wanted on Santana to secure the duo which I believe at the time were the last of the $20+ rated corner players available at the time. I chased John Hicks within that spot but couldn’t bring myself to go $7 on a part time player. I also grabbed Tyler Skaggs at $9 (valued around $11) and Aaron Hicks at $23 (valued around at $25). Both are players who enjoyed breakout seasons last year with Skaggs having an elevated BABIP despite superior strikeout and control skills and improvement to make him a $15 or more pitcher next year could be in the works. Meanwhile, always blessed with good OBP skills, stayed healthy and showed off his five-tools even though the 20-20 season once projected of him is no longer going to happen.
Thoughts on Dee Gordon
I went on air on SXM Fantasy Sports Radio while on break from the draft and thankfully I did as the draft board said I bought Justin Verlander at $38 and I got that corrected before running into issues in the end game. I also got heavily quizzed about Dee Gordon who I had just bought at $21 despite his OBP struggles the previous season. I put my faith once again in career context in this case. Gordon is still an elite base runner who puts the ball in play frequently, but his 1.5% walk rate was less than half his career average and he’s typically in the mid three-percent range. When he is healthy, his BABIP which was .304 last year, is typically in the .340 to .350 range. If he does indeed bat ninth, he’ll see fewer plate appearances, but 30-plus stolen bases are still within his capabilities.
Other Hitters: Tout Wars rules allow players to qualify at positions if they play at 15 or more games. I had roughly around $15 to budget for my shortstop slot with having taken D.J. LeMahieu for my middle infield spot already at $9, so I was pleased to include Jonathan Schoop in my shortstop hunt and hopefully a fourth year straight of 20-plus runs and another player whose BABIP was suppressed compared to his career norms (.261 compared to .296 career) who could bounce back given no other significant changes in hitting skills/stats from his previous seasons. Willie Calhoun and JacCoby Jones were both low-cost options on players with some upside. While Calhoun has no spot to play and will star the year in Triple-A, he’s just an injury away form a starting job. Jones, meanwhile, will be the Tiger’s opening day centerfielder. The 26-year old lacks plate discipline, but power/speed skills that should justify the price tag alone, but also remains fungible given the investment.
Pitching Bargains Begin to Fall
After the initial high-pricing of the pitching market, the prices on some pitchers began to come back to earth as I was particularly pleased to purchase Minor at $7 and Jamie Barria at $2 who I had pre-draft values of $12 and $6 on. Minor will once again be in the Rangers rotation showing swing and miss skills as well as above average control. His fly-ball ways in Arlington, however, hold him back from getting to the next level. Barria will be a full-season member of Angel’s rotation this year. Some regression will happen given his 82% left-on-base rate, but he still has inning eater potential.
Reserve Rounds:
Mark Canha – He’ll be in a backup role for the A’s. Drafted to serve as a short-term Willie Calhoun replacement until someone better comes along though to be fair Canha performed quite adequate in a part-time role with 17 homers and a .328 OBP for the A’s last year and has the skills for a repeat or better if called into service again.
Speaking of something better, I am hoping that Alex Kirilloff is one of those things. One of the top outfield prospects in baseball, Kirilloff is a left-handed hitter who can already hit for power and for average at just 21 years of age. He’ll begin the year in Double-A. He’s the type of talent that could move to the Majors if he does his part and his team is contending and looking for some extra fire power.
I got by far the most grumbles for my drafting of Clay Buchholz. He’ll start the season in extended spring training and is with an organization in need of his talents. I am not expecting last year’s results, but someone I can swap into the rotation to that could allow me to play whoever is the hot hand.
My final selection was Sean Murphy. Perhaps the best upper-level catching prospect now with Danny Jansen in a full-time job, I thought it was wise to grab Murphy given the state of catching in the American League. His plus glove and arm will get him to the big leauges, but he also features good contact making skills and 15 to 20+ raw homerun power potential. Not expecting that this season, but a good start at AAA could have him push Nick Hundley out of the job.
To wrap things up I think I have a very competitive, solid core of players. My lineup mostly consists of proven veterans and my pitching is likewise similarly anchored that should keep me anchored. Last year’s squad was not nearly as balanced statistically and incorporated a much higher level of risk. This year, my odds of being competitive and challenging for a possible title I believe are much better.
March 22, 2018 Expert League, ProjectionsAL, American League, auction, tout, warsadmin
This past weekend I made my 18th annual pilgrimage to participate in Tout Wars. The word pilgrimage seems appropriate as attending a fantasy baseball auction in person is probably as close as I often get to have a religious calling.
This year the experience was bittersweet due to the untimely passing of Steve Moyer. My first Tout Wars experience took place in his basement in Bethlehem, PA in March 2001. That event helped solidify many friendships which continue to the present day. I remember our dinner conversation fondly, where a group of us discussed Steve’s local extremely deep dynasty league. As many noted it was a strange experience not having Steve there going through his sheets of $1 endgame players and not having him correcting me on my butchery of player name pronunciations. I’ll miss his dry wit and the no bullshit way he always expressed himself. The Steve Moyer Memorial Home Run is being administered by Peter Kreutzer and Jeff Erickson to support his children.
This year’s event was held at a new venue – Richmond County Bank Ballpark, home of the New York Penn League (Rookie Ball) New York Yankees affiliate.
Pre-Draft Strategy: After several years of moving towards a more-balanced hitting/pitching split, I opted to go back to my old ways with a more hitter heavy split of 195/65. On the pitching side of things, I opted to move away from my usual “ace anchor” approach and decided to spend my money on starters with upside in the middle teens to single digits range and to add a single closer. For the hitters, I focused mostly on value and used my spreadsheet to target each slot with a $ amount that I could easily shuffle on the fly as I purchased players. I decided to try one new thing this year. In addition to my usual budgeting spreadsheet and tier-pricing sheet, I added a third party online software which I felt made it easy to look up players and track draft spending.
Draft Day: (Draft Day rosters can be found here.) So how’d it go? Well, let’s start with the positives. I drafted the pitching staff I set out to draft, though was subject to many jokes about its youth throughout its acquisition. I acquired Michael Fulmer for his “veteran presence”.
In order of purchase: (Value in parentheses)
Jose Berrios $15
A.J. Puk $2
Dylan Bundy $11
Lucas Giolito $6
Michael Fulmer $9
Alex Colome $11
Danny Duffy $9
David Robertson $3
Seung Hwan Oh $1
As many of these players do not have long established baselines for performance at the MLB Level, projections of my pitching staff tend to vary quite a bit along the range from optimistic to highly skeptical. This is not surprising at all. My strategy was to embrace skill and talent and to take a chance on that with the understanding that because of the uncertainty surrounding these pitchers, few if any, would go for full value and create an opportunity for s good return on the investment. Now it ’s time to cross my fingers, hope for good health and watch and see if they could build on the positives they have shown thus far in their young careers.
I consider every pitcher here a bargain, with the exception of Berrios who I bought at projected value and Puk who was a speculative play on the basis (and hope) that he might get called up to the Majors more quickly than expected depending on what goes on with the A’s MLB pitching staff and his own progress through Triple-A. I went over my budget by $2 to obtain Robertson in the end game at a bargain and speculative saves play. I originally planned to add no middle relievers and instead rack up as many innings as possible, but given what was available on the market, I went after value instead. In the reserve round, I was pleased to pick up J.C Ramirez as a possible source of innings as I have him valued at around $3. Though I believe Andrew Cashner owed his success to smoke and minors last year, I too a chance on him in the reserve round on the off chance that his swing and miss skills might return given and him worthy of activating. For now, he will stay firmly ensconced on the reserve roster.
So what went wrong? Well, things did not go wrong so much as resources got mis-budgeted and misallocated. I think I was done in by too much info in too small a space and should have utilized my one spreadsheet/one 11×17 sheet of paper approach instead. The upshot was thinking I still had more money in my hitting budget left than I did. I ended up reallocating dollars to additional $20-range players that should have been more evenly distributed along the rest of my hitting roster. The end result was yes, I still spent $193 on hitting, right around target. However, since I had accidentally distributed towards $20 players, I went after what was left on my desired players in that value range and ended up with a less balanced offense statistically than I had in mind. In other words, the value was good; the distribution will necessitate me being an active trader however and I’ve drafted a not quite-stars and scrubs offense.
Yan Gomes $4
Bruce Maxwell $1
Logan Morrison $14
Matt Chapman $16
Mike Napoli $1
Whit Merrifield $21
Jean Segura $22
Elvis Andrus $24
Kevin Kiermaier $20
Bradley Zimmer $22
Colby Rasmus $1
Jon Jay $1
Nelson Cruz $26
Ian Kinsler $20
I look at this roster and see a competitive team and one with leverage to deal. My own projections, as well as others’, have shown it crushing in stolen bases, albeit well beyond the point necessary to achieve first in that category. On the other hand it’s somewhat deficient in power and overall in need of improvement and balance.
Immediately following the conclusion of the reserve round, which also included prospects with potential to get called up such as Kyle Tucker and Michael Chavis, I was being approached for deals by multiple league members for speed. Lawr Michaels and I on Monday quickly seized upon a deal that jumped off the page to both of us that had us exchange Jean Segura for Jonathan Schoop. These two players of similar overall dollar value help to balance the projected stats of our teams. The trade should not cost me first place in steals but has the potential to move me up in home runs and RBIs, so I’m satisfied with the move. Since I still have leverage in the steals category, I suspect this will only be the first of several maneuvers I make this upcoming season.
Next year, the lesson I’ve already learned is to go back to my roots and simplify. I’m not sure I’ll go all the way back to paper and pencil, but it’s possible!
Matt Chapman Takes Over at the Hot Corner
June 15, 2017 Diamond Exchange, Prospects, Transaction AnalysisAmerican League, Athletics, Matt Chapman, Oakland, prospects, third base, trevor plouffeadmin
So, the A’s have decided to cut bait on off-season signee Trevor Plouffe as he struggled to produce and are ready to hand off the job to Matt Chapman. The move, from the beginning, was intended to serve as a stop-gap move, but the A’s perhaps didn’t expect it to the end this early and perhaps hoped Plouffe would at least play well enough to draw trade interest in mid-season. That didn’t happen so they jettisoned his remaining salary as a sunk cost.
So, Chapman will be a primary FAAB or waiver target in most league formats as soon as he becomes available depending on whether you play in weekly or daily play. The first thing you need to know is “yes, he is going to hurt your batting average” if you play in a standard 5×5 or other batting average related leagues. The righty has struggled to his keep his strikeout rate under 30% at the Double-A and Triple-A levels and is already an established .250s hitter in the minors. To expect improvement in that area, barring a change in approach is unlikely and it is entirely possible that he could struggle as much as his predecessor.
On the upside, Chapman at least has power upside, slugging over .500 with isolated power’s over .200 for much of his minor league career. His patience and all or nothing approach at least also serve to keep his OBP respectable and somewhat valuable even if he hits in the .210s to .220s in OBP based leagues. Owners of Oakland pitchers will be happy as well as he should represent an improvement in defense over Plouffe. Chapman has been long well regarded for his throwing arm, agility, and range. Like most all or nothing power hitters, however, Chapman is not a significant threat on the base paths.
If available in most AL-only leagues, starters do not come along every day so you will likely need to open your FAAB budget a bit to acquire him, despite the risk of potential failure he carries. He is unlikely to be available in AL-only keeper or dynasty leagues with minor league drafts, but mixed leaguers may be afforded the luxury of waiting and seeing depending upon the depth of the corner infield market and free agent pool of your league.
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