question stringlengths 14 1.69M | answer stringlengths 1 40.5k | meat_tokens int64 1 8.18k |
|---|---|---|
Although everyone knows that seawater is salty, few know that even small variations in ocean surface salinity (i.e., concentration of dissolved salts) can have dramatic effects on the water cycle and ocean circulation.
Surface winds drive currents in the upper ocean. Deep below the surface, however, ocean circulation is primarily driven by changes in seawater density, which<|fim_middle|> surface salinity (SS), Latitude, Longitude and Julian day. 465 Temperature and salinity profiles have been selected for this study.
The most powerful model was carried out by a hybrid between two regression models, model 5 for upper 130m and model 8 for the rest depths. Root mean square errors (RMSE) were computed between the estimated and measured salinities for the verification profiles for all models. The power of these two hybrid models are coming from, each one can be stand alone and apply to get salinity profile with different accuracy. If you have SS and the other mentioned parameters you can apply model 5 with high efficiency to estimate salinity profile (especially for upper 130m). But if SS not available, you can use model 8 with low accuracy than model 5 for upper 130m and more accurate than model 5 for rest depths.
Dr. Maged M.A. Hussein, Associated Professor, Marine Physics Lab, Division of Marine Environment, National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Alexandria, Egypt. | is determined by salinity and temperature. The ocean stores more heat in the uppermost three meters than the entire atmosphere. Thus density-controlled circulation is a key to transporting heat in the ocean and maintaining Earth's climate.
Global understanding of ocean surface salinity was difficult because sampling by ships, buoys, drifters, and moorings was extremely limited. So, the need for salinity estimate is global. Unfortunately, salinity's relationship to temperature and to other observables varies from region to region. Thus, the task of developing capability for estimating salinity must be approached region by region. This paper focuses on the Eastern Mediterranean Sea as one such region. Dr. Maged M.A. Hussein developed about eight regression models to estimate salinity profiles in the upper 500m from temperature profile measurements, sea | 165 |
"Call Me Back Again" is a song credited to Paul and Linda McCartney and performed by Wings. It was originally released on the album Venus and Mars. It was performed throughout their world tours in Australia and America and a live version was included on the album Wings Over America. It was also included on the compilation album Wingspan: Hits and History. The song was also included on the theatrical version of the film Rockshow, documenting the Wings 1976 tour, but was excluded from the laserdisc version of the film.
The song was also used as McCartney's entry on the iTunes exclusive 4-track Beatles EP 4: John Paul George Ringo, released in 2014.
Writing and lyrics
McCartney primarily wrote the song at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, California in 1974 and completed the song in New Orleans, Louisiana, where most of the recording sessions for Venus and Mars, including those for "Call Me Back Again," took place. Although the song does not reference the city of New Orleans, it is one of the few songs on Venus and Mars to portray the influence of the city. The song is a bluesy New Orleans-style soul ballad. Paul Nelson of Rolling Stone Magazine described it as being "well-sung" and "urban-blues-and-Sixties-soul-influenced." The lyrics tell of the singer's grief that<|fim_middle|> of emotion rarely equaled and reveals what a supreme vocalist he is." Guarisco described his singing as "a wild-eyed wail of a vocal that is a perfect blend of soulful grit and rock energy." Vincent Benitez particularly praised the vocal performance in the outro, stating that "McCartney shines as a bluesy vocal soloist, ad-libbing as the music fades out." In the book The Rough Guide to the Beatles, Chris Ingham noted a similarity between McCartney's vocal in "Call Me Back Again" and that in The Beatles' song "Oh! Darling," although he considered "Call Me Back Again" to be "an inert sludge rocker." Author Tim Riley also remarked on the similarity between "Call Me Back Again" and "Oh! Darling." Robert Rodriguez, calling the song "a piano-based soul shouter" took the "Oh! Darling" analogy further, stating that it "fully achieved what the Fabs' 'Oh! Darling' only hinted at, with a full-throated vocal unheard since the coda of 'Hey, Jude' seven years before." McCartney himself stated "I ended up just sort of ad-libbing a bit, stretching out a bit. I like that myself. I had a chance to sing."
Personnel
Paul McCartney – vocals, bass, clavinet, string arrangement, piano
Linda McCartney – Mellotron flutes
Denny Laine – electric guitar, backing vocals
Jimmy McCulloch – electric guitar
Joe English – drums
Steve Howard – trumpet
Tony Dorsey – string arrangement
Clyde Kerr – trumpet
John Longo – trumpet
Michael J. Pierce – alto saxophone
Alvin Thomas – alto saxophone
Carl Blouin – baritone saxophone
References
1970s ballads
1975 songs
Paul McCartney songs
Paul McCartney and Wings songs
Songs written by Paul McCartney
Song recordings produced by Paul McCartney
Songs written by Linda McCartney
Music published by MPL Music Publishing
Soul ballads
Rock ballads
Songs about telephone calls | his girlfriend no longer returns his phone calls. Although the phone calls from his girlfriend used to bring him joy, now that she stopped returning his calls he pleads for her to call him back again. Another interpretation, by Ultimate Classic Rock contributor Nick DeRiso, is that the lyrics were directed at McCartney's former bandmate John Lennon. Allmusic critic Donald A. Guarisco compares the lyrics to lyrics in classic singles by such soul singers as Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding.
Music
"Call Me Back Again" is in the key of F major and in 12/8 time. The structure is relatively simple, alternating the verse and the refrain, with an intro and an outro at the beginning and end. The melody incorporates gospel music elements. The song incorporates a prominent horn part arranged by Tony Dorsey. Other instrumentation includes what Guarisco describes as "searing guitar riffs and pulsating piano lines."
McCartney's vocal performance has received considerable praise from critics. John Blaney describes his singing as "a killer vocal that underlines a recording to relish," which "has a depth | 234 |
Viridor, welcomed teachers and pupils from The Bicester School to its state-of-the-art Energy Recovery Facility at Ardley to mark the start of a partnership to help pupils gain invaluable insight into how subjects, such as maths and science, directly link to careers within the recycling, resources and<|fim_middle|> to as 'waste' into high quality recyclate and renewable energy contributing to the UK's resource productivity. Making this happen every day is a network of facilities which utilise cutting edge technology operated by highly trained teams.
As the recycling, resources and renewable energy sector becomes a more attractive industry for school leavers, the partnership supports Viridor's commitment to investing in people and developing skills for the future resource management needs of the UK.
Part of the FTSE 250 Pennon Group, Viridor's purpose is to give resources new life, transforming 'waste' into high quality recyclables, raw materials and energy.
Each year Viridor transforms over 1.5 million tonnes of materials into high quality recyclate, and yet more into over 930 gigawatt hours of renewable energy. In total it safely manages over seven million tonnes of recyclables and waste materials for customers from all sectors across the UK.
The company's full range of services includes: recycling and waste prevention advice and auditing; advanced materials recycling; glass and plastics reprocessing; composting; mechanical & biological treatment; anaerobic digestion; waste to energy; transport; collections; landfill disposal; and habitat restoration and management.
Employing over 3,500 people, Viridor strives to be an environmentally, socially and economically sustainable business. It achieved a three-star ranking in Business in the Community's 2015 Corporate Responsibility Index. All sites and services are operated under the company's integrated business management system incorporating the highest environmental, quality, health and safety, and energy management standards. | renewable energy sector.
The partnership, brought together by Business in the Community and known as 'Business Class' develops local clusters of businesses from across a wide spectrum of industries and pairs them with local schools. The pupils get to learn about how the facility operates, relying on the principles that are first developed at school. Whilst working in an inspirational learning setting and benefiting from mentoring from the facility's experienced team of engineers each week throughout the school term.
Viridor transforms what some would refer | 95 |
"The Tree of Life"
Terrence Malick's Magnum Opus
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment 2274934
Format: Blu-ray, DVD
Viewing a Terrence Malick film without having strong feelings about the experience is nearly impossible. Some find his work maddeningly abstract and pretentious, while others will find themselves mesmerized by the gorgeous cinematography and signature voiceovers. The Tree of Life will divide opinion more than any of Malick's previous works, but one thing is certain: there is no other film like it.
The story's fulcrum lies in 1950s Waco, Texas. The plot follows the struggles of Jack (Hunter McCracken), a young boy who attempts to wrestle with his father's (Brad Pitt) authoritarian nature, as contrasted with his mother's (Jessica Chastain) more nurturing approach to parenting. Jack also explores his beliefs about death, faith, and personhood. Woven into this primary narrative are two complementary asides: a semi-CGI sequence that illustrates the birth of existence, both universal as well as here on Earth, and another track in which adult Jack (Sean Penn) continues to struggle with his identity.
Preconceptions about traditional filmmaking must be discarded at the door if one is to appreciate this film. For those that have trouble with non-linear plots, The Tree of Life may drive them mad, or worse, to sleep. The film doesn't entertain in the traditional sense of the word. Rather, it demands a thoughtful, open-minded, active viewer, one willing to embrace the decidedly abstract in concert with the literal, for as often as the dialogue carries the story's progression, so too does the film's imagery. The viewer is left to infer a great deal from the onscreen happenings, which often hint at the profound without ever being so vulgar as to actually voice it.
Divorced from the story, The Tree of Life is arguably one of the prettiest films you're likely to see or hear, and it finds cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki at his very best. Colors are vibrant yet natural, with special care taken to preserve the organic, unfiltered qualities of<|fim_middle|>0-minute behind-the-scenes piece, which includes interviews with directors David Fincher and Christopher Nolan, as well as the film's producers and stars. It yields some insight into the film's genesis, as well as its actual making.
The Tree of Life, itself, will divide opinion. The Blu-ray, however, is one of the best I have seen. Terrence Malick imparts the majesty of life with characteristic verve and grace, and it's an experience that shouldn't be missed.
Be sure to watch for: The sequence involving the birth of the universe is spellbinding, and resonates more in the world of documentaries than proper cinema. The rich reds offset the inky, cosmic blacks, while the thunderous bass line serves to underline the spectacle of it all. Stellar.
. . . Hans Wetzel
hansw@soundstagenetwork.com | the sets, actors, and landscapes. While it would be easy to point out a few single examples of the image quality on tap, the fact is that almost the entire film is worthy of a screenshot. It's that beautiful.
The audio track is also noteworthy. Two audio tracks are available: a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track, and a Dolby Digital 2.0 track. Unfortunately, I was limited to the latter, but the original score by Alexandre Desplat sounded fabulous, ranging from simple piano cues to larger orchestral ones. When allied with the properly deep, crushing bass lines that appear throughout, this Blu-ray will be a good workout for stereo / surround sound systems everywhere, especially if you take the advice of the producers who advise at the outset that you should play the film "loud."
The only extra feature is a 3 | 178 |
Home us VRR – what is adaptive frame rate sync?
VRR – what is adaptive frame rate sync?
Gamers are different: the plot is important for some, while the graphics remain in the background, others are ready to<|fim_middle|> card not older than NVIDIA GeForce GTX 10xx or AMD Radeon RX 5xx;
Update Windows to May 1903;
Check the HDMI cable version: it must not be lower than HDMI 2.0.
Faf Duplessis out of PSL
Abu Dhabi: Quetta Gladiators key player Faf Dupleix has been dropped from PSL 6. South African batsman Faf Dupleix was injured while fielding during the...
Get Vaccinated, Eat Meat For Free All Year Round
PAKISTAN BANS FEMALE AND MALE TEACHERS FROM WEARING JEANS, NOTIFICATION ISSUED
Automatic Mars Vehicle
Japanese Ambassador
How an expensive M.2 SSD differs from a cheap one
Nine reasons to buy an electric oven
The best water filtration systems for a private house
Facebook shuts down Donald Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts for two... | give everything in order to squeeze out of the computer as many cherished frames per second as possible. But, no matter how actively and often they improve the gaming system for this, visually not everything turns out to be smooth: whatever one may say, there are gaps in the image in games. Manufacturers have figured out how to fix this – with adaptive frame synchronization technologies like VRR. Let's figure out what it is and how it differs from other technologies.
Let's imagine that the monitor turns on and off six times per second, that is, it operates at a frequency of 6 Hz. During this time, the video card manages to prepare six frames. They work synchronously: each frame is displayed exactly at the moment the display is turned on, so all information is shown on the screen without changes. If the video card is able to prepare not six, but seven frames in the same period of time, then a monitor with a scanning frequency of 6 Hz will not be able to display all the rendered frames in the correct order, but it will somehow try to do it. Since one frame is always superfluous, at some point the display will be an image composed of two frames superimposed on each other.
This phenomenon is known as tearing. It manifests itself regardless of the power of the processor, video card, as well as the "coolness" of the TV and monitor. As a result of the constant "attachment" of extra frames to those that hit the address when the monitor was turned on, shifts and gaps occur in the continuous gameplay. To fix this and bring the gameplay back smoothly, manufacturers have come up with frame rate synchronization technologies. Among the already known methods, which we discussed in a separate article , there are also completely new ones – for example, VRR.
V-Sync is a software way to synchronize frames. The technology is supported at the software level, so it can be included in any game and any project. The principle of operation is maddeningly simple: the driver reads the monitor's refresh rate and limits the number of frames produced by the video card to this value. For example, with a monitor refresh rate of 60 Hz, Vsync will limit the frame graph to 60 fps. For most gaming tasks, this is enough: the gaps disappear, the picture becomes smooth.
Cisco 700-680 Dumps
Cisco 700-680 PDF Dumps
Cisco 700-680 Dumps PDF
Magento-2-Certified-Associate-Developer Exam Dumps
ADM-261 Exam Dumps
SnowPro-Core PDF Dumps
SOA-C01 Dumps PDF
MCIA-Level-1 Dumps
Marketing-Cloud-Consultant Dumps
CIPP-E PDF Dumps
CS0-002 Dumps PDF
The flawless operation of this function continues exactly as long as the video card is capable of processing the required number of frames per second. If the graphics accelerator drops the frequency to at least 59 fps, then V-Sync will automatically set the limit to a multiple of two. Then the screen will display not 59 or 60 frames, but exactly 30 – so that the monitor again works synchronously with each frame. This is the main disadvantage of vertical synchronization, which can be circumvented with the help of new technologies.
G-Sync is NVIDIA's proprietary frame sync technology, which is significantly different from the software method. In this case, not the frames are adjusted to the monitor frequency, but the monitor frequency is set dynamically so that each monitor turn on corresponds to one ready frame. Naturally, the technology has limitations: synchronization can work within the range from 30 fps to 240 fps. And as long as the tandem does not go beyond these limits, everything looks perfect. As soon as the video card fakes and drops the frame rate below the minimum, the magic "jisync" turns into ordinary vertical sync.
This method depends on the hardware capabilities of the monitor and video card. To activate G-Sync, the user must make friends with a compatible display with a "green" accelerator no older than 10th generation. The limitations are due to the proprietary technology: NVIDIA allows its developments to be used only within the framework of a license, while monitor manufacturers pass the costs of purchasing it onto buyers. They also include the cost of an additional module – something like a separate computer in the monitor case, which is responsible for the synchronization. Hence the inflated cost of monitors that support this feature.
F reeSync is AMD's frame sync technology. By tradition, the manufacturer turns complex things into simple ones and makes expensive magic available to everyone. Therefore, the "red" technology works as well as G-Sync, but does not require the installation of an additional computer in the monitor, and is also being developed openly – without licenses and "overpayments".
The second version of FreeSync supports an extended frequency range from 9 Hz to 240 Hz. At the same time, to activate frame synchronization, not only a proprietary accelerator is suitable, but also any NVIDIA video cards not older than the 10th generation. Thus, to use this technology, it is enough to have a suitable monitor or TV.
VRR (Variable refresh rate) is a relatively recent adaptive synchronization technology. In fact, this is the collective name for all synchronization algorithms. Therefore, for the technology referred to in the material, it is better to use the name HDMI Forum VRR.
The prefix "HDMI" in the decoding of the abbreviation means that VRR is part of the data transmission standard of the same name. And this is not the first attempt at a connector-bound technology. Previously, a function called VESA Adaptive Sync was received by the DisplayPort standard – the same "frames", only in profile.
With the new version of HDMI, TVs and transmitters have learned to understand high refresh rates in 4K resolution, automatically recognize content and adjust the TV for games, and also adjust the screen refresh rate dynamically, like gaming monitors with G-Sync and FreeSync support. Accordingly, VRR works in the same way as the technologies listed above, but has several advantages.
VRR can work not only on HDMI 2.1 devices, but also over HDMI 2.0 . Even in this mode, the user gets a smooth picture effect. The only difference is in the maximum resolution and scanning frequency . While HDMI 2.1 can handle up to 120 fps in 4K resolution, HDMI 2.0 is limited to 60 Hz.
With the advent of VRR, game console manufacturers no longer need to use additional firmware in firmware to enable FreeSync or G-Sync to work. Everything has long been provided for in HDMI, which they, in any case, implement in their systems. Moreover, TV manufacturers can also take a deep breath and get rid of the worries of implementing proprietary frequency synchronization technologies.
When a PC or console is connected to a FreeSync – enabled TV , HDR Dolby Vision is disabled. AMD sync technology is a separate feature and takes up a fraction of the HDMI bandwidth, so some useful add-ons are disabled. This won't happen with VRR. For this adaptive frequency technology, its own channel is allocated, using which, the function does not interfere with the operation of other signals and streams.
What does it work for
Even at the initial stage of the distribution of the function, most video cards and modern TVs turn out to be compatible with VRR. The technology is tied to the data transmission standard and cannot be "cut" by the manufacturer of the TV or graphics accelerator. Therefore, it is supported not only by new devices , but even by last year's video cards such as NVIDIA RTX 2000 or AMD Radeon RX 5000 series. Rumor has it that in the future, even devices with integrated Intel graphics will receive support for the new technology.
VRR has been actively integrated into LG TVs starting in 2020, as well as Samsung's Q80 and Q90 series and newer. Support for the technology is also announced by the manufacturers of game consoles : Xbox One, Xbox Series and PlayStation 5. Prior to the software update, previous Microsoft consoles worked only with Freesync, and past Sony devices are still satisfied with the usual vertical sync.
How to turn on
To activate VRR, not only hardware compatibility of components is required , but also software support from the operating system. VRR appeared in Windows 10 after updating to version 1903, where the feature exists as an add-on to G-Sync and FreeSync, rather than a separate technology in its own right.
The developers declare that enabling the option does not affect the operation of other synchronization technologies, but only complements them in those projects where there is no support for other algorithms. For example, in games with DirectX 11, as well as in cases where the G-Sync mode does not cover the user's tasks: there is not enough range of supported frequencies, or support for G-Sync and FreeSync is simply absent in the monitor.
To enable Adaptive Frequency Sync in Windows 10, you need to:
Install a monitor with support for G-Sync or FreeSync technologies;
Install a video | 1,917 |
By unanimous consent of the veterans, Sallie's likeness looks out from the base of the statue, looking out for the spirits of "her boys" for all eternity.
From contemporary descriptions and the only photograph that's known to exist of her, Sallie was a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, brindle in color. She was four weeks old in 1861, given as a gift to 1st Lieutenant William Terry of the 11th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, who made her the regimental mascot. The men of the regiment were enormously fond of Sallie, as she tagged along on long marches and kept them company in their camps. She learned the drum roll announcing reveille, and loved to help wake sleeping soldiers in the morning.
If you've<|fim_middle|> reviewing the army, when he spotted the dog from the center of the reviewing stand, and raised his famous top hat in salute.
At Gettysburg, Sallie was separated from her unit in the chaos of the first day's fighting. They found her five days later, on July 6, parched with thirst and weakened by hunger. She was standing guard over her dead and dying comrades from July 1.
It's been said that only a dog is capable of that kind of loyalty, yet virtue in one is capable of inspiring virtue in another. So it was in February, 1865. Sallie was struck in the head by a bullet at Hatcher's Run. She was killed instantly, when several men of the 11th PA laid down their arms and buried her right then and there, even though they were still under fire from the Confederate side.
There is a story. I don't know if it's true, but it's nice to think that it might be. Soldiers were moving out after the battle, when they heard whining from a hollowed out tree. There they found several of Sallie's puppies. They'd had no idea she was pregnant, or how puppies came to be in that hollowed out tree, but they gave them to local civilians so that Sallie's bloodline could live on.
Surviving veterans of the regiment returned to Gettysburg in 1890, to dedicate a memorial to those members of the 11th Pennsylvania who lost their lives on that field of battle. The monument shows an upright Union soldier, rifle at the ready.
By unanimous consent of the veterans themselves, Sallie's likeness looks out from the base of the statue, looking after the spirits of "her boys", for all eternity.
There are only two dogs so honored on the battlefield at Gettysburg, the other is part of the Irish Brigade monument. Of the two, Sallie is the only one to have actually participated in the battle.
she was a soldier too.
our own red white and blue.
that she lived her life so true". | ever had a dog in your life, you know how that goes.
Sallie's first battle came at Cedar Mountain, in 1862. No one thought of sending her to the rear before things got hot, so she took up her position with the colors, barking ferociously at the adversary. There she remained throughout the entire engagement, as she did at Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Spotsylvania. They said she only hated three things: Rebels, Democrats, and Women.
Sallie marched with "her" soldiers in a review in the spring of 1863. Abraham Lincoln was | 135 |
Columbia River Theatre Organ Society
Home of Pipe Organ Pictures
Hollywood Theatre
Cleveland Kimball
CRTOS is dedicated to theatre organ preservation and promotion of this uniquely American instrument. We sponsor theatre organ concerts, silent films screenings, music workshops and theatre organ restoration projects in Oregon and Southern Washington.
COVID-19 has placed our schedule on hold. Keep checking back as we are cooking up a great show for when the Hollywood Theatre reopens!
Pipe Organ Pictures Series
Each of these films presented as they were meant to be experienced – with live organ accompaniment! Every film in this series is complemented by an original score, created and performed live by a professional musician.
The Hollywood organ is dedicated to the memory of Beverly Ruth Nelson and is the result of a partnership between the Hollywood Theatre and the nonprofit Columbia River Theatre Organ Society. It is the only such instrument in a public theatre in Portland.
Tickets are $12.00 at the door of the Hollywood Theatre.
About Our Instruments
The Hollywood Theatre
While previous events at the Hollywood have featured live organ accompaniment, the organ sound itself was digital, powered by large speakers backstage. Now, the sound will once again come from real pipes. The Columbia River Theatre Organ Society has spent thousands of volunteer hours meticulously refurbishing the theater organ, tracking down vintage organ parts and pipes, restoring the original Hollywood organ chamber, and installing electrical lines, wind lines, and a mammoth 15hp organ blower in the basement. Ours is the only pipe organ in a public theatre in Portland.
The Hollywood is located at: 4122 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland, OR 97212, two blocks from the Hollywood MAX station.
The Kimball pipe organ in the 1100 seat auditorium is maintained by CRTOS. The core of the instrument was originally from the Columbia theater in Longview, Washington. In 1936, it was moved to Benson high school in Portland where it resided until it was moved to Cleveland in 1990. The organ was enlarged and improved there and is one of the best sounding organs of its type in the Pacific northwest.
Disaster struck in 2016 when a steam pipe burst and over one half of the pipe wind chests and other wood components in the north (main) chamber were damaged beyond repair. The damaged<|fim_middle|> is located at: 3400 SE 26th Ave., Portland, OR 97202
Show your support for CRTOS by joining today! Chose an option bellow for a print and mail membership form or join online using the Join Now button below.
CRTOS Facebook Newsfeed
Columbia River Theatre Organ Society | 3439 N.E. Sandy Blvd., #259 | Portland, OR 97232 | items have been temporarily substituted with digital equivalents. Restoring the instrument to its original sound will cost thousands of dollars. If you would like to assist with this project, please make a tax deductible donation to the Columbia River Theatre Organ Society.
Cleveland High School | 51 |
The U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC) wanted to hear opinions about the potential of the Internet of Things (IoT) from the enterprise perspective. The agency got what it wanted: There were 130 papers submitted in response to the request, all with their own unique point of view — and a few providing warnings about IoT.
There were some common areas of agreement: Everyone thinks IoT will be a huge movement that will require some new ways of thinking about interconnected networks. Computerworld reported that in North America alone, the IoT will deliver 250 billion sensors for consumer applications and 50 billion for highway control devices. So many connected devices will require new security measures for all involved.
But in other areas, opinions on the IoT varied. Some viewed the IoT as enabling, with advancements such as smart cars and homes increasing personal safety. Additionally, new manufacturing and medical technologies could keep individuals healthy while boosting food production.
At the same time, a few organizations, such as the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), were concerned about the data profiles stemming from the IoT. Others were worried about the possibility of a global attack scenario enabled by a security-challenged interconnected network.
The association isn't alone in its concern about the potentially massive consequences of IoT. But<|fim_middle|> tech and other smart devices are becoming pervasive. All those sensors collect information and need to dump that data somewhere — and they need an internet connection do it. That alone makes them a risk for individuals and organizations.
Now that the submissions are in, the DoC is going to issue a green paper, which is the name given for a tentative government report. It won't be an official policy statement; it's focused more on stimulating policy discussions, which are sorely needed given predictions surrounding the future of IoT. | although there is a big risk associated with it, enterprises aren't eager to have the movement regulated.
Spectrum access is going to be a major issue too. Wearables, fashion | 36 |
'Yellowstone' star Wes Bentley explains how he knew the show was a hit
Wes Bentley attends the Yellowstone Season 5 premiere on Nov. 3 in New York City. (Photo: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
Yellow<|fim_middle|> leadership senses that all is not well between Jamie and the others in his family. They're right, of course.
"Market Equities is taking a strategy of trying to peel off one of the Duttons and Jamie being that guy, and it'll be exciting for fans to see what really happens," Bentley says.
We'll definitely be watching.
The two-hour premiere of Yellowstone airs Sunday, Nov. 13 at 8 p.m. on Paramount Network. | stone star Wes Bentley could just feel that his Paramount Network show about a family fighting to keep their ranch was connecting with viewers.
"I could tell when, I think, Season 3 we were shooting, and I was flying back and forth a lot, cause my family didn't come with me that time, and, in those flights, I started to [notice], more and more people knew who I was, more and more people wanted to talk about the show," Bentley tells Yahoo Entertainment. "It wasn't a ton, like it is now, but it was picking up, so I was getting a feeling this was gonna be big. And lately it's been everywhere, whereas before it was mostly in the middle of the country or the West. But now cities and ... people from Canada — I have family in Canada — they're all very passionate. They have morning talk shows all about it."
Yes, just like the Duttons have the biggest ranch in the country, Yellowstone had the biggest audience of live and same day viewers — 9.3 million — of any show since 2017, when its fourth season ended in January. That's a high for the series, and one that, in a world of fragmented audiences, shows aspire to attain.
Bentley, who's acted in projects such as American Beauty, The Hunger Games and American Horror Story in the past two decades, is well aware that that kind of excitement about a show is something special.
"I knew it was a great show from even the first scripts ever, but, you know, you never know," Bentley says. "There's great shows that people don't watch, so it's hard to know if that alone [works]. So when this phenomenon takes off, it's hard to understand, hard to know why."
When the Taylor Sheridan co-creation last aired, the Dutton patriarch, who's played by Kevin Costner, was on a path to becoming governor of Montana, which would give him an upper hand in shielding the ranch.
Cole Hauser, who plays Rip, John Dutton's most trusted ranch hand and husband to John's fiery daughter, Beth, played by Kelly Reilly, says that, for his character, this season is about being steady amid all the change.
"No, I don't think it's transformative," Hauser says, when asked. "Past seasons I would say yes, but this year, I think it's more about him being consistent … and being a rock for Beth, you know, and at times also a rock for the ranch."
Wes Bentley, Luke Grimes, Kelsey Asbille, Gil Birmingham and Cole Hauser attend the premiere of Yellowstone Season 5 on Nov. 3 in New York City. (Photo: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
Hauser explains that Rip will need to fight outside forces more fiercely than ever.
"There's a lot of weight put on his shoulders as far as handling the ranch, being the foreman, and responsibility," Hauser says. "So, I think, this year is really about him waking up every day and making sure the chores are taken care of."
Gil Birmingham, who plays Thomas Rainwater, the leader of the nearby Broken Rock Reservation and a casino owner, teases that his character will face new challenges as John Dutton becomes more powerful than ever.
"It's gonna definitely be more complicated and complex, because there was paradigms and structures that were built in terms of alliances at the end of Season 4 with Market Equities," Birmingham says, referring to the company that's attempting to buy up land surrounding the Dutton ranch to build an airport. "Now that John Dutton has shifted into a political arena of power and the ability to write legislative policy that's going to mostly benefit him, it kind of leaves Rainwater out in the dark, it terms of how to respond to that. And then there's also, you know, a real vulnerability that Rainwater is gonna experience this season and maybe have some internal conflicts within his own group, so a lot of stuff going on."
Bentley's character also has a season that involves Market Equities, who's | 845 |
Fort Worth cop talks about the night he was shot 5 times
He said being back on the street in uniform feels the same. The main difference is "all the new stuff they put in these patrol cars"
Max Faulkner And Tom Uhler
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Fort Worth police officer Xavier Serrano is back on the beat almost two years after being shot five times<|fim_middle|>He said being back on the street in uniform feels the same. The main difference is "all the new stuff they put in these patrol cars — a lot changed in two years, a lot," he said.
"I'm blessed to be here," he said. "I'm blessed for the opportunities I've been given. I'm blessed for the way my department's taken care of me — everyone from the chief on down. I've gotten support from every angle, and I'm blessed for every bit of it."
©2018 the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
Officer Survival | while answering a call about a suicide attempt in the Wedgwood neighborhood.
Serrano spoke with the media at police headquarters Friday morning and described the night of the shooting and his journey back to active duty.
"I'm feeling good ... just glad to be back out there," he said. "It's like I never left — except the cars are a little roomier."
Serrano and Officer Ray Azucena, who had been on patrol less than two months, were ambushed at a house in the 3800 block of Wharton Drive in south Fort Worth the night of Sept. 16, 2016.
Shots burst from a backyard shed as the officers attempted to force the shed door open. Serrano was hit in the hand, shoulder, arm and upper body. Azucena was shot in the chest but the bullet was deflected by his body armor. The shooter, identified as Martin Craig Fleece, 55, killed himself, police said.
Guess Who's Back? Back Again. Officer Serrano is back.....tell a friend.... On Sept. 16, 2016, Officer Serrano was...
Posted by Fort Worth Police Department on Thursday, August 16, 2018
Serrano underwent surgery at John Peter Smith Hospital afterward and was released five days later to begin his long recovery at home. He eventually returned to the police department in a non-active duty role.
Serrano said Friday he had a vivid memory of the shooting.
"I remember all the flashes," he said. "I guess it just kind of went in slow motion. I remember seeing my shirt tear open, I remember the flash from his gun every time he pulled the trigger, I remember seeing mine every time I pulled mine."
| 370 |
If you want to monetize your blog or glean traffic for your website, SEO is crucial to your success. It makes your website appear near the top of search engine results. Keep reading so you can learn more.
TIP! Another effective strategy for affiliate marketing is the pay-per-click method. This requires the least effort from webmasters, so it pays comparatively little, but those small profits can compound rapidly.
To improve your search engine rankings, don't just add keywords to your site. Also add alternative forms of that keyword, including misspellings, in the meta tags of each page on your site. Search engines will "read" these metatags and help you appear in a wider variety of searches. A good example is using the keywords "eyeglasses" and "eyeglases" if your website is all about eyeglasses.
Incorporate one or two of your keywords into your domain name. The website needs to be easily located by anyone who is searching for it. Not everybody will come to your website from the advertisements, some find your site by searching for things on your site.
Look at source codes found on the websites of your competition. That way, you will be able to determine the way they use SEO for their site and the keywords they find valuable. You will not want to compete on the exact same terms, but it can give you ideas on your next campaign.
TIP! Try to include a transcript for any visual or audio content on your site. When you have a transcript a search engine will pick that up too.
There are a few things that you can do to optimize your search engine results. Description tags play a large roll in your site coming up during a search. Describe your site and why people should click in as few words as possible using the meta tag. The better the quality and effectiveness of your description tags, the more likely people are to actually visit your site, even when your competition ranks higher than you on your keyword's search engine results page.
Try a DIY approach to learning SEO. There are many resources out there you can use. Find great informative websites and books to help you learn the latest in SEO techniques.
TIP! If you want to be successful, try putting a video sitemap and videos on your webpage. Videos can be great for personal introductions or product demonstrations and tutorials.
Instead of exchanging links, try using article exchanges for boosting your rankings in the search engines. An article exchange means a different website puts up one of your articles and credits you with a link. You do the same for them in return. Both site benefit because of the content, the links and the increase in traffic.
TIP! It's important to make sure that each picture on a website has an "alt" tag. These tags are intended to replace images if the website visitor disables image display.
Research keywords before you begin. Before building your website, know which keywords should be included in the titles. Researching keywords can help people find you in your specific area. Your ranking in the results of search engine queries will be raised when the right keywords on your website have<|fim_middle|> can. Commit yourself to publishing a certain number of stories each week. The search engines are looking for web pages that produce new content on a regular basis versus a page that only has a small amount of new information added periodically. Higher page ranks go to those websites that are always putting out new content.
TIP! Use plural or longer variations of keywords to increase the opportunity for your site to pop up on search engines. Keyword stemming is a popular technique of some search engines.
As you now see, optimizing your site is easier than you think. When you use these tips, your website traffic will increase after your SEO strategy takes effect. Begin using these tips today for best results. | been highlighted.
TIP! To give SEO a great boost, whenever possible use off-site links to quality content. This is a very important part of linking.
You should publish and write fresh content as much as you | 43 |
Hollywood Enlists!: Propaganda Films of WWII
Hollywood Enlists! Propaganda Films of World War II
by Ralph Donald
Rowman and Littlefield
Hardcover ISBN: 9781442277267
Amazon - Barnes and Noble - Powells
Over the years the term "propaganda" has developed a negative connotation. It suggests the brainwashing of its subjects by an authority who lacks good intentions. However, the word propaganda really just means persuasion. Professor of communications Ralph Donald, points out in his new book Hollywood Enlists! Propaganda Films of World War II that "the United States is by far the world's biggest exporter of media" and in those pivotal years of WWII used its media, especially in the form of movies, to drum up support for the war effort. The author breaks down propaganda into two definitions:
1) "forming new and adjusted attitudes in the minds of audiences."
2) "urging them to action, to do something about these newly acquired attitudes."
It was during WWII that Hollywood linked arms with the government to deliver many types of propaganda to its devoted audiences. Feature films about Americans fighting overseas and holding down the fort on the home front, flooded the theaters. There were also documentaries, newsreels, promotional reels encouraging the sales of war bonds and much more. In his book, author Donald focuses on American feature films released during WWII and specifically about the war. We all know that countless movies about WWII came after and are still coming out today (two good examples are the recent releases Dunkirk and Darkest Hour). However, the movies of that pivotal time delivered an important message of American loyalty and support of the war.
"Films made during WWII accomplished their objectives so well that they helped to forge an entire generation into one of the most ideologically unified, singularly-minded populations in the history of the world." - Ralph Donald
The author packs so much in what turns out to be less than 200 reading pages. He breaks down the different themes of propaganda, based on theories developed in the academic world, and shows how each of these themes, and even their sub-themes, play out in different films of the era. It helps to have some familiarity with these films as spoilers are not held back especially if the ending of a movie helps demonstrated the execution of a particular theme. Many movies are referenced and the backmatter of the book includes an annotated filmography. Films discussed at length include: J'Accuse (1938), Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939), Sergeant York (1941), Captains of the Clouds (1942), Casablanca (1942), Mrs. Miniver (1942), Saboteur (1942), Bombadier (1943), Destination Tokyo (1943), Five Graves to Cairo (1943), Lifeboat (1944), Back to Bataan (1945), Blood on the Sun (1945), They Were Expendable (1945), and more.
The various themes explained throughout the book really demonstrated just how these movies were intentional in their messages. Sometimes the themes are obvious and some are incredibly subtle. The author breaks down propaganda into five points: Guilt, Sat-nism (good vs. evil), Illusion of Victory, Apocalyptic/Biblical and Territorial. Each of the five points gets it's own chapter with plenty of breakdowns, examples and explanations. In Sat-nism, propaganda films demonstrated polar opposites of good and evil, America vs. the Japanese or the Nazis in many cases, by constantly comparing characters on both sides. This sounds relatively simple and it is on the surface. However, the author breaks down all of the aspects of this good vs. evil portrayal down to many many factions. Not all possible themes were available to use because there was still the Hays Code to contend with. For example, one theme that was often turned down by the Hays Office, was the portrayal of enemy soldiers raping women. It's seen in films like Edge of Darkness (1943) starring Errol Flynn and Ann Sheridan. Constant comparisons of the treatment of women, the fairness of judicial systems, suppression of ideas and honor vs. dishonor really drive home the message that we are fighting for the right reasons. I was particularly fascinated by the fact that Italy was not considered a true threat and portrayed that way in many films. It's something I'll look for next time I encounter an Italian character in a WWII film.
"Hollywood was both an influence in, and a dutiful mirror of, American public opinion." - Ralph Donald
This book is by no means light reading. It took me a couple of months to get through as it is packed with information and is delivered in a straightforward academic tone. It is not so much a reference book, unless you are working on a paper on propaganda in film, as it is a book meant to be read cover-to-cover. I wouldn't recommend this to the casual classic film reader. It's really meant for classroom use or for someone, like me, who is particularly interested in WWII and Hollywood.
Hollywood Enlists! by Ralph Donald packs a punch with its thorough and well-researched breakdowns of the propaganda themes found in the feature films of WWII.
Thank you to publisher Rowman and Littlfield for sending me a copy of this book for review!
Posted by Raquel Stecher No comments:
Labels: Book Reviews, WWII
The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
This review is sponsored by DVD Netflix.
It's New Year's Eve, and the S.S. Poseidon is on its scheduled final journey. The cruise liner is a few days behind schedule and the captain (Leslie Nielsen) is feeling pressure to speed things up from new owner Linarcos (Fred Sadoff). He wants to make up ground but the captain is worried that the old vessel won't be able to handle going full speed ahead and it will put their passengers in danger. On board are a motley crew of vacationers heading to different ports of call. Reverend Scott (Gene Hackman) tends to the religious needs of the passengers. His approach to faith is radically different from the more traditional view of the ship's chaplain (Arthur O'Connell). Then there is Robin (Eric Shea), a young curious boy who wants to learn everything there is to know about the S.S. Poseidon. He's traveling with his sister Susan (Pamela Sue Martin) on the way to see their parents. Rogo (Ernest Borgnine) his devoted to his wife Linda (Stella Stevens), whom he rescued from a life of prostitution. Then there are the Rosens, Belle (Shelley Winters) and Manny (Jack Albertson), a loving couple on their way to see their new grandchild in Israel. They befriend bachelor Martin (Red Buttons), whose focus on health and fitness keeps him busy to avoid feelings of loneliness. Then there is the staff like Acres (Roddy McDowall) a waiter in the main dining room and Nonnie (Carol Lynley), a singer whose band hitches a ride on the Poseidon and pay their way with performances.
Little do the passengers and crew know that a disaster is impending. A nearby earthquake creates a tidal wave and because the captain had to speed up the vessel, they are headed straight for it. While everyone celebrates the ringing in of a New Year, the wave hits the S.S. Poseidon turning it over. Led by Reverend Scott, Robin, Susan, the Rogos, the Rosens, Martin, Acres and Nonnie make their way to the bottom of the ship which is now the top. They face doubts from other passengers and internal doubts as they struggle their way to freedom. With so many deaths and more to come, who will survive? How will they work together to save their own lives? Will this team make it out of the vessel to be rescued?
The principal players of The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
Based on the novel by Paul Gallico and directed by Ronald Neame, The Poseidon Adventure (1972) was a box office hit. It was a gamble for 20th Century Fox which had been backtracking from investing in big budget movies. This movie paid off. They invested $4.7 million and made $40 million+ in rentals. Some significant changes to the novel's plot and the portrayal of the main characters helped develop the film adaptation into something cinema goers would enjoy. It was nominated for 8 Academy Awards and won 2. The film spawned a sequel and a remake.
Disaster movies always give me anxiety. I emotionally invest myself in the characters and I want to see them survive. Watching The Poseidon Adventure, I was the most anxious I have ever been since watching Titanic (1997) when it came out in theaters. I was at the edge of my seat. This film had some really great moments of tension. Each stage to climb the different levels in order to get off the ship was like an insane obstacle course that challenged each group member physically and emotionally. I expected this movie to be cheesy but was pleased how for the most part it wasn't. The drama felt real not forced.
Faith plays an important role in the movie. It starts with Gene Hackman's character Reverend Scott. He's a man of the cloth going through a crisis of faith but has to lead others in their own beliefs. When the disaster strikes, he comes up with a plan to escape but it takes the faith of a small group of people who believe in him to follow Rev. Scott on this treacherous journey. Some of the characters struggle with faith whether its with themselves or with their leader. There is also little Robin who has learned some very useful information about the ship but because of his young age characters like Rogo doubt him. It takes the faith Rev. Scott has in him to use that information for them to move forward.
The Poseidon Adventure (1972) is a captivating disaster movie that will keep you enthralled to the very last minute. I highly recommend it.
I rented The Poseidon Adventure (1972) on DVD Netflix. Click on this link to add it to your queue. Thank you to DVD Netflix for sponsoring this post.
Labels: 1970s, Carol Lynley, DVD Netflix, Eric Shea, Ernest Borgnine, Film Reviews, Gene Hackman, Jack Albertson, Leslie Nielsen, Red Buttons, Roddy McDowall, Shelley Winters
Guy Kibbee Triple Feature
Guy Kibbee. Photo source: Getty Images
Guy Kibbee is a beloved silver screen figure among many contemporary classic film fans, myself included. Just hearing his name brings me joy. I know whenever Guy Kibbee appears in the credits of a movie that I'm in for a real treat. Kibbee was a Warner Bros. contract player in the 1930s and 1940s. He played a variety of roles where he showcased his talents as a character actor. He's known for memorable characters in some of my favorite films including Union Depot (1931), The Crowd Roars (1931), 42nd Street (1933), Gold Diggers of 1933, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). He held his own in smaller roles but had the chops and on screen charisma for leading roles too.
A new DVD release from the Warner Archive Collection showcases three Guy Kibbee movies in which the beloved character actor shines in leading roles. Each film is 60-70 minutes long making it easy to binge watch all three in a row.
The Big Noise (1936) stars Guy Kibbee as textile manufacturing president Julius Trent. Quality work and a good reputation over profits: that's what Julius believes in. Unfortunately he's in the minority and has been voted out as president. With too much time on his hands and a wife fussing over his health, he secretly buys 50% of a local laundry shop under the guise Tom Douglas. The joint comes with a new partner, the handsome and bright Ken (Warren Hull) who is enthusiastic for business and has a degree in chemistry. Not knowing Tom's true identity, he happens to fall in love with Julius' daughter Betty (Alma Lloyd). The business also comes with air-headed assistant Daisy (Marie Wilson) and a talkative parrot. Little do Tom/Julius and Ken know but the previous owner owes money to the mob syndicate that terrorizes the laundry shops in the neighborhood. Tom/Julius must find a way to extricate them from the mob and save the business.
Directed by Frank McDonald and based on a story by Edward Hartman, is a light comedy with a darker side. I was surprised the turn the story took when the protagonist comes up with a plan to save the business. Kibbee is endearing as the business tycoon who refuses to take it easy. Henry O'Neill has a terribly small part as Tom/Julius' friend and former colleague. Warren Hull was absolutely charming as Ken but it was a bit unbelievable that a handsome, intelligent and business savvy man like him would want to own a small laundry shop.
Going Highbrow (1935) stars Guy Kibbee and Zasu Pitts as Matt and Cora Upshaws. These Kansas millionaires don't know what to do with their new-found wealth. They come to New York City after a trip to Europe, and as soon as Cora Upshaw steps off the ship she sets out to become the renowned socialite she believes herself to be. Cora is awkward yet eager and Matt just wants a simple life dining on ham and eggs instead of caviar and champagne. Members of New York society Augie (Edward Everett Horton) and Harley (Ross Alexander) set to drain the Upshaws of some of their money by hosting a soiree in their honor. Matt Upshaw hires his favorite waitress Sandy (June Martel) to play his socialite daughter and hilarity inevitably ensues.
Directed by Robert Florey, Going Highbrow based on the story Social Pirates by Ralph Spence. The film showcases the comedic talents of Kibbee, Pitts and Horton, three of the most. This is one of three films Pitts and<|fim_middle|> Noir, Film Reviews, Jayne Mansfield, Joanne Dru, Paul Stewart, Rod Taylor, Warner Archive, Warner Archive Wednesday, Warner Bros.
Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948)
Stefan is a tortured artist. A once celebrated composer, he has abandoned his craft for a transient life of excess. He leaves a trail of broken hearts behind him. A wealthy man has challenged him to a duel, one Stefan doesn't plan to go through with. When he arrives at his home, his butler John presents him with a letter. It's from someone he doesn't quite remember, a dying woman named Lisa. Lisa has been in love with Stefan ever since she first laid eyes on him at the tender age of 16. Over the years she follows his career and longs to be with him. They have a short and passionate affair that leaves her bearing his child. Every time she comes into his life, Stefan doesn't remember Lisa. She's relegated to the status of unknown woman. Lisa's letter tells Stefan the story of her love for him, the one he's neglected to appreciate over the years.
Joan Fontaine and Louis Jourdan in Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948)
Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948) is Lisa's story. We follow her from her teenage years all the way until the delivery of her letter to Stefan. The film stars Joan Fontaine as Lisa Brendle, the impressionable and shy young woman whose fierce devotion to the object of her affection makes her more of a tragic figure than her early demise. Fontaine plays Lisa at different stages at her life. At the age of 30, which Fontaine was at the time of filming, it's difficult to pull off playing a 16 year old. However, Fontaine's natural talent for playing shy yet passionate characters makes an impression. Had they cast another actress to play teenage Lisa, the viewer wouldn't have felt such a strong connection to the character as they do when they follow Fontaine as Lisa throughout the film.Louis Jourdan plays Stefan, the impossibly handsome composer who refuses to be pinned down by life. The only constant in his life is John (Art Smith) his mute butler. It drives me mad to see how Stefan can forget Lisa so quickly. Doesn't he realize just how special she is? The art of this film is how it makes one feel so strongly about a fictional character.
Directed by one of the greatest directors of all time, Max Ophuls, Letter from an Unknown Woman is a stunning movie. It's rich in emotional drama without becoming overly sentimental. The audience enters the world of Lisa and Stefan giving us the room to understand and sympathize with Lisa as we follow her journey. Stefan is elusive and feels just out of reach, much as he does in Lisa's life. The film boasts trademarks of Ophuls work including European sensibilities, a complex and interesting female protagonist, a duel, and luxurious sets and costumes that are pleasing to the eye.
The story is based on a novella by Austrian writer Stefan Zweig. The plot had to be toned down quite a bit for American movie audiences. Produced by Joan Fontaine and her husband WIlliam Dozier's company Rampart Productions, the film got its start at RKO. However they couldn't get the plot past the Hays Office. Max Ophuls convinced Universal Pictures head William Goetz to let him make the movie when Ophuls cornered Goetz in a Turkish bath. At Universal, screenwriter Howard Koch adapted the story. Because of the increasing number of independent production companies and players, members of the Hays Office knew it would eventually get made so they negotiated with Universal on several plot points to get it approved. Most notably the couple, and their son, had to be punished for having relations out of wedlock. I suspect that having the story based in Austria helped their cause. American audiences could relegate the behavior of the protagonists as something those naughty Europeans do. The otherness of the characters was less threatening than if they were Americans going against their own moral code.
There are two schools of thought when it comes to the perspective of the story. Most see it as Lisa's point-of-view. It's infuriating for viewers to see how Stefan neglects Lisa and can't fully remember her when he encounters her again. She loves him with such fervor so why can't he wake up and appreciate this? The only person Stefan seems to remember is his mute butler John. Possibly because he is the only person who does not ask Stefan for anything. Unlike Stefan's many romantic flings or admirers of his music who demand new art from him. Another school of thought places the perspective on Stefan. He reads Lisa's letter and imagines her story through the filter of his own ego. In this way she is a more submissive, loving, and self-sacrificing character than what she might have been in real life.
Letter from an Unknown Woman is the second Max Ophuls movie I've watched but won't be my last. Ever since my viewing of The Earrings of Madame De... (1953) I've been very interested in Ophuls as a director. Letter was made during the ten years in which Ophuls lived and worked in the United States before moving back to France. In the early 1930s, Ophuls predicted the rise of German Nazis and as a Jew wisely fled Germany for France. He held out in France for as long as possible. However, a serious threat by the Nazis forced him to leave France and after a short stint in Switzerland, he made his way to Hollywood. The film industry already had plenty of European emigres. Ophuls found it difficult to break into the business. He worked as an independent director with Douglas Fairbanks Jr.'s production company, Universal Studios, Paramount Studios and MGM making one film with each. After the war, Ophuls moved back to France and continued his film career there.
Olive Films has released a limited edition Blu-Ray of Letter from an Unknown Woman as part of their Oliver Signature line. Only 3,5000 copies have been made and once they're gone, they're gone. Olive Films already had a Blu-Ray edition of this film but the Signature edition is a collector's item fans of the film will want to have. The film has undergone a 4k restoration and looks absolute brilliant. The Blu-Ray is tucked into a beautifully designed and slender slipcase. The bonus features include commentary by Litz Bacher, a Max Ophuls expert who speaks specifically on the production of the film. Also included are interviews and essays. I particularly enjoyed the video interview with Max Ophuls' son Marcel Ophuls who speaks at length about their time in the United States.
The Olive Signature Edition of Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948) is a must have for classic film collectors and Max Ophuls enthusiasts alike. Thank you to Olive Films for sending me a copy for review!
Amazon - Barnes and Noble - Olive Films
Labels: 1940s, Art Smith, Blu-Ray, Film Reviews, Joan Fontaine, Louis Jourdan, Max Ophuls, Olive Films, Universal Studios
DVD Netflix Holiday Twitter Giveaway
This giveaway is sponsored by DVD Netflix.
As a special treat for my readers, I have a holiday giveaway just for you! I've partnered up with DVD Netflix to giveaway three $100 DVD Netflix gift cards. One gift card equals a year's subscription at the 1 disc at a time tier. However the credit can be applied to any tier or bundle (streaming and DVD rental) you have. If you don't have DVD Netflix and want to try it out, this is a great opportunity to start. For existing DVD Netflix members, this is a nice way to cover the costs for a good stretch.
DVD Netflix has a wide variety of classic movies on DVD (and Blu-Ray if you chose to upgrade the service). I have been using it for years to watch new-to-me films, to dive into a particular star's filmography or just to try something different. It's a good service to have especially if the titles you're interested in are not available on streaming services.
As the title of this post suggests this is a Twitter giveaway. You must have a Twitter account to participate as all the prompts relate to that platform.
Rules and Regulations: Must be 18+ or over. DVD Netflix is only available in the US (sorry Canadian and International readers!). One completed entry per person. Contest ends Sunday December 10th at midnight EST. Winners will be chosen the following day and announced below.
You must complete all prompts to enter.
THE CONTEST IS NOW OVER!
1) Follow my Twitter @Quellelove
Follow @quellelove
2) Follow @DVDNetflix on Twitter
Follow @DVDNetflix
3) Tweet out my newest guest post "5 Holiday Gems from the 1940s" and tag both @Quellelove and @DVDNetflix. Click on the link or the image above to tweet!
4) Leave a comment below with your Twitter username written out (so I can check entries) and tell me about your favorite holiday movie!
Stay tuned as I'll have some fun DVD Netflix content coming on this blog, my social profiles and on the DVD Inside the Envelope blog in 2018!
Congrats to the three winners!
@SGShoe
@VintageNerdBlog
@The_Anim_Comm
Labels: DVD Netflix, Giveaway
New & Upcoming Classic Film Books (3)
Get your wallets ready because I have a brand new list of upcoming classic film books. Publication dates for these titles range from June...
Christmas in Connecticut (1945) Menus
Every December I cling to one Christmas film which I proceed to watch over-and-over again. Last year it was Holiday Affair (1949) and the ye...
On the Making of River of No Return (1954)
Tommy Rettig and Robert Mitchum in River of No Return (1954) River of No Return (1954) was supposed to be a small picture; a si...
Sexy Norma and the George Hurrell photo shoot of October 1929
Norma Shearer was a big box-office draw for MGM throughout the silent era. She proved her worth to the studio when she became The First Lad...
Google Followers
Visit my sister site Quelle Movies
Visit my Zazzle Shop!
Blog Design by Kate Gabrielle
Blogroll & Communities
ClassicFilmRead on Twitter
My name is Raquel Stecher and I'm a film writer. I love sharing my passion for classic movies. Follow along! Learn more about me!
Visit my MovieZyng Store
I'm a DVD Netflix Director
I'm a Tomatometer-approved critic
DeepDiscount.com
'60s Sex Comedies (8) 'Til Death Do Us Part (15) 1910s (1) 1920s (26) 1930 (1) 1930s (73) 1940s (61) 1950s (60) 1960s (65) 1970s (20) 1980s (11) 1990s (1) 20th Century Fox (1) Abbey Lincoln (1) Abel Gance (1) ABRAMS (1) Acting (1) Actors and Animals (2) Adolphe Menjou (1) African American (1) Akim Tamiroff (6) Alain Delon (1) Alan K. Rode (2) Alan Ladd (1) Aldo Ray (1) Alec Guinness (1) Alexander Mackendrick (1) Alfred Hitchock (15) Alice Guy-Blache (2) Alice Howell (1) Alicia Malone (2) Alida Valli (1) Aline MacMahon (2) Alla Nazimova (1) Allen Jenkins (1) Allied Artists (1) Allied Vaughn (1) Alloy Orchestra (1) Alma Kruger (1) Andrew Prine (1) Angela Lansbury (3) Angie Dickinson (1) Anita Page (2) Ann Blyth (3) Ann Dvorak (2) Ann E. Tood (1) Ann Rutherford (1) Ann Sheridan (2) Ann Sothern (1) Ann-Margret (1) Anna Karina (4) Anna Maria Alberghetti (1) Anne Bancroft (4) Anne Faulkner (1) Anne Shirley (3) Anthony Quinn (1) Applause Theatre and Cinema Books (1) Archie Mayo (1) Arnold Schwarzenegger (1) Art Smith (1) Arthur Hunnicutt (1) Arthur Kennedy (1) Arthur Lubin (1) Arthur Penn (1) Auctions (1) Audiobooks (1) Audrey Hepburn (1) Audrey Totter (1) Ava Gardner (2) Bachelor Mother (3) Bao Nguyen (1) Barbara Brown (1) Barbara Read (1) Barbara Stanwyck (2) Barrie Chase (1) Barton McLane (1) Basil Radford (1) Beau Bridges (1) Ben Levin (1) Ben Mankiewicz (15) Ben Model (4) Bette Davies (1) Bette Davis (7) Betty White (1) Beverly Gray (1) Bill Morrison (1) Billie Burke (1) Billy Bitzer (1) Billy Wilder (1) Billy Wilkerson (1) Bing Crosby (1) Biopics (4) Blacklist (1) Blake Edwards (1) Blogathon (3) Blonde Bette Davis (11) Blu-Ray (46) Bob Balaban (1) Bob Hope (2) Bobby Darin (8) Bobs Watson (1) Bond James Bond (2) Bonita Granville (2) Book Reviews (128) Books (193) Boris Karloff (1) Boston (7) Boxed Set Reviews (22) Brattle Theater (23) Breaking the Code (5) Breaking the Code Boxed Set (18) Brett Hadley (1) Brian Aherne (1) Brian Donlevy (1) Britt Ekland (1) Bruce Brown (2) Bruce Goldstein (1) Bruce Lee (1) Buck Henry (2) Burgess Meredith (1) Burt Lancester (4) Burt Reynolds (1) Busby Berkeley (1) Buster Keaton (4) Capitolfest (1) Carl Reiner (3) Carla Laemmle (1) Carol Lynley (1) Carol Reed (1) Carole Landis (1) Carole Lombard (2) Caroll O'Connor (1) Carrie Fisher (1) Cary Grant (2) Casablanca (1) Catching up with 'Quelle (15) Catherine Spaak (1) Cecil B. DeMille (5) Cecil Beaton (1) Cedric Gibbons (1) Cesar Romero (1) Charles Chrichton (1) Charles Emmett Mack (4) Charles Laughton (2) Charles Rosher (1) Charles Tabesh (3) Charles Walters (1) Charlie Chan (4) Charlie Chaplin (2) Charlie Ruggles (1) Charlton Heston (2) Cher (1) Chester Morris (2) Chicago Review Press (4) Chris Lemmon (1) Chris Yogerst (1) Christopher Plummer (3) Chronicle Books (1) Cinefest (3) Cinema Shame (11) Cinematographers (1) Claire Trevor (1) Clara Bow (1) Clark Gable (1) Classic Film Bloggers (18) Classic Film Distribution (1) Claude Rains (1) Claudette Colbert (1) Clint Eastwood (1) Clive Revill (2) Cold War (1) Colleen Moore (2) Collegiate (4) Connie Sawyers (1) Connie Stevens (1) Constance Bennett (1) Coolidge Corner Theatre (4) Cornel Wilde (1) Costumes (1) Cover Reveal (1) Criterion Channel (1) Criterion Collection (2) Cyd Charisse (2) Dalton Trumbo (3) Dan Dailey (1) Dan Duryea (1) Dan Rowan (1) Dana Andrews (2) Dana Wynter (1) Dancing (2) Daniel Raim (3) Danny Huston (1) Darryl F. Zanuck (1) Darryl Hickman (5) Dashiell Hammett (1) David Lean (1) David Lowell Rich (1) David Manners (1) David Niven (2) David O. Selznick (4) Dean Martin (1) Dean Stockwell (1) Deanna Durbin (1) Debbie Reynolds (2) Deborah Kerr (3) Debra Winger (1) Delphine Seyrig (1) Dena Dietrich (1) Denmark (1) Dennis Hopper (1) Detective Stories (1) Diana Rigg (1) Diane Baker (3) Dick Cavett (2) Dick Martin (1) Dick Powell (2) Dick Van Dyke (1) Dickie Moore (1) Directors (1) Documentaries (22) Dolores Costello (1) Dom De Luise (1) Don Siegel (4) Donald Bogle (1) Donald Briggs (1) Donald Crisp (2) Donald Pleasence (1) Donald Woods (1) Doris Davenport (1) Doris Day (1) Douglas Fairbanks (1) Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (4) Douglas Sirk (1) Dustin Hoffman (1) DVD Netflix (10) Ealing Studios (2) Earnest Ernie Borgnine (4) Ed Begley (1) Ed McMahon (1) Eddie Albert (1) Eddie Muller (3) Edgar Kennedy (1) Edmond O'Brien (4) Edmund Gwenn (1) Edna Best (1) Edna May Oliver (1) Edward Arnold (3) Edward Dmytryk (1) Edward G. Robinson (11) Edward Judd (1) Edward Sorel (2) Edwige Feuillere (1) Eleanor Parker (1) Eli Wallach (3) Elia Kazan (15) Elisha Cook Jr. (1) Elizabeth Hartman (2) Elizabeth Taylor (1) Elke Sommer (1) Elsa Lanchester (1) Eric Blore (1) Eric Shea (1) Ernest Borgnine (3) Errol Flynn (2) Errolivia (2) ESPN Films (1) Esther Ralston (1) Eva Marie Saint (2) Eve Arden (1) Family Sagas (1) Fashion (2) Fathom Events (1) Fatty Arbuckle (2) Fay Wray (2) Faye Dunaway (1) Faye Marlowe (1) Female Filmmakers (3) Film Intros (1) Film Movement (3) Film Noir (40) Film Preservation (1) Film Reviews (321) Filming Locations (8) FilmStruck (4) Food (1) Foreign Film (4) France Nuyen (1) Frances Marion (1) Franchot Tone (2) Francis Ford Coppola (1) Francis Lederer (1) Francois Truffaut (2) Frank Capra (3) Frank Gorshin (1) Frank Lloyd (1) Frank McHugh (2) Frank Sinatra (8) Fred Astaire (2) Fred MacMurray (1) Fred Willard (1) Frederick De Cordova (1) Frederico Fellini (1) Fredric March (2) French New Wave (1) Fried Inescort (1) Fritz Lang (5) Fun Stuff (3) Gangster (1) Gary Cooper (2) Gene Hackman (1) Gene Kelly (1) Gene Lockhart (1) Gene Raymond (2) Genevieve McGillicuddy (3) Genevieve Tobin (1) George Brent (3) George Cukor (1) George Hamilton (3) George Kennedy (1) George Peppard (1) George Raft (1) George Sanders (5) George Seaton (1) George Stevens (1) Georges Simenon (2) Geraldine Chaplin (1) Geraldine Page (1) Germany (1) Gig Young (1) Gillian Armstrong (1) Gina Lollobrigida (7) Ginger Rogers (4) Giveaway (14) Gloria Graham (1) Gloria Grahame (3) Gloria Swanson (1) God Speed (26) Goldie Hawn (1) Good Heavens (7) Gore Vidal (1) Grauman's Chinese (1) Greer Garson (1) Gregg Toland (1) Guest Blogger (53) Guy Kibbee (1) Guy Kibee (1) Hand and Footprint Ceremony (1) Harold Gould (1) Harold Hecht (1) Harold Lloyd (2) Harold Michelson (2) Harry Belafonte (1) Harry Carey Jr (1) Harry Carey Jr. Lindsay Anderson (1) Harry Morgan (1) Harry Palmer (1) Harvard Film Archive (9) Hattie McDaniel (1) He Made Me Watch It (4) Hedy Lamarr (2) Helen Broderick (1) Helen Chandler (1) Helen Hayes (1) Helen Wood (1) Henry Ephron (1) Henry Fonda (2) Herbert Marshall (1) Hispanic Heritage Month (2) Holiday Gift Guide (4) Holidays (10) Hollywood (1) Hollywood Reporter (1) Horror (1) Hot Chick (1) Hot Toddy (3) Howard Hawks (1) Howard Hughes (2) Howard Keel (1) Hugh Hefner (1) Hugh Hubert (1) Humphrey Bogart (32) Hunka Kirk Douglas (6) I Heart Jack Klugman (8) Ian Hunter (1) Ida Lupino (3) Inez Courtney (1) Inga Swenson (1) Inger Stevens (1) Ingrid Bergman (3) Interviews (20) IOU (9) Irving Fields (1) J.M. Kerrigan (1) J.R. Jones (1) Jack Albertson (1) Jack Cardiff (1) Jack Carson (1) Jack Klugman (1) Jack Nicholson (1) Jack Webb (1) Jacqueline Audry (1) Jacques Tourneur (1) James Bridges (1) James Caan (1) James Cagney (5) James Coburn (2) James Dean (3) James Garner (2) James Gleason (2) James Mason (3) James Stewart (1) James Wong Howe (1) Jane Bryan (1) Jane Greer (2) Jane Powell (2) Jane Russell (1) Jane Withers (1) Jane Wyman (1) Janet Gaynor (1) Janet Suzman (1) Janis Paige (1) Jay Novello (1) Jayne Mansfield (1) Jean Dixon (1) Jean Harlow (3) Jean Negulesco (1) Jean Pierre Melville (1) Jean Seberg (1) Jean Simmons (1) Jean-Luc Godard (1) Jean-Pierre Aumont (1) Jeff Bridges (1) Jeff Rapsis (6) Jeffrey Lynn (1) Jennifer Dorian (1) Jennifer Jones (2) Jerry Lewis (1) Jessica Cadwalader (1) Jill St. John (2) Joan Bennett (3) Joan Blondell (2) Joan Crawford (3) Joan Fontaine (2) Joan Greenwood (1) Joan Harrison (1) Joanne Dru (1) Joel McCrea (1) John Barrymore (2) John C. Reilly (1) John Carradine (1) John Cromwell (1) John Drew Barrymore (1) John Farrow (2) John Ford (3) John Forsythe (1) John Frankenheimer (1) John Hodiak (1) John Huston (1) John Kerr (1) John Litel (1) John Payne (1) John St. Polis (1) John Travolta (1) John Wayne (3) Johnny Carson (1) Johnny Mack Brown (1) Jolie Gabor (1) Jon S. Baird (1) Jonathan Winters (1) Joseph Cotten (2) Joseph E. Levine (1) Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1) Josephine Baker (1) Joyce Reynolds (1) Judy Bowman (1) Judy Garland (4) Judy Holliday (1) Julie Andrews (1) Juliet Mills (1) Karl Malden (2) Karl Struss (1) Kate Gabrielle (4) Katharine Hepburn (2) Kathleen Comegys (1) Kathleen Hughes (1) Kathryn Sermak (1) Katy Jurado (1) Kay Francis (1) Keir Dullea (1) Kevin McCarthy (1) Kim Hunter (1) Kim Novak (2) Kinetophone (1) King Brothers (1) Kino Lorber (34) Kirk Douglas (6) Kristen Stewart (1) Kyle Edwards (1) Laird Cregar (2) Lana Turner (4) Laraine Day (1) Larry Edmund's Bookshop (1) Larry Hagman (1) Larry Turman (1) Las Vegas (1) Latino Images in Film (14) Lauren Bacall (4) Lauren Hutton (1) Lauri Peters (1) Lee Bowman (1) Lee J. Cobb (1) Lee Marvin (1) Leo G. Carroll (1) Leo McCarey (1) Leon Bibb (1) Leonard Maltin (7) Leonard Whiting (2) Leslie Howard (3) Leslie Nielsen (2) Lew Ayres (1) Lewis Stone (1) LGBTQ (1) Library of Congress (2) Lilli Palmer (1) Lillian Gish (1) Lillian Michelson (8) Lincoln Perry (1) Linda Darnell (2) Lionel Barrymore (4) Lists (16) Liza Minnelli (1) Lizabeth Scott (1) Lois Weber (1) Lon Chaney (1) Loretta Young (2) Louis Calhern (1) Louis Jourdan (1) Louis Le Prince (1) Louise Beavers (1) Louise Brooks (1) Lucille Ball (1) Lyle Talbot (2) Magda Gabor (1) Maggie Malooly (1) Maggie Smith (1) Mango (1) Marc Eliot (1) Margaret O'Brien (2) Margaret Wycherly (1) Marie Wilson (1) Marie-Claire Olivia (1) Marilyn Monroe (2) Marion Davies (2) Marjorie Main (1) Mark A. Vieira (2) Mark Beauregard (1) Mark Robson (1) Marlene Dietrich (1) Marsha Hunt (1) Martin Balsam (1) Martin Scorsese (1) Marty Feldman (1) Marvin Kaplan (3) Marx Bros. (7) Mary Astor (4) Mary Boland (1) Mary Philbin (1) Mary Pickford (2) Mary Wickes (1) Match.com Profiles (1) Matthew Stymie Beard (1) Maureen O'Hara (3) Maureen O'Sullivan (3) Max Ophuls (1) Max Steiner (1) Max von Sydow (2) Maxwell Caulfield (1) Mel Brooks (3) Melvyn Douglas (1) Merle Oberon (1) Merrie Spaeth (1) MGM (7) Michael Beck (1) Michael Caine (4) Michael Christofer (1) Michael Curtiz (2) Michael Douglas (2) Michael Wilding (1) Michaelle Pfeiffer (1) Micheline Presle (1) Mickey Rooney (5) Mike Hodges (1) Mike Kaplan (1) Mike Nichols (1) Millie Perkins (1) Minna Gombell (1) Minnie Dupree (1) Mitzi Gaynor (3) Monogram (1) Monty Banks (1) Monty Woolley (1) Moray Watson (1) Movie Memes (10) MovieZyng (3) MPTF (2) Muriel Angelus (1) Musicals (10) Myrna Loy (2) Nan Martin (1) Nat Pendleton (1) Natalie Moorhead (1) Natalie Paley (1) Natalie Wood (1) National Film Registry (5) Nell Shipman (3) Neville Brand (1) New Books Roundup (16) New Years (4) Nichol Williamson (1) Nicholas Ray (2) Nina Arianda (1) Noirvember (2) Noman Lloyd (1) Norma Miller (1) Norma Shearer (34) Norman Foster (1) Norman Jewison (1) Norman Lear (1) Norman Lloyd (9) O.P. Heggie (1) Ocean's 11 (1) Olive Films (10) Oliver Hardy (2) Oliver Reed (1) Olivia de Havilland (7) Olivia Hussey (4) Olivia Newton-John (1) Orson Welles (1) Oscars (1) Otto Kruger (1) Out of the Past - Into the Now (16) OVID (1) Oxford University Press (1) Pamela Blake (1) Pamela Tiffin (4) Paramount (3) Paramount Theater (3) Pat O'Brien (2) Patric Knowles (2) Patricia Morrison (1) Patrick Mate (1) Patty Duke (1) Paul Henreid (1) Paul Newman (3) Paul Schrader (1) Paul Stewart (1) Paula Prentiss (1) Paulette Goddard (1) Percy Marmont (1) Period Films (2) Personal Adventures (198) Peter B. Good (1) Peter Bogdanovich (1) Peter Fonda (2) Peter Lawford (2) Peter Lorre (3) Peter Medak (1) Peter O'Toole (1) Peter Sellers (1) Peter Ustinov (1) Philip Hopkins (1) Phoebe Ephron (1) Photo Series (1) Pierre Rouve (1) Pierre Simenon (1) Podcast (3) Portugal (1) Pre-Codes (16) Preston Sturges (1) Priscilla Lane (2) Prunella Gee (1) Quel Interprétation (3) Ralph Thomas (1) Raoul Walsh (1) Ray Milland (2) Raymond Chandler (1) Raymond Massey (1) Red Buttons (1) Red Carpet (3) Reel Art Press (1) Reginald Mason (1) Reginald Owen (1) Renee Zellwegger (1) Rex Ingram (1) Rhonda Fleming (1) Ricardo Montalban (1) Richard Anderson (1) Richard Arlen (1) Richard Barrios (2) Richard Barthelmess (1) Richard Carlson (3) Richard Conte (2) Richard Gere (1) Richard Quine (1) Richard Wallace (1) Richard Whorf (1) Richard Widmark (2) Rita Hayworth (2) RKO (11) Rob Reiner (1) Robert Boyle (1) Robert Greenwald (1) Robert Hutton (1) Robert Matzen (1) Robert Mitchum (56) Robert Montgomery (3) Robert Morse (1) Robert Osborne (10) Robert Riskin (1) Robert Ryan (4) Robert Taylor (1) Robert Vaughn (3) Robert Wagner (2) Robert Walker (1) Robert Wise (1) Rock Hudson (1) Rod Steiger (2) Rod Taylor (6) Roddy McDowall (2) Roger Corman (1) Roland Young (2) Rollie Totheroh (1) Ronald Colman (1) Ronald Reagan (1) Rouben Mamoulian (1) Ruby Dee (1) Rufus Jones (1) Rufus Sewell (1) Running Press (14) Rupert Goold (1) Ruta Lee (3) Rutgers University Press (1) Sally Field (2) Sally Forrest (1) Sam Staggs. Eva Gabor (1) Sam Taylor (1) Sammy Davis Jr. (3) Sandra Dee (4) Saul Bass (1) Science Fiction (3) Scott Eyman (1) Screwball Comedies (1) Sergio Leone (1) Sexuality (11) Shelley Winters (2) Shirley Henderson (1) Shirley Jones (1) Shirley MacLaine (1) Shirley Temple (2) Shopping Guide (1) Shudder (1) Sid Caesar (1) Sidney Poitier (8) Signe Hasso (2) Silent Films (47) Simone Simon (2) Slim Pickens (1) Sloan De Forest (4) Somerville Theater (7) Somerville Theatre (5) Spaghetti Westerns (1) Spencer Tracy (1) Sports in Film (8) Stan Laurel (1) Stanely Donen (1) Stanley Donen (1) Stanley Kramer (1) Stanley Rubin (3) Stars & Their Hobbies (23) Stathis Giallelis (3) Stella Adler (2) Stepin Fetchit (1) Sterling Hayden (3) Sterling Holloway (1) Sterling Silver Hayden (3) Steve Coogan (1) Steve McQueen (11) Steve Taravella (1) Summer Reading Challenge (59) Susan Glatzer (1) Susan Hayward (1) Susan Peters (7) Susan Sarandon (1) SXSW (1) Sybil Jason (1) Sydney Greenstreet (1) Sylvia Sidney (1) TASCHEN (1) TCM (66) TCM Classic Film Festival (92) Technicolor (2) Television (1) Telly Savalas (1) Teresa Wright (1) The Film Detective (2) The Rat Pack (1) Thelma Ritter (1) Thelma Todd (2) Theodore Bikel (1) Theresa Harris (1) TIFF (1) Time Life (3) Tippi Hedren (1) Todd Fisher (1) Tony Curtis (1) Tony Randall (1) Trevor Howard (1) Tuesday Weld (3) Turner Classic Movies (34) TV (16) Tyrone Power (1) Uli Gaulke (1) Una O'Connor (2) Undercrank Productions (3) United Artists (2) Universal Studios (2) University Press of Kentucky (2) University Press of Mississippi (2) Val Lewton (1) Victor Jory (1) Victoria Negri (2) Victoria Riskin (1) Vincent Price (3) Vincente Minnelli (3) Vintage (1) Virtual Cinema (1) Vitaphone (1) W.S. Van Dyke (1) Wallace Beery (2) Walter Bernstein (1) Walter Mirisch (3) Walter Wanger (1) Wanda Hendrix (1) War (3) Warner Archive (77) Warner Archive Instant (2) Warner Archive Wednesday (80) Warner Bros. (6) Warner Oland (1) Warren Hull (1) Warren Oates (1) Warren William (4) Wayne Morris (1) Weddings in Film (7) Wendell Corey (1) Wesleyan University Press (1) Westerns (7) Wild About Wilder (4) William C. McGann (1) William Cameron Menzies (1) William Castle (1) William Conrad (1) William Daniels (1) William Demarest (2) William Gibson (1) William Holden (2) William Shatner (1) William Wellman (3) William Wyler (1) Winnie Lightner (1) Wright King (1) WWII (8) Wyatt McCrea (2) You Otto See It (13) YouTube Videos (6) Yvonne Furneaux (1) Zasu Pitts (7) Zeitgeist Films (1) Zsa Zsa Gabor (2)
Blog content Raquel Stecher, Out of the Past (2007-2021). Blog Design by Kate Gabrielle.. Simple theme. Powered by Blogger. | Kibbee made together. They were well suited to their roles and a joy to watch on screen. Ross Alexander overdoes it in his role and it loses it's intended comedic effect. I was delighted by June Martel who is new to me. Pitts and Martels wear beautiful gowns designed by Orry-Kelly. Pitts steals the show a bit from Kibbee but he manages to hold his own as the lovable Matt Upshaw.
They saved the best for last...
Mary Jane's Pa (1935) stars Aline MacMahon as Ellen Preston. Her husband Sam (Guy Kibbee), a newspaper publisher, has abandoned the family and the business when the urge to travel becomes too strong for him to deny. His wanderlust takes him away for 10 years and Ellen must make a new life for herself with their two daughters Mary Jane (Betty Jean Hainey) and Lucille (Nan Grey). Ellen has taken over the newspaper business and moved the family away. Sam travels with a carnival as Jonah Barker, hoping to find his family along the way. At one stop, hevmeets Mary Jane and soon discovers she's his daughter. Sam/Jonah tries to get back in with Ellen who is having none of it. He takes a job as the Preston family housekeeper and helps bring to light a secret scandal involving a major election. Can Sam earn back the love of his family?
Directed by William Keighley, Mary Jane's Pa was based on the play of the same name by Edith Ellis Furness. This film stood out of the three not only because it was the only drama in a set with two comedies but because of the quality of the story telling and the connection I felt with the characters. Fathers abandoned families, this is a harsh truth of the era and also happens today. I was interested to see how it played out in this story. Aline MacMahon and Kibbee appeared in 10 films together and they have great chemistry. John Arledge has a small but charming role as Linc, Ellen's gossip columnist. Tom Brown, who I recognized from Anne of Green Gables (1934), plays Lucille's boyfriend King. Out of the three movies, Kibbee's role in Mary Jane's Pa had the most depth and was by far the most interesting.
Guy Kibbee Triple Feature with The Big Noise (1936), Going Highbrow (1935) and Mary Jane's Pa (1935) is available on DVD-MOD from the Warner Archive. This set is a must-have for anyone who loves Guy Kibbee. And those people are easy to find. You can buy the DVD at the WB Shop. Using my buy links helps support this site. Thanks!
Amazon - Barnes and Noble - Best Buy - WB Shop
Warner Archive Wednesday - On (random) Wednesdays, I review one title from the Warner Archive Collection. Thank you to Warner Archive for sending me a copy of the Guy Kibbee Triple Feature to review!
If you've read this far you are in for a special treat! I'm giving away an extra copy of the Guy Kibbee Triple Feature. This contest is exclusive to this post, available for participants ages 18+, US/CAN only.
Follow these instructions carefully: to enter, leave a comment below telling me about your favorite Guy Kibbee movie and use whisper code: "Thanks Warner Archive!" somewhere in your reply. For an extra entry, tweet my article (just click on the link for a pre-populated tweet), grab the tweet's direct URL and include it in your comment.
Contest ends Thursday December 21st at midnight. Winner will be announced on Friday. good luck!
Labels: 1930s, Aline MacMahon, Film Reviews, Guy Kibbee, Marie Wilson, Warner Archive, Warner Archive Wednesday, Warner Bros., Warren Hull, Zasu Pitts
Cop-Out (1967)
Former barrister John Sawyer (James Mason) drowns his sorrows in liquor. He lives with his daughter Angela (Geraldine Chaplin) in a decrepit old mansion. The two have a strained relationship brought on by two major factors: the abandonment of the family by the matriarch and their age gap. Angela spends her time avoiding her dad. She works for touchy-feely barrister Chelham (Michael Danvers-Walker) and spends her free time with her friends. Most of her pals are rich socialites, bored with life and seeking the thrill that only misbehaving can bring them. One particular member of the group stands out, Jo Christoforides (Paul Bertoya), the Greek immigrant, son of a laundry woman. Angela and Jo are secretly in love. But Jo's status as a poor foreigner makes him an easy scapegoat when a dead body turns up at the Sawyer mansion. Eccentric ship steward Barney Teale (Bobby Darin) has been found murdered in the room he'd been secretly staying in. Teale's association with Angela's group of friends seems to be his downfall. Who killed Teale? Can Sawyer come out of his alcoholic haze to save Jo from being wrongfully accused of murder and restore his relationship with his daughter?
"The young should be left alone. You don't like us very much do you? It's very well because we represent the future you're afraid of. Sometimes we hate you too because you're the past we never had." - John Sawyer (James Mason)
Cop-Out (1967) is a family drama that explores the generational divide and the youth culture of the 1960s through the lens of a murder mystery. It reminded me a little of Bonjour Tristesse (1958) in that it demonstrates how bored rich people can ruin lives; their own and that of others. Unfortunately, Cop-Out failed to reach it's potential. And it did have potential. I was quite interested in the clashing cultures of Mason's older generation and Chaplin's youthful generation that was coming of age in the late 1960s. That entire decade was a turbulent one and also drastically altered pretty much ever aspect of youth culture. There was also potential with the theme of sex. One of the characters is secretly gay, a stripper ends up being a key witness, and it's suggested that Angela's character sleeps around, although she is clearly committed to Jo. It's all there but not as fleshed out as it could be. Then there is the literary theme that I suspect is stronger in the source material than it is in the movie. Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment is used in solving the case and there is even a short reading by James Mason.
The story is based on the novel The Strangers in the House by Georges Simenon. I quite enjoyed watching Panique (1946) at this year's TCM Classic Film Festival. That movie is also based on a Simenon novel and I got to hear his youngest son Pierre Simenon discuss his father's life and career which included many many film adaptations. Before Cop-Out, the novel was filmed in France as Les inconnus dans la maison (1942) in France. Selmur Productions, an arm of ABC Films, shot The Stranger in the House, minus the pluralization in the novel's original name, on location in Southampton and Winchester, England. It was released in the UK in 1967 and then released as Cop-Out in the US.
Cop-Out was directed by Pierre Rouve who also adapted the screenplay. Rouve had a very short career in movies. Cop-Out was the only movie he directed. He wrote a total of four movies, was an assistant director on one, and produced six others including the ground-breaking Blow-Up (1966). He went on to enjoy a career as a broadcaster and art critic.
Unfortunately, Cop-Out was a flop in the UK and US. Originally George C. Scott was supposed to play the deranged ship steward Barney Teale but was eventually replaced by Bobby Darin. Personally I think Darin was an under-rated actor who could deliver some fine performances in both drama and comedy. He's a favorite of mine but his performance in this film thoroughly confused me. He does his best James Cagney impression in both voice and mannerisms. I couldn't help but wonder if he was trying to be a George C. Scott type or if he was channeling Cody Jarrett from White Heat (1949).
Actor Ian Ogilvy, who plays Sawyer's troubled nephew Desmond Flower, wrote briefly about working on the movie in his memoir Once a Saint. He recalls one outing with actor James Mason:
"It was a cold day and windy too and there was nobody about. We got to the end of the pier and looked out over the heaving grey sea. 'Well, that's not very interesting, is it?' said Mason. 'Don't know why we bothered.' The same could have been said about the film we were making."
Cop-Out wasn't a complete loss for me. I was interested in the core of the story enough that I am looking to obtain a copy of Georges Simenon's novel, which is available from the New York Review Books, to see if there is more to the story that this movie might have missed.
Amazon - Best Buy - Movies Unlimited - TCM Shop
Cop-Out is available on Blu-Ray and DVD from Kino Lorber. Thank you to Kino for sending me a copy for review!
Labels: 1960s, Blu-Ray, Bobby Darin, Film Reviews, Georges Simenon, Geraldine Chaplin, James Mason, Kino Lorber, Pierre Rouve
Hell on Frisco Bay (1955)
Steve Rollins (Alan Ladd) is a man who's been wronged. After serving a 5 year sentence at San Quentin for a crime he didn't commit, the former cop is now free. Waiting for him at the gate is his old partner Dan (William Demarest) who sticks with him through thick and thin, and his wife Marcia (Joanne Dru), a lounge singer who gave into temptation while her husband was away. But Steve can't be bothered with dealing with his failed marriage. He's on a mission to track down the one man responsible for putting him in the slammer: Vic Damato (Edward G. Robinson). He got a hot tip from Frank Ragoni about who set him up and now Ragoni is missing. All fingers point to Damato who leads a mob syndicate that terrorizes the Italian fishing community of San Francisco. He's drunk with power and will kill anyone who gets in his way, even one of his own. He rules his team with an iron fist. First there's his number one man, Joe (Paul Stewart), who will do anything Damato tells him to but pulls away when he starts a romance with former screen star Kay (Fay Wray). Then there's Hammy (Stanley Adams), a blood thirsty mobster who is a little too eager to please, Damato's naive nephew Mario (Perry Lopez) and his man on the inside, dirty cop Detective Connors (Peter Hansen). Steve must make his way through web of shady characters to uncover the truth and to bring down Damato once and for all.
Hell on Frisco Bay (1955) is a fascinating noir, filmed in Cinemascope and Warner Color by with plenty of on-location shooting in the city by the bay. San Francisco serves as the beautiful backdrop for a dark tale of disturbed characters. Viewers will see shots of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf and the San Francisco, Ghirardelli Square, the Embarcadero and the iconic hills of San Francisco. Anyone familiar with the city will find plenty of recognizable scenery.
Based on the novel The Darkest Hour by William P. McGivern, Hell on Frisco Bay was adapted by screenwriters Sydney Boehm and Martin Rackin for Warner Bros. McGivern also wrote The Big Heat which is one of my favorite Noirs and one of the best films Fritz Lang made during his time in Hollywood. It was directed by Frank Tuttle who worked with Alan Ladd on This Gun for Hire (1942). Ladd, who also served as an uncredited producer through his company Jaguar Productions, hired Tuttle and other colleagues from his Paramount days including William Demarest, Paul Stewart and Anthony Caruso.
This Noir boasts a cast of characters portrayed by some of the best in the business. Edward G. Robinson playing a heartless mobster is no stretch as he had been playing such characters for many years. Alan Ladd looks worse for wear but his performance as Steve begs for the audience's sympathy but also holds them at a distance. I was quite taken with Paul Stewart's nuanced performance as Damato's reluctant sidekick Joe. He's not an actor I'm all that familiar with but this film definitely brought him to my attention. Fay Wray has an important but small role as a former actress who tries to protect her gangster boyfriend. I wish Joanne Dru and William Demarest had more to do in the film. They really just serve as the protagonist's counter parts. Starlet Jayne Mansfield has a bit role as the girl Perry Lopez dances with at Damato's night club. A young Rod Taylor, billed as Rodney Taylor, has a small role as one of Damato's thugs. His fight seen with Alan Ladd isn't quite believable but it's still fun to see Taylor in what was his fourth movie. In fact Ladd and Robinson have a big action-packed scene in San Francisco Bay that is also not quite believable. But with the help of stunt men and some studio footage, it works.
Hell on Frisco Bay is a gorgeous movie. Where it lacks in story telling it makes up for in stunning visuals and dramatic music by Max Steiner. This movie makes me long for a time when you could dress up, go to a classy lounge, have a drink and hear a good song or two. I always forget how richly visual 1950s movies are until I watch a good one and am reminded of this fact. Because of the gorgeous color cinematography, the film felt less like a Noir and more like a 1950s drama. I don't think this hurts the film at all. It makes it more of a hybrid.
Hell on Frisco Bay is available on Blu-Ray and DVD-MOD from the Warner Archive Collection. According to their recent podcast Hard Lessons this is the first time this film has been available either on DVD or Blu-Ray format. The film has been remastered from the original camera negative at 4k. You can buy the DVD and Blu-Ray at the WB Shop. Using my buy links helps support this site. Thanks!
Warner Archive Wednesday - On (random) Wednesdays, I review one title from the Warner Archive Collection. Thank you to Warner Archive for sending me a copy of Hell on Frisco Bay (1955) to review!
Labels: 1950s, Alan Ladd, Edward G. Robinson, Fay Wray, Film | 3,159 |
The usage of house security programs continue to maintain<|fim_middle|> data of extremely prime quality with minimal downtime and upkeep. To find out the rate at which the camera is presently capturing information, use the currentFPS property. | an elevated spiral with lots of first time security camera house owners join the ranks of the prevailing protecting residence homeowners. Demikianlah ulasan artikel kali ini yang membahas mengenai info jual cermin cembung murah di Ralali, salah satu on-line market yang menjual cermin cembung dengan harga langsung dari distibutor cermin cembung dengan berbagai jenis serta ukuran.
In the following example, after the user allows access to the camera, the connected camera is used to capture video pictures. Easy put, if you use a zoom lens you may make your subject larger or smaller within the body. Let's take a look at what options it is best to look for, as well as the options that try to be wary of while you select a camera system. Yang dimaksud dengan zoom lens adalah lensa camera yang dapat di atur untuk memperbesar / memperkecil suatu objek. Whereas a sling bag will put all the burden onto a single shoulder strap, a camera backpack will spread the burden of your equipment persistently over your back. Right this moment, it is practically impossible to purchase a new digital camera with less than 6MP.
Designed to supply superior picture quality and performance, DSLR camera are a preferred alternative amongst novice photographers and professionals. These are the form of terms that you'll come across from camera homeowners who are happy with their camera models. To set the quantity of compression used when this property is true, use Camera.setQuality(). That is to let you have a good begin in weddings whilst you work on a much bigger budget to get your self a better camera physique. You by no means have to worry about dust getting on the CCD sensor for the reason that lens isn't removable.
Animations exhibiting how the camera's shutters work (L) and how the filter-changing mechanism can robotically change camera filters (R). Whether or not you want the comfort of a Compact Camera from the compact vary, or the power and vary of a Digital SLR from Canon, Nikon, SONY & Olympus, you've come to the correct place. Ralali merupakan salah satu toko on-line terpercaya yang jual kamera CCTV on-line. This array provides the zero-based index of each camera and the variety of cameras on the system (via names.size). Units the camera seize mode to the native mode that finest meets the desired requirements.
There are three frequent sorts, the view camera with its monorail and field camera variants, and the press camera They have an extensible bellows with the lens and shutter mounted on a lens plate on the front. Its job is to take the beams of sunshine bouncing off of an object and redirect them so they come collectively to type an actual image – a picture that appears similar to the scene in entrance of the lens. Camera kits are extremely heavy, and all these photographers carrying lengthy lenses and DSLRs know that very well. Camera — If the identify parameter shouldn't be specified, this technique returns a reference to the default camera or, whether it is in use by another application, to the first obtainable camera. The LSST camera will produce | 642 |
Phoenix PBM stands for affordable solutions and better lives.
We simplify complex healthcare solutions and customize the prescription benefits you need.
Phoenix Benefits Management, LLC is a first-in-class prescription benefits manager (PBM). We give brokers, TPAs, unions, employers, and consumers access to pharmaceutical plans that make sense and save money.
We're challenging the status quo of pharmaceutical benefits programs. Customer service is at our core. Our team tracks every detail and requirement in this complicated industry. And we know that when you have better savings, better information, and better resources, you have better health outcomes.
Every organization and individual is unique, so every Phoenix pharmaceutical solution is individualized. We'll work with you to customize a flexible, scalable solution, no matter how complicated your needs may be.
Bring us your challenges,<|fim_middle|> navigating complex pharmaceutical benefits on your behalf.
The complexities of pharmaceuticals require diligence and education. We keep you knowledgeable about industry terms, breakthroughs, legislation, and pricing with a voice of experience and care. | requirements, and goals. We'll give you objective counsel and access to the most suitable benefits. And we'll remain dependable and proactive, even as your needs change. Call us whenever you need answers and resources to keep your program and your people healthy.
Every member of our team of caring problem solvers is as skilled in listening as they are in | 69 |
The Natural Slate
Posted on January 31, 2009 November 9, 2020 by Mark Lundegren
Do you think there is a good case that our human nature is highly evolved, and quite specific and even predictable in its tendencies?
Many people object to this idea, since it implies that our individual personality and general nature is substantially given to us by our genes, rather than by our culture or our own choosing. Some, including prominent philosophers and psychologists, prefer to think of us born more or less as a "blank slate" upon which either much writing or choice is possible. A list of these thinkers is far-ranging and brings together people who agreed on little else. It includes Locke, Marx, Skinner, Rogers, and others working in their traditions.
But there is insufficient evidence to support this extreme idea of a blank slate. Studies of identical twins, for example, suggest that at least half of personality is inherited and perhaps even more. Instead of a blank slate, I would like to discuss with you the new science of our nature and the idea that we are born with as a "natural slate." This natural slate – a tabula natura rather than a tabula rasa – implies considerable biological structure at birth, and both vulnerability to situational influences and capability of learning and self-directed change throughout our lives.
If we accept the idea of a natural slate, I will caution you up front that we must live with certain consequences. If our inherited or innate human nature is strong and definitive, it must influence us and may override our conscious intentions and personal choices in important ways. It may even compel us to question the true degrees of freedom we have in the world, and whether our intentions and choices area always as conscious and personal as we hope and would like them to be.
Should our ancient genes be powerful determinants of personality, as some scientists now suspect, we must then endeavor to become far more attentive of them, individually and collectively, and look for unintended biases and false preconceptions they may bring to our modern lives and society. If our minds are naturally strong – if our minds have minds of their own, with their own prerogatives long-evolved in nature – we must consider the ways these prerogatives may intrude into our lives and articulate themselves in our personal and general environment. We must consider equally that they may do just this when we least expect or want such intrusions, or in ways that are hard for us to accurately see or sense.
These considerations are important and now more than academic, since scientific inquiry into our human nature is trending toward the conclusion that our genes are strong and personality mostly received. This research increasingly suggests that our conscious self and processes for making evaluative choice might be recast as relative latecomers, and even lightweights. It compels us to consider that we may only be in partial control of our internal environment (as is more obviously the case in our attempts to control our external environment). Our genetic and natural predispositions, in turn, might be seen more accurately as universal and unchanging – or at least naturally resistive to change and uninformed intervention – and contributing to an inevitable human condition or range of conditions.
In short, a strong biological nature means that we each may be less free than we might want to believe, or even than we may be actively encouraged by our minds to believe. If our human nature continues to prove strong under scientific scrutiny and investigative techniques, we will be compelled to reconsider past ideas about our basic nature and natural potentials, and the facts and demands of this nature in our plans and actions for the future.
For all these important reasons, you can perhaps begin to see why the new science of our human nature and individual personality – conducted in a variety of fields, including sociobiology and evolutionary psychology – has proven so controversial. This formal inquiry promises to overturn centuries of thinking and dominant modern notions of our human condition. It surely will upset established scholarly positions in this area and accelerate the long shift in the center of gravity of our universities toward the natural sciences. And today, this new science simply leaves us wondering anew who and what we really are.
Problems with the Blank Slate
An excellent introduction to the developing science of our evolved human nature, and now rapidly changing ideas about the role and influence of nature and nurture on personality and society, is the psychologist Steven Pinker's insightful and thorough book, The Blank Slate – The Modern Denial of Human Nature.
In his book, the inspiration for my title and our discussion, Pinker draws on a number of sources – notably the scientists E.O. Wilson, Robert Trivers, Richard Dawkins, and John Maynard Smith – to produce a relatively complete and thought-provoking summary of the recent science of our human nature. His central conclusions: 1) we have a strong human nature, 2) we are subject to important constraints by this nature in our individual choices and social policies, and 3) scientific study and examination of our nature has and surely will make us wiser and our condition improved.
As a counterpoint to these ideas, opponents of a strong human biology assert that our original, evolved human nature is weaker than some now propose. They argue there is considerable evidence our innate nature can be reliably overridden. This shaping of our nature can be accomplished by learning and new awareness, through the force of culture and context, by designed incentives and disincentives, or simply through personal will and resolve.
Such ideas are quite common today, in popular and academic culture. Together, they form a contemporary consensus, or intuition, about the nature of our human nature. This consensus is, in some regards, a reaction to earlier and more conservative thinking before modern times. This conservativism includes traditional and medieval notions that saw our condition as more static and which may have helped to inhibit progressive thinking and change for centuries. The idea of a weaker and more malleable biological nature is of course the basis of much of modernism and many modern social movements – in philosophy, politics, economics, sociology, psychology, and the arts.
But if we hold a view that sees our innate nature as more changeable, we must also live with another set of consequences and imperatives. Most notable among these is the idea that careful control of society and fairly activist social engineering must be an overriding public imperative, whether through government, ideology, or both. This must be true if we are seen more as a making of our culture and environment than our biology, and thus naturally subject to fairly wide varieties of fortunate and inopportune states as individuals and groups.
Another consequence of viewing people as substantially shapeable, and thus individually less substantial, is the pervasive modern idea that all or most standards and values should be viewed as relative and even arbitrary – and changeable with the times, our needs, and our ideals. As we can see in our era, this thinking promotes certain amounts of both chronic nihilism and idealism. It encourages experimentation, accepts skepticism as a position rather than a mode of inquiry, and invites artistic license and the deconstruction of form. It elevates contempt as a mark of learning, and accepts or expects reasonable contempt for existing society, roles, authority, law, and order.
This second idea is of course in contradiction with the first, but both are clear hallmarks of modernity and pillars of our contemporary outlook. We are a people of law and lawlessness. We are eclectic and contemptuous, but seek authenticity and meaning. We assert our independence amidst obvious dependence – on technology, organization, and our neighbors. That these two ideas are present in us and contradictory seems hard to deny. That they are the source of chronic discord and disaffection in our times strikes me as an interesting hypothesis. That their generally unexamined coexistence in us offers a profound insight into our basic nature goes to the heart of our discussion today.
The contemporary idea of human malleability – often expressed by the proposal I mentioned that we are each a "blank slate" to some degree – continues in our time with considerable force, even as it is wrought with this central contradiction. Blank slate thinking at least in part draws its impetus and strength from the facts of the dramatic change which have come with industrialization and the rise of modern life. Now, however, this new but aging conception of our nature must share space with still newer ideas, as well as some resurrected older ones, which sees our biology playing a larger and more unified role in human affairs than was more recently thought.
Beyond new scientific evidence we will discuss – suggesting a strong human nature and genetic basis of personality – contemporary blank slate thinking must contend with the obvious failure of a great number of modern social initiatives premised on the idea of pliability in our human character and larger condition. Such social engineering failures range from criminal justice reforms to urban renewal efforts. They include educational initiatives and new approaches to the management of the economy and alleviation of poverty. And they include the attempted wholesale reshaping and control of society that was the aim of Marxism.
The persistent failure of social initiatives based on the idea of a weak or readily-shapeable human nature suggests a seeming intractability of this nature, or at least a modern misunderstanding or mismanagement of it. With hindsight, we can moreover begin to see that our social environment in the developed world did not change as rapidly in many regards during the twentieth century as it did in the previous two centuries.
Modern European and North Americans of the 1920s are familiar to their counterparts today, despite radical changes in technology and social content since then. But we are both markedly different from people who lived before modern times – in the many centuries before an important new social architecture and progressive initiatives that marked the start of the modern age, even as they were crafted largely from a more innatist or "strong nature" perspective on our human condition than is typical today.
With this extended introduction of the ongoing controversy and key fault lines surrounding the debate about the strength of our biological nature, including genetic determinants of personality and their effects on our social environment, I would like to explore the scientific findings fueling this controversy, using Pinker's book as a principal resource. As we will discuss, the emerging science of our human nature offers important new insights and opportunities for fuller life, and perhaps for far greater individual and community health and well-being.
As I have suggested, this science asserts, first and foremost, that we are not blank slates, but rather natural ones. It proposes that we are slates formed over great expanses of geological time, and shaped by the pressure of specific functional requirements. It asserts that we are etched with considerable markings and will reveal intricate troughs and ridges, once upwelled from the earth and exposed to light.
This newer view emerges from a much finer and more precise examination of our nature than ever before, and suggests equally finer and more precise care with ourselves and our technological society.
The Science of Our Nature
During my introduction, you may have wondered if our discussion was leading to the old "nature versus nurture" debate. It of course is, but with the new twist of recent scientific findings. Your initial reaction may be that this debate does not end – does not come to definitive and actionable conclusions. I would ask you to suspend for the next few minutes this common assumption, an increasingly anachronistic one given new advances in our understanding.
In fact, as the debate about the influences of nature and nurture in our lives has moved from the humanities and professorial lecterns to the natural sciences, laboratories, and computers, a great deal of progress has been made to resolve it. Today, thanks in part to CAT scanners, statistical modeling, and database analysis (for example, the study of the comparative personalities of twins I mentioned before) we are much closer to an evidence-based and reasonably clear understanding the relative roles of nature and nurture in shaping our personalities. This new understanding is leading not just to an identification of where specific influences lie and how they work, but also has begun a new grappling with the often startling conclusions and implications of this emerging science for individual life and public policy.
In the Blank Slate, Pinker goes well beyond simply summarizing recent empirical findings. He provides a careful and perceptive analysis of the personal and social implications of this new scientific probing of our nature and the sources of personality. Notable in this regard is his research-based outline of the essential requirements and limitations that our innate nature places on us, discussion of successful and unsuccessful efforts to work with our human nature to alter our human condition (recently and in our slightly more distant past), and indication of likely future opportunities to improve society – given science that suggests both a strong innate nature and potential strategies for improved human nurture.
Pinker commences his book much as I have begun our discussion today, with a survey of modern questions concerning our biological nature and the implications of its scientific study. This survey includes discussion of popular fears and academic controversies, ones that find, or sometimes foster, unsettling new ideas in the empirical study of our human nature, limitations, and biases. The ultimate fear, of course, is that science will conclude we are wholly determined by our biology and inimical to change, and that many of our social ills are inevitable, leaving less room for either faith-based or humanistic initiatives (both of which ironically use scientifically-derived technology to promote their causes and often encourage the scientific management of society).
Pinker's survey and analysis of emerging research into human personality ultimately casts popular fears as generally misplaced, and most academic controversies as unjustified and even irrational (except as they further the interests and careers of established theorists). Beginning principally in the second half of his book – after a review of current and what are today often quite counterintuitive scientific findings regarding our human nature – Pinker offers an extended discussion of the implications of these findings for important areas of contemporary life, and by implication, for human life more generally.
In this discussion, Pinker highlights important new social opportunities suggested by scientific research into our nature. These include steps to: 1) improve politics, 2) reduce violence, 3) promote equality, 4) better nurture our children, and 5) strengthen the arts. In each case, he shows how we are perhaps more limited in certain ways than we intuitively and commonly realize, but also living amidst important opportunities to work around the natural personal and social limitations we do face, and create better and more informed conditions for ourselves and others.
As I have suggested, his specific prescriptions for change in contemporary human life often run contrary to current and recent thinking, and to many traditional ideas and ideals, even as they suggest opportunities for new positive change in many or most areas of modern life and society. For this reason, I would strongly recommend Pinker's Blank Slate to my readers wanting a better grounding in current evolutionary science and its investigation of personality. His book will also provide insights to people interested in uses of this research to better understand our nature and enhance our lives and well-being today. It also provides important suggestions on ways the science of our nature is likely to help people craft more optimal social policies and improve conditions for the future.
I would also recommend Pinker's book, and the discussion that follows here, to two other categories of readers who sometimes find their way to my writing. If you share in the common view today that sees all things in nature as an unmitigated good, you may be operating within a new and increasingly pervasive contemporary condition called the "naturalistic fallacy" and might use Pinker's writing to gain a more complete view of the state of nature and its evolutionary processes.
Similarly, if you have adopted and advocate a "go with the flow" approach to contemporary life, also a new and popular social product of our relatively prosperous and secure times (and the hard and often unflowing work of many people), you might find Pinker's book both instructive and cautionary. In this vein, Pinker offers new insights into important limitations our innate nature places on us, and the opportunities that a more attentive, scientifically-informed, and carefully-chosen life creates for us – whether in our individual lives, communities, or global society – versus strategies of convenient and opportunistic improvisation.
Three Revealing Questions
To begin a more detailed discussion of the modern science of our human nature, we might ask three questions. These questions probe and frame the scientific investigation and new findings regarding our nature, including the controversies they create for some people today and the rethinking of our current state of life they encourage for us all.
1. First, is there a problem?
As a first question, we simply might ask: why there is so much resistance to the idea of a strong human nature? I have already introduced the explanation – a dominating biological nature implies a weaker conscious self, one that is more in service of and controlled by the imperatives of our biological nature, and in turn less free either to lead itself or to follow ideals. This consequence must be increasingly true to the extent that our human nature and innate personality is found to be more fixed and forceful in our lives.
Pinker argues that this fear of "determinism" – attitudes and behaviors dictated by our biology – is unfounded. Regardless of how we might advance arguments for or against the existence of free will, and thus for or against determinism, there is no logical reason that a reasonably free conscious self could not have evolved in nature (and good reason to think this is precisely the case). Such an autonomous self could, and likely does in humans and other advanced animals, possess a set of executive algorithms designed to assess and question the rest of the brains predilections, as wells as the predilections of other brains.
More to the point, there is nothing in modern cognitive science, neuroscience, genetics, or evolutionary psychology that that suggests that we cannot maintain personal responsibility for our actions. These fields are well along at concluding we are sentient and intelligent beings and can reasonably understand the probabilistic impacts (costs and benefits) of our actions in both physical and moral terms. Importantly, findings suggesting a strong but sure-sighted and intelligent nature may even posit us as freer than constructs proposing a more malleable character, since this treats us as less susceptible arbitrary and limiting environmental influences and manipulative conditioning – whether by totalitarian regimes, commercial interests, or devious psychologists.
Despite these basic and quite fatal failings of deterministic thinking, Pinker identifies three groups of people, and quite strange bedfellows, that are especially resistant to the idea of a strong biological human nature. In the extreme, each even fiercely opposes and finds morally repugnant the making of our human nature an object of scientific inquiry:
Activists – the first group encompasses social activists in and out of academia, intelligent people that one might think would be committed to freedom of inquiry and would themselves want to inquire deeply into the science of our nature and its applications for promoting social progress. (This is in fact beginning now, but is lagging the pace of science and represents a generational change in attitudes about the scientific study of humans). Pinker traces quite strident actions on the part of some in university life to undermine or prevent empirical research into our human nature, and discusses their concerns that innatist thinking could engender new conservativism and regressive social policies – worries that explain but scarcely excuse their sometimes vitriolic and distorted attacks on scientists working in this field (and the general decline of discourse between the arts and sciences over the last thirty years).
Romantics – a second and related group of people resistant to human nature science is perhaps less radicalized than the first, but is equally concerned about scientific inquiry into our human nature and the direction and purport of its findings. This second group are the many people today, in and out of academia, who harbor romantic ideals about wild nature and whose thinking (feeling really) is increasingly eroded by new scientific findings about nature in general and our human nature in particular. Probably few of us are not at least partly in this camp, since many of us moderns admire the natural world – though through the historically new perspective of relative modern affluence and tranquility. But we each risk letting what may be our innate "biophillia" (evolved love of nature) get the better of us, when we admire nature from a gauzy distance and comfortable urban lives, and do not seek more objective understanding of its empirical truth. As suggested before, the naturalistic fallacy of seeing nature, and our original human nature, as universally good is a common error of our time, and even an important barrier to progressivity in our individual lives and fuller understanding of our species opportunities for the future.
Traditionalists – a third and less related group, but equally opposed to or suspicious of the scientific study of our nature, are of course social and religious conservatives – who often believe in and base their cosmology on the existence of an incorporeal soul within us and invariant moral code above us. These conservatives correctly understand that modern sociobiology, neurobiology, evolutionary psychology, and other scientific investigations of humans, if successful, will eventually leave no room for metaphysics or the existence of an incorporeal soul. But often, unfortunately, they incorrectly assume this work also will leave no place for moral and familiar sentiments either, and thus frequently believe that immorality, and even nihilism, will result without our having souls apart from nature – especially ones that face the prospect of eternal reward or suffering if they stray from traditional lines in the sand. As we will discuss, this instinct is not wholly without merit. Modern scientific findings do suggest that reliable pleasures and pains do strongly influence human behavior, but also that this set of incentives can be administered by progressive and secular society as easily as a theocracy, and perhaps more optimally and adaptively.
2. How strong is the pushback?
Based on this discussion of the key fault lines in the controversies over the study of our human nature, we might ask a follow-on question to the first: is the resistance to the science of our human nature really that strong? Based on Pinker's compilation of the sustained and fairly extensive attacks on the scientific study of our nature over the last two decades or more, and the popular dismissal of now established findings that one encounters in daily life, I think we have to say yes, and perhaps unconditionally so.
Each of these three groups has strong moral or philosophical concerns or fears about progressing inquiry into our basic nature, or strong material interests in or positive affections toward a current or earlier status quo. Whether intentionally or not, the effect of their fears and efforts is to promote a largely pre-scientific and ambiguous understanding of our nature, and the upholding of social structures and norms that have their origins in the Bronze Age.
As Pinker describes, the diversity of practical efforts against the new science of our nature, and the strength of popular consensus dismissing its findings, is remarkable. We can see it in the actions of radical professors and others with self-defining intellectual positions and entrenched interests at odds with the unfolding findings of science. Opposition appears in the work and views of reformers and citizens with strong ideas and emotions about nature and conservation – many despairing our industrial and seemingly denigrated times. And we of course see opposition from religious leaders and their followers upholding older systems of valuation and social control.
The stakes are high for all these people, at least in the short run. At stake for them is personal order and conceptual familiarity. And the truth is that the conclusions that will be drawn from the scientific inquiry into our nature, in our time, are likely to shake the world as we know it, and then shape society and impact the social order for centuries after our time. But all are limited in seeing only risks and disruptions in traditional ideas and modern order, and not new opportunities for human progress waiting.
3. Is the resistance well-founded?
As a third and final question to help advance our discussion, let me simply ask: are those who fear the scientific study of our biological and genetic influences, and resist its emerging findings really so wrong? Here again, I think the answer is resoundingly affirmative. The many reasons why this is so forms the bulk of Pinker's book, a compelling mixture of summary and analysis of the growing body of scientific evidence in favor of a new, more natural, and more detailed view of our human nature.
The careful review of the emerging science of our nature that Pinker offers us undercuts entrenched and quite pervasive modern and traditional thinking. This includes ideas of people existing as blank slates at birth and living as relatively malleable beings throughout childhood and even much of our life, with the resulting imperative of top-down social or religious initiatives to condition us optimally. The new science of our nature and its growing findings equally undercut more general or popular objections to this study, concerns that findings of a strong human nature – our having a strong evolutionary endowment and a "natural slate" within us, instead of a blank or incorporeal one – leads inevitably to inequality, imperfectability, determinism, or even nihilism.
As I will summarize next, Pinker presents the actual science of our human nature to date and shows convincingly that objective study does not lead in any of these directions. Instead, this science has begun to offer us a new and much clearer portrait of us, one with a distinctly human face. Far from being distorted and grotesque, this new human portrait is one that is both familiar but far more contoured and detailed than in earlier conceptions. For this reason, we have good reason to suspect that the science of our nature will offer a new window on ourselves – one that is startling, more balanced, and perhaps containing opportunities for fuller life
Looking at the emerging science, my belief is that this science is unmasking and more deeply revealing the all-too-human nature we know already – and do not know well enough or are deceived about – in profound and ultimately liberating new ways.
Uncovering Our "Natural Slate"
To help us understand why all this is so – why we are not blank slates by nature, why a strong biological nature does not lead to and even may prevent chaos or tyranny, and why a more informed sense of our nature can engender new life opportunities and a more progressive society – Pinker asks us to consider the locus for all this fear and controversy, the functioning human brain.
Our human brain of course has been demonstrated as the seat of our human nature and individual personality, however strong or weak this biological nature may be. If you are skeptical of this idea, as some are in the classes of people I mentioned before, consider the long and widely demonstrated fact that injury or manipulation of our brain diminishes or alters our nature and personality – modifying our self and its discernable patterns of perception, emotion, and cognition. If you would like a specific example of this phenomenon, search for information on the natural experiment in brain and personality alteration that is the case of "Phineas Cage."
Though some might like to see our brains and the selves they engender as reasonably blank and readily influenced (as "silly putty" as Pinker suggests in a wry moment), and thus in need of considerable programming to ensure sociability or optimality, a number of objective facts suggest otherwise:
Telling complexity – the human brain is enormously complex and highly organized, with many specialized areas providing quite specific functional capabilities – including perception of subtle social cues, moral feeling and empathetic intuition, and logical and other forms of reasoning – to a degree that is far beyond what would be needed if the brain's primary role was restricted to processing environmental learning.
Vast scale & scope– the innate circuitry of the human brain is not just complex but staggeringly intricate as well, with an astonishing three dimensional architecture comprised of over three billion chemical bases in our genes, and containing roughly one hundred billion neurons making one hundred trillion connections with one another.
Systematic & highly evolved– while complex, our human brain is also highly systematic and an extension and evolution of the smaller brains of simpler animals, each sharing a common cognitive approach that emphasizes information gathering, calculation, and cognitive feedback (as Pinker points out, three pillars of the new "computational theory of mind" that explains the workings of the self far better than proposals of blankness and also implies a reasonably strong innate structure in our brains).
Physical variations matter– extensive experimentation has confirmed that differently shaped or weighted brains operate differently and result in "differently shaped" selves – with varying individual personalities, and patterns of thinking and feeling – just as genetic variations influence our brain structure and produce variations in our attitudes and behaviors.
Newborns are not blank– science has now documented clear basic natural functioning of the brain before and after birth, independent of our circumstances, and a common developmental progression in all healthy children across all cultures. As suggested before, extensive cross-cultural surveys show that at least fifty percent of personality traits of identical twins are shared, regardless of whether the twins are raised together or apart. This provides a strong indication of the minimum extent of our innate biological nature, especially when we consider that at least some of the remaining half of personality is attributable to natural variations in either gene expression or brain development during fetal gestation, sources of individual personality that are essentially independent of environment.
Cultures are similar– though we may romanticize about cultures other than our own or of the past, new cultural data and new studies of old data suggest that cultures are more similar than previously thought or assumed, differing primarily in level of technology and political development, suggesting a strong innateness to human life and character. Pinker summarizes research showing that all cultures share important critical features and people in them make use of similar evolved human capacities essential to social equanimity: 1) knowledge gathering and sharing in remarkably specific areas, 2) ability to read the goals and intents of others and to learn from them, 3) capacities to ensure reciprocity and identify social dereliction, and 4) methods to ensure transparency and resolve conflict. Scientists studying human nature increasingly hold the view that cultures are more similar than dissimilar, and that cultural variations are readily explained and rightly seen as a singular, culture-forming human nature placed in varying settings. Indeed, the rapid formation of culture and familiar human order in natural experiments involving sudden new groupings of diverse sets of people, without time or opportunity for significant conditioning, provide compelling support for this view.
Languages are similar – our human capacity for language, Pinker's professional specialty, offers another revealing window into our natural character, and suggests a common and quite significant innate circuitry in this critical component of our human brains. After all, all human languages utilize the same parts of the brain and engender similar brain activity, and all languages reduce to a very small number of common patterns of thought (a far smaller number of patterns than one would expect if language was primarily a cultural artifact or conditioned process).
I should close this part of our discussion by adding that Pinker mentions more formal objections to these emerging scientific findings and their generally "innatist" direction, coming from within the scientific community itself, or by educated people using the facts of science to argue for a weaker view of our human nature. Pinker explains and addresses three principal scientifically-oriented objections in wide, but gradually shrinking, circulation today.
One objection to the idea of a natural slate is that we do not have enough genes to create the functioning human mind ("mind" here meaning the operating self, as opposed simply to the physical structure of the brain). Proponents of this view often point to the fact that we have only about double the number of genes as much simpler animals, and reason that this is not enough encoded information to create our human nature. People who raise this objection normally do not specify what number of genes would be needed to create the human mind, and of course implicitly assume that genes are additive and not multiplicative (that they work more like 50+50=100 than 50×50=2500).
A second objection from within or around the scientific community is the hypothesis that the adult human brain can be explained as a conditioned "neural network" (as an interlinked and self-connecting organic database) requiring only limited innate circuitry (especially, the ability to make probabilistic connections between data objects). Pinker points out how this objection overlooks the fact that extensive experimentation with computer-based learning networks has failed to generate artificial intelligence of sufficient complexity and precision to mimic human or animal brain functioning. In all cases, learning networks must be augmented by specific capabilities to resolve ambiguity, categorize objects, and compute implicit relationships – precisely the functional areas of our brain now posited as innate by scientists.
The third objection suggests that our human brain is quite plastic at the neurological level, even if it is more fixed anatomically and physiologically. This line of reasoning often calls attention to stroke victims and others with damaged brains or senses that have learned to "re-wire" their brains to work around their disability and function more normally. Pinker suggests that a closer analysis of these cases leads to a more limited and cautious view of plasticity, and that the replacement functioning often suffers from shortcomings that are predicted by scientific findings and theories of natural brain specialization. He suggests that we good cause to see the brain as more fixed than malleable, with even simple autonomic processes we may take for granted requiring complex innate circuitry and highly evolved biological functioning (for example, separating objects from a field or differentiating colors).
Evolution and our Nature
If we have intricate, complex, and relatively specialized brains, ones subject to consistent patterns of development and expressing recurring human behaviors across cultures, and substantial empirical data to suspect we are evolved with a reasonably strong basic nature (much like other animals), what are the implications for us today?
What can modern cognitive science, neuroscience, genetics, sociobiology, and evolutionary psychology tell us about ourselves and our human condition that we don't know already? What errors do they point to in either traditional or modern conceptions of our nature? And how, especially, can these disciplines help us to live more happily and adaptively today, and avoid repeating the mistakes of our past or making entirely new ones in the future?
There is little doubt for many that enduring answers to these critical questions lie in science's ability to more deeply understand our place in the world and to elaborate a general theory of human flourishing. I think it is fair to say that for most scientists, Pinker included, such a theory must include and may even be founded on evolutionary theory. This implies an uncovering of essential evolutionary principles related to all social animals like human beings, and then production of a general theory of our human nature and human potentials based on this natural foundation. Since I don't know the extent of your knowledge of the science of evolutionary dynamics, let me lay out a few important ideas, and then turn to the principal findings that Pinker summarizes for us, spanning the new fields I mentioned investigating our natural slate.
Likely, you know already that evolution implies a "survival of the fittest." In Charles Darwin's time, this phrase grew out of a recognition that the attributes of individual members of a plant or animal species naturally vary randomly to some degree. Darwin's insight was that sometimes the changes provide survival and reproductive advantages to the individual plant or animal that possesses them, encouraging the variation to spread in the species (i.e. by "natural selection"). Sometimes, random natural variability has no effect on survival and reproduction rates, causing the attribute to potentially linger or drift in the species. But often, significant attribute variations have negative effects on survival and reproduction, and thereby naturally curtail their own transmission within a species.
Today, this is still the basic view of the evolutionary processes that underlie all life, except that we now know that attribute variation is based primarily on genetic variation (genes were discovered after Darwin's time) and that evolution is principally a process of genetic variation and selection. I make this statement, even as scientists now theorize that cultural attributes and learning are subject to a similar potential natural variation and environmental selection through social and cognitive dynamics (and thus can be reinforced without genetic encoding). An example of this is driving on the right or left side of a roadway – such practices random and arbitrary, and are reinforced without genetic changes, simply because variation from cultural norms proves either too difficult cognitively or too dangerous in practical terms.
Natural evolution itself is a long, vast, and continual process of usually small random variations in each new individual of each species, some helpful but most not, in the acid test that is the challenge of survival and reproduction in nature. This slow and intricate process occurs over remarkably large periods of time, in timeframes that test our natural human intuition (and that thus suggest innate qualities of our intuition). For perspective, watching paint peel is a far more dynamic and action-packed drama than observing biological evolution, with paint peeling on the order of 10,000,000 times more rapidly than the historical evolution of single-cell bacteria into modern humans.
But since there is nearly endless time in the life of a middling star like our sun and any life-enabling planets it may harbor, even the inhumanly slow and random walk of natural evolution can lead to vast and compounding states of change and development, producing life-forms and interdependent ecosystems of remarkable variety and complexity. If you would like another intuitive analogy to get a better sense of the potential for small compounding changes to create vast works of biology over long stretches of time, imagine putting one cent in a bank and leaving it there for, say, a billion years, to grow at a modest interest rate and (perhaps unrealistically) assuming no bank charges. Can you guess the result? I'll give you a hint: my popular spreadsheet program could not manage the number.
With this short description of the inner workings of evolution in mind, we can surmise next that our genes and evolution itself are blind actors on the stage of nature. Genes and nature broadly are unintelligent, unemotional, and amoral (meaning not moral, rather than immoral), just like our insensible cent deposited in a primordial bank vault. Simply because of the character of natural chemistry in our universe and the force of physical complexity, our genes are inherently subject to randomness and variation. They don't "mean" to vary – they just do, naturally, much in the way that throws of dice just vary. Genes can neither steer nor judge themselves anymore than our small coin can in a bank vault. Living entities can become more "red in tooth and claw," to quote Tennyson, or more loving and nurturing, in the spirit of Rogers, if these attributes are naturally selected – if the attributes are reproduced more quickly in a particular species or in nature more broadly relative to converse attributes.
In spite of evolved life's potential for blind baseness, scientists now theorize that as the natural world (or any evolving system) becomes more highly evolved, it naturally begins to favor or be internally biased toward strategies of greater cooperation or reciprocity, even as this course is again a blind phenomenon of random variation and natural selection. This phenomenon is driven by the fact that, after many rounds of reproduction and selection, many or most of the system's more competitive (and less organized and objectively efficient) positions become "taken" and dominated by established players or species, who are then naturally-selected to specialize to hold these positions quite effectively.
Newer players in the progress of evolution thus must adopt new and often more inventive strategies if they are to displace established players and extract resources from the fabric of the existing ecosystem in large measure. This natural fact of life is a truth of all evolving systems and can be seen at work in the seemingly diverse cases of newcomers seeking to displace large eagles from commanding roosts, finding sunlight in a valley of redwoods, adopting new words for novel life experiences, or unseating a dominant software company.
In a way that is not yet appreciated by many people, simple natural selection thus trends not just toward organic complexity, but to higher states of ecological cooperation and social organization as well. But if the production of genes that enable cooperation (movement to greater complexity, efficiency, and self-organization) is a natural evolutionary trend, it is not a sign of wisdom or intelligent design in nature. Instead, this development is rooted in the nature of complexity itself and the opportunities that naturally emerge and persist for more complex and harmonious forms of order, once simpler (and collectively less efficient) species and ecological structures are widespread in an evolving system. Importantly, I might add that this natural tendency applies both to systems in wild nature and to our society, and that the rise of more efficient, cooperative, and adaptive social structures should be the true meaning of the phrase "Social Darwinism"
On this point, I would also add that people today often believe or fear that to understand nature and life in this new way, as an evolving but undirected system, is to rob it of its majesty and full scope. Many believe that a blindly evolved nature is inevitably smaller and less inspiring than a consciously created one. While this may be personally true for some people, I would point out that many of our most insightful scientists are also quite spiritual in their outlook, and that our evolving universe can be seen as awe-inspiring in its vast scope, breathtaking in remarkable scale, and mysterious and even demanding our reverence and humility at bottom. These facts encourage us to see the remaining and even increasing wonder contained in this new scientific understanding of nature, and suggests that newer secular and older sacred views of the world are reconcilable or synthesizable into a new whole. My own personal experience is that these two views involve different capacities of our brains, and that we can and even must toggle between them to craft a complete and fully human view of nature and our place in it.
Between the extremes of baseness and harmony, natural evolution and our chemical genes work in extraordinary ways, producing a counterintuitive richness of processes and outcomes. The specific actions of genes and the practical basis of evolution are more easily visualized, even as they result in astonishingly complexity, in the case of plants. Through the random and sightless genetic variations we have discussed, amidst the added sightlessness that is the fate of a plant, an individual plant seed might be created, for example, that leads to leaves that are slightly larger or darker or more acrid than its neighbors of the same species.
This "mutated" plant will then make what seeds it can through sexual reproduction, with its new mutation in tow for better or worse. Its life course will naturally promote its variation in its ecosystem, and perhaps offer still newer variations in the genes of its seeds. Ultimately, all such changed seeds will be either more, equally, or less successful in nature, and the gene pool of the species will be biased in the direction of this individual's mutated genes, or not.
Animal reproduction works in similar, if more complex, ways. But before considering animal and human evolution, it is important to point out that even in the seemingly simple and senseless case of plant evolution, we can expect and do see clear natural strategies emerge from random genetic variation and the implicit competition of plant genes that results in the environment. In addition to the more straightforward tactics of enhanced species size, robustness, and growth rates, plant genes in fact naturally evolve to follow at least five evolutionary strategies:
1. Parasitism – relying on another plant to aid reproduction, as in the case of vines
2. Pre-emption – the rapid blocking of sunlight or alteration of soil conditions to keep away other plants, as in the case of many species of trees
3. Cooperation – as when stands of a plant species block incursions of other species or when multiple plant species alter a local climate for their shared benefit
4. Synergism – when plants rely on one another or occupy complementary niches to ensure conditions favorable to them, as in the case of forest stratification
5. Condition-dependent behaviors – frequently seen in variable climates and terrains, when plants take different forms, for example, in rainy or dry conditions or at different altitudes
Again, all these seemingly thoughtful attributes and behaviors can be fully explained as the result of randomly evolved, naturally or blindly selected, and genetically encoded attributes of the plants involved. Together, these actions of plants, acting without brains or senses, provide important insights into the natural potentials contained in all evolved forms, and initial guidance for the range of human attitudes and behaviors we might expect to find in our midst today.
Let's now move from the more straightforward evolutionary dynamics of plants to that of animals and humans. Once evolution creates animals – with their senses and brains, and fins and feet – genetic selection and natural exploration of these same species strategies gets a bit more complicated, especially if the animal lives socially among its own kind during all or most of its life as humans do. With animals, and especially with strongly social animals, the genes and resulting attributes that are selected through reproduction, though still blind and senseless themselves, are often at work in a much more complex environment and subject to far more varied selection pressures and reproductive opportunities.
In the case of natural selection involving animals, including complex social animals like humans, the wind and rain are still present and the climate still changes, and animal offspring are subject to many of the same essential perils of nature as plants. But now, in order for animal genes to be replicated, they must contend with other evolutionary constraints. In addition ensuring genes that cause pollination and seed scattering, animal genes and attributes will be favored that help individuals to get food and protect them from aggression, and that often keenly sensing and at least slightly discerning mates will find attractive. Eventually, for the reasons we have discussed, animal genes will be further selected that reliably foster the success and harmony of cooperative social groups, circularly resulting in attributes that the individual and group will naturally evolve to hold in high esteem.
Given these considerations, we should expect and do in fact find through scientific inquiry that many of the evolutionary strategies employed by plants mentioned above also occur in animal species. We of course find that the evolutionary variables in animals contributing to these strategies are more numerous, and that the strategies themselves are more nuanced. Instead of adding to the complexity of our discussion, however, I would like to simplify it, and prepare you to consider the important implications of evolutionary theory for a nature-based outlook on human life and our human nature.
Across all animal species, the genetic and behavioral strategies we have discussed, plus variations and others we might include, can be reduced productively to the idea that animals act with regard to our own species in one or more of three essential ways: 1) socially or cooperatively, 2) opportunistically or competitively, and 3) anti-socially or parasitically. Through science, we can see each of these intra-species strategies or approaches throughout the natural world, with examples from many species. We also can see these strategies in our human condition, today and in our history and across cultures.
As animal and human behavior is studied, we further observe that social animals, and humans specifically, are usually specially adapted or equipped by evolution to carry out one or more of the strategies within the distinctive setting that is their social environment. For example, animals adopting anti-social behaviors make use of action patterns evolved to maximize stealth and prevent detection. Animals acting cooperatively, on the other hand, are evolved to do so visibly, to enhance status and encourage reciprocity. Thus, in examining the expression of these three strategies, we find that context and situational forces often mater a great deal. In particular, the specific factors of transparency, equality, and reciprocity often determine the timing and general dominance of the behaviors within a social species.
Through the force of natural selection – the environmental testing of blind, randomly-varying, and opportunistically self-reinforcing genes – individual members of animal species are gradually constructed to act in one or more of these general ways within its own species. Perhaps surprisingly, animals generally can even be expected (absent self-understanding) to unconsciously favor one of the three social behaviors over the other two, in proportion to the likelihood that the behavior has led to the advancement of its species genes over the course of its recent evolutionary history.
To summarize this part of our discussion, these three natural modes of social conduct can be restated as the following potential modes of intra-species behavior:
Cooperate and foster the species – acting in either absolute or reciprocal altruism, in ways that seek to advance one's own genes and the gene's of others
Compete within the species in a bounded way – behaving in ways that are more self-focused and often less than optimal collectively, but not to such an extent that species advancement would be curtailed if the conduct became a species norm
Exploit weak points in the species – operating in relatively unbounded ways that accomplish individual reproduction, but that are functional only if the behavior is an exception to the dominant species pattern
As suggested, the overall behavioral category that will dominate in a social species like our own depends on both nature and nurture. In current and still quite early studies of human behavior and associated genetics, as an example, there is some data to suggest that an individual's genes matter to some degree in determining dominant personal behavior within these aggregate categories. These findings point to an innate bias in at least some of us to naturally favor one of these general strategies over the other two.
But a larger set of emerging data suggests that, at least with humans, context and situational forces may matter much more than our individual genes and their innate preferences in determining our human attitudes and behaviors at this scale – especially the key environmental factors I introduced: 1) transparency, 2) equality, and 3) reciprocity. In principle, this is because we are generally evolved to seek social standing and esteem, as an aid to reliable genetic transfer, and will not readily jeopardize these forms of long-term "social capital" in the face of immediate and genetically more dubious opportunities to satisfy our primal instincts.
Looking past smaller idiosyncrasies and individual predilections attributable to our genes, ongoing research suggests that while some of us may be genetically biased to be generally more angelic or devilish, most of us seem innately inclined toward bounded competition in our general conduct. This finding explains why, except in extreme genetic portfolios (for example, the small percentage of people with apparently strong innate sociopathic tendencies), we are most likely to behave in relation to our social setting, and the intentional or unintentional framing and incentives it matches up against our waiting natural opportunism.
For this reason, special care with our social systems and settings is strongly suggested by evolutionary theory, rather than the popular misconception of a lassie-faire approach. Only with special care, or the most fortunate vagaries of chance, can people be encouraged toward and expected to reliably act in the cooperative and most beneficial end of our natural behavioral range.
Such concern with our social fabric requires a thorough and advancing understanding of our evolved human nature, but offers in return the potential for higher order, more harmonious, and more adaptive modes of life for us all. It is admittedly an idea that creates as many questions as answers for people today, but it is also one that is not without historical antecedents – since the promotion of social transparency, equality, and reciprocity is the heart and power of modern democratic political systems.
This revolutionary and pre-Darwinian model of governance saw the need and potential to steer our variable behavior in more favorable directions, and has now proven but hardly exhausted this important idea in practice.
I hope this brief summary of contemporary evolutionary science proves helpful to you in better appreciating our evolutionary inheritance, the underlying mechanisms and potentials contained in our human nature, and the important implications a natural understanding of our species has for the mastery of individual and collective life.
Let's now turn to consider our evolutionary endowment as it appears in and is influenced by human society and culture today, and the newer, science and evolutionary-based understanding of modern human life, culture, and social institutions they increasingly suggest is needed.
Implications of the Natural Slate
Though controversial and engendering fear in many people today, I suspect that we will eventually feel gratitude for the work of Pinker and the other scientists I mentioned earlier in our discussion. They, and many others, are endeavoring to unravel critical questions about nature and evolution, and its many implications for understanding our natural character and promoting the advancement of human life. As I write this, however, these scientists often must perform their work courageously, amidst suspicion and strident criticism from society and even members of the academy.
Given my area of focus, this work is especially important for me, since it can be expected to surface important new opportunities for healthier, more compelling, and more sustainable human life, and for improved management of both the natural and human systems around us. There is now a rich and growing body of findings concerning our innate nature emerging in our time, which Pinker admirably summarizes and then demonstrates how it has begun to form a new and much richer conception of our highly-evolved, highly-social, and reliably-variable human nature.
Though still a new area of science, the evolutionary-based inquiry into our human nature has three important and essential trends already: 1) bringing forward and re-articulating a number of perennial ideas from the humanities, 2) demonstrating quite specifically how other ideas about our nature are incorrect and can be expected to lead to less than optimal social policies and human conditions, and 3) elevating the central importance of inquiry and expanded human awareness in the task of mastering and advancing human life at all levels.
If you would like to learn about emerging findings in the science of our evolved human nature, and are willing to keep an open mind amidst what might be at first highly counterintuitive ways of thinking, consider some of the key ideas Pinker proposes are now becoming firmly established in our time:
1. Humans have natural perceptual, emotional, and cognitive biases – most of us are familiar with simple optical illusions – for example, the fact that a cluster of concentric circles appears to move or shimmer when we gaze at it. But we often fail to realize the tip of a larger iceberg that these small self-deceptions constitute for us (just as we will generally underestimate the size of the submerged part of a real iceberg). Such simple perceptual predispositions are part of a quite large set of innate biases in our human brain and innate nature that scientists have begun to catalog and consider. This larger set of natural biases includes not just perceptual idiosyncrasies like optical illusions, but the following as well: a) a tendency to attend to the near-term over the long-term and the familiar over the unfamiliar (even in cases when we know this is to our disadvantage), b) our inclination to rationalize or moralize actions and beliefs that we favor (even to the point of misleading ourselves), c) our predisposition to select facts that support our beliefs and choices, and d) our penchant to frame problems and issues in ways that are intuitive and cognitively resonant to us. This last bias is especially important and points to the reason why we struggle with writing, higher mathematics, complex science, and modern moral ambiguity – all are areas where we have no natural intuition and must rely on analogy to aid comprehension. This natural bias and window on our innate intuition explains why math problems are easier to solve when reframed as situational dilemmas, and why complex political issues are so often reduced to black and white moral choices in practice. Our most obvious natural biases become more apparent when we are made aware of them and learn to look for them in our lives, but research suggests that other biases are harder to see and counter, with important implications for the quality of our lives and society. Pinker discusses a number of natural emotional or moral biases that may be quite hard to perceive and control in our life experience, suggesting a need for social systems to mitigate them and create more optimal life. These natural biases include: a) our tendency to see people of higher status as more pure and moral (and to show undue deference to them), b) our propensity to associate impurity and immorality in people of lower status or from outside our social groups, c) our inclination to seek esteem through higher status and to associate this pursuit with moral progress (even when we commit immoral acts to attain status and as we may live banally amidst higher status), and d) our related and often highly unconscious predisposition to see ourselves as right and righteous (and our opponents as wrong and manipulative). There is little reason to doubt that these biases once had survival advantages for our blind genes on the plains of Africa, but they are telling quirks of our nature that now demand attention in our individual lives and social policies, in today's complex society and if we are to rise above them. A final and perhaps most curious natural bias that science has discovered is our tendency toward active self-deception. Since there was often higher reproductive value in earnestness rather than correctness in nature, just as there still is today given our natural emotions and sexuality, genuinely but incorrectly believing we are committed to relationships and enterprises when our conduct does not objectively bear this out appears to be a natural human trait. Though the overall subject of our innate biases is an awkward topic, such persistent biases and even our tendency toward self-deception are important features of our inherited nature. Such foibles are often easier to see in others than ourselves, but they ones we must we must work against (and live with humbly amidst) in our quest for higher individual and societal quality of life.
2. Humans have an innate capacity for violence and self-righteous aggression – a first and quite important learning about our evolved human nature is our innate capacity for violence and even extreme brutality, especially when strong emotions of rightness or impurity are invoked (whether following retribution by others, public humiliation, or the shame of a blemished conscience) or in conditions where there are low costs to violent actions. This aspect of our natural slate may seem obvious to some of us, but it is important to point out that many people today believe human violence and anti-social behaviors are largely or wholly conditioned by society and were not present in our original state in nature. This is the pervasive myth of the "noble savage," a romantic belief that has gathered increasing strength since the 1700s, but an idea that is entirely undercut by the facts of our archeological record – including the fossilized remains of murdered individuals and extensive findings of human weaponry (useless for hunting) dating back tens of thousands of years. Though this idea is abhorrent to many of us, for reasons we will discuss in the next section, it is actually uncomplicated from an evolutionary perspective to understand why violence, within our species and leaving aside hunting, would be a central part of our human condition and find a place in our genetics and innate nature. As we have discussed, natural social life and reproduction favor cooperation or at least bounded competition within human social groups. But this first condition affords opportunities for genes that lead at least some individuals to take advantage of others situationally and quite harshly, both in and out of our natural social circles. We thus should expect the evolution of genes aiding the detection and outing of cheaters (non-reciprocators and strong competitors), as well as the prospect of three major categories of innate violent tendencies. One category is our potential for proactive violence for group advantage against other groups, which seems widespread by many measures of our behavior toward human groups other than our own. A second expected capacity for violence involves facilitating personal gain within one's group, with genes for this form of violence likely naturally limited in scope as we have discussed (since they cannot dominate or exist unchecked in our human gene pool without reducing group reproduction). The third expected category of violence-promoting genes of course comes from the fact of the first two, and involves genes that foster wariness of strangers and/or the promise of virulent retaliatory violence, simply to increase the cost and reduce the threat of violence in the first place. This third set of violence-promoting genes, unlike the second, can and probably must become naturally widespread to ensure species reproduction (especially in our original state of small migrating bands living in lawless conditions). All of these natural influences on our genetic composition are now theorized to have resulted in the strong moral emotions and aggressiveness toward disrespect and aggression that most of us feel, emotions which promote group cohesiveness and social order in nature (and the reproduction of genes), but can lead to less than ideal outcomes in complex modern society. Examples of the disadvantages of innate suspicion of others and highly moralized aggression, which is the typical narrative underlying violence in popular fiction and fact, include: a) circular and self-perpetuating patterns of violent retribution, whether feuding families or warring clans, b) a natural aversion to unfamiliar people and our casting them as impure, immoral, and threatening, c) our use of natural emotions to moralize self-serving brutality and violence, d) an innate tendency to exclude others and decline objectively beneficial new relationships, even in conditions of peace and reliable safety.
3. Humans have an innate capacity for benevolence and cooperative behavior – a parallel and equally important lesson about our human nature is our innate capacity for acts of kindness and extreme selflessness, especially when strong emotions of love and devotion are invoked or there are high benefits to our actions (whether reciprocity by others, social esteem, or the pride of an elevated conscience). Just as genes for strong social or moral emotions exist in us to encourage aggressive natural responses to violence and anti-social behavior against us and our group (emotions that help to prevent such behavior in nature, even as they can lapse into loops of self-perpetuating antipathy and violence), we are also evolved with genes that lead us to have similarly potent natural affections and feelings of intimacy when cooperating with others within our circles of reciprocity. These concentric zones of rapidly increasing emotional strength are also called "moral circles." They are often limited to reciprocating members of our family, band, and clan, but can extend with new perspective to include all people and even members of other species and life generally (as we see poignantly in the strong moral feelings and concern that underlies the animal rights and environmentalist movements). These strong positive emotions toward others within our circle are a complement and stark contrast to the more violent and vigilant natural capacities within us, and can be equally useful to natural social cohesion and cooperative human life (our optimal state and the most pervasive pattern of behavior today, despite a modern ethos that naively elevates and celebrates our natural competitive behaviors and may counter desirable social cohesion). But like the genes that enable our more watchful and aggressive capacities, those that promote social cooperation and interpersonal affection have shortcomings too, ones also require new awareness for optimal life today. Our natural social affections can be quite limited if uncultivated and of we live in small or isolated social groups, or in groups subject to conditions of significant stress, In both cases, the result is tribalism of one form or another, reinforcing moral circles and social bonds that are overly narrow and suboptimal, and reducing naturally beneficial pro-social human behavior in modern society. Because of their often steeply graded quality, our natural social affections can also leave us indifferent to the suffering of people outside our group, or to human and animal suffering that we do not directly experience (if our natural moral and intimate feelings are not invoked). These natural situational disaffections toward others can also help us to moralize and tolerate inadequate investments in society, public goods, and even the future.
4. Humans are malleable by nurture, but only to a point – as you might have surmised already, the three previous ideas begin to frame both the innate opportunities and natural constraints involved in influencing human attitudes and behaviors in society, its communities and groups, and our own lives. If we are naturally evolved and endowed with strong innate biases, and strong social and moral emotions – ones that work to encourage constructive reciprocity and forestall cheating and aggression – we can see that any progressive movement to optimize our attitudes, behaviors, and social conditions must account for, make use of, or skillfully circumvent these and other natural cognitive and perceptual biases. Pinker proposes that attempts to help people behave more universally and beneficially toward one another must specifically involve at least four distinct efforts: a) implant costs and benefits around progressive goals to naturally promote them at the individual level, b) ensure transparency of both desirable and undesirable behavior to reduce gaps between intended and actual behavior and foster social accountability, c) expand moral circles and invoke conscience through increased social interaction and visibility, and d) raise general awareness of universal ethical principles and engender commitment to more principled life through education and nurturing You will note that I have used the conjoiner "and" here, and not "or." This reflects research suggesting that, as individuals, we have naturally varying and varying intensities of moral emotions and multiple strategies are thus needed to drive progressive change across society and individuals (we must use both carrots and sticks). At the same time, it is important to add that schemes which appeal only to principles or emotions without imposing consequences and promoting transparency, or that do not prevent inequity and injustice in society, or that excessively impinge on natural individual freedoms are all bound to invoke strong negative feelings and encourage social disengagement and regressive rather than progressive develops. We saw telling examples of this waiting human dynamic in widespread natural experiments involving both totalitarian Marxism and lassez-faire Capitalism in the twentieth century.
5. There are natural differences in attitudes and aptitudes between people – as suggested already, people have differences in their genes and their resulting bodies and brains, and these lead to innate or natural differences between people in attitudes and aptitudes. It has been established scientifically, for example, that differently constituted brains are associated with differing personalities and individual tendencies (as examples, tolerance of risk and varying cognitive and perceptual abilities). This link between our genes and brains is complex, however, since identical genes can produce different brain predispositions via natural randomness in fetal development, and because similar inherited genes can be dominant or recessive in any individual. It is well-documented that some attributes are gene-driven and highly heritable, such as musical talent and mathematical ability, but there is also a great deal of randomness in our differences and the "bell curve" of any family's or ethnicity's dominating traits is likely to significantly overlap with all others. Our innate differences are thus sometimes significant at an individual level but less so at the level of groups. Because of this, Pinker takes pains to point out that no finding in genetic science in any way suggests that inequality of rights and opportunities is naturally justified – indeed, without a commitment to equality of opportunity as a society, we risk fostering injustice in eyes of many (treating others as we would not want to be treated and thus contrary to principled life), leading to strong negative moral emotions and their tendency to undermine society over time. The implication of the emerging science of our innate differences is instead that we must allow all comers to pursue their natural talents and opportunities in society, knowing that some will be more facile in different vocations than others and that great facility in certain vocations will be disproportionately rewarded by society. This last fact then requires a curbing of greatly unequal rewards in the interests of the social cohesion that is a precondition to all progression of talent and that makes great rewards possible in the first place. In this way, society delivers justice to the talented, to those that luckily benefit directly from talent, and to those that do not have special talent or reap its immediate benefits.
6. There is a natural human morality and clear moral imperatives – our discussion has already touched on the idea that a functional set of moral standards and enabling natural emotions can be reliably expected to evolve in social animals like humans, and that they can be especially strong where a species has evolved extensive child-rearing investments and high levels of cooperation for sustenance and defense from threats (whether from other species or other groups of its own species). Pinker highlights that evolutionary theorists postulate and scientists now find compelling cross-cultural evidence for four categories of natural moral emotions in humans, all essential to preserving "reciprocal altruism" and their enabling genes: a) condemnation of anti-social behavior, b) elevation of pro-social behaviors and encouragement of magnanimity, c) empathy for the circumstances of others, and d) self-conscious feelings of moral correctness and failure. These natural human emotions combine in our evolved social state to form three natural moral spheres – i) those we engage morally and reciprocally, ii) those we treat amorally and instrumentally, and iii) those we treat as immoral and threatening. When I call the three spheres natural, this suggests that the categories are universal and unchanging, even as there is of course permeability and people and things may move between them based on circumstance and cognitive framing. These ideas of course run entirely contrary to at least a century of increasing movement toward moral and cultural "relativism," the idea that human morals and standards in any time or place are arbitrary and changeable. Though some values and ideals in any group or setting no doubt are less than universal, this line of reasoning is sometimes used to delegitimize functioning societies and legitimize utopian schemes (for example, in the case of Maoist thinking) or to rationalize individual conduct that would undermine society if it became widespread (such as the use of narcotics, a behavior which presup<|fim_middle|> and long-evolved human condition, the inevitability that we must work with and from our nature, and that this nature will likely defy us whenever we defy it. But the committed Pragmatic also must inspire us to cultivate ourselves to be larger and broader in our lives than the imperatives of our selfish genes, and help society find opportunities to benefit from more principled and less reactive life. To accomplish this, the Pragmatic must build on and improve our successful modern movement toward greater transparency, equality, and reciprocity in all realms of life. This work incorporates many of the themes we have discussed: acknowledging the essential work of balancing and aligning individual and group interests, promoting human accountability and trust, fostering new human awareness and understanding, curbing thoughtless and socially-corrosive excesses, and creating settings where people can reliably and sustainably be at the best reaches of their nature.
This Pragmatic Vision does not assume a blank and malleable slate, or an ominous and insurmountable one. Instead, it proposes that we build and re-build – continually, patiently, and hopefully – and that we use our innate human ability to learn and adapt, again and again, failing often perhaps but not always.
This new vision for human life is one lived on and intimately aware of our natural slate, but with our naturally unlimited human potential in mind, a rising upland ahead ever ahead of us.
Wealth In Healthy Life
Revisiting The Sun | poses a largely drug-free and working society). In place of this relativistic thinking, the new science of our nature points to a new "moral realism" that sees many human social standards as innate and essential to the healthy functioning of human and even primate society. In its full expression, this new empirically-grounded realism also brings a new appreciation of how moral and social systems can lose their way and naturally degrade as well. This includes understanding how our natural human morality can become adorned with superfluous and even detrimental content though cultural evolution. It also includes recognition of our earlier discussion of the ways our natural moral sense can exclude others and lead to violence and suboptimal conditions – via unchecked moral prejudices, uncultivated and overly narrow moral circles, or a failure to understand and attend to the universal principles embedded in our moral sentiments, principles essential for fairness and the sustainable functioning of society.
7. Our natural differences extend to moral emotions and strength of conscience – while on the subject of our natural moral emotions and resulting imperatives for social order and progress, it is worth considering intuitive suspicions and now scientific findings that moral feeling or conscience is not evenly distributed among people, even after accounting for cultural and situational differences in people's lives (including the relative lawfulness and fairness of one's society). To better understand the reasons for this evolved natural phenomenon of varying individual morality, we need only consider what intensities, distributions, and patterns of moral emotions would foster human reproductive success and the transmission of their enabling genes in both wild nature and settled society. The short answer is the generally cooperative, moderately opportunistic, and socially scrupulous emotions that dominate our nature and its cross-cultural expression, which we have discussed already and are readily observed around us. But if we consider a succession of many thousands of generations of "generally cooperative, modestly opportunistic, and socially scrupulous" people living in differing natural and social situations over time, we can see that genes favoring other moral and emotional stances might find their way into our gene pool. One alternative is the case of genes that result in extremely principled and moral people. Some of us seem to have this as an innate predisposition and many an ability to become this way with cultivation. While this does seem an easier outcome for some and may even be an evolutionary handicap in many settings (since such people may fail to protect their interests or otherwise reproduce as prodigiously as they might), it can be shown that highly moral personalities and lifestyles are likely to be a successful human strategy in many settings and thus can be expected to be a reliable and reasonably broad genetic variation. At the other extreme, a naturally limited moral strategy (a "frequency dependent" strategy that can be an exception but not the rule for a group) involves selection of genes that result in a minimal or absent moral sense. In this case, people are born without genes associated with a robust natural conscience, predisposing them to live highly opportunistically and even antisocially (again, often depending on situational variables and incentives). Social animals with low conscience are thereby inclined to live to a greater or lesser degree as parasites within their society – reproducing by taking advantage of a dominant condition of goodwill and the resulting social vulnerabilities this condition presents, or by having high utility to society during times of aggression from other groups or species. Still, the extent of this genetic strategy is naturally constrained, since too great a number of people exercising it (and genes encouraging it) would lead to social degradation and lower overall reproduction (lower inclusive fitness). The idea that natural human reproduction in generally cooperative settings can be expected to produce some number of morally deficient people may seem incredulous, but studies of this hypothesis have largely confirmed the theoretically-expected result and have done so cross-culturally, revealing approximately 3-4% of males to be sociopathic, either situationally (i.e. when under stress or in conditions of low costs) or absolutely (without regard to external conditions). They are, in other words, largely or wholly unconstrained by moral emotions. Based on new research, this last sub-class of people is increasingly believed to be generally immune to rehabilitation and may require permanent separation from society (whether via imprisonment or other forms of segregation), which of course raises concerns about predictive accuracy and important moral and social policy issues – especially involving decisions to segregate suspected strong sociopaths before they have significantly harmed others (for example, in cases of chronic child bullies and criminals). Finally, between these extreme genetic strategies of abundant and absent moral emotions and in an important variation on our initial archetype of the vigilant altruist, there are people who are highly moral in conditions of transparency and when the costs of excessive selfishness are high, but far less moral (even if still highly self-moralizing) and more aggressive and opportunistic (and even if such opportunism is rationalized) when situational transparency and the costs of selfishness are lower. Such a strong "dual-mode" moral strategy is of course likely to be quite successful to the genes that engender this moral nature and, as a consequence, this forms a telling portrait of how many of us operate, if not consciously then at least objectively. For example, consider how many times you "bent" the rules last week – some, but only a small number of us, can honestly say never, though just as few of us would say constantly. Thus, we see theory revealed in practice, with differing moral emotions, demonstrably via varying genetic portfolios, and four expected general ethical archetypes within any acculturating society: morals, communitarians, opportunists, and amorals.
8. There is a natural misalignment of interests between people – although we have strong natural cooperative and even conformist tendencies as humans – suggesting an innate selflessness and commonality between people that undercuts earlier ideas that evolutionary theory implied a natural amorality between people – these behaviors and all of human conduct can be shown to be highly useful to our individual genes. On balance, they result in greater levels of successful human reproduction and genetic transmission in society over time, and thus ultimately can be cast yet again as self-serving behaviors (whether we are conscious of and intend this or not). As we have discussed, the idea of an underlying primacy of genetic interests and selection forces is increasingly revealed by science to be essential to understanding living nature in general and our evolved human nature in particular. With this perspective in mind, Pinker encourages us to consider that the content of both our greatest and meanest literature is largely centered on the competing interests of people, admittedly against a backdrop of generally cooperative conditions. He points out that unending and often poignant misalignments between people are a truth of human life and not just our literature, especially when sex and reproduction are involved. Contradictory or competing personal interests are of course part of all human relationships to some degree, resulting in a natural social friction that we all well know (and often work to understand to better prevent). In seeking to better understand our natural slate, it is important to note that the episodically antagonistic aspects of human life are predicted by modern genetics and sociobiology, and can be seen as quite natural in most human settings. Differing personal interests and our propensity for conflict have been shown strongly correlated with differing genetic interests. They are part of the evolutionary framework in which we live and we must understand to master our current human conditions – evolved states that are continually shaped to possess attributes which reliably advance human genes. Genetically-serving attitudes and behaviors, in high and low forms, are thus the foundation of our human condition, the reality of life that we all experience each day, and a fact that we must make room for in any robust understanding of our human nature. Our genes are natural facts of life that we must work with or around when seeking to improve individual and communal life, and especially when seeking to rise above the suboptimal aspects of our natural genetic scripting. Of course, when scientists say that people have "selfish genes" and that we have naturally competing and misaligned interests, they do not mean that we must therefore necessarily behave selfishly and competitively in an overt or chronic way. In truth, our interests and genes are often far better served through a reciprocating and generally moral life, and through adroit and conflict-reducing interpersonal skills. What is instead meant by mention of genetic selfishness is the fact that our life-enabling genes have been selected because they are naturally opportunistic, chemically linking with other genes whenever circumstances permit. Thus, regardless of how we intend to act around others or even what sense of self-identity and beliefs we have about ourselves, important underlying feelings and often unconscious drives are at work within all our lives, natural aspects of us that have reliably reproduced humans and their genes for millennia, and even as these forces and drives naturally vary across all human populations as we have discussed. In ground-breaking work that began with Robert Trivers, scientists now can now reliably model a good portion of human behavior based on predictions of genetic interests (the objective interests of our genes, which again are organic molecules that have no subjective life or outlook of their own). Our individual attitudes and behavioral attributes can be shown to be highly correlated to our implicitly perceived chances for reproductive success (or the success of those who have very similar genes to us). This new genetically-based description of human behavior predicts and explains a number of our more antagonistic human qualities occur across all cultures: a) why people naturally value and seek status (conspicuous and often socially and environmentally damaging consumption, leisure, and waste in modern times that nevertheless once engendered behaviors that reliably advanced genes in nature), b) why magnanimity and villainy are ever-persistent in society (both advance genes in selected settings), c) why women and men have different sexual inclinations in different social settings (maximizing our reproductive and genetic potential), d) why parents and children often see the world differently (different genes and interests), e) why there is a natural bias toward sibling rivalry (different genes and interests), f) why parents lose their adolescents to their peers (maximizing genetic currency and future adult support), g) why families and non-family members have different innate emotional inclinations (varying genetic alignment), h) why we are usually accepting of others in our reciprocating groups, guarded toward those outside of these groups, and genuinely hostile to actual or perceived aggressors (genetic advancement), and i) why our personality and personal orientation is often significantly correlated with our natural attributes and relative strengths compared with others in society (maximizing our genetic potential). All of these important behavioral and perceptual attributes are predicted via an understanding of our underlying genetic interests, and help to create the natural social frictions that come from free individuals pursuing their natural imperatives and tendencies, long-evolved to help our blind genes to regenerate. This does not mean we are necessarily slaves to our genes and our innate tendencies, or are destined to live at odds with others, unless we are left or made blind to or live in denial of this essential aspect of our human condition and natural inheritance.
9. State-ensured social transparency and coercive mechanisms are necessary for human order, peace, and growth – I mentioned earlier that many of us have a tendency to let our natural "biophillia" run away with us, leading to fictional ideas and romanticism about nature and our original human state on the savannahs of Africa. I have also suggested that a more objective and balanced view of evolved nature and our evolved human nature, while perhaps less immediately pleasing and even sobering in important respects, would far better serve the goal of optimality and progressivity in our lives and society. The case for such a new and more balanced view of natural human life grows increasingly strong as natural tendencies such as our bias toward situational opportunism and the natural presence of sociopathic personalities and genes among us are confirmed by science. Though we are apt to despair of our contentious times and long for the simple freedom of a relaxed life in rustic nature, in truth the option of retiring to a peaceful and solitary life in nature is available to many of us and for the first time in history. This entirely new potential form of human life is possible only from a dramatic expansion of law and order over the last three centuries, and an accompanying decline in our historical pattern of regular violence, in both proactive and retributive forms. Modern law and order, and modern peace and freedom, are the result of the rise of the modern democratic state and our popular ascent from material hardship that came with the industrialization we so often are predisposed to lament. In our time, and for the first time, we can now walk much of the earth without fearing the rampant lawlessness that marked all earlier epochs, and the general condition of human hostility and looming violence that once prevailed everywhere. Where there is government today by a modern liberal state, and its hallmark commitment to individual rights and the rule of law, Pinker points to data suggesting that human violence is reduced approximately one hundredfold (100 times) compared with pre-state societies – and by inference, with our original human conditions in nature, where individual life apart from our band and clan was impossible, due to both human and animal predation. Industrial life with government of society by a modern state – committed to ensuring social transparency and equality before the law, and cultivating reciprocating relationships and fairness in opportunity and distributional outcomes – offers many advantages over all known alternatives. The universal rule of law and impartial, state-administered justice in fact promise to result in increasing reductions in violence and coercion, the prospect of more cooperative and enriching social life, the likelihood of longer and less stressful life amidst advancing technology and material abundance, and the potential for expanding freedom and openness throughout the world.
10. New human awareness and progressive action is possible and essential – this last proposal emerges as an important theme of our overall discussion. Given the many ideas we have covered, we are right to conclude that we are constrained but not confined, and impassioned but not imprisoned, by our innate nature and genes. As compelling evidence of this, I would turn your attention to the undeniable fact that we can consider these ideas. For me, this critical feature of our modern human nature aptly underscores that we are individually and collectively free in important and potentially life-advancing ways. Equally, I think it illuminates the general path that the science of our human nature suggests we must take to promote freer, healthier, and more progressive life, both in our time and for the future. New awareness of our received nature, our innate human tendencies and genetic imperatives, leads to new understanding of the constraints we all face and the many opportunities for improved human life that wait in understanding the natural limitations we all share. In our individual lives, this includes recognizing our underlying range of natural emotions and biases, and moving to new choices that are conscious of them and thus that are transcendent of them at times too. We may be naturally inclined to think in the present and react to our immediate feelings, or to rationalize or moralize unexamined attitudes and behaviors. But this natural state of life hardly precludes more thoughtful, conscious, forward-looking, and objectively-beneficial choices, even if they are work at first, requiring perseverance and vigilance (a natural capability of ours) and even as they are never absolute (importantly, we have the capacity to see our choices in this way). At the same time, our modern quest for new awareness and improved personal choices must include a greater understanding of the importance of social context to both our natural and acculturated human attitudes and behaviors – our range of innate and socialized responses to different contexts and conditions, and especially our natural sensitivity to the situational triad of transparency, equality, and reciprocity I introduced. Included and quite important here is our strong natural human need for justice and fairness of treatment, without which we will inevitably struggle to promote sustainable societies and compounding physical conditions of peace and prosperity. Increased awareness of our nature must also include the realization that individuals can overcome their personal natures by degrees only and such efforts always can be significantly influenced by social conditions. This idea importantly suggests that sustained human progress is circularly an individual and social endeavor – requiring new individual awareness and choices, and social action to create enabling conditions and structures that promote learning, openness, personal responsibility, and social cohesion at an individual level.
Rebuilding From the Natural Slate
To conclude our discussion of the new science of our human nature, and to encourage new health-affirming thoughts and action on your part, let me highlight a final portion of Steven Pinker's impressive Blank Slate.
I would like to end with an important and emphasizing distinction Pinker highlights – that of Thomas Sowell's contrast between "Tragic" and "Utopian" visions of human life. In doing this, I want not just to summarize a key theme underlying Pinker's work and the emerging science of our nature, but equally to suggest that we have a strong human need and opportunity to move beyond this dichotomy. This movement involves turning to a third and more informed way of looking at our inherited nature and human place in the world.
In the Tragic Vision of life, humans are seen as limited in important ways by our innate nature and inevitable condition of competing personal (i.e. genetic) interests. This view of life was of course common in pre-modern religion and philosophy, and can be seen in writings from many cultures. This more fated outlook perhaps best reflects the harder and less changing nature of pre-industrial life, but appears resurgent today in the early twenty-first century, despite clear progressive change in our times, and its persistence may thus reveal an innate tendency in some or all of us. In the Tragic Vision, we are viewed as subject to a limited natural scope of life and even condemned to repeating the sins and mistakes of our past, again and again. This theme is familiar in literature too, though often as a conscious dramatic device, portending and perhaps assuming an inevitable pattern of ever rising and falling human fortune. For me, images of Greek tragedy immediately come to mind – vulnerable Achilles, bound Prometheus and soaring and plummeting Icarus – and their caution to avoid hubris and the testing of our inherited limits.
In contrast to this outlook is the Utopian Vision of human life, a view increasingly common since the European Renaissance and especially since industrialization. The Utopian Vision sees our received nature more as a starting point and our history as history only. This newer view of our human state is pervasive today and easily seen in academic and popular culture, and may even find special resonance with certain human temperaments. The Utopian Vision posits our biological nature and human prerogatives as malleable and readily improvable, and the mistakes of our past transfigurable into lessons – as mistakes that need not be repeated and that can make us truer in time. Myself, growing up in a middle-class family in 1960s North America, this was certainly the message I was given (or at least the one I received). This outlook of course is embodied in the Greek hero Hercules, who was outwardly human but embodied divine virtue and exceeded our typical state in every measure.
Those of us who hold a more Tragic Vision of the world see calls for change as fraught with danger and folly, or at least as a likely squandering of scarce time and resources that could be better used to make the most of the inevitable facts and limitations of our human predicament. The tragically-minded among us today could cite the glaring failures of Marxism and Modernism as clear cases of contemporary people paying too little attention to the past and our basic nature and circumstances as people. On the other hand, if we are more inclined to a Utopian Vision of humanity, we would counter with the real and undeniable facts of progress made in our human condition and understanding in the last several centuries, even if this progress has been hard won and more work remains.
The more utopian-minded of us see the tragic view us unduly and unjustifiably conservative, and an outlook that encourages irrational and limiting passivity – in the face of positive change in our time and our opportunity for still more positive adjustment of society and our lives. The tragically-oriented would point out that much of our recent social progress is attributable to the rise of the modern state, a framework for social organization that is based on the Tragic Vision of our nature and successful only to the extent that it checks human excesses, creates transparency, and ensures the rule "of laws and not of men." The tragically-minded of us might also point to the potential for most of modern technology to do as much harm as good, and to the obvious persistence of human vice, narrowness, and violence amidst the seeming progress and progressiveness of our time.
Two competing and, for some, entirely compelling points of view, but can either be a wholly right and apt description of our human condition?
As I have suggested already, a way out of this dilemma, is to adopt a third view of our nature and human condition, which I will call simply a "Pragmatic Vision." This alternative – as a newer and more complete way to view and approach our individual lives and social policies – seeks to take what is empirically-accurate in the two competing views of our nature and condition, and then to synthesize them into a truer and fuller view of our human world. This view thus implies a new progressivism too, since it seeks impartial and reliable knowledge of our human world as it has been in the past, is today, and might be tomorrow.
If this Pragmatic Vision is to be valuable, true to itself, and not faltering into its alternatives, it of course must be more fact-based than its constituent parts (using and enabling scientific and evidentiary methods) and not simply conceptual diplomacy and synthesis for synthesis' sake. Proponents of this vision must be willing follow the findings of science wherever they lead, and also understand that our use of science has elements of human art within it and thus the potential for tragic error. If our human nature and natural history are newly and now more precisely shown to be replete with biases and limitations, with waiting cruelty and regular self-aggrandizement, and even a tendency toward self-deception, this is our starting point – but also new objective knowledge available for us to use.
If earlier civilizations and modern utopian schemes have had their failings and failures, we can know each better and probe their successful aspects too. A Pragmatic Vision that is neither Tragic nor Utopian, that is fact-seeking and not ideological, requires our commitment to understand both human achievement and decline, and how each might be used to guide new human accomplishment. Instead of succumbing to or discounting the past, we can instead know it more clearly. Instead of succumbing to or discounting the future, we can endeavor to understand how we might better move forward into it, even if we must do this cautiously, to avoid new hubris and self-deception easily seen as such from future vantages.
Between and cognizant of two dominant and competing visions – that warn of endless repetition of the past or encourage us to remake ourselves and our nature suddenly – lies the possibility of a more practical and curious vision of our natural slate and human state, still hopeful and seeking but world-wise and more patient. A Pragmatic Vision might be too slow for some, in its insistence on evidence-based and verifiable change at any point in time, but also can help others take heart that this effort can lead to remarkable changes over time – by leveraging the enormous power contained in strategies of continual and compounding change (as in the case of our small bank deposit left to gradually grow, or our scientific and industrial revolutions). Equally, as a vision based on scientific and evidentiary methods, and their essential process of testing ideas against all possible facts (and not just selected ones), it helps to ensure that when we fail we do so incrementally, publically, and instructively.
From the standpoint of a Pragmatic Vision, we might acknowledge that our human condition is limited and constrained in important ways that we are beginning to more fully understand. We might live equally with the notions that nature is both wondrous and abhorrent to us and our human sensibilities. And we might admit that the process of human progress is often more random and less precise than we might like. But if we do this, we must also remember that new progress can come suddenly and unexpectedly if essential preconditions are met. In short, this vision can and might take inspiration from modern progress, while seeking to avoid modern naiveté, impatience, and pretention.
If there is to be a corresponding Pragmatic social movement, between the existing of trends of Conservatism and Liberalism, it must acknowledge our natural | 5,072 |
Torn between the pressure to make more information available to constituents, and the mandate never to let protected information fall into the wrong hands, government agencies are unsure how to improve their document-based work processes. With the right technology solution, they can meet both objectives.
Government agencies at all levels – national, regional, and local – are struggling to meet two conflicting imperatives.
One demand is for transparency: constituents (individuals, businesses, and other organisations) increasingly expect that information in the hands of government will be accessible to and usable by everyone with a legitimate interest in it. The offsetting demand is for accountability: constituents and lawmakers want government agencies to ensure that the information they are charged with protecting is secure and that personal information – in particular – remains private.
The scope of this challenge can be seen from recent studies of data breaches in the government sector. The UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) reported that the number of data security incidents in the local government sector increased by 34% compared to the previous quarter, and found that the most prevalent incident type between January and March was paper-based. In 2015, Ponemon Institute placed the worldwide average total cost of a data breach in 2014 at £2.5 Million, and estimated that in the public sector, the average cost per stolen record was £50.
Against this backdrop, government agencies are taking an especially hard look at their document-based workflows – the processes by which they receive applications, administer benefits, respond to enquiries, request proposals, and so on. Many of these workflows depend upon a mixture of paper and electronic data; outdated analogue equipment (e.g. fax machines) and today's computing hardware; and human or system-driven reviews and approvals.
The sobering reality is that every "touch point" in these document-based workflows is also a point of vulnerability. Every time a document containing protected information is created, scanned, copied, printed, faxed, or emailed, a citizen's private information is at risk of exposure, and a government agency is at risk of fines or legal sanctions.
In a recent post, we discussed how agencies can address the inefficiency and risk of paper-based processes, by replacing manual steps with an automated approach. Here<|fim_middle|> look at how agencies can ensure the secure and compliant handling of information via smart devices – notebook computers, tablets, mobile phones, and multi-function printers (MFPs).
Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets can provide compelling improvements in convenience, ease of use, and accuracy. But whether they are owned by an agency or its employees, they can also be lost, stolen, or used inappropriately in the workplace.
Digital MFPs, if not secured, can be used to make unauthorised copies or scans. In the absence of encryption and file-destination control, they can be used to email sensitive information to unauthorised addresses. Documents stored on the MFP's hard drive can be improperly printed out, or copied onto a USB stick.
The only way to protect data at rest, data in motion, and data in use is with a system that combines enforced (but unobtrusive) user authentication and authorisation with automated encryption, destination and output controls, and audit trails. This kind of system empowers a government agency to assure the integrity of protected information, no matter what device has accessed or transmitted the documents containing that information.
By applying these best practices automatically, this solution adds a layer of security and control to any government agency's document-based work processes. It enables agencies to create, access, and share information that is protected (or protectable) securely, throughout every step in a workflow … and to bring the goals of transparency and accountability within reach.
Discover how Nuance's government solutions can help you gain control of your documents to better serve the public. | , we | 2 |
Constitution<|fim_middle|> Movement
President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that Constitutional Movement is the most important social and political event in history of Iran and the Middle East.
news id: 87178 -
Wed 20 - May 2015 - 16:49
President Rouhani said in an interview with reporters after visiting Tabriz Constitutional Movement Museum.
President said:'Iran is the first country to form a movement and revolution in the region for administering justice and law and saving the country from despotism.'
'The Constitutional Movement after Tobacco Fatwa marks the major event in the political history of Iran and the neighboring countries,' said Dr.Rouhani.
He said religion is the root cause of the Constitutional Movement. 'All the great ulima, people, religiously committed individuals and thinkers had a share in the Constitutional Movement and upheaval of the Iranian nation.'
He emphasized that Constitutional Movement is a very important event for the nation. 'The young generation of the country should get further acquainted with the history because the Constitutional Movement is one of the bases for victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran.'
He said the Constitutional House used to be a place for gathering and consultation of many constitutional seekers and freedom lovers, many of whom were martyred due to despotism.
Underlining the need for preservation of the constitutional works all over Iran, Dr.Rouhani said the Constitutional House is part of the history of Iranian nation and of the Constitutional Movement and Iran's historical evidence should be safeguarded so that Iranian researchers can become more familiar with the great event in the country's history.
The president added, 'When realizing that at what a cost freedom, law and democracy has been made available to the present generation, the young generation will be more appreciative of the efforts.'
news id: 87178
- Domestic Trips
Dr.Rouhani arrives in Tabriz | al Movement most important socio-political event in Iran, Middle East history/ The young generation should get further acquainted with the history of Constitutional | 27 |
[ Content | Sidebar ]
classic PC gaming
Written by: Rik
<|fim_middle|>: Generic Hints and Tips
14.11.20 Kathy Rain
Stoo on FFG Review of the Year: 2020
Rik on FFG Review of the Year: 2020
Nick on FFG Review of the Year: 2020
Former Gamer on FFG Review of the Year: 2020
Content © A Force for Good 2021
Theme based on: Basic2Col | Reps and killers
Time to die
Voxels bloody voxels
Developed by: Westwood Studios
Published by: Virgin Interactive
Our score: 8
Some of the game's locations are almost straight out of the film - and they look great.
Quite a lot of people got excited about the prospect of a Blade Runner game when it was first announced. If nothing else, it represented the first piece of spin-off material from the cult film since its original release, and news that Westwood was to be in charge of the project excited fans and gamers alike; they were arguably at the peak of their success, having conquered the world with Red Alert only a year previously. Anticipation was heightened by the level of secrecy surrounding the game's development; the gaming press were frequently shown pre-rendered scenes adapted from the film and nothing else. Even when it eventually emerged that the game would be an adventure, very few people actually saw it, allowing Westwood to build expectation further by promising all sorts of innovations that would make Blade Runner very special indeed.
For a start, the graphics were going to be amazing, with all sorts of gimmicky terms (such as 'real-time lighting and weather') being bandied about. Then we had all the talk about the revolutionary gameplay – the adventure was going to take place in real-time, characters were going to wander around the game world with their own agenda, and what's more, the game would decide at random whether they were human or replicant. In theory, we were told, we'd never play the same game twice. It was perhaps inevitable that it failed to live up to expectations. Although reviews were generally favourable, and sales were good, many were disappointed with what they saw as a pretty standard point and clicker with occasionally dreadful graphics.
Others are less convincing. This lock-up has come from the developer's head - and it shows.
In fairness, there is some truth in each of these criticisms. While graphically Blade Runner is perfectly alright (in fact in places it's really quite good), unfortunately for some reason voxels have been used to render all of the in-game characters, and as a result they're rather blotchy and horrible. So, after the game's introduction (which recreates the opening scenes of the film) builds the atmosphere impressively, it all comes crashing down the moment your character steps onto the screen. Shame. As for the 'real-time' gameplay, suffice to say it's not all it's cracked up to be. There is an element of randomness about characters' whereabouts, but in all other respects it's very similar to most other adventures. Like every other adventure, you have to do certain things to trigger events that open up more of the game world and allow you to progress.
However, Blade Runner does offer some level of innovation. While you guide the player character, rookie Blade Runner McCoy, through his investigations via the usual point and click method, progress is made by obtaining clues from the dialogue rather than the usual 'use object on other object' process of trial and error. Indeed, you can't actually 'use' any of the objects you pick up; they serve only as clues as to what you should do next. The usual inventory is replaced by a database of clues to remind you of the significant information you've picked up.
The famous introduction is faithfully recreated.
Unlike a lot of adventure games, there is a real sense of your actions having consequences. Ask the wrong question and you might not get the information you're looking for. Pull out your gun in the wrong place (ahem) and you could find yourself in a lot of trouble. Shoot the wrong person and it might be 'game over'. And while there are plenty of times where you can tell you are being forced to make a choice, sometimes the progression of the story can be affected by other things, such as your failure to follow up certain clues, or your questioning of a particular character. Okay, so it's not exactly what we were promised, but there are times when the random elements become apparent and the decision-making aspect of the game really shines through.
As for never playing the same game twice – well, there are 13 different endings, although some are more different than others. Chances are you'll be able to play through a few times before you've seen everything the game has to offer, although it's really more of a branching storyline than something entirely new each time. Speaking of the story, it's one of the reasons why Blade Runner is worthy of attention. Without giving too much away, you're a rookie sent on a routine investigation thatleads to something much more sinister, and soon you're drawn into a tale of intrigue, conspiracy and wondering whether joining the force was such a good idea after all. It doesn't exactly compare with the brilliance of the film, and some of the characters (especially McCoy, who's nowhere near as stubbly and miserable as he should be) don't really seem consistent with the Blade Runner world, but it's still good stuff.
Tyger! Tyger! Burning bright, in the forest of the night...
Plus there's the fact that it features possibly the best bad-guy in computer game history, Clovis, who begins the game by murdering animals whilst quoting poetry (William Blake, I believe) in a suitably evil voice. The environment is convincingly reconstructed, not always a given when you're dealing with a licensed product, and the general feeling is of atmospheric authenticity, aided by the presence of the Vangelis soundtrack and cameos from several of the film's characters (voiced by the original actors).
Some may see Blade Runner as a flawed cash-in with patchy graphics and limited interaction, and to an extent they've got a point. But I love it. It's got the atmosphere of the BR environment, a decent storyline and convincing characters. It's also different enough from most adventures to boast a level of innovation. Above all, it's worth playing through more than once in a short space of time, and that's not something you can say about a lot of adventures. Oh, and it'll run on a P90. [EDIT: Note to younger readers: a P90 is a kind of 'computer' that was considered fairly 'modestly-powered' back in the 'old days' when this 'review' was 'written'.]
Availability: 2019 update! This has now been re-released on GOG.
Requirements: 2019 update: compatible with ScummVM, if you have the original discs: the reissue uses ScummVM also.
Write comment - Trackback
Write comment Name Email URL (optional Your comment
Stoo
PC Oldies
Useful bits
How to Find Old Games
How to Run Old Games
Just Games Retro
Robot Ring
Latest Reviews/Extras
29.12.20 Sensible Soccer 2006
15.12.20 Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers
22.11.20 Iron Assault
22.11.20 Iron Assault | 1,458 |
One is in thrall to Mistress Soul.
In my grandmother's kitchen there was a high stool with two little steps that pulled out from under it so my short plump grandma could reach high places. The stool was covered on the seat and backrest with a slick variegated yellow material that was popular in the 1950s.
When I was very small, possibly four years old, my mother sometimes left me at my grandmother's. My Aunt Flora was one of two unmarried Aunts, Flora and Chi-chi who lived in my grandparents' home. Aunt Flora had a wonderful record collection of 78s, and I have most them now. One of the records that she had, that I could not find in the mass of old records inherited from her, was the original recording of Eartha Kitt singing "C'est Si Bon." I have since bought it on compact disc.
At age four, I loved Eartha, and I loved "C'est Si Bon," one of Eartha's most popular recordings. So, Aunt Flora, being the indulgent soul that she was, would play the song for me again and again. Each time she played my favorite song, my four-year-old self would climb the three small steps on the yellow covered stool, stand at the very top viewing and in full view of my adoring fans. I would then gesticulate and purr like the exotic Miss Kitt to the thunderous applause and deafening cheers of Aunts Flora and Chi-chi.
Applause had always given me a light heart and a child's ascending spirit. Even if I was doing the applauding, the joy of approval, my approval of something (usually a performance of some kind), another's approval of me, lifted me into the clouds. Even at four I craved the poetic act. It would be years before I would experience how my<|fim_middle|> silently.
The only memorable occurrence of our first and last family vacation was a visit to a Trappist Monastery. On the Sunday of our vacation, we drove several hours through the Ozark hills because my mother was insistent that we should attend mass. My mother was a strict adherent to Catholicism and employed what might be described as a theoretical religious compassion. She was full of deeply felt intentions of what she might do for another if she were ever to have the requisite time or resources, which she never seemed to be able to find.
I loved the tiny abbey in the Ozarks. It was this experience that had given me the idea that I would grow-up to become a priest or possibly a monk. The place was beautiful. The monks were so congenial, not at all the like priests and nuns from our parish. It was unlikely that they saw many children, and being something of a rarity for the monks, my sister, brother, and I were accorded very special treatment. | frequent and spontaneous acts of pure imagination that so delighted a few including my maiden aunts and myself would collide with the behaviors consigned to young boys in the world of my upbringing.
perspectives deceitful, and everything conceals something else.
I grew up in a downtown neighborhood wedged between commercial and industrial areas. There was always noise from trucks and freight trains. Kansas City was cold in the winter and hot in the summer. There were smells from the stockyards and grain elevators. There were rats, and there was dust. Anything that sat still for even a few minutes was covered with dust. The day after a snowfall that snow was grey. If the snow stayed a few days, it was soon black.
My parents had lived in our apartment since my father had returned from the war some four years prior to my birth. We moved from that apartment when I was sixteen to a three-bedroom duplex around the corner that I found through a friend of a friend and arranged the entire bit of business myself with the wife of the owner of the duplex, the mother of my friend's friend, but that's not so important right now. I was born into a family that would be now described as "blue collar." During my more rebellious years which have been most of them, I found such terms as "blue collar" to be the patois of a system that could deny the obvious by use of euphemism, a euphemism that is readily believed by those it has ill-described, instilling them with a vivid sense of progress, real or imagined, within the great sausage works of the American economy.
My father worked in a steel mill. When I was a small child, much steel was being made in the United States in open-hearth furnaces. The steel mill where my father worked was a loud and hot place. I only know this because of stories my father told. He never took me or my brother and sister to his place of work. I always wondered why.
The monastic strain runs deep in the Italian temper.
Whatever terrible, wonderful things I have said about my parents or they have said about me, they were not boring people in a life on a Midwestern landscape that was, in fact, dull beyond description. My parents gave me passion, color, and a lifelong curiosity. Both of them are readers, studiers, and talkers, and I am all of that, and for those gifts I bless them.
My parents met each other during the utter depths of The Great Depression. My father was six years older than my high school-aged mother. Their age difference raised more than a few eyebrows, but this caused much less of a fury than the fact that my father was Sicilian. For my mother's parents, this was quite literally the kiss of death.
Both my parents were stunningly attractive people. For Italian immigrant families, good looks were critically important. Good looks spoke to one's marriageability, and marriageability meant family, and family was everything. Over the years, I witnessed some detours along a more or less logical sequence of beliefs, but mostly these ideas about beauty endured more firmly than the law of gravity.
My father was and still is a violent and cruel man. He never liked me. Now, in his nineties, he at times wants to like me but does not know how.
As a young man my father looked like a cross between Laurence Olivier in Wuthering Heights and Anthony Quinn in La Strada. He had a way of looking glamorous even while exhibiting incredible brutality. For the first ten years or so of my life, I had great hopes that my father would grow to be a parent to me. This was not to be. By age eleven, I consciously began to estrange myself from him, deciding it was in the long run a safer course of action.
Violence and cruelty are different things. Violence is driven by anger, and acts performed in anger are under the influence of a spirit whose visit is often only momentary. Cruelty, on the other hand, is deliberate, premeditated, as they say in court. The fleeting presence of violent spirits does not make acts of violence easily excusable but does make them a bit more easily forgivable. Violence does, though, make us wary, alert, uncertain about what might come next from out of nowhere. Blanche DuBois believed, "Deliberate cruelty is not forgivable. It is the one unforgivable thing…" Blanche needed an absolute to be convincing on stage for cruelty is less easily forgiven, and it is carried with us in ways not instantly forgotten.
Living in extremely close quarters with my father and the other members of my father's family required the continuous inventions of every manner of escape from my father's volatility. The necessity of these inventions provided me an education in quick-wittedness and problem solving that surpassed anything taught to me in school.
Because of my early life I knew life was cruel and violent. I knew I could be a target of violence at any minute. "We teach people how to remember, we never teach them how to grow," Oscar Wilde reminded us. These years were a harsh tutor, but a far better teacher than any of the nuns and priests who attempted to educate me in my early life.
My life at home created in me a tension and edge that made me alert. More importantly, this circumstance engendered a desire within me to seek something other than the mayhem I knew. At a very early age, I looked discerningly at the world around me.
When I was five, we went as a family to the Ozarks. All five of us were confined for hours in our fifty-one Chevrolet, an even more restricted space than our tiny apartment. My parents screamed at one another over wrong turns. My mother screamed about her frustrations as a map reader. My father volleyed back at her ineptitude at the same. Both my brother and I barfed out the window and down the side of the car, never having ridden so long or on such winding, hilly roads as the Ozarks presented. Through it all, my sister just sat | 1,244 |
Please call or email us to reserve your seat, seating is limited.
This course is different–it is approached with a sense of lightness, joy and wonder in the creation of our lives and the Universe.We will focus on your immense ability to create the life you want.Whether you are young or old, facing career problems, unemployed, health problems, emotional issues, or just lack a sense of purpose, this is your chance to begin again, be filled with optimism, and connect to who you really are and with others of like mind.This is a course that Mike Dooley created and with his awesome success, he wanted to multiply the good work by training others to spread this great knowledge far and wide and make it available to anyone who wants to change or improve the course of their lives.We are bombarded with negative messages everyday.Many of us have been taught that we have no power, that life is hard and we must struggle to get where we want to be.The discussion we will have in this classwill show you the thriving, joyful life we were all meant to have, no matter where we currently are, no matter what our age or life situation.All materials, book, and course are included.I will give you tools, exercises, and information<|fim_middle|> lives.
Please let me know how much is that class?
I am now in Arizona for a week getting a new dog! She came from Europe and I need to learn the commands In Czeck!!
At the bottom of the page you will find the cost for single, senior, student, etc. The prices are slashed for this one.
I hope you can attend! It's great fun and one of the most beneficial effects is losing some of our limiting beliefs. | to step into a new life.It is packed with Mike Dooley's wonderful, unique viewpoint and is extremely helpful in manifesting what we want.It will be given on three consecutive Wednesday afternoons, beginning August 7th from 2:00PM to 4:00 PM. I hope to you see you there.
"It is never too early or too late to begin learning the truth about who you are and all that you're capable of doing, being, and having." ~ Mike Dooley, the Infinite Possibilities workbook in a letter to students.
Join me for this fun and fantastical journey, where we will take these lessons to our magical | 137 |
C&W details upgrade, leasing plans for Morris Plains office building
201 Littleton Road in Morris Plains — Courtesy: Cushman & Wakefield
The new owner of a Morris Plains office building has kicked off its plans to renovate and draw new tenants to the 89,000-square-foot property, brokers with Cushman & Wakefield said.
The firm, Chopp Holdings, has tapped C&W as its leasing agent at 201 Littleton Road, where the team is marketing more than 55,000 square feet of available space, according to a news release. The move comes about a month after the local investor acquired the three-story building from Mack-Cali Realty Corp., paving the way for upgrades that will include lobby and common areas updates, new signage and exterior improvements.
Brian Decillis and Kelsey Nakamura of C&W's Morristown office are heading the assignment.
"This new ownership is so enthusiastic about taking on this distinctive boutique property," Nakamura said. "With the planned capital infusion and aggressive pricing, 201 Littleton Road truly is positioned as one of the best-value office buildings in all of Morris County, catering to small and midsize tenants."
The brokerage team touted the property's landscaped setting, balconies and floor-to-ceiling glass that spans the eastern façade of the building. The complex sits just south of Route 10 along Route 202, offering easy access to interstates 80 and 287 and the Morris Plains train station.
C&W also highlighted the surrounding base of Fortune 500 companies and retail, dining, hotel and housing options. For instance, the building is minutes from the District at 1515, a planned redevelopment that will bring new luxury apartments and a mixed-use town center to Parsippany.
"Also, conveniently located between Signature Place apartments and Coventry Park townhomes, this is an ideal boutique office location for employees to live close to home<|fim_middle|>,000 sq. ft. Mack-Cali building in Morris Plains, C&W says
Tags 201 Littleton Road Chopp Holdings cushman & wakefield mack-cali realty corp. morris plains
Paramount launches program to guide, incentivize franchise leases | ," Decillis said. "We're delighted to be working on this assignment with Chopp Holdings, which is a high quality, hands-on landlord who is committed to reinvesting in the building."
Other upgrades will include a new vending area, new landscaping and a resealed and restriped parking lot.
"This is a property that offers an image, location and a blend of local amenities perfectly suited to boutique tenants," said Mark Chopp, the owner and managing principal of Chopp Holdings. "We are excited about our plans for this property and our partnership with Cushman & Wakefield, which together promise to deliver strong results."
Local investor buys 90 | 133 |
them all the time. AND the leftovers. Man they are still as good as the moment I took it out of the oven. To be honest, I had a hard time waiting the entire bake time... it just smelled so good! I definitely recommend this, especially if you have children. I'm sure they would love it just as much as you or I do. This recipe gets a way thumbs up for sure. I'll be making this again in the future.
a blender, I think that would be easiest for next time I make this recipe. Other than that, this Coffee Latte was delicious. I used almond chocolate milk and actually made coffee rather than using the instant coffee the recipe calls for (mainly because I already had normal coffee and I'm trying to not spend a ton of money on this blog). Regardless, I thought it was delicious and I'll definitely be enjoying the results for a few days - this recipes makes so much!! I should have halved it or something but where's the fun in that? I'll give this recipe a thumbs up.
I can already tell that the "Southwest" section of this cookbook is going to be my favorite. Mexican food<|fim_middle|> stores before I found one!
This recipe was super simple, and quite fun when the mashing of the beans occurs. I may not be a pro at mashing beans (or maybe it was my cheapo masher that I bought), but still the end result was pretty good. You can see in the picture above they aren't completely smashed. The spices and onions used made it taste great and went well with the corn bread and the brisket.
I think cocktails are going to be my favorite things to make during this cooking challenge. Tequila Sunrise's were always my go-to drink back when I was 21 and not yet a beer drinker. These were fun to make, orange juice and tequila in a shaker, shake it up (so much fun), and then pour some grenadine in there (recipe says over a spoon and that actually worked great!) Yum Yum! Thumbs Up! | is by far my favorite type and there are so many wonderful "tex-mex" choices to choose from in this part of the book. This week, I made a brisket with southwestern sides.
I have ever had or made a brisket before - because it was easy and delicious. I just wish it could have been done quicker, smelling it for 2+ hours was difficult!
to where I could knead it properly and it didn't stick to my fingers. After I got past this part and allowed it to rise and then eventually bake, the outcome was delicious! I'm not a fan of jalapenos, but this bread wasn't too bad. It was nice and soft, and it was even better with some butter on top.
Let me tell you - it is extremely difficult to find a potato masher on Thanksgiving weekend. I had to go to like four different | 178 |
Seventy one drivers contested the second round of the Victorian Hillclimb Championship which was held on a very hot Sunday on the road-race circuit at the Broadford motorcycle complex, an hour north of Melbourne. To use the venue as a hillclimb cars run in an anticlockwise direction from the start/finish line, dropping down through a tightening right-hander and a long left-hand loop before beginning the climb up through a series of tight esses to a blind and off-camber left hand turn which leads on to the back straight and finish line. Track<|fim_middle|> apexes and exits to discourage cutting and running wide, but several drivers found them a magnetic attraction.
We had four Sporting Register competitors, Dave Anderson and Jane Vollebregt were driving their respective MGs in the Sports Car category, Fraser Faithfull made a return to the VHC in his Triumph 2.5 sedan and Steve Schmidt ran his Cooper S in the Historic Touring Car category.
Six runs were on offer during the day, but many drivers packed up early to avoid the heat. | length is about 1400 metres and the surface is smooth and well-maintained. Witches Hats (worth 5-second penalties) are placed just off the track on corner | 38 |
Top 10 Index Funds to Build a Retirement On
Todd Shriber
InvestorPlace April 8, 2019
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and index funds have long been grabbing market share from actively managed mutual funds for several reasons. First, various studies continue confirming that across various market capitalization segments and fixed income arenas, active managers often do not beat their benchmarks.
Second, and arguably more prevalent than the first point, is low costs. While there are plenty of ETFs and index funds out there are that are not particularly cheap, many of these products are really cheap and are getting cheaper. For long-term investors, fees really do matter and there is no denying that.
"Imagine you have $100,000 invested. If the account earned 6% a year for the next 25 years and had no costs or fees, you'd end up with about $430,000," according to Vanguard, one of the dominant issuers of index funds. "If, on the other hand, you paid 2% a year in costs, after 25 years you'd only have about $260,000."
7 High-Risk Stocks With Big Potential Rewards
For cost-conscious, buy-and-hold investors, here are some of the best index funds to consider.
Best Index Funds: Fidelity ZERO Total Market Index Fund (FZROX)
Top Index Funds: Fidelity ZERO Total Market Index Fund (FZROX)
Expense Ratio: 0%
Last year, Fidelity shook the index fund space by introducing the first no-cost index funds. The Fidelity ZERO Total Market Index Fund (MUTF:FZROX) is one of the first two zero-fee index funds introduced by Fidelity.
There may have been some naysayers who thought no-fee funds were a marketing gimmick. They should think again because FZROX is more proof that investors love cheap — or in this case, free — index funds. FZROX debuted early last August and today has $2.74 billion in assets under management. Fidelity clients can also transact in this index fund free of commissions.
FZROX is a standard, domestic total market equity fund that is considered a large-cap blend index fund. Investors should expect returns that are comparable to those of the S&P 500 or Russell 1000 Index.
Fidelity ZERO International Index Fund (FZILX)
Top Index Funds: Fidelity ZERO International Index Fund (FZILX)
The Fidelity ZERO International Index Fund (MUTF:FZILX) is the other no-fee index fund introduced by Fidelity last August. As is the case with FZROZ, FZILX is gaining a following by virtue of its zero expense ratio. The internationally focused FZILX now has slightly more than $888 million in assets under management.
This Fidelity index fund holds both developed and emerging markets equities, but that split is 70.45% to 22.23% in favor of developed markets fare. Only stocks with market values of greater than $10 billion are included in this index fund.
10 Medical Marijuana Stocks to Cure Your Portfolio
At the geographic level, Europe is FZILX's largest regional weight at over 38% while Japan is the index fund's largest individual country weight at almost 17%.
Vanguard Value Index Fund — Admiral Shares (VVIAX)
Top Index Funds: Vanguard Value Index Fund — Admiral Shares (VVIAX)
Expense Ratio: 0.05%
The Vanguard Value Index Fund — Admiral Shares (MUTF:VVIAX) requires a minimum investment of $3,000, but when it comes to its fee, this index fund is one of the cheapest value funds.
"This low-cost index fund follows a buy-and-hold approach, and invests in substantially all of the stocks contained within its broad benchmark," according to Vanguard<|fim_middle|> in emerging markets such as Hong Kong, Brazil, Mexico and Thailand," according to Schwab.
While some foreign blend funds feature emerging markets exposure, all of SWISX's top 10 geographic weights are developed markets and those 10 countries combine for 88.6% of the index fund's geographic exposure. European stocks represent 61.40% of SWISX's weight, twice the weight the index fund assigns to Asian economies.
Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond Index Fund — Admiral Shares (VSCSX)
Investors looking for income without the burden of significant interest rate risk can turn short-term corporate bond index funds, of which the Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond Index Fund — Admiral Shares (MUTF:VSCSX) is one of the best options for cost-conscious, buy-and-hold investors.
VCSH's 2,223 holdings have maturities ranging from one to five years, giving this index fund an average maturity of 2.9 years and an effective duration of 2.5 years. Over 85% of VSCSX's holdings are rated A or Baa.
VCSH yields 2.66%, which is better than the yield on Treasuries of comparable maturity and the dividend yield on the S&P 500, making it one of the best funds to buy.
As of this writing, Todd Shriber did not own any of the aforementioned securities.
5 Data Center Buys That Deliver Sizable Income
3 Marijuana Stocks to Watch as New York, New Jersey Delay Legalization
The post Top 10 Index Funds to Build a Retirement On appeared first on InvestorPlace.
Bear Spray for Your 401(k)
7 Best of the Best Fidelity Funds to Buy
3 stocks that can make you money despite a trade war or recession | .
The financial services and healthcare sectors combine for over 39% of VVIAX's weight. Large exposure to financials is a common trait among traditional value funds, so investors should not be troubled by VVIAX's weight to that sector. The fund's top 10 holdings, eight of which are members of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, combine for 25.2% of its weight.
JPMorgan BetaBuilders U.S. Equity ETF (BBUS)
Top Index Funds: JPMorgan BetaBuilders U.S. Equity ETF (BBUS)
Until the zero-fee ETFs come to market or barring other fee reductions, the newly minted JPMorgan BetaBuilders U.S. Equity ETF (CBOE:BBUS) is the least expensive ETF in the U.S. This index fund, which debuted in March, offers investors efficient exposure to 85% of the U.S. equity market and holds more than 600 stocks.
Like some of the other index funds mentioned here, BBUS is a total market U.S. equity solution, so investors should expect returns comparable to those of broader domestic equity benchmarks because the fund's sector exposures are similar to those found in widely indexes.
7 Biometric Stocks to Watch as AI Rises
BBUS is not yet a month old and already has $28.40 million in assets under management, proving that investors like their ETFs and index funds with low fees.
Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund — Admiral Shares (VIMAX)
Index funds with exposure to smaller stocks often feature higher fees than their large-cap counterparts, but there are plenty of cheap mid- and small-cap funds. That includes mid-caps and the Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund — Admiral Shares (MUTF:VIMAX), which is cheaper than 95% of competing funds, according to Vanguard data.
One of the primary reasons buy-and-hold investors should consider a mid-cap index fund like VIMAX is that mid caps historically outperform large caps by wide margins. Mid caps can also top small caps and do so with less volatility.
VIMAX holds 363 stocks and if there is a knock on this Vanguard index funds, it is mid-cap purity. The median market value of $14.8 billion on the fund's holdings indicates VIMAX drifts into large-cap territory.
Fidelity ZERO Extended Market Index Fund (FZIPX)
As noted earlier, Fidelity started with two no-fee index funds and quickly grew that group to four. The Fidelity ZERO Extended Market Index Fund (MUTF:FZIPX) is one of the second pair in that quartet.
This index fund is one to consider for investors who have large positions in total market or large-cap funds, including some of the index funds mentioned here because FZIPX fills in the some of the mid- and small-cap gaps left by traditional large-cap products. To that point, FZIPX is considered a mid-cap blend fund.
The Elite 8 Stocks to Buy for Massive Outperformance
FZIPX is diverse, as its top 10 holdings combine for just 3.15% of the fund's weight and the index fund has double-digit allocations to five sectors — financials, industrials, technology, consumer discretionary and healthcare. This index fund debuted last September and has nearly $300 million in assets under management.
Fidelity ZERO Large Cap Index Fund (FNILX)
The Fidelity ZERO Large Cap Index Fund (MUTF:FNILX) is the final member of Fidelity's no-fee index fund quartet to be highlighted here. This is a traditional large-cap index fund featuring exposure to big domestic companies with market values of more than $10 billion. FNILX is considered a large-cap blend index fund because it includes both growth and value stocks.
Being a domestic large-cap index fund, FNILX's sector weights are comparable to those of the S&P 500. As such, investors should expect returns and volatility that are in line with those of the benchmark U.S. equity gauge.
Like the other Fidelity index funds mentioned here, FNILX is available to the firm's clients on a commission-free basis. And like the other Fidelity index funds highlighted here, FNILX has been an immediate success. The fund debuted last September and already has $526.38 million in assets under management.
Schwab Small Cap Index Fund (SWSSX)
The Schwab Small Cap Index Fund (MUTF:SWSSX) is one of the more venerable names among low-cost small-cap index funds. SWSSX holds over 2,000 stocks.
"Small-blend funds favor firms at the smaller end of the market-capitalization range, and are flexible in the types of small caps they buy. Some aim to own an array of value and growth stocks while others employ a discipline that leads to holdings with valuations and growth rates close to the small-cap averages," according to Schwab.
10 Tech Stocks That Transformed Their Business
The $4.1 billion SWSSX allocates over a third of its weight to financial services and healthcare stocks. Throw in a 15.30% weight to tech stocks and SWSSX has the feel of a growth index fund, but it has portfolio turnover of 17%, so it can drift back to being a value or blend fund. SWSSX earns four-star Morningstar ratings.
Schwab International Index Fund (SWISX)
The Schwab International Index Fund (MUTF:SWISX) is another low-cost index fund for investors seeking to add some diversification to U.S.-heavy portfolios.
"Foreign large-blend funds invest in a variety of big international stocks. Most of these funds divide their assets among a dozen or more developed markets, including Japan, Britain, France and Germany. They tend to invest the rest | 1,215 |
Relax yourself, feel the leisure and enjoy the campfire session by camping at Pawna Lake Camping. We, Pawna Lake Camping, organize Lake Side Camping at backwaters of Pawna Dam near Lonavala. The picturesque campsite offers a beautiful view of the lake situated right in the middle of the surrounding Sahyadris. Barbeque, Sumptuous Meals and Adventure Activities like Archery, Rifle Shooting, Kayaking<|fim_middle|> campsite. We really wanted to enjoy tent stay. That too, it was lakeside camping. Also, Vivek helped us in making BBQ and it really tested amazingly. Morning sunrise view from the tent was mesmerizing. I don't know swimming but due to life jackets, I was really able to enjoy swimming in the lake. This was not a typical stay, it was one of a kind that we loved so far.
Pawna Lake Camping is a vertical of Small Steps Adventures which organize Camping, Trekking and Customized adventure Tours across India including Himalayan treks, River Rafting and Wild life Safari. Pawna Lake Camping aims at offering memorable and leisurely experience of Camping amidst nature.
Copyright 2019 - Pawna Lake Camping - All Rights Reserved. | , Motor Boat Ride, Pedal Boating makes the event of camping exciting and refreshing one. With the backup of Power Generator, our campsite is well illuminated ensuring an undisturbed experience to our customers.
We also provide various packages of Camping along with various adventure activities. Please visit our package section to know the exact details of the same. We also take personalized requirement to provide you what you need. Therefore, please feel free to revert with your queries so as to serve you a better experience.
It was our team outing of Reliance Insurance (Goregaon) with 80 people. Thanks, Yogi & Ravi for helping start from booking to execution. You guys managed it very well. I will recommend this to other corporates as well.
It was an amazing weekend. we really spent quality time at your Pawna lake campsite. I loved all the activities and majorly the rustic ambiance. Tents were really branded as said by Ravi. As a group of girls, we were bit worried initially but later we enjoyed a lot. It is completely safe and all these people really take care throughout the time. Highly recommended!!
We went for new year celebration camping events. As it was in Lonavala, the temperature was really low. We had a great time on new year's eve. DJ was amazing and light show literally killed it. Will be coming back with my family next time. Thanks, Ravi for making it hassle-free.
It was worth visiting Pawna | 302 |
"Taras Shevchenko Homeland" - Moryntsi
Moryntsi, in the village
<|fim_middle|>, nobody knows why, but according to the instruction, Ukrainian house after reconstruction should be well dried. But there is still hope that this authentic heritage asset will survive.
In 1989 were rebuilt two houses in the village: Yakim Boyko's house – who was Taras' maternal grandfather, and Andriy Kopiy's house, where Shevchenko's family had been living for a year and a half. Since 1992 they have been included to the historical cultural preserve "Birthplace of Taras Shevchenko". In the same house Yakim and Paraska Boyko welcomed in this world a daughter Kateryna in 1783, Taras Shevchenko's mother. Here she spent her childhood and youth. The fence around the yard is of woven osier, the yard itself is tidy and cozy. Near the house there is an interesting sightseeing of people's architecture – a wooden pantry, or a barn, brought here from Shevchenkovo. In has been more than a one hundred years since its construction. In the inventory book of Morynci village for 1796 there is a register that Boyko's family has a field, a meadow, a cart, a couple of bulls, and a apiary for 34 blocks.
Kateryna Boyko and Grygoriy Shevchenko married in 1802 and settled, by a tradition at husband's house. But it was a big family, the house was crowded, and that is why a young family in 1810 moved to Morincy with the permission of the landlord V. V. Engelgart. They moved to Andrey Kolesnik's house (street name Kopiy), who was exiled at that time, and his house was empty. Here, in this house on 9 of March 1814 Taras Shevchenko was born. And again there were no peace in this family. Kopiy escaped from the exile and manage to gather some sort of a squad, who robbed people. Stolen belongings were shared with poor peasants. He thought that the Shevchenko's had to pay for the use of the house and the land. Therefore the Shevchenko's in 1815 returned to Kerelovka. | http://www.batjkivshhyna-taras...
There was a yard in Morynci, where stood an old house of Mephodiy Tiutiunnyk, whose father was a chumak (Ukrainian salt trader). In 1964, in the house which was abandoned for a long time, was opened the ethnographical museum, initiated by Ivan Honchar. So it became known as "Chumak's House". But unfortunately, nowadays it is impossible to see that house. It was taken to pieces as it's condition was already critical. But the repair process started in October | 127 |
Hands is the second EP from Brooklyn-based symphonic rock band Emanuel and the Fear and was released via EAT Fear Records in June 2011 following the band's first full-length release, Listen.
Reception
The 405 issued a positive review of the band's second EP, declaring "Hands is an EP which demonstrates musicianship at its best...a wonderful mixture of influences,<|fim_middle|>" 3:51
"Meadowlands" 5:27
"Song for the Rain" 5:55
References
2011 EPs
Emanuel and the Fear albums | added to its melodies and textures, all add together to create a true good feeling within your heart. Fans of Ben Folds and Nils Lofgren especially should like and admire this record but it has the accessibility for just about anyone to jump in and enjoy – excuse the pun – over and over again." Following the release of the EP, the band toured throughout the UK, including a stop in England to play the End of the Road Festival, where they shared a stage with Joanna Newsom, Lykke Li, Best Coast and Beirut.
Track listing
"Over and Over" 5:19
"Vampires" 3:51
"Purple Sunless Sky | 139 |
Skeletal Lightning
Official Webstore
Mover Shaker – Another Truck Stop LP
Dikembe – Chicago Bowls / Ledge LP (green / black swirl)
HomeVinyl RecordsVasude<|fim_middle|>. It's a free-flowing feeling, a structured emotion.
There is an overwhelming emotional quality to the music Vasudeva creates, and inGenerator this voice is at its strongest. While there are still the walls of sound that featured in previous worksLife In Cycles andNo Clearance (the ending of opener "Breaks" threatens to blow any speaker it is played through, and the breakdown in "III" provides one ofGenerators loudest moments), there is a much clearer focus on production, on texture, on feeling in this record. The SP-404 created "Only On" leaves you swirling and shifting as the EQ pans back and forth, creating a truly unique listening experience, transporting you underwater.
Obsessed with this level of production,Generator speaks to the notion of technology pushing Vasudeva forward in their everyday lives. Idle or not, we must push on. There is an overwhelming sense of calm toGenerator, the landscape created by Mastrangelo, Mayer and Broomhead enveloping and swaddling the listener, the music ebbing and flowing, creating worlds while saying nothing at all. – Conor Mackie
Joliette – Principia
From: €8.00
Vasudeva – 3 Acoustics
Pool Kids – Music to Practice Safe Sex to
Vasudeva – No Clearance
Copyright © 2019 Skeletal Lightning
All Categories Vinyl Records Digital Downloads Compact Discs Apparel & Merch | va – Generator LP
Vasudeva – Generator LP
1. Breaks
2. On The Up
3. Only On
4. III
6. Stockmar
7. Halftime
From: €21.00
Vinyl Color Selectcolor-in-colorpink
Name Your Price ( € )
SKU: SL-084 Category: Vinyl Records
Vasudeva have always been hard to pigeonhole. Growing up on the quieter streets of New Jersey, but with New York City just moments away, childhood friends Corey Mastrangelo (guitar), Grant Mayer (guitar/keys) and Derek Broomhead (drums) would spend their summer days running from punk shows to late night raves, living a dichotomous life that wormed its way into their music.
Forever too dancey for their post-rock peers, but too post-rock for their dance music friends, Vasudeva's career to date has been spent on a tightrope, the tension between walking that fine line adding an angst to their soaring tracks. On their new record,Generator, however, things are different. There is a sense of peace and assuredness to the New Jersey trio – no longer three kids in their early-twenties trying to find their way, it feels like Vasudeva have finally found what they were searching for.
A seamless and soaring record,Generator sees Vasudeva truly completely comfortable in their own skin for what feels like the first time. Written, produced and engineered by the band over the course of three months in early spring with the help of their long-time friend Kevin Dye, it is an entirely personal, (almost) chronological time capsule of the band as they entered their late twenties; growing and evolving as people, their music following suit. There is a sense of a new beginning, a new chapter. Using Logic Pro X for the first time, Mastrangelo, Mayer and Broomhead were, for the first time, able to tap into their wide, varied set of influences; exploring textures, using midi and incorporating drum machines and synth sounds that they first fell in love with through their affinity for dance music.
Harnessing electronic drums and voice notes recorded by Mayer when commuting in New York City, using real keys and reel-to-reel tape machines,Generator masterfully blends the analog and the electronic. "Stockmar" sees Vasudeva at their most R'n'B inspired, the slowest track on the album showcasing their growth, yet named after Broomhead's childhood street where the band spent endless amounts of time growing up. Things change, but they are always rooted in the past.
The record is undeniably textured, layers of instruments complimenting each other – nylon strings piggybacking off piano chords in "Drop", programmed bass sitting atop Broomhead's ever fidgeting drums in "Yamaha". Everything has its place, but nothing feels regimented | 596 |
Home › Mem Fox
Mem Fox is Australia's most highly regarded picture-book author.
Her first book, Possum Magic, is the<|fim_middle|> Australia, including two honorary doctorates.
For more titles please click here to visit Mem Fox's website | best selling children's book ever in Australia, with sales of over four million. And in the USA Time for Bed and Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge have each sold over a million copies. Time for Bed is on Oprah's list of the twenty best children's books of all time.
Mem has written over thirty five picture books for children and five non-fiction books for adults, including the best-selling Reading Magic, aimed at parents of very young children. Her recent book: Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes, beautifully illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, was on the New York Times bestseller lists for 18 weeks in 2008/2009. It also won the 'best book for 0-3 year olds' award (May 2010) at the International Book Fair in Turin, in its Italian edition.
Mem Fox was an Associate Professor in Literacy Studies at Flinders University in Adelaide (Australia), where she taught teachers for twenty four years until her early retirement in 1996. She has received many civic awards, honours and accolades in | 228 |
Controlled BurnAuthor: Lani Lynn Vale- Cover Reveal with Excerpt & Giveaway
Title: Controlled Burn
Series: Kilgore Fire #4
Author: Lani Lynn Vale
Release Date: October 5, 2016 Cover Model: Shane Williams Photographer: Furious Fotog
July Dupree and Dean 'PD' Hargrove fell head over heels in love. When PD comes home to tell July the good news about joining the SWAT team as a tactical medic, everything changes.
July can't fathom why PD would want to be a cop in this day and age. Wasn't it enough that he already had a dangerous job with the fire department? Now he has to add another, even more dangerous, job to the equation? With so many cruel people in the world who make a sport out of hurting cops just because of the badge they wear, she has to make him understand. But when he refuses to listen to her reasoning, she feels she has no other choice but to issue an ultimatum: her or the SWAT team.
Dean doesn't like ultimatums. He's furious with July for putting him in the awful position of having to choose between a dream and her.
July never believes for a second that he'd choose the SWAT team over her, but she is wrong.
A year later, they're both still in love with each other, but neither one is willing to budge regardless of their feelings.
July's feelings for Dean haven't changed, in fact her love for him has only grown. But seeing him living his life seemingly unaffected by the loss of what they had breaks her heart over and over each time she sees him.
Dean has a good poker face, though. He's just going through the motions of his life until finally, the smoldering embers of his feelings erupt into a full-on blaze of emotion, burning through everything but his love for July. When the smoke clears, Dean wants to know if they can reignite the fire of their love or is he destined to live his life in a constant state of controlled burn?
"Go away," I murmured tired<|fim_middle|> lot to talk about," he suggested.
I shook my head again.
"No, we don't," I disagreed. "You said enough a year ago when you stabbed my heart with your words."
His eyes softened.
"Maybe," he said. "But you stabbed mine right back by refusing to fight for me."
I'm a married mother of three. My kids are all under 5, so I can assure you that they are a handful. I've been with my paramedic husband now for ten years, and we've produced three offspring that are nothing like us. I live in the greatest state in the world, Texas. | ly. "I don't want you here."
Alexa stood in the doorway, her eyes on the two of us, completely blank.
I wanted to snarl at her, but I just didn't have the energy to do so.
Maybe later, but right now, it was taking everything I had to keep my eyes open and speak to Dean.
I'd made it to the ER.
I'd been given fluids, had tests ran, and was now listening to the ER doc tell me and Dean that I had a serious infection that would likely require some antibiotics that would likely make me feel like shit for the next few days.
"She'll need to be watched closely, otherwise we'll need to admit her," the doctor was explaining, completely ignoring the fact that I'd asked Dean to leave.
Though, that might be because Dean knew the damn man.
Then again, Dean knew nearly everyone in every hospital in the area.
So it wasn't a surprise that he'd know my doctor, too. It also came to no surprise to me that he'd stayed, nor that Alexa was my nurse.
I narrowed my eyes at the woman that was standing in the door, and she narrowed them right back at me.
I closed my eyes to block out the woman's snooty face, and started to slip into sleep when Dean's voice broke into my calming thoughts.
"She'll come home with me," Dean was saying to the doctor. "Her brother's on a case and can't come, but I'm free. Already asked for time off, too. Done deal."
I was shaking my head in the negative, but the doctor was already speaking over my denials.
"Great." He said. "Alexa, please get her discharge papers in order. She'll be going home with PD."
I sighed and closed my eyes once again, this time in defeat.
"Dammit."
"What was that?" Dean asked, leaning over me so his ear was close to my mouth.
"Dammit," I repeated.
"Oh," he snorted. "That's what I thought you said."
Thirty minutes later, Alexa was wheeling me out to the exit with Dean at my side.
I was wearing a pair of blue hospital scrubs and my tank top, but I was upright and aware of what was going on around me.
Expecially the tenseness of the two at my back.
"Don't forget to let me know how your date goes," Dean said as he opened the door to his truck.
"I won't," Alexa sighed. "Do you want me to stop by tomorrow night for pizza?"
"No." Dean shook his head. "July and I'll be having a night in, but thank you."
I wanted to laugh at the look on Alexa's face that I saw in the reflection of Dean's shiny red truck, but refrained.
Barely.
When he opened the truck door wide and leaned in for me, I put my hands up to stop him.
"Let me try to stand," I insisted.
He ignored me and lifted me like a rag doll, placing me in the front seat and going as far as to strap my belt on as well.
"Thanks, daddy," I muttered darkly.
Except his eyes flared in delight.
"We never played that game," he said softly, his eyes close to mine. "But we can once you're back in fighting shape."
I was shaking my head in denial before he'd even finished.
"Negative," I said. "You've already broken me once. If you do it again it's because I'm the dumbass that let you."
He smiled.
"We've got a | 738 |
U-BUILDING
Vaasa Central Hospital
Client: Vaasan sairaanhoitopiiri
Place: Vaasa
Project Type: New Building
Area: 7000 m²
Finished: 2018
Vasa central hospital and the<|fim_middle|> Except the addition of a new building the project consists of changes in the outdoor spaces and traffic arrangements.
The hospital activities in the building sets high demands on the planning considering availability, ergonomics, hygiene and logistics. The goal was to create conditions for as effective and safe operation as possible where the life cycle, future maintenance costs and the materials effect on health are considered. The planning was done through BIM-modelling in co-operation with the other planners.
The loadbearing construction of the building consists of traditional column and beam system. The frame is concrete and the main materials of the façade are concrete, glass and metal mesh. Main criteria for the materials where that they should be maintenance free and sustainable solutions. Machines, equipment and material are carefully chosen to be hygienic and easy to clean. | U-building is situated on Hietalahdenkatu in Vaasa. The U-building is housing the hospital pharmacy and the isotope laboratory. For future changes and renovations in the hospital area also buffer space was placed in the building which can temporarily accommodate different wards and clinics.
The new four stories high building is places right next to the old main building and connects to the rest of the hospital buildings through an underground tunnel on the lowest floor. The project was conducted in three phases. The first phase was the lowest floor, the tunnel and to the to them serving technical and janitorial spaces. Second phase was the pharmacy spaces above ground and social and buffer spaces. In the last phase a storage for infusion liquids is built. | 145 |
I sat before this extraordinary sole, wondering as I chewed each buttery, spright, sumptuous bite of fish, "Why have I never made this dish before...?"
My Sole a la Grenobloise (as prepared in the city of Grenoble, the south-eastern region of France) was pulled from Saveur's 'The Beauty of Butter' special issue, No. 109. The word butter itself was such an obvious, delicious clue to all that might await in the pages, but the pages remained unsmeared by my buttery fingers, until recently. What a simple dish to delight your guests!
Aren't these beautiful sole filets?
Soak your sole in milk, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
The recipe is here, and it's not difficult to make, merely astounding to eat. You can purchase the clarified butter required or take a little time to do it yourself as described here. I would add a final spray of lemon over the sole before serving; the shock of acid truly brings the dish to life. Otherwise, serve it with white rice and a side dish of green beans almondine, the basics from geniuskitchen.com found here. Do enjoy!
Sometimes recipes stir me to make something else entirely with them. I was intrigued by a recipe for a fava bean stew, but then I thought of the shrimp we had in the freezer, considered cannellini beans, and wondered how it might all go on top of creamy polenta.
I made the Cyprus fava bean stew, known as Koukkia Kounnes, from Saveur magazine, but tinkered with the recipe (see below,) using a 15.5 oz. can of white cannellini beans instead of favas and used about half the amount of suggested chicken broth. I let it simmer for quite a while, along with the garlic, thyme<|fim_middle|> method using a yellow tomato, and stir it into steaming pasta with some sea salt, fresh ground pepper, perhaps some chili flakes, and a crushed garlic clove. Or win the children over by grating a ripe beauty over their mac 'n' cheese, as above. Spread the sauce over toast, bake into, or use with any number of things that require the benevolence of summery tomatoes. Suggestions welcome! Do enjoy!
Isn't she a beauty? I picked up this bunch of red basil at our neighborhood farmer's market over the weekend and after one deep inhalation I was reminded of a bunch of other things, too—the house in Riverhead, Long Island, perched on a cliff with a breathtaking view of the Sound...the house full of hungry guests one summer in Riverhead, Long Island, where I first fed my desire to cook. Fresh basil served us for a season of fresh tomato sauces, gazpacho and ribbons of the stuff on cornmeal-dusted, crusty pizzas, all full of the vibrant flavor and aroma released from the leaves.
Why not simply chiffonade a bunch of basil to boost any summer salad as well? Pluck the basil leaves from the stems and then roll a few of them up tightly like a cigar. Slice thinly on the bias for a familiar taste and yet a surprising, enhancing flavor when added to your greens!
At first, it wasn't so much of a celebration as it was a whim surrounding what we already had in the house--including a visiting bunch of our neighbor's feisty children--that brought our bowtie pasta, spaghetti, a jar of Prego sauce (click here for homemade suggestions) and ground beef to the table. We were a little on the early side for Fourth of July, but the little ones lit up like firecrackers at the display of our dish just the same !
I always maintain that a little ingenuity is a vital ingredient in the kitchen and so, a simple dish of spaghetti acted as patriotic stripes of pasta and the bowties served as our stars. Our handsome ground beef came courtesy of Butcher Box (a sort of 'Meat-of-the-Month' Club) and naturally we wrapped it all up in a vibrant red sauce!
While I take some time off to finish my new novel, I thought I'd leave you for the moment with a comment or two about tea! And no, not Constant Comment, but a lovely tea for two from the fine folks from Bellocq--No. 96 White Wedding Tea! The hubs and I discovered this extraordinary brew featuring organic jasmine silver needle white tea, rose petals, organic lavender, and orange blossoms while enjoying an afternoon tea at The Blue Box Cafe at Tiffany's. We enjoyed our pot of tea over a smattering of finger sandwiches and a few molar-crushing sweets at Tiffany's petite eatery done up in signature robin egg blue, but I imagine the gentle perfume floating off the cup would be welcome whenever you wish.
Cuddle up then, with a good book (perhaps one of mine) and a warming cup of tea over the next few months as I work on my book and pursue the wisdom found in the leaves. Do enjoy!
Bellocq Tea Atelier is located at 104 West Street in Brooklyn, but you may also find the tea online, as well as a host of their other special blends. Thanks to Bellocq for the photo! | , onion, and bay leaves, until the liquid all but evaporated--now I had a luscious, fragrant confit of beans!
While the stew slowly simmered, I prepared the polenta. When the polenta was nearly done cooking, I sauteed a dozen thawed shrimp in olive oil with zest from a whole lemon, some smashed garlic, salt and pepper. Once the shrimp were cooked, I removed them with a slotted spoon and covered with foil to keep warm. Reduce the zesty sauce to thicken slightly.
The perfect forkful: spoon your polenta on two plates, and add the confit of beans. Top with shrimp and pour the reduced sauce over that. Get a hold of that fork and dig in! Serves two.
Heat a dutch oven over medium heat, and add the oil. Add the onion, garlic, thyme, and bay, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
Thanks to ellysaysopa.com for adapting the recipe online.
I have to admit that peppers and spicy foods in general have turned on me and I have to pause for a Prilosec from time to time. But I did think Saveur's recipe of chicken thighs with peppers, chorizo, and brown rice was worth investigating and adjusted it accordingly. Good news is, our immensely satisfying dinner didn't suffer from the omission of red peppers and chorizo. I used sweet sausage instead of chorizo to delicious results and we didn't miss the peppers at all! Add Stubb's liquid smoke instead of chorizo for smoky flavor, if you'd like. However you choose to make this wonderful one-pot dish, I would definitely use more oregano than the 2 tbsps suggested--and then summon a hungry bunch.
I'd like to clear up something: There's very little mystery to clarified butter or making it. Clarified butter means that the milk solids (whey) and water have been removed from the butterfat to ensure a high smoking point in cooking, ie., the butter can take higher temperatures without burning.
1. Bring your butter to a boil (probably at least a stick; if you don't need it all right away, clarified keeps for a long time when covered and refrigerated) and let it foam white and sputter for a while.
2.When the butter stops foaming and the noise settles down, turn off the heat immediately and skim off the solids. You're done. Try it in the microwave if you'd rather.
Thanks to So Delicious Recipes for the image!
While it may be inadvisable to wear white after Labor Day, this pale, creamy gazpacho from foodandwine.com made with cauliflower is highly recommended (at least by me) all through the year. I substituted walnuts that I already had on hand for the suggested pine nuts and almonds to great effect, I thought. I would recommend (here I go again) that after blending all the ingredients together, to push the solids with the back of a wooden spoon through a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and refrigerate the thinned soup then. Try it with toasty bread in the cooler months to take off the chill!
In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the cauliflower until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water until cool and drain well.
In a blender, combine 1 1/2 cups of cold water with the cooked cauliflower, bread, pine nuts, chopped garlic, sherry vinegar, chopped shallot, 1 cup of the slivered almonds and the coarsely chopped cucumber; blend until smooth. Add the olive oil and pulse just until incorporated. If necessary, add more water to thin the gazpacho. Season the soup with salt and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the remaining 1/4 cup of slivered almonds in a pie plate and toast for about 6 minutes, until fragrant and lightly golden. Ladle the gazpacho into bowls. Garnish the soup with the toasted almonds and the finely diced cucumber and serve.
First published in part in Food & Wine. Thanks to contributor Joy Manning and photographer Hallie Burton!
In need of polenta, but fresh out? Do you perhaps have some popcorn? Throw it in a blender! At a high speed, the blender (a Vitamix fitted with a dry-grain container is ideal) will grind the popcorn to a coarse cornmeal powder--exactly what you need to make your polenta dish. A cup of ground polenta will serve at least four people once prepared. Follow this link for 'perfect polenta' of your own, courtesy of allrecipes.com. A little salt, butter, cheese and several cups of water on the boil are the basic ingredients for a creamy side dish, but certainly tailor your polenta to your taste. If you have never tasted or made polenta before, it's a must try!
A note: The polenta may take longer to cook than the suggested time and may need more water to acheive the perfect consistency, so plan accordingly.
Thanks to Karen Haggenmaker at allrecipes.com for the silky, satisfying polenta photo!
Aren't tomatoes just great at the height of the summer season? Try grating them! Rub several whole tomatoes against a grater, skins and all, and let the juicy bits run into a bowl. Discard the tomato skin that didn't go through the grater and you have a bowl of instant tomato sauce.
Try this | 1,146 |
New Hoplands
Colin Oldham wasn't particularly surprised when America's Budweiser Beer magnate managed to find his relatively small hop farm, tucked away in a pretty valley south of Nelson. When it comes to big business world-wide, the hop-growing industry is very small, he says, and at the time, Colin Oldham's 'New Hoplands' property was the only place in the world where one could find substantial gardens of organically-grown hops. The multi-billionaire beer baron, August Busch III, now aged 82, and his son August Busch IV, (yes, the family's generations are numbered like royalty), took a guided tour of Colin's farm, flanked by several body guards.
"They'd been holidaying in the Pacific and flew into Nelson in their own private jet, then organised a helicopter to get out here," Colin remembers. "They were really interested in seeing the methods involved in producing organic hops."
'Mr Budweiser,' as Colin calls him, listened intently, fascinated by the Nelson hop industry's relative freedom from the disease and pests that can hamper growers on the other side of the world.
"He kept talking into his Dictaphone, describing everything he saw. He was particularly intrigued with the hot-steam weed control method we use to<|fim_middle|> and funguses growers contend with there. He realised, if there's one place in the world to grow hops organically, it's Nelson because we don't have to use fungacides and mitacides."
"He came home and said, "Let's try going organic!" – so, in 1990 we converted half-ahectare to organics, planting a total of 1250 plants."
Almost 20 years later, the "pure goodness" of Colin's organic hops were not only going into craft brewers' recipes, but onto people's faces. Having researched the benefits of the hops' oils, Colin's wife, Alana, included them in the skincare range, 'Oxygen' which she founded with their daughter Olivia in 2009.
New Hoplands' organic gardens now sprawl over 10 hectares, producing five varieties, quite separate from the farm's 14 conventionally-grown varieties. The only grower in New Zealand of the Fuggle hop, the Oldhams are developing other new varieties - including one which is yet to be officially named.
"We've been working on this hop variety for 12 years. It's nick-named 'Wow' and there's now 2000 plants growing here."
- written by Victoria Clark
Mac Hops
Kono Hops | keep the weeds down around the bottoms of the bines. To him, using chemicals for pest and fungus control was the norm."
Though the Anheuser-Busch empire, most famous for its Budweiser and Bud-Light beers, did not put in an order for organically-grown hops, Colin says the father-and-son visit in 2001 is the highlight of his career.
"I was already supplying other beer-makers and there was no way I could have met the needs of Mr Budweiser's production," he grins. "Not long after they returned to America, he sent me two silver tankards." (The Busch family beer empire, which was founded in the 1800s, was sold in 2008, reportedly for $52 billion).
Over 15 seasons, Colin's hop gardens were the biggest producer of organic hops in the world. Ninety-nine per cent of New Hoplands produce goes to beer-makers in Europe and America; the remaining one per cent to New Zealand craft brewers. Several growers in Belgium and Germany turned to organics about five years after Colin first began applying the chemical-free growing method to hops. Since then, more than half-a-dozen organic hop gardens have been established in America.
Wandering through Colin Oldham's hop garden, miles from the coastline, there's a distinct odour of the ocean. It's a liquid fish fertiliser, he says, which doubles as a deterrent for any pesky mites attempting to make their presence felt among the bines.
"Keeping the hops as healthy as possible is a good thing - more than just for producing great hops, but for deterring mites, because mites will always infest stressed, less-healthy hops first."
In summer, Mondays are 'Smartbug Day' – when the bug-detectors come from their predator breeding nursery in Motueka to inspect the crops for two-spotted mites. They then decide whether Colin should purchase the predator mite 'persimilis' to eradicate the pest.
Nowadays, Colin Oldham and his sons Hayden and Thomas farm 'New Hoplands' which Colin took over from his father, David, in the mid-1990s.
"I'm one of five brothers and I was the only one interested in hop farming – though my brother Kerry has since started his own hop farm.
"It's difficult to put into words, but I've always been passionate about hops. I love the way they grow so fast. One minute they're shooting out of the ground and the next minute they're at the top. I probably think about hops too much – well, so my wife tells me," he laughs.
"About five years before he retired, Dad visited America and couldn't believe the pests | 568 |
Ige Inauguration, image & graphics by Wendy O<|fim_middle|>. 2, 2014. It's usually conducted on the first working day of the month, but was moved because of conflicts with today's inauguration events.
Members of the public who plan to attend today's festivities are encouraged to take TheBus or park in private lots near the Capitol. Street parking around the Capitol will be reserved for school buses for students attending the events and state parking lots will be closed.
Inauguration festivities continue at the State Capitol from 12:45 to 3 p.m. and include tours of the governor's office, as well as performances by: Taiko drums and Shishimai lion dogs dance by HUOA; Bamboo dance, flamenco, and bamboo candle dance by Miss Oahu Filipina 2014; Japanese Minyo classical dance; Scottish pipes and drums to be followed by Scottish country society dancing by Celtic Pipes and Drums of Hawaiʻi and the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society; Korean classical dancing by Halla Huhm Korean Dance Troupe 7; Chinese lion dance and fan dance by Spencer Robinson; and Hula hālau. | sher.
Between 2,000 and 3,000 people are expected to attend today's inauguration festivities for Governor-elect David Ige.
Pre-event festivities begin at 10:30 a.m., with the official program starting at 11:15 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 1, 2014, at the State Capitol Rotunda.
The ceremony will include participation from students at Pearl City High School, where Ige earned his diploma; and a procession by veterans from the 100th Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
The National anthem will be led by Raiatea Helm, and the Rev. Danny Akaka, Jr. will lead the Invocation, followed by a 19-cannon salute by the Hawaii National Guard.
At noon, Governor-elect Ige and Lieutenant Governor Shan Tsutsui will take the oath of office in the Capitol Rotunda.
Because of the inauguration, the statewide monthly emergency siren test has been moved to tomorrow, Dec | 213 |
Can high tech toys reduce screen time for kids?
Encouraging your kids to play screen-free doesn't mean you have to send them back to the 80's. We live in a time of innovation, where every product—from refrigerators to wristwatches— is upping its tech game, innovating, and making products easier and more fun to use. And outdoor toys aren't stuck in the dark ages. Razor has been integrating technology into outdoor play for almost twenty years and,<|fim_middle|> our imaginations to endless possibilities of products but also inspires the imaginations of customers to think about new ways to use and have fun with our products.
How does Razor encourage less screen time for kids, and why is outdoor play so important to begin with?
We design products that use technology kids intuitively understand and want to try out. Our products encourage open-ended play—they spark kids' curiosity and creativity, both in understanding the tech behind the toy and using it in their outdoor adventures. When kids discover open-ended play fused with new and unique technology, it's much easier for them to forget about screen media and get active. There are many reported benefits of active play for children as it helps with their physical and mental, and social development. Kids learn through active play and it encourages them to interact and play with other children and observe the world around them. Ultimately, active play can help create a balanced and healthy lifestyle. When kids learn to play outside from early ages, they learn how much fun and rewarding it can be. These early experiences and habits can shape the way kids have fun and enjoy spending their time. When kids play outside, it can lead to an active lifestyle through adulthood.
Excited to bring free play into the modern age with your family with Relay? | like Relay, is using their technology to promote active and adventurous childhood. Curious what they're all about? We talked to Erin Bitar at Razor about their products and the impact they're having on kids of all ages.
So what is Razor all about?
We know wheels. Since 2000, we have been reimagining the way we move with products designed for getting around town, having fun, and enjoying the outdoors. We first transformed the scooter and turned it into a global phenomenon called The Razor A Kick Scooter. Maybe you had one. Maybe your kids or grandkids do. We have continued to invent all types of products on wheels – launching electric scooters in 2003, then electric skateboards, hoverboards, trikes, motorbikes, to name a few.
How does Razor use modern technology to encourage active play, and what sets high tech toys apart from the classics?
We are constantly innovating our products to encourage kids to leave their screens at home and get outside. Just like innovations in computers, telecommunications, and video games, we knew that outdoor toys needed an upgrade, too! We create technology that gets kids excited about getting active alongside their friends, siblings, and families and reimagines the way people get moving. Razor has a long history of transforming products with innovative design and cutting-edge technology. We started by giving the scooter a much-needed redesign and proceeded to not only turn old favorites into cool new products, but create entirely new outdoor toys. Advancements in technology have not only opened up | 313 |
NSF Funding Drives New "Serverless" Platform for Computational Scientific Research
August 3, 2020 | Susan Tussy
Computational scientific<|fim_middle|> & Data: Solving the World's Big Problems | research involves massive datasets created by today's cutting-edge instruments and experiments — telescopes, particle accelerators, sensor networks and molecular simulations. Scientific software used to process these massive data sets and extract discoveries from experimental data is typically made up of tens to thousands of smaller functions, blocks of code that handle individual jobs in the long pipeline of data analysis. These programs can be run in their entirety on a single system — be it a laptop, a campus cluster, or a supercomputer — but that uniform approach may not be optimal. Some complex tasks may need to run on high-performance computing resources, and some specialized functions may even be better served by other accelerators or hardware to drive faster scientific discovery.
With a pair of grants to the Universities of Chicago and Illinois from the National Science Foundation totalling $3.14 million, a team led by UChicago CS researchers Ian Foster and Kyle Chard and Daniel S. Katz of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois, seek to streamline the process of delegating chunks of data and analysis functions to their ideal destination with funcX, which is a new distributed "function-as-a-service" (FaaS) platform that makes it easier for researchers to easily and automatically delegate their computational workload.
The funcX platform builds upon two existing research technologies: Globus, a research data management platform created at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory, and Parsl, a Python library for executing parallel workflows created at the University of Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory, and the University of Illinois. funcX will also use Amazon Web Services for hosting management services, and integrate cyberinfrastructure from campuses and national laboratories, such as NCSA, TACC, and XSEDE.
For more on funcX visit : funcx.org
Older Globus Connect Server v5.4 Is Now Available
Newer Distributed Collaborators | 380 |
The Early Years Service gathers the assistance and prevention interventions for infants until 6 years of age, their families and environment. The aim of the Service is to provide a response as early as possible to the temporary or permanent necessities presented by the infants with development alterations, being physical, psychic or sensorial, or with a risk of suffering them.
The Centres for Early Childhood Development Services (CDIAP) carry out this assistance and prevention task in Catalonia. They are a universal free public service integrated within the Catalan Social Services Scheme. Professionals from the fields of psychology, neuropediatrics, speech therapy, pedagogy, physiotherapy and social work form the multi-disciplinary team.
The aim of the CDIAP Centres is: to help in the best possible way our young patients and their families through an assistance and prevention task which is close, integrative, global, interdisciplinary and which is also coordinated<|fim_middle|> that holds in its identity both past and present of the city of Barcelona: it preserves the original old town of Sant Marti de Provençals, and it is at he same time the newest district of Barcelona due to the Diagonal Mar development, which has gathered a high number of families with young children. | with the different network services where research, training and quality have an impact in the constant progress of our services.
The CDIAP EDAI Les Corts-Sarria is located in the centre of Les Corts, one of Barcelona´s oldest and historical boroughs, with archaeological findings dated as early as the 2nd Century BC. The name ´Les Corts´ derives from Latin and it means rural houses and fields, referring to the homes of farmers in the old town. Our CDIAPS also work in the districts of Sarria and Vallvidrera, or Tibidabo and Les Planes, which share similar origins. All of these areas maintain the same spirit still present nowadays: they are family-orientated, peaceful and a caring community.
The CDIAP EDAI Sant Marti is located in the district of Sant Marti, an area | 178 |
UNION, N.J.—Supreme Security Systems, a regional security company based here, has acquired Homeguard Alarm Systems, based in Fair Haven, N.J., and CWR Security Systems, Inc., a<|fim_middle|> state of Colorado. About 70 percent of these accounts are commercial, and 30 percent are residential. Based in Louisville, Colo., the company of about 80 employees is actively looking for acquisitions, Halpern told Security Systems News. The company has also considered expanding with a new branch office in Denver.
Supreme Security Systems, family owned since its start in 1929, has around 7,000 accounts– 60 percent residential and 40 percent commercial—in and around New Jersey. Bitton mentioned that one of the company's upcoming plans is to launch a new website to be new, updated and more responsive.
Lately, I've been trying to hear from prominent businesses in the industry. If you have news about your central station, or would like to tell me about your company and how you do things, feel free to call me at any time at 207-846-0600, ext. 254. | residential, commercial and industrial security company with more than 30 years of experience serving Monmouth and Ocean counties in New Jersey.
David Bitton, COO at Supreme Security Systems, started working with the company in 1995. He is third generation in the family-owned business, which was founded in 1929 and is based in Union, N.J. Security Systems News talked with Bitton in early October about the system he has at home.
In the last couple weeks, I've talked to a lot of people about how things fared in 2014, and what their plans are for this brand new year. Two conversations in particular stand out to me.
Larry Halpern, president of Safe Systems, said the company is looking at how to service its continued growth, possibly through moving to a bigger facility. When I spoke with David Bitton, COO for Supreme Security Systems, he mentioned updating the company website.
It's a recurrent topic, but always interesting. This is even the question we've posed to our readers in the newest SSN News Poll, and one that I've enjoyed hearing about.
The last time SSN talked with Safe Systems was back in January of 2013, shortly after it acquired two Colorado-based companies.
Halpern told SSN that, because of its continued growth, Safe Systems is considering moving to a larger facility to accommodate its wealth of accounts.
There are no definite plans, according to Halpern, but it's something that may come up in mid- to late-2015. "This isn't something we can just jump into, it's got to be well planned. … We think out what we do and are diligent about the process to make sure we do it right," Halpern said.
Safe Systems, established in 1982, is a full-service security company that monitors more than 10,000 accounts in the | 398 |
AccountServ provides financial services to both individuals and businesses. We give the same attention to all clients, no matter how large or small. The accounting, bookkeeping, payroll, tax preparation, consultation, Quickbooks consultation & support, IRS problem resolution, software support and other financial services we provide are tailored to the unique needs of each client, ensuring the best possible results and maximized returns. Our firm remains on the cutting edge of tax law and financial trends. We are well-informed and continually adapt to the ever-changing world of tax law and accounting.
Located in the heart of<|fim_middle|>idian, Boise, Garden City, Eagle, Star, Middleton, Kuna, Nampa and Caldwell.
Copyright . Accountserv Inc. All rights reserved. | the Treasure Valley, in beautiful downtown Meridian Idaho, we serve Boise, Meridian, Eagle, Kuna, Star, Garden City, Middleton, Nampa and Caldwell, ID as well as all of Ada and Canyon Counties.
Contact us today to schedule your initial meeting with an accountant or CPA. We promise that you will not be disappointed with the excellent service we offer. Call us today at (208) 887-3567.
At AccountServ, we treat our clients with courtesy and integrity. We guarantee efficient, honest tax service that achieves remarkable results. Our years of experience and notable expertise ensure that your accounting and tax preparation is in good hands. We are proud to be members of the Meridian Chamber of Commerce and the Better Business Bureau.
Serving the Treasure Valley Idaho area, including, Mer | 168 |
It's been a chaotic 24 hours since yesterday's FOMC rate decision. After an initial move of weakness in the US Dollar around that announcement, prices found support on a bullish trend-line and have spent much of the time since in some form of rally, erasing the entirety of the FOMC-fueled breakdown in the currency.
This dip-then-rip has<|fim_middle|> to the next zone of resistance around the 1320 level. Since that level came into play, prices have pulled back to the prior resistance zone, finding a bit of short-term support. A hold here keeps the door open for bullish scenarios, and this could be attractive to those looking for manners of taking on USD-weakness. | made impact across a variety of markets, including EURUSD, USDJPY, Gold prices and more. In this webinar, I looked across the landscape after what's been an eventful FOMC outing.
The initial move yesterday was a pronounced rush of USD-weakness until that trend-line support came into play. And while that bearish move in USD is supported by the fundamental underpinning of a more-dovish Fed, the fact-of-the-matter is that there aren't many hawkish Central Banks on the horizon; and even with the Fed cutting rate forecasts from two hikes in 2019 to zero, they're still one of the more hawkish CB's amongst developed economies.
Bigger picture – this keeps the ascending triangle formation in order, and this will generally be approached in a bullish manner – looking for the motivation that's brought buyers in at higher-lows to, eventually, play through for a break of horizontal resistance around 97.70.
Going along with that outsized movement in the US Dollar was a very pronounced bullish move in EURUSD around yesterday's FOMC. And ironically, it was the ECB rate decision earlier this month that had previously driven the USD up to that failed resistance test at 97.71. But, as weakness in USD continued to price-in after that ECB rate decision, EURUSD strength remained and prices worked back into the prior range that had held for four months.
Yesterday's rush of USD-weakness and EURUSD strength pushed prices in the pair all the way up to the 1.1448 Fibonacci level, at which point sellers came back-in the equation and have pretty much remained in-charge ever since. In the webinar, setups were looked at on both sides of the matter: Bearish backdrops for longer-term strategies along with bullish strategies for shorter-term variants.
Gold prices broke out from key resistance yesterday, running up | 390 |
White Arkitekter to create psychiatric clinic in Greenland
Scandinavian architecture firm White Arkitekter has unveiled plans to build a pale yellow psychiatric clinic in Nuuk, Greenland, which will frame views of the surrounding<|fim_middle|>ise visual connection to the landscape beyond. Outdoors, there will be gym, and a covered courtyard where visitors can sit and relax.
Private rooms will be crafted from warm-hued timber and feature tall windows, ensuring that patients are surrounded by ample natural light. They will also be able to spend time in the clinic's greenery-filled atrium.
Despite its remote location and population of just 57,700, Greenland is slowly seeing a change in its architecture and design scenes. In 2016 Danish studio Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter revealed plans to erect a climate research and visitors centre in the country, which upon completion will feature a rooftop platform for observing icebergs. Three years ago Dezeen also spoke to the country's first product designer, Liss Stender, who made national news when she created a line of graphic fabrics and crockery.
Visualisations are by Luxigon.
Be the first to comment on "White Arkitekter to create psychiatric clinic in Greenland" | arctic landscape.
The construction of the clinic was proposed by the leading committee of Greenland's health care department, who approached White Arkitekter to create a space that "strikes the perfect balance between a calm, healing, and trustworthy atmosphere".
It will be situated just a short distance from the capital's centre, sat beside the main entrance of the existing Dronning Ingrid hospital. The 3,300-square-metre building will also overlook a Greenlandic fjord, providing views of the country's icy waters and snowy cliff peaks.
Renderings reveal that the clinic will be composed of two stacked rectilinear volumes and have a perforated yellow facade, in keeping with other hospitals in the area that are traditionally painted the same shade. The structure will also be relatively low in height, in order to blend in amongst the small-scale buildings throughout Nuuk.
"The architecture [of the clinic] cuts an instantly recognisable figure from both near and afar," the firm explained in a statement.
The clinic's ground floor will be fronted by large panels of glazing to maxim | 218 |
Q: How to compute $\int^<|fim_middle|>$ as $$I = \int_0^1 \int_0^{-\ln(x)} \dfrac{dt dx}{2 \sqrt{t}} = \int_0^{\infty} \int_{0}^{\exp(-t)} \dfrac{dx dt}{2 \sqrt{t}} = \int_0^{\infty} \dfrac{\exp(-t)}{2 \sqrt{t}} dt = \dfrac{\sqrt{\pi}}2$$
In general, any substitution/change of variable can be interpreted (or) made into an appropriate double integral.
| 1_0\sqrt{\ln(1/x)}dx$
$$\int^1_0\sqrt{\ln(1/x)}dx$$
How does one integrate the above by making use of a double integral, the only thing I could do is simplify $\ln(1/x)$ into $-\ln(x)$ which does not help much. How does one attack problems of such style?
A: We want $$I = \int_0^1 \sqrt{-\ln(x)} dx$$ The first thing is to get rid of this relatively ugly integrand. Let us do the most obvious substitution i.e. let $-\ln(x) = t^2$ i.e. $x = \exp(-t^2)$.
This gives us $dx = -2t \exp(-t^2) dt$. Hence, we get that $$I = \int_{\infty}^{0} t (-2t \exp(-t^2)) dt = 2 \int_0^{\infty} t^2 \exp(-t^2) dt$$ Now you should be able to evaluate this integral using the fact that
$$\int_0^{\infty} \exp(- \alpha t^2) dt = \dfrac{\sqrt{\pi}}{2 \sqrt{\alpha}}$$
Look here for various proofs for the result stated in the above line.
EDIT
You could rewrite your $I | 298 |
Join or renew your membership, just $45/year!
Click here to download a printable PDF membership form
Renew Your Membership via PayPal
RMP Bylaws
Check out the numerous benefits that come with membership
Valuable purchase discounts for many Pinzgauer related items and services.
10% discount for club members at Linden engineering (Dennis Williams)<|fim_middle|> club. It is a 10-person Army troop carrier first built in 1970 as a 4,400 lb., soft-top platform powered by a four cylinder, air-cooled, 89 hp, gasoline-powered engine. Shift-on-the-fly into 4-wheel drive and shift-on-the-fly 100% front and rear differential locks are standard as are the ten forward and two reverse gears; the 712M is a 6X6 version. The 710K and the 712K hardtop models are relatively rare in these parts and saw service primarily as radio-command trucks and ambulances.
Our club is family-oriented, love the outdoors, camping and good clean fun in the dirt and accept easy, moderate and the most difficult 4-wheeling challenges gladly. We encourage the enhancement of driving skills and are glad to teach those new to the vehicle and off-highway driving. We extend an open invitation to others to come and ride with us. The club organizes frequent outings and encourages its members to ride with other like-minded groups as well. We've participated in many rides/events with the regional Unimog club the Rocky Mountain Moggers.
Our largest annual event is the Treffen. A Treffen is simply a gathering in German. Ours, of course, is a gathering of Pinzgauers. Members and non-members alike from all over the country (and the world) meet in one of Colorado's many mountain recreation areas, socialize, test themselves and their vehicles on all types of trails, eat, socialize and more.. You get the idea. We've held Treffen's in Leadville, Breckenridge, Buena Vista, Nathrop, Ouray and Crested Butte.
The Rocky Mountain Pinzgauers are active in land use and off-road advocacy Our members are urged to observe the Tread Lightly and Stay the Trail guidelines whenever 4-wheeling. Several Pinzers have joined Denver-based F.E.A.T.(Four-Wheel-Drive Emergency Assitance Team) which provides emergency transportation during inclimate weather. Due to the unique nature of our vehicles, we frequently take part in parades and car shows.
The club maintains this website featuring current club news, events, trail rides and useful links are posted.
Besides the opportunity to become involved in public service work, the club is constantly seeking additional benefits for it's members. Right now there are several business in the Metro area that offer discounts for RMP members. We have many more "big ticket" discounts in the works. | and discounted towing in the metro area.
Members Only sponsored events, from parades, to trail rides, to family fun runs.
Discounted admission to our Treffen, the largest gathering of Pinzgauer owners in the Western Hemisphere!
Annual holiday party with food and drink (free to members & family)
Treffen and Pinzgauer-related clothing
The Rocky Mountain Pinzgauers is the largest Pinzgauer club in the United States. Officially we're the "oldest" Pinzgauer club in the country as well (though 20 years isn't very old.!)
Our club was founded in March, 2000 by Per Eliasen, Al Fink, and Mike Roark. It's dedicated to the appreciation and enjoyment of the Pinzgauer, which was originally produced by Steyr-Daimler-Puch of Graz, Austria. The 710M is the most common Pinzgauer represented in the | 199 |
The term CBD is merely an abbreviation for cannab<|fim_middle|> they take into consideration investing in a CBD product. | idiol. This is an all-natural substance that is extracted from cannabis (hemp) plants. It has a vast array of various uses and could be used as everything from a dietary supplement to an anti-anxiety therapy, a painkiller, as well as far more. While the benefits of CBD are huge, its association with another happy plant indicates that these capacities are yet to be completely explored.
As each year passes, nonetheless, the perception of CBD softens. As the scientific research behind its amazing powers expands, as does the degree of curiosity about it. In recent times, it has ended up being an increasingly acceptable means of alleviation for stress and anxiety as well as muscle swelling. It is essential to recognize that CBD is not the like THC. While THC is primarily illegal, CBD is totally lawful in virtually every corner of the globe.
An individual cannot get 'high' from ingesting CBD. If they acquire a cannabidiol product, it will certainly not modify their frame of mind in the same way as smoking marijuana. While research studies have revealed that it could relieve stress as well as fear, it does not impact the body or the mind similarly. Individuals interested in trying CBD-based products need to remember this distinction when | 249 |
Badi may refer to:
People
Badi II, (1645–1681) ruler of the Kingdom of Sennar
Badi III, (<|fim_middle|>Others
Al-Badīʿ, one of the names of God in Islam
Badi' calendar, used in Bábism and the Bahá'í Faith
, a 1984 Turkish film
Badi language, a language of Northwestern Iran
Badi (magazine), a Japanese magazine for gay men
Badi Mata, one of the Hindu mahavidyas
Badi Panthulu, a 1972 Telugu film
Badi' poetry
See also
Badi' al-Zaman (disambiguation), multiple people
Badis (disambiguation)
Arabic masculine given names | 1692–1716) ruler of the Kingdom of Sennar
Badi IV, (1724–1762) ruler of the Kingdom of Sennar
Badí' (Mírzá Áqá Buzurg-i-Nishapuri), (1852–1869) an early Bahá'í martyr from Persia
Badi people, Nepal
Badi (caste) a scheduled caste found in Uttar Pradesh
Chimène Badi (born 1982), French singer
Places
Badi, Dholpur, an administrative subdivision of Dholpur district, Western India
Badi, Guinea
Badi, Iran, a village in Khuzestan Province, Iran
Badi, Nauru, a city in the Republic of Nauru
Badi, Raisen, a town in Madhya Pradesh, India
Badi, Sudan, a medieval city on the west coast of the Red Sea
El Badi Palace, a Moroccan palace built in 1578
| 229 |
I finished this dystopian classic by Margaret Atwood and was both impressed and frustrated.
I was impressed by how believable the story was. In the afterward the author talks about how she took great care to put nothing in the book that hadn't already happened somewhere in history, and no technology that didn't exist. She did this in an effort to not distract from the reality of it, to not make the story seem fanciful with<|fim_middle|> problem when we are being forced into terrible situations by small, acceptable steps.
As Judith Butler stated out passivity is also its own form of resistance. Mayday failed heavily when June was around and she has seen this kind of failure. Her own mother was killed being an active feminist, which was shown more graphically in the TV show. In the book, June's own husband was instrumental in making Gilead. And, he is culpable for her situation. That is one betrayal she could not get over in some capacity. Additionally, she is depressed so she just wants to either die or survive. That happens. She is meant to be non-ideal I guess. She is no Katniss Everdeen and her charm, reliability and realism comes from there.
Previous PostPrevious Translating poetry: how can meaning be preserved? | crazy gadgets or unrealistic things.
And it was very effective. I had no trouble believing in the slow ratcheting up of authoritarian control over women.
I found the whole story to be very realistic, which made it all the more scary. The actions of the narrator were also realistic, but that made them, to me, highly frustrating. The rest of this post contains spoilers for the novel, and probably the TV show, though I haven't watched it.
While I identified with Offred at first, as I read on I found myself disliking her more and more, and I wonder if this was intentional.
I didn't like how she always made herself satisfied instead of resisting. She never took any opportunity to try to help Ofglen when she found out she was part of the Mayday resistance, even though Ofglen asked her multiple times to take advantage of her relationship with the captain, to find some papers or anything that might be of use. Instead Offred chose safety and comfort and did nothing.
When Offred was shown the picture of her daughter I thought this would be the moment she woke up and and realized that the same things would happen to her own daughter as were happening to her, and that would inspire her to act, but she only lamented internally about missing out on a part of her daughters life. None of it even worried her at all.
The whole of it seemed to be her constant acceptance of her situation. Inside her head, she rails against it, and has constant wishes that she could do something, or take action, but she never does. Even the tiny tiny act of saving the match amounts to nothing. She only even briefly thinks about setting a fire, instead of doing it or even planning how she might achieve anything. The lack of trying was very jaw-clenching. In fiction, usually we see the character trying and eventually succeeding, or at least trying and failing. Offred doesn't even try.
Because of all that I found Offred to be not a very sympathetic character. I'd rather have heard Moira's story. Moira made a daring escape, despite being horribly tortured after a previous failed attempt. Offred was not once punished in any way that we witness, and experienced no kind of torture of pain, yet is so afraid to act. Moira is already a more sympathetic character just based on this. Though, in the end even Moira settled into her situation, and seemed to be satisfied with the small amount of freedom she gained.
On the other hand… I don't know what these characters could have done, how they could have resisted in any meaningful way. Maybe, the only real resistance they could have made was to stay alive, and stay unbroken in their minds. And I think that is part of the point.
Though Offred's lack of action was frustrating to read, it is a familiar feeling to me. So often I get mad at a situation, but in the end do nothing about it because it is easier to just adapt to it and move on. I think this story shows that humanity's capability to adapt to any situation can be a | 632 |
Showing results for tags 'commercial'.
Protected Roadside parcel with lush green grass perfect for a<|fim_middle|> • You can pay the tier in L$, or USD/Euro ( via PayPal ) For more informations, please send me an IM. | good living or commercial use very good location and benefit of more frontage on road mainly flat. good investment for re sellers and holders too. 4080 sqm 1400 prims deal price: 13300 L$ only selling to free up some tier.
Adult Land 2x Protected Roadside on great offer!!
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tholtfinger/105/84/35 Grass land protected road side 2880 Sqm very good area for residential or commercial use 900/week.
Region: Blue Moon Area: 16384sqm (1/4 region) Location: Southwest corner parcel (water on two sides). You may use the ground and/or sky. Primarily residential neighbors. Fnordian Magic & Gadgets store is on a platform at 652m on a parcel in the Southeast corner of the sim. Prims: 5000 Rating: Moderate Rent: L$5000/week for 1/4 region parcel (or L$20000/month, or US$80.00/month via PayPal). Pay for 3+ months and get a 5% discount. Terraforming: Allowed Use: Residential or Light Commercial (e.g., retail store). No Clubs or Adult Content please. Breedables okay within reasonable limits. Inventory option "Restore to Last Position" is available for all renters. Available: Immediately Blue Moon 1/4 parcel for rent (16384sqm) with 5000 prims for L$5000/week If interested, please contact Fnordian Link in world. Drop me a notecard if I'm offline.
• Full region, standalone sim completely surrounded by water • 65,536 sqm • 20,000 prims • 13,899 L$/week • No premium account needed • Rating can be changed to PG, Mature or Adult. • Residential or commercial use • High speed server, no lag. • Full estate manager rights • You can create your own covenant and rules. Your sim, your rules. | 460 |
With almost 100 events this year, SAW puts together a programme including artists talks , galleries openings, collectors tour that is developed around the city.
Besides enjoying a blockbuster art fair, exciting art prizes and titillating exhibitions, visitors will also have the opportunity to delve into special performances, film screenings, art tours and<|fim_middle|>, Challenge the Path Embrace the Wild, 2014,. | free talks by leading figures of the art world. Meet and exchange ideas with like-minded participants, and learn more about what goes into making an artwork, while discovering new artists or rediscovering old ones.
– Art Stage Singapore, one of the leading Asian artfairs.
– Gilbert & George Utopian Pictures on display at Arndt Gallery.
– Writing an Image at Space Cottonseed, one of the most important not for profit spaces in town.
– Carlos Rolon/Dzine's installation being unveiled at Rolls-Royce's showroom.
Farid Stevy Asta | 116 |
When film director Larry Trimble decides that the next big thing for Hollywood movies should be a dog, he and his assistant Jane find a German Shepherd puppy who proves to be just right. The German born Etzel is rechristened Strongheart and after some training, begins his career in films with The Silent Call. Strongheart is an uncanny actor, and Trimble feels that he can actually communicate with the dog. The films are a success, and Strongheart endorses dog food, visits orphanages, "marries" his costar, Lady Jule, and signs lots of pictures with his "pawtograph". Fame has its price, of course, and he is embroiled in a case where parents of a young girl who is lost in an underground tunnel after trying to retrieve Strongheart's ball accuse the dog of savaging her daughter. Luckily, the boys in the orphanage do detective work in the tradition of the best "dime novels" and prove that Strongheart is not responsible. The noble German Shepherd is able to resume his career and enjoy life with his growing family.
Strengths: This is a delightful, fictionalized account of a real dog movie star. It is interesting that after 90 years, there is not enough information about Strongheart's origins to know exactly whence he came; we are so used to everything being documented electronically that this gave even me some pause! This is probably why this took the form of a novel rather than one of Fleming's excellent nonfiction book. The illustrations by Eric Rohmann are charming and will appeal to readers who love dogs as well as... who doesn't like cute dog pictures? The notes at the back about the "real story" are helpful, and it's nice to have some<|fim_middle|>-- New York City! Coyotes are rare in the city, so he alarms a variety of people who see him, especially after he manages to get into an office building. Trouble manages to make a home for himself and makes friends, including Mischief, a crow, and Rosebud, an oppossum. He even makes friends with a little girl, Amelia, who comes to the park. Even though he has managed to carve out a comfortable existence in the city, Trouble misses his family, and with the help of his friends, manages to get back to them.
Strengths: Like Hill's Lucky, Lorentz' Dogs of the Drowned City, and Hunter's Warriors books, this is a fast-paced story of an animal out of its element. Trouble is an engaging character, the inclusion of Amelia will make this easy for tweens to relate to, and the cover is adorable and will make sure that this book is never on the shelf! Also, put me in mind a little of Selden's A Cricket in Times Square.
Weaknesses: Coyotes. A bit evil. They will carry off small dogs, so Sylvie does not approve.
What I really think: Pyron's work (The Dogs of Winter and A Dog's Way Home), is very popular in my library, so I will have to purchase!
Two elementary school students clearly enjoy spending time together, and the boy is especially fond of the girl. Throughout the day, he gives her little gifts that he clearly states are NOT Valentines, since they are not the stereotypical pink, glittery, lacey, sugary sorts of gifts that most people give. Instead, he gives her gifts that he know she will like such as a red superhero cape, a ring that matches her shoelaces, and a rock. At the end of the book, the boy tells the girl that he likes her "all the days the school bell rings" and not just on Valentine's Day.
This is a good message of friendship, and listening to the preferences of one's friends. The artwork imitates a child's drawing, and is bright and dynamic. This is a seemingly simple title, but delivers a timely and important message that realationships, even among the young, need to be mutually respectful and caring.
I wish that we had heard more from the little girl; while the boy's actions are all kind and adoring, it would have been interesting to see how the girl responded.
The Strongherat book looks great. I hope our system has it! And coyotes have been spotted in our neighborhood. We have to be careful if our medium-sized dog starts getting noisy and frantic to go out in our back yard at night--we have to look first and make sure she hasn't scented a coyote. | links and a bibliography to investigates. Dog books are always in demand, and this is a particularly engaging one.
Weaknesses: It's a shame that a bit more coverage wasn't given to the concept of silent films. While this can certainly be enjoyed without it, modern 12 year olds don't understand life without computers, much less life without films that have sound. There are clips of Strongheart available online, and interested readers who look these up will likely be very confused by the concept of a silent film! Considering that I recently had to explain the concept of a "Sunday Drive" to a 25 year old, and there are teachers at my school that didn't know there was ever a nongraphic internet, some more explanations wouldn't have gone amiss. Technology moves quickly!
What I really think: Can't wait to hand this one to students!
Trouble is a coyote born into a loving and supportive family out in the country. He is more mischievous than his brothers and sisters, but loves tussling with them and investigating the world around him. When he sneaks into a produce truck from a nearby farm that is heading into the city, he soon finds himself in a different sort of wild | 250 |
Sarah Carr
Neoliberalism and Industrial Policy in Georgia – Professor Robert Wade
1 comment | 3 shares
In April Professor Robert Wade visited Tbilisi in Georgia. While there he attended a conference on Industrial Development Strategy. In this post he explains how this has impacted Georgia in the last 25 years since the break up of the Soviet Union.
თბილისი / Tbilisi by miss_rubov (via Flikr CC BY-SA 2.0)
I visited Georgia for the first time in late April, at the invitation of Tato Khundadze at the Centre for Social Studies, a small social democratic thinktank supported by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, and also of Gia Jorjoliani, leader of a small social democratic party (Social Democrats for the Development of Georgia) and chairman of a parliamentary committee on environmental protection.
Georgia has long profited from – and been plundered and conquered thanks to – its strategic location on east-west routes between the Black Sea and the Caspian, and north-south routes between Eastern Europe and Iraq, Iran and South Asia. It was one of the most prosperous states of the Soviet Union and, before that, tsarist Russia. Russians liked to holiday there because of its cultural sophistication, thermal springs and Black Sea resorts. Tbilisi, the capital, boasted a magnificent opera house from the middle of the 19th century. During the Soviet period, Georgia had a large industrial sector and a sizable middle as well as working class. Industry included sophisticated products, such as cars and military aircraft: Kutaisi (the country's second largest city) had an automobile factory employing 18,000; and Georgia's abundant clay supported a flourishing ceramics industry.
When the Soviet Union collapsed, the post-Soviet governments, backed by the IMF, pushed a fast and far-reaching privatisation programme. Hundreds of factories were demolished and sold as scrap. For a decade in the 1990s and into the 2000s, scrap-metal was a leading export commodity.
Factory outside Kutaisi by Carsten ten Brink (via Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
In just 15 years, to 2005, Georgia plunged from among the most prosperous states of the USSR to one of the poorest of the former union. Growth did not resume until the mid-2000s. Between the early 1990s and today, Georgia's population fell by one third, to about 3.4 million: its diaspora is now mostly in Russia, Turkey and Europe. It is almost as though someone had said: "Here's the deal: you get your independence and free market economics; but you lose a third of your population."
Even after high emigration, official unemployment is around 13%. But "employed" includes "self-employed", which means people with a tiny parcel of land where they grow subsistence crops. Putting them in the category of unemployed would bring the figure close to 50%. Many people are begging in streets of Tbilisi (I saw an elderly man begging, seated next to his elderly wife dressed in black who was checking her iPhone).
The current account deficit is around 10% of GDP, and the local currency has been devaluing (as also in the rest of the South Caucuses and Turkey). But some 70% of formal credit and debt (eg mortgages) is denominated in US dollars. (Most of the banks are foreign owned.) As the local currency devalues, debt repayment in local currency rises – to the point where average personal incomes have declined in the past year or two. The government says that non-performing loans in the banking system have not risen as a percentage of the total by enough to threaten financial stability.
The one-day conference on industrial development strategy that I attended – hosted by bold social democrats (whose arguments are often dismissed as "communist") – was the first such conference on the subject in 25 years, especially notable because it took place in the parliament building. Since the fall of communism, phrases like "industrial policy" have been forbidden – except in the dictum announced by several economy ministers over the years: "The best industrial policy is no industrial policy." (Three years ago in Poland, I learned that a powerful Polish economy minister liked to declare the same. They were, no doubt unknowingly, repeating the phrase of the celebrated conservative American economist, Gary Becker, who first said it in 1985.)
Traffic by Kent Kanouse (via Flickr CC BY-NC 2.0)
Economic policy has long been decided by one question: what is furthest from what the Soviet Union governments did? Even Friedrich Hayek would blush at the extreme neoliberalism. There is virtually no welfare state. Income tax is at a flat 20% for all; profits tax is 15%; dividend tax 5%. The government, supported by banks and gambling firms, is keen to introduce the Estonian tax model, by which private companies will be exempt from profit tax if they re-invest their profit back into their businesses. But the term "re-investment" is left vague, providing plenty of loopholes for corporate tax evasion. All the "good" education is private. The best organised and most influential lobby is the American Chamber of Commerce; a Georgian association of manufacturers has just been formed.
Tbilisi's population is just over a million, one third of today's national total. Its streets are as clean as London's. But road traffic congestion is dire, the air is eye-stingingly noxious from all the exhaust fumes (though not as bad as in Delhi or Beijing). Public transport is sparse and few dare ride bicycles. And urban planning is conspicuous by its absence. Soviet-era parks and other public facilities have been bulldozed to make way for ugly, in-your-face apartment blocks jammed up next to one another, with no provision of parks or off-street parking.
If a construction firm wants to put an apartment block in an empty place (eg a park) it has only to give enough "something" to the authorities and they are likely to authorise it. Several already-existing streets have been "privatised" – in such a way that the "owner" of the street collects a fee from each vehicle. It is not generally known who "owns" these private streets but it is clear that the streets were constructed by the public sector, not by the owners. In at least one case, a big hotel is located on the street, so even taxis wishing to go to the hotel have to pay. On the other hand, under the previous government and continuing under this one, the earlier everyday "petty<|fim_middle|>ების ინტერესები და ამერიკელი კონგრესმენების ვალდებ
Temi Pratt in conversation with Stephanie Draper, CEO of Bond
Department Alumni
The political economy of Duterte's war on drugs
Paris: A Climate Game Changer?
Student experience: Protecting lives, livelihoods and the environment in humanitarian operations
Justice and Security Research Programme
JSRP and the future
The JSRP drew to a close in 2017 but many of the researchers and partners involved in the programme continue to work on the issues and theories developed during the lifetime of the programme. Tim Allen now directs the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa (FLCA) at LSE where many of the JSRP research team working […]
Life after the LRA
The JSRP reached the end of its grant in spring 2017 but several outputs from the programme are scheduled for publication in the coming months. The most recent of these is a new journal article from Holly Porter and Letha Victor drawing on their extensive research with JSRP in the Acholi region of northern Uganda. The […]
LSE's engagement with South Asia
'Still No Son? Speed Up' – Son Preference and Birth Spacing in Pakistan
Sex-specific birth-spacing is one potential manifestation of the disproportionate preference for sons in traditional Asian societies. Dr Rashid Javed and Dr Mazhar Mughal discuss their research evidence from Pakistan to show that Pakistani women attempt to conceive again soon after a girl is born. They argue that the subsequent shorter birth intervals lead to […]
Pandemic Preparedness in South Asia: Outlining A Plan for Regional Cooperation
Zoonotic diseases, transmitted from animals to humans, are on the rise. As the COVID-19 pandemic has shown, they not only impact health systems but have serious socio-economic implications too. Focusing on South Asia, the most densely-populated subregion of the world, Chathuni Pabasara and Ravindri Paranagama pull together various strands of the issue to highlight the […] | " corruption (eg of the traffic police) has been almost eliminated, making a significant improvement in the quality of life on a daily basis. And Tbilisi still has a beautiful botanical gardens – which you pay to enter.
The current government is called the "Georgian Dream" coalition (including the centre-left Georgian Dream Party, the centrist Party of Industrialists, and the right wing Conservative Party of Georgia). It is backed by a Georgian oligarch (Bidzina Ivanishvili), in 2012 ranked 153 in the Forbes list of the world's billionaires, who made a fortune in Russia in the 1990s and built himself a grand palace high on the hills overlooking Tbilisi. With elections in sight in October 2016, the coalition is being squeezed from the right by an opposition party even more neoliberal than itself. This party, the United National Movement (UNM), was the major party in the previous coalition governments, headed by Mikheil Saakashvili, president in 2004-7 and again in 2008-13, who is now governor of Odessa in Ukraine.
The UNM and its foreign supporters (including US Republican senators and representatives, and the European People's Party in the European Parliament) attack the Georgian Dream coalition as "pro-Russian", and say that its electoral victory amounted to a Russian counter-revolution. They point to the fact that oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili gained his fortune in Russia, with an investment portfolio that included a large chunk of Gazprom, a pharmacy chain (Doctor Stoletov), a bank (Rossiyskiy Kredit), also construction, real estate and agriculture businesses. They overlook some inconvenient facts. First, the coalition government has taken a historic step to closer Georgia-EU relations by signing an association agreement with the EU, including the EU Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA). Second, Georgia has revitalized its relations with NATO.
Being squeezed from the right, the Georgian Dream coalition is casting around for a positive agenda with which to differentiate itself from the UNM opposition; and a few of its senior figures are – hesitantly – considering whether to adopt at least the rhetoric of rebuilding some manufacturing. It has no such hesitation about boosting tourism as a foundation for Georgia's future growth.
I met with Dimitry Kumsishvili, deputy prime minister and minister for economy and sustainable development. He did almost all the talking, as though I was a potential investor. He and his government are in love with the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business reports, where Georgia ranks high (between 18 and 24 in recent years) relative to its per capita income (around US$3,500-4,000). It is as though high rank is a top policy priority in itself; they implicitly assume that if they can create "a level playing field" (including good transport infrastructure), the punters will turn up to play. The western multinational corporations (MNCs) will set up shop in order to export to China; the Chinese MNCs will do the same in order to export to Europe and beyond. Simple. The underlying assumption is that Georgia has been held back by "government failure", not "market failure", and that when the former is fixed the market will work "by itself" to produce high growth.
The head of the tiny unit (9-12 people) in the ministry of economy and sustainable development charged with regulating industry (all of whom are on three-month contracts) wanted to learn more about "industrial policy" and was amazed to hear me say that US has long been an effective developmental state, and that even the CIA has a venture capital fund with which to promote innovation. Later he told me that straight after the conference he had a long meeting with the prime minister, his high school classmate. When the PM learnt that the US is an effective developmental state, and that even the CIA is in the business of promoting innovation, he too was amazed (1).
The 'best' economics
We have to admire how effective two bodies have been, over decades, at persuading economists, policy-makers and publics around the world that neoliberal ideas are the "common sense" guides to expanding economic freedoms and raising material living standards – these are the Mont Pelerin Society (founded by Hayek, Friedman et al in 1947) and the Atlas Network (founded in 1981 by Anthony Fisher, a member of the MPS who had founded the Institute of Economic Affairs in London in 1955). They did not just construct an ideology and translate it into a policy paradigm; they created an organizational architecture to make the paradigm the governing force of economic policy, by spawning and arranging finance for neoliberal thinktanks on every continent and by infusing the ideas into international organisations like the IMF and World Bank (2).
World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings 2009. Opening plenary session. Istanbul, Turkey. October 6, 2009 (via World Bank Photo Collection on Flickr. Licence CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
They have been helped by clever neoliberals in charge of the central bank of Sweden (Riksbank) in the late 1960s. The latter hit on the idea of creating a prize in economics which could bask in the reflected glory of the five real Nobel prizes. They got it established against the wishes of the Nobel foundation, the Nobel family and the Swedish parliament. They largely appointed the selection committee, ensuring that for the first two and a half decades at least the prize went mainly to neoliberals. Constructed in this way, the prize sent a message to the world that neoliberal economics was the "best" economics; it helped to convince Swedish politicians and public that economics was a successful science and that the central bank (nominally owned by the state) should be run by scientific economists unencumbered by state directives. All this also helped to undermine the legitimacy of the Swedish welfare state and the social democratic movement, another important objective for those in charge of the central bank (3).
In short, the Mont Pelerin Society, the Atlas Network and the so-called Nobel prize in economics are three pillars of the global neoliberal project – fortified since the 1980s by the additional pillars of the IMF and (with more qualifications) the World Bank. By contrast, the centre-left has done nothing equivalent. Hence neoliberal ideas have become "common sense", including through much of the former Soviet Union.
Teaching of university economics in Georgia is based almost entirely on Gregory Mankiw's Principles of Economics. Mankiw is unapologetically neoliberal, to the point where in 2011 his introductory economics class at Harvard staged a walk-out in protest at his one-eyed presentation of the state of economic knowledge.
In Georgia today, nobody has a clue about how to forge a plausible industrial policy, which may ensure that the current tentative opening remains mostly rhetorical. The IMF and World Bank have offices in Tbilisi, and have wielded great influence over successive governments ever since the early 1990s, helped by Georgia's large current account deficits. The minister of economy has just sent a letter to UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) asking for help in designing an industrial development strategy; but the letter was written within the tiny industrial regulation unit six months ago, and the minister waited before sending it – until the day before our conference.
In the Stalin museum at Gori, I was reminded that Stalin was born there; his father was a shoemaker and his parents divorced when he was young (the father's alcoholism was said to be a reason). And he was groomed to be a monk. The museum resembles a church cum mausoleum. The building was sanctioned by Lavrenti Beria, the long-time head of the dreaded Soviet secret police, who ranks high on the list of the world's most malign human beings. He was executed when Krustchev came to power in 1953, and his figure air-brushed out of most of the official photos of the period. Beria was Georgian, like Stalin, and Stalin called him "my Himmler". (Georgians disproportionately held many of the top Politbureau positions, including at the time before Stalin took the top position; his climb to the top had been helped by fellow Georgians, who recognised his steel-like qualities, hence their name for him: Stalin comes from the Russian word for steel.)
Till a few years ago Gori displayed around the town several imposing statues of its famous son. Then the national government ordered them to be removed (except for a large bust outside the museum), as part of its efforts to boost tourism. My English-speaking guide to the museum did not hesitate to talk about the atrocities committed by Stalin's government; but the Georgian-only guides tend to go light on atrocities, I was told.
The US and China are competing to win contracts for constructing big infrastructure projects (eg a port on the Black Sea, and completing a section of the east-west highway, which entails several long tunnels). The US companies have won, so far. But China's One Belt One Road strategy of forging infrastructure alliances across Eurasia is still in its early stage. It will be interesting to see how US-China competition plays out in the strategically placed microcosm of Georgia.
Robert H Wade is professor of International Development at the London School of Economics
(1) See R. Wade, "The paradox of US industrial policy: the developmental state in disguise", in J.M. Salazar-Xirinachs et al., Transforming Economies: making Industrial Policy Work for Growth, Jobs and Development, UNCTAD and ILO, Geneva, 2014, pp.379-400
(2) See M-L Djelic and R. Mousavi, "Constructing an organizational architecture for the transnational diffusion of ideologies – the case of Atlas and neoliberalism", ESSEC Business School, Paris, 2016
(3) See P Mirowski, "The neoliberal ersatz Novel Prize", for the conference, The Road from Mont Pelerin II. December 2015.
Robert Wade: Rethinking the Ukraine Crisis
Current thinking about global trade policy – Robert Wade's frustration at UNCTAD
Living where you don't make the rules: Development in Palestine – one of the world's last colonies
Posted In: Featured | Topical and Comment
Pingback: ინვესტორის ძალისხმევამ ქართველი მშროემელ | 2,226 |
Oilers Talk
Nation Takes
Interviews/Pressers
WWYDW
Gameday Previews
Post Game
Line Combinations
Starting Goalies
PuckPedia Stats
PuckPedia Cap Hits
PuckPedia Draft Picks
Nation Gear
Oilersnation is a fan site with no direct affiliation to the Edmonton Oilers, Oilers Entertainment Group, NHL, or NHLPA
NATION NETWORK
BLUEJAYSNATION
WINGSNATION
CANUCKSARMY
OILERSNATION
FLAMESNATION
JETSNATION
THELEAFSNATION
PUCKPEDIA
DAILYFACEOFF
HOCKEYFIGHTS
Home > Oilers Talk > Nation<|fim_middle|>22
2 - 3 (OT)
Next: Thu, Jan 27 at 7:00 pm MST
Oilers Cap Breakdown
Oilers Stats
Oilers Draft Picks
Will the Oilers have a new coach by the end of the season?
Yes. No. What do I know, pollz guy?
44%, 1336 votes
What do I know, pollz guy?
11%, 344 votes
Total Votes: 3037 View Comments
TheNationNetwork:
Copyright © 2022 The Nation Network Inc.
Not a member? Join the Nation
Please enter your email address to reset your password. | Takes > 2021 > 09/07 > ON's 2021 Prospects Countdown – No. 7: Ryan McLeod
Photo Credit: Nick Barden
ON's 2021 Prospects Countdown – No. 7: Ryan McLeod
September 7, 2021, 1:00 PM | Cam Lewis
One of the biggest bright spots in the Edmonton Oilers' system last season was the breakout performance put together by Ryan McLeod.
I wrote about the former No. 40 overall pick in last fall's prospect countdown and noted that it wasn't so much if he would become an NHL player, it was more when and what role he would fill.
The thing with McLeod is that he has all of the skills you want in a hockey player. He's big, strong, and physical, he skates incredibly well, and he has good hockey sense, especially in terms of playing a smart defensive game. That physical skillset all points to McLeod having two-way, second-line centre upside, but his ho-hum production at every level suggested otherwise.
That changed in 2021 when McLeod produced well in Switzerland, a very good Euro league, and then put up a point-per-game in the AHL with the Bakersfield Condors. McLeod will be an Oiler in 2021, likely as the team's fourth centre, but last season indicates he can offer more in the future.
Ryan McLeod
Position: Centre
Shoots: Left
Nationality: Canada
Drafted: 2018, No. 40 overall (EDM)
McLeod played his first season in the OHL with the Mississauga Steelheads in 2015-16, scoring seven goals and 20 points over the course of 62 games. His scoring didn't improve much in 2016-17, as he buried just nine goals, but he improved to 42 points in 68 games and added 20 points in 20 playoff games.
Being a late-September birthday, McLeod got a third go-around in the OHL before he was eligible to be drafted by an NHL club. In 2017-18, McLeod scored 26 times and added 44 assists over the course of 68 games, good enough to warrant the Oilers using their second-round selection on him at the 2018 draft.
In 2018-19, his final year in the OHL, McLeod was traded from Mississauga to the Saginaw Spirit, a team pushing for a serious playoff run. In 32 games with the Steelheads, McLeod scored 38 points, and then he put up 24 points over 31 games with the Spirit, somewhat underwhelming given his age, previous season's production, and draft pedigree. He also added 12 points in 17 playoff games, a solid performance, but, again, not as high of production as you'd expect with all things considered.
McLeod's transition to pro was also fairly underwhelming. In 2019-20, he played his first season for the Condors and scored five goals and 23 points over the course of 56 games. Given the excellent rookie AHL showing we saw from Tyler Benson, another former second-round pick by the Oilers a few years earlier, it was difficult to get excited about McLeod's freshman campaign.
But, as I said earlier, this all changed in 2020-21 when McLeod produced well in two different pro leagues. In 15 games with Zug in Switzerland's National League, McLeod scored four goals and 11 points, solid production for a young North American who wasn't familiar with the Euro game. When play resumed in North America, McLeod broke out in the AHL with 14 goals and 28 points over 28 games.
That showing ultimately warranted McLeod a call-up to the big leagues as Kyle Turris wasn't getting the job done in a bottom-six centre role. McLeod only had one point in 10 games, but he looked like a capable NHLer playing in a defensive role, as he was only outscored five-to-four at even-strength over 127 minutes of play.
Sticking with the Benson comparison, these two players first cups of coffee in the NHL looked very different. While Benson appeared to be a step behind the speed of the NHL, that certainly wasn't the case for McLeod, who really didn't look out of place at all. McLeod's showing in the regular season was good enough that Dave Tippett put him in the lineup for all four of Edmonton's playoff games.
So, long story short, it's already fairly clear that McLeod can swim as a fourth-line pivot at the NHL level. The question is whether he can continue to climb up the depth chart and become more than that. The physical tools like size and skating are all there, but McLeod's production before last season indicated a player that wouldn't produce much offence.
Let's hope that last year's showing with Bakersfield was a true breakout and that McLeod can continue to grow into a productive pivot. If so, the Oilers will have themselves an effective, homegrown, middle-six centre, a nice win for a second-round pick.
For reference, players who I consider to be "prospects" for this countdown are skaters who have played fewer than 50 NHL games and goaltenders who have played fewer than 25 NHL games. I'm basing the rankings on a combination of upside and the likelihood of reaching that potential.
No. 20: Markus Niemelainen
No. 19: Matvei Petrov
No. 18: Jake Chiasson
No. 17: Filip Berglund
No. 16: Philip Kemp
No. 15: Olivier Rodrigue
No. 14: Ty Tullio
No. 13: William Lagesson
No. 12: Cooper Marody
No. 11: Tyler Benson
No. 10: Stuart Skinner
No. 9: Carter Savoie
No. 8: Ilya Konovalov
By Cam Lewis
@Cooom More Articles
Last: Tue, Jan 25 20 | 1,355 |
101 Greats: Mieczyslaw Lopatka
Vladimir Stanković
Posted in ENGLISH
"101 Greats of European Basketball," a limited-edition collection published in 2018 by Euroleague Basketball, honors more than six decades' worth of stars who helped lift the sport on the Old Continent to its present-day heights. Author Vladimir Stankovic, who began covering many of those greats in 1969, uses their individual stories and profiles to show that European basketball's roots run long and deep at the same time that the sport here is nurtured by players from around the world, creating a true team dynamic unlike anywhere else. His survey covers players who were retired before the book was published and who inspired the many others who came after them. Enjoy!
Mieczyslaw Lopatka – The Polish legend
Who was the top scorer at the World Cup 1967 in Montevideo, Uruguay? A question like that in a trivia contest would test even the most knowledgeable experts in world basketball history.
The answer is Mieczyslaw Lopatka, a Polish forward considered to be the best scorer of all times in his country. In Montevideo, he scored 177 points for an average of<|fim_middle|> was also chosen MVP of the competition for the second time.
By the time that Poland hosted EuroBasket in 1963 in Wroclaw, Lopatka was already a player of reference who had to be on the national team. Poland started with a respectable 64-54 loss against the USSR, but proceeded to string together six consecutive victories and qualify for the semifinals, where the runner-up from the 1961 EuroBasket, Yugoslavia, was waiting. In a game that earned a place in Polish basketball history, the hosts won 82-73. Lopatka was his team's top scorer, with 18 points, followed by Likszo (13) and Janusz Wichowski (12). The silver was assured. In the final, the USSR won again 61-45 behind 17 points from the giant Janis Krumins, 14 from Gennadi Volnov and 13 from Aleksandar Petrov. Radivoj Korac was the top scorer of the tournament with 26.4 points per game, while Lopatka finished seventh at 15.9. His best games were 26 points against France and 14 against Czechoslovakia.
In an interview a few years ago, the principal hero of that silver medal recalled the prize the team won: "They had given 20 dollars to each of us. Such were the times that our other prizes were a radio (that didn't work), a refrigerator (without ice) and some tickets to buy suit fabric."
Lopatka's second Olympic Games were in Tokyo in 1964, where he scored 9.7 points per game. In 1965, he was for the first time Polish League player of the year and also won the bronze medal with Poland at EuroBasket in Moscow, scoring 13 points per game. In 1967, in addition to shining in the World Cup at Montevideo, Lopatka won the European bronze at Helsinki.
In 1968, Lopatka should have continued his career outside Poland, something that was not easy at the time for sportsmen from countries in the Soviet bloc. Standard Liege of Belgium wanted to sign him to form what would have been a fearful duo with the recently-arrived Korac. The signing deadline was August 31. Lopatka had a promise that he could leave his country due to his merits as a sportsman, but the passport was delivered to him on … September 1. He didn't blame anyone, but he knew, as everyone did, that it was a bureaucratic means of preventing his departure to "the capitalist world."
Lopatka had to stay home, and in October of 1968, he participated in his third Olympic Games, in Mexico City, where he again was among the top performers with 19.2 points per game. In autumn of 1969, he received a great recognition by being chosen for the European selection that played in Belgrade against Yugoslavia to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Yugoslav Basketball Federation.
In that game, after many years or watching Lopatka on TV, I finally had the opportunity to see him in person. It was a great European all-star team, with Paulauskas, Volnov, Sergei Belov (who had 25 points) of CSKA Moscow, Clifford Luyk and Emiliano Rodriguez of Real Madrid, Francisco Nino Buscato of Joventut Badalona, Jiri Zednicek of USK Prague and Robert Mifka of Zbrojovka Brno, among others. They defeated Yugoslavia – with veterans like Daneu, Vladimir Cvetkovic, Nemanja Djuric and Trajko Rajkovic, plus young lions like Ljubodrag Simonovic, Dragan Kapicic, Nikola Plecas and Vinko Jelovac – by the score of 93-90.
Ahead of his time
Buscato, a great point guard from the Spanish national team of the 1960s and '70s, played in that game in Belgrade with Lopatka. But he also knew Lopatka well from their battles in the EuroBaskets. He remembered Mieczyslaw Lopatka like this:
"He was a great player, a 'four' height-wise, but a 'five' for his body and rebounding capacity," Buscato told me. "He played excellently facing the basket, shot with both hands and moved well. He formed a great tandem with Likszo, who was tougher; Lopatka was smarter. The game of the Polish team depended on those two players, but more on Lopatka. He had what the great champions have – a winning character. In the 1960s, he was one of the big players in Europe, and ahead of his time. Since our teams usually stayed in the same hotel, we had the chance afterward to chat about the games. Off the court, he was very nice, open and well-mannered."
At age 33, Lopatka participated in his fourth Olympic Games in Munich in 1972. That ended his national team career after 13 years. He finished with 236 games, 3,522 points and an average of 14.9 points per game. When he returned from Munich, he finally received permission to play abroad. He went to France to become player-coach with third division Montbrison. Lopatka returned home in 1976 and began to work as a head coach, and did not do badly at all. In 10 seasons with Slask Wroclaw, he was Polish League champion eight times. His son Miroslaw was taller than his father, at 2.13 meters, but was far from being as dominant.
Eventually, Mieczyslaw Lopatka was awarded the status of adopted son in the town of Gniezno, where his pro career started. But no matter how you look at it, his impact on the courts applies to the whole country.
Mieczyslaw Lopatka is a legend in Polish basketball.
Photo: Euroleague
Souly: Dreamy Dozen
Billy Ray Bates
Dan Peterson: Necrology – Tom Heinsohn, 1934-2020. | 19.7 per game. His Polish national team finished fifth, but it also had the tournament's second-best scorer, Bogdan Likszo, with 19.3 points per game. Finishing as the eighth-best scorer was Radivoj Korac (at 14.6 ppg) and 10th-best was tournament MVP Ivo Daneu (14.0 ppg) – both of Yugoslavia. In the All-Tournament Team with Daneu were Lopatka, Luiz Claudio Menon of Brazil, Korac and Modestas Paulauskas of the Soviet Union.
Lopatka, who was born on October 10, 1939, in Drachowo, Poland, was a star of European basketball in the 1960s. Poland, at the time, was one of the best national teams and won medals at the European championships. It's true that Poland never took the top step on the medals podiums, but its principal star, Lopatka, has three European medals: silver from EuroBasket 1963 in Wroclaw, and bronzes from EuroBasket 1965 in Moscow and EuroBasket 1967 in Helsinki.
Before becoming an outstanding basketball player, the young Mieczyslaw practiced various sports. He started with field hockey, continued as a soccer goalkeeper, but abandoned that sport after giving up nine goals in one game. Lopatka started to train as a boxer, but when his engineer father heard about it, he had to give that up. Then he discovered handball, where coaches saw in him a great player, due to his size, 1.96 meters and 95 kilos. But it was a physical education teacher, Alexander Kwiecinski, who discovered Lopatka's talent for basketball.
Lopatka needed few games to become a key part of his school team. In one game, his team scored 150 points and Lopatka had 130 by himself! Soon, in 1955, he began to play for Kolejarz Gniezno, in a small town near the village where he was born.
Eyes open in Rome
The best Polish clubs fixated on the young Lopatka, who, despite not reaching 2 meters, played center thanks to his strength and excellent rebounding. In 1958, he was signed by Lech Poznan and two years later participated in the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. It's true that Lopatka was on the Polish national team as a substitute for the injured Wlodek Pawlak, who was hurt in practice crashing into a teammate. But Lopatka's average of 8 points wasn't bad at all for the young player. Just like other European players, Lopatka returned home from Rome enamored with the basketball played by the American "Dream
Team" of that time, with Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Walt Bellamy, Jerry Lucas and others. It was another kind of basketball the Polish had not seen before, and it motivated Lopatka to work harder.
In 1961, Lopatka for the first time became the top scorer in the Polish League with 582 points. He would repeat that feat three more times: in 1963, 1966 and 1967. In the 1962-63 season, playing for Slask, he scored 77 of his team's 96 points in a game against AZS Gdansk. That remained the league record until seven years later, when Edward Jurkiewicz scored 84, to be later topped by Mieczyslaw Mlynarski's 90 points in 1975. With Slask, Lopatka was national club champion twice, in 1965 and 1969, when he | 845 |
TRICARE Policy for Access to Care
Evaluation of the TRICARE Program Fiscal Year 2019 Report to Congress
MHS Home > News > Articles > Emerging technology improves ability to see 'invisible' wounds
Emerging technology improves ability to see 'invisible' wounds
As well as providing high-resolution clinical imaging capabilities, the 3T Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner used at the NICoE provides researchers access to cutting-edge image acquisition methods, such as multiband diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and echo planar imaging (EPI) sequences. (Photo courtesy of NICoE)
The active lifestyle of servicemembers can increase the possibility for concussion or mild TBI because<|fim_middle|> forefront of TBI research and care, with abilities that are equal to, or better than, any in the civilian sector. "This isn't just about treating problems but also understanding wellness," he added. "We are interested in protecting servicemembers across their lifespan. We want to understand what happens to people when they go through the process of training and deployment and then re-acclamation to society, and this is all part of that effort."
Exiting an A-10C Thunderbolt
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Judith Bulkley, an electrical and environmental systems specialist deployed from the 23rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Moody Air Force Base, Ga., exits an A-10C Thunderbolt II after performing an external power operations check on the aircraft at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. Because service members in particular are often exposed to high noise levels, hearing protection is crucial, especially with a TBI. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Stephen Schester)
Hearing Loss | Traumatic Brain Injury
The impact of traumatic brain injuries on community life
A soldier at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson's traumatic brain injury clinic in Alaska takes a cognitive hand-eye coordination test on a driving stimulator.
Public Health Service Cmdr. Robin Toblin speaks at TBI Summit
Public Health Service Cmdr. Robin Toblin with the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research was one of the more than 1,700 health care providers and policy makers from the Military Health System, the Department of Veterans Affairs, academia and commercial research companies who met in person and virtually during the recent Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Summit held at the Defense Health Headquarters in Falls Church, Virginia. (DCoE photo by Terry Welch)
Showing results 1 - 3 Page 1 of 1
Some documents are presented in Portable Document Format (PDF). A PDF reader is required for viewing. Download a PDF Reader or learn more about PDFs. | recreation often involves vigorous activities or contact sports, and training can include rigorous physical activity. Deployments also can put warfighters in hazardous situations such as near blasts.
Statistics compiled by the Department of Defense show that servicemembers – both deployed and nondeployed – sustained more than 315,000 mild Tramatic Brain injuries, or mTBI, from the year 2000 through the first quarter of 2018. A recent study of brain injuries in the military republished by the National Institutes of Health noted that the absence of external damage to the head can lead servicemembers to believe they should feel fine. But they don't.
Fortunately, most mTBI sufferers recover fully under the supervision of a health care professional using a protocol such as the Progressive Return to Activity.
For some, however, symptoms may persist, and can include mood changes, headaches, sleeplessness, and trouble concentrating. With the damage seemingly "invisible," current methods of looking at bone, blood vessels, and soft tissues in the brain often can't find a physical cause of these lingering problems. These testing methods include magnetic resonance imaging, known as MRI, or computed tomography X-ray, commonly called CT scans. But a special type of MRI called diffusion tensor imaging or DTI, takes a different approach to examining the brain for traumatic injury. This technology, still in its infancy, may one day serve as a powerful tool for understanding concussions at the molecular level.
"Diffusion tensor imaging is really a way of looking at the connections in the brain," said Dr. Louis French, deputy director for operations at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, or NICoE, at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. "Rather than focus solely on the structures there, DTI examines the connections and communication between the various parts of the brain."
DTI works by observing the flow of water molecules along nerve fibers called axons in the brain, looking for signs of disruption, French explained. Those fibers usually direct water to flow through the brain in one direction, along one of many such channels. In the case of TBI, say after a blast concussion, those fibers and pathways can be deformed or distorted and may even be torn or structurally malformed, causing the water that was flowing along one axis to seep out into other spaces, which can be measured through DTI.
French has been using DTI as one of many evaluation tools in a 15-year, congressionally mandated study of servicemembers with mild to severe TBI. He said most have had multiple concussions or multiple exposures to potentially concussive events. "In that population, we're really interested in the cumulative brain changes associated with those exposures," he said. In addition to the study group, researchers also have two control groups: individuals with no injuries and individuals with bodily injuries that don't involve the head or brain.
DTI is helping to increase understanding of TBI as a process, not an event, French said. "The neuro-imaging that we do, including the MRI with diffusion tensor, enables us to look at the relationship of the changes in the brain as the person recovers."
"This is a way we can point out to people that, yes, we can see here on the computer screen physically the origin of your complaints," said French, explaining that the data is objective evidence of subjective complaints.
DTI is available at NICoE, but not widely used across the MHS, partly due to some MRI units unable to run the required software. Additionally, not all MTFs have experts able to evaluate the data produced by DTI. French says the technology is constantly being refined and improved upon, but currently it's so technically challenging and time consuming, it's not available for regular use.
He said the MHS is at the | 782 |
For flight deals to Detroit from Charlottetown, WestJet has you covered. You may be pleased to know Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport isn't the only place we land; we're also proud to offer flights to more than 150 exciting destinations in Canada<|fim_middle|>'s a business trip or you want to visit Ford Field, the Fox Theatre or Belle Isle Park, you know that you can get there swiftly, safely and comfortably with us. Fly to Detroit from Charlottetown with WestJet and find out how you can pay less but get more. | , the U.S., Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and Europe. But our great routes aren't the only thing we offer; we also provide an exceptional guest experience that includes safe, comfortable and sensibly-priced travel each and every time. You can count on us for reputable service offered at an impressive value.
The "Motor City" is synonymous with the birth and growth of the American automobile industry, and many of the area's visitors today are drawn to auto institutions like the Henry Ford Museum and the Walter P. Chrysler Museum. Similarly, the city's worldwide reputation can be equally attributed to its musical heritage, which comes to life at the Motown Museum. From shopping to sports, Detroit offers a wide array of entertainment choices that make this a great spot to visit.
Itching to travel? Book WestJet flight deals now and you'll be all set to fly to notable, populous Detroit with ease. Whether it | 184 |
The Albert Square Chop House has just been voted the Best Hospitality Venue in the City of Manchester, receiving the accolade from Downtown In Business, after judges praised its contribution to the meetings and events offering in the city and for proving the power of the hospitality industry to regenerate disused spaces and to bring new life to their surroundings<|fim_middle|> reopened 3 storeys in November 2012.
For the impressive upper ground floor bar, we supplied our comfortable Boston dining chairs and elegant tables, plus a run of matching bar stools and even the feature cast iron fireplace at one end of the large hall. The contract furniture we supplied has certainly stood the test of time since it was installed back in 2012, proving the strength of the chair frames and quality of the finish. | .
Back in 2012, all the loose bar and restaurant furniture in the lower ground floor main restaurant was sourced from us.
The popular bar, restaurant and event business headed by owner Roger Ward is located in a Grade 2 listed Memorial Hall building in Manchester's Albert Square, famous for its Venetian Gothic revival architecture. Mr Ward sensitively converted it into the award-winning Albert Square Chop House and | 83 |
Giulio Rocca is a Harvard alumnus and the founder of GradSchoolHeaven.com and MBAHeaven.com, online references for people applying to graduate and business school offering clear, complete and expert advice based on first-hand experience.
Getting accepted to graduate school is a competitive affair. Imagine an admissions committee reviewing your application with a checklist in mind. They start by reviewing the quantitative measures of your ability. Does the applicant have a<|fim_middle|> a good bet. You can also enlist the support of a professional editor but resist the temptation to have your work completely rewritten and passed off as your own. If you're struggling to come up with recommenders, ask yourself whether you've considered all options. Did you think about all past and present professors? How about professors both inside and outside of your department? While it's desirable to submit recommendations from professors in fields related to your application, it's acceptable to include an outside perspective particularly if the two fields overlap in competencies.
Even if your application materials are in tip-top shape, it's possible to commit a final cardinal error: submitting your application after the deadline. While some graduate schools are unbendable on this point, the reality is that it typically takes days, if not weeks, for admissions committees to review all applications. If you're late, you can attempt to salvage the situation by including a cover letter containing an apology and expressing your sincerest gratitude to still be considered in the current application cycle. Following up with a phone call or email to the department's Graduate Director and professors with whom you've initiated contact is also helpful.
Ultimately, success in addressing your weaknesses depends on your ability to conduct an honest self-assessment and strategically focus on compensating where it matters most. Keep a positive attitude and remember that many applicants are accepted each year with less-than-perfect applications. If you can't check all the boxes, do the next best thing and nip any concerns in the bud. | high GPA? Check. High GRE score? Check. Next, they turn to the qualitative parts of your application: your cover letter, personal statement, writing sample, and recommendation letters. Naturally, the ideal candidate will pass with flying colors. But what if all the boxes aren't checked?
Let's start by discussing grades and standardized test scores. If your performance isn't stellar, the default conclusion is that either (a) you aren't intelligent or (b) you didn't put the requisite effort into your studies. One way to compensate is to demonstrate your intellectual superiority by excelling in one of the quantitative measures. For example, if you have a low GPA, ace the GRE; or vice versa. Another way to address weaknesses is to highlight your strengths in the written portion of your application. This can be accomplished by drawing attention to a subset of your GPA that relates to your major or specific subjects, or referencing a high percentile score in one of the verbal or quantitative sections of the GRE. A third way to compensate is to offer alternative and acceptable explanations for your poor performance. For instance, if your grades trailed off in your senior year because you worked to support yourself financially, lived through a family crisis, or experienced other extenuating circumstances, you can briefly touch on this without being melodramatic.
But what if your weakness lies in the written portion of your application — in your personal statement, writing sample, or recommendation letters? If you're not a skilled writer, workshop your written materials with people that you hold in high esteem. Your current and former professors are usually | 317 |
Beyond DCF Analysis in Hotel Financial Modeling: Probabilistic Evaluation of Hotel Real Estate Investments
by Ross Woods | Nov 19, 2018 | Blog
In these heady times, it is easy for hotel investors to overlook the most important cornerstone of the capital markets: that expected returns are (and should be) greater for more risky assets. Hotel investors commonly believe, implicitly if not explicitly, that they are getting a higher expected return without assuming greater risk. If a hotel investor wants a higher return, the investor must generally accept more risk. The extra return for a given level of risk is the 'risk premium' that is necessary to induce investors to invest their money in a hotel whose cash flows are less certain.
The risk premium is also defined as that part of the hotel's total return that reflects the level of risk over and above the risk-free rate of return which an investor could obtain from a guaranteed investment, such as a U.S. government-backed treasury security. Now the analysis of return necessitates the analysis of risk. Both must be quantified before tradeoffs between risk and return can be made.
An "ideal" hotel investment is one from which the investor expects a high rate of return relative to the level of perceived risk of the hotel. Normally, hotel investors focus with laser-like intensity on a single factor of investment success: the rate of return or internal rate of return. Most hotel models provide forecasts that are point estimates – that is, single-parameter estimates of return. But point forecasts provide no indication of the uncertainty in the number, and uncertainty is an important consideration in decision making.
If the cash flows associated with a hotel are random, then the IRR of the investment is also random. In this case the distribution of IRR's, provides detailed insights into the risk profile of the hotel. An investor who is presented with an investment showing a 16% IRR with a 5% probability that it will be less than 11% and a 5% probability that it is likely to be above 21% IRR.
Pellat¹ noted in 1972 that "the contemporary models of real estate investment analysis all are grossly inadequate and are incapable of generating realistic estimates of the overall rate of return on a real estate investment and the risk of that investment." He could easily have said the same thing today!
Risk is a concept that investors, developers, and lenders associate strongly with the lodging industry, especially in light of the industry's slump in 2001 and 2009! Many people consider investing in hotels a high-risk use of time and capital. Investors not only acquire an interest in a volatile form of real estate, but also participate in the highly specialised task of operating a service-oriented business. However, both activities affect the risks and returns associated with hotels.
Although both risk and return are acknowledged, our thinking and training emphasize the rate of return. But, if the variables affecting the risk-return relationship are more explicitly identified, quantified, and evaluated, more accurate projections can be made of the risk of a hotel investment. The stakeholders in hotels therefore need to spend as much time undertaking quantitative risk analysis as they do calculating rate of return.
Risk is defined as the probability that the expected cash flow or return will not be received. Risk exists in hotels because investors can not make perfect forecasts. If they could, they would never make an investment that would yield less than the required rate of return.
Hotel investment analysis normally provides point estimates – that is, single-parameter estimates such as IRR, debt-coverage ratio, loan-to-value ratio, and market value. Point estimates are the most probable numbers, not the only possible numbers. Recognising and dealing with other possibilities is a major function of risk analysis.
The debt-coverage and loan-to-value ratios provide some information about the risk profile of a hotel. They do not, however, provide information about the probable deviations from the most likely values used in the analysis. A complete risk analysis provides information on the magnitude of possible deviations in cash flow that can occur under varying market and economic conditions and the probability associated with each of these projections.
Exhibit 1 illustrates the possible values for a debt-coverage ratio and displays the uncertainty inherent in the results. It clearly illustrates the small probability that the debt-coverage ratio will be less than 1. Although the mean debt-coverage ratio is 1.3 there is a 6.7 per cent probability that the debt-coverage ratio will be less than 1.
None of the risk ratios currently being used by lenders and investors to assess hotel investments provide this type of information. Most market and financial models used in hotel investment analysis are deterministic, a specific value for each input variable being used. Risk analysis models are said to be probabilistic when the values of many of the input variables are uncertain and are defined as ranges with associated probability distributions, rather than as single-point estimates.
"What if?" or sensitivity analysis is the most commonly used "risk analysis" technique in hotel investment analysis. It reveals the relative sensitivity of returns to different variables by changing one or more of the values for the uncertain variables. For example, how would a lower occupancy rate in the first two years affect the projected IRR?
Assumptions that are typically examined in a sensitivity analysis include growth in RevPAR, stabilized occupancy and ADR, labor expenses, capital expenditures and the terminal capitalization rate. At best, sensitivity analysis is a crude analysis of risk because it fails to take into account the probabilities associated with all possibilities.
For this reason, Hotel Investment Strategies uses Monte Carlo simulation techniques for hotel investment analysis and has used these techniques for over twenty-five years.
Monte Carlo simulation was developed in the early 1960's; one of its first proponents was David Hertz, whose classic article² in the Harvard Business Review did much to bring the technique to a wider audience.
The Monte Carlo technique attempts to imitate the various ways in which all the variables influencing the investor's rate of return could combine as the complex future unfolds.
Probability distributions, such as those illustrated in Exhibits 2 and 3, are<|fim_middle|> cap rate where one expert (EVP Acquisitions) might be given twice the weight of the others due to his greater experience.
Probability distributions are derived for all of the uncertain variables including interest rates, market segment growth rates, department expenses, refurbishment costs, and future competition. The possible combinations of the values for each factor are then simulated to determine the range of possible outcomes and the probability associated with each. In this way, Monte Carlo techniques estimate the probability as well as the magnitude of potential risks, thus providing a complete risk analysis.
The technique overcomes the limitations of both sensitivity analysis and best case/worse case analysis. For this reason, Monte Carlo simulation should be the preferred risk analysis technique for hotel investment decisions, since it provides the best possible information on the risk-return profile of a lodging investment.
Exhibit 4 shows the distribution of possible IRR's for a hotel investment. The height of each bar represents the probability that the outcome will occur in the range of the bar.
Exhibit 5 provides the statistical output for the analysis. As illustrated, the probable unleveraged IRR's range from a minimum of 10.5% to a maximum of 20.8% with a mean of 15.5%. The percentile value indicates the percentage of the generated results that are less than or equal to the associated value. For example, the 35th percentile value for the IRR, is 14.7%, means that there is a 35% probability that the investor will receive a return of less than or equal to 14.7%.
Conversely, there is a 65% probability the investor will receive a return of 14.7% or better. The analysis clearly illustrates the risk-return profile of the hotel and enables the investor to evaluate the expected returns and the risks of the investment.
The same type of analysis can be undertaken for any output the stakeholders are interested in. The analysis generates a range of possible returns rather than a single value and also computes the probability of receiving different rates of return, depending on how the future unfolds.
Ranking analysis identifies and ranks the most important sources of risk as shown in the tornado graph in Exhibit 7, with the longer bars representing the most significant input variables. The regression coefficients provide a measure of how much the output (in this case unleveraged IRR) would change if the input were changed by one standard deviation.
This type of analysis enables the investor to focus on the more significant risks, saving the time and money that might be expended on an analysis of less important factors. The objective is to identify significant risks that must be managed and to screen those minor risks that can be accepted and so excluded from further consideration.
Scenario analysis identifies combinations of input variables that are the most important in causing a given output to achieve a user-specified target. For example, which variables contribute to a debt coverage ratio greater than 1.4 ? Or, which variables contribute to profits below $1 million?
In summary, Monte Carlo simulations provide considerable information about the hotel investment being analyzed, including:
The likely range of outcomes the investor can realistically expect.
The probability of exceeding a target result.
The relative magnitude of various sources of uncertainty.
The sensitivity of the model's results to uncertainty in each input, thus highlighting the major risk factors.
The use of risk simulation models by the stakeholders in hotels can have a substantial effect on their investment decisions. The model outlined can help decision-makers to accommodate and weigh information about the risk characteristics of hotel investments and perhaps avoid unwise investments or make investments where the risk-return trade-offs are known and acceptable. If you would like more information on Monte Carlo simulation and its application in hotel investment analysis, please contact us and request a complimentary copy of "Quantitative Risk Analysis for Hotel Investors".
Pellat, P.G.K.: "The Analysis of Real Estate Investments Under Uncertainty", Journal of Finance, Vol 27, No.2, p.459.
David B. Hertz. "Risk Analysis in Capital Investment," Harvard Business Review, Vol. 42, No.1 (1964): 95-106
The Growth of Accommodation Market Metrics for Australia's Major Regional Destinations 2015-2016 to 2019-2020
Frog-March Your Hotel Portfolio to the North-West Quadrant!
Adding Hotels With Lower Returns & Higher Risk to a Portfolio May Actually Boost the Portfolio's Performance!
Hotel Booking Momentum & Guest Horizon for Major US Cities – 1 January – 5 September 2020
Hotel Booking Momentum & Guest Horizon for Indonesian Cities – 1 January – 5 September 2020
© 2023 by Hotel Investment Strategies, LLC.
Website by 21Thirteen Design | used instead of point estimates for the uncertain variables. Ranges of probability can be determined with at least four methods including historical observations, controlled experiments and observation, theoretical distributions and subjective judgement.
For example, rooms payroll per occupied room is illustrated in Exhibit 2 by a lognormal distribution with a mean of $24 and a standard deviation of $2. An analysis of historical data has provided the basis for the type of distribution used for rooms payroll.
Exhibit 3 illustrates an example combining four different expert opinions on the likely terminal | 106 |
Q: Finding Moment Generating Function of Normal Distribution I need to show that the moment generating function of $Y$ is $$M(t)=(1 − 2σ^{2}t)^{−1/2}$$ where $X$ ∼ $N$($0$, $σ^{2}$) and that $Y$ = $X^{2}$.
I know the moment generating function of $Z$ is $$E(e^{tz})= \int_\mathbb{R}\ e^{tz} f(z)dz$$
Also since $X$ is a normal distribution (with mean<|fim_middle|>align}
M(t) &= \frac{1}{\sqrt{1-2\sigma^{2}t}}\frac{1}{\sqrt{2\pi}}\int_{\mathbb{R}}e^{-\frac{1}{2}z^{2}}dz\\
&= (1-2\sigma^{2}t)^{-{1}/{2}}
\end{align}
$$
Alternatively, you can also recognize that a squared Normal random variable follows Chi-squared ($\chi^{2}$) distribution and compute the moment generating function of this distribution with $k=1$ ($\chi^{2}$).
| $0$ and standard deviation $σ$), $$f(x) = \frac{1}{\sqrt{2\piσ^{2}}}exp(\frac{-x^{2}}{{2σ^{2}}})$$
I think $M(t)=E(e^{tx^{2}})$, so $M(t)=\frac{1}{\sqrt{2\piσ^{2}}}\int_{-\infty}^{\infty} e^{x^{2}(t-\frac{1}{2σ^{2}})} dx$
But then what's next? Am I supposed to use the Guassian function? Any help would be appreciated thanks.
A: Yes you need to use a Gaussian distribution. As you started:
$$
\begin{align}
M(t) = \mathbb{E}(e^{tx^{2}}) &= \frac{1}{\sqrt{2\pi}\sigma}\int_{\mathbb{R}}e^{x^{2}t}e^{-\frac{1}{2}\frac{x^{2}}{\sigma^{2}}}dx \\
&= \frac{1}{\sqrt{2\pi}\sigma}\int_{\mathbb{R}}e^{-\frac{1}{2}x^{2}\frac{1-2\sigma^{2}t}{\sigma^{2}}}dx\\
&=\frac{1}{\sqrt{2\pi}\sigma}\int_{\mathbb{R}}e^{-\frac{1}{2}\big(x\frac{\sqrt{1-2\sigma^{2}t}}{\sigma}\big)^{2}}dx
\end{align}
$$
Then you apply the following change of variable:
$$
z = x\frac{\sqrt{1-2\sigma^{2}t}}{\sigma}
$$
$$
\begin{ | 391 |
The pure goodness of Manik Chandra Saha
Source: CPJ Blog
url: http://cpj.org/blog/2009/09/the-pure-goodness-of-man<|fim_middle|> last evening.
Kamrul Huda Siddiqui alias Sumon, project coordinator for Anirban, a local rights body, said they are trying to liaise with Rab and local police so that they can rescue the victim and send her to a safe home in Dhaka.
"It will not be possible to take any step till the victim is rescued from the grips of political persons," he added.
Bangladesh: Victim's family, not rapists, on the r...
Bangladesh: Ruling Party leaders pressurize victim... | ik-chandra-saha.php
An excerpt from Marked for Death: Dying for the Story in the World's Most Dangerous Places.
by Terry Gould
At first glance there is nothing particularly threatening about Khulna.
Like most regional capitals in Bangladesh, it is hot and crowded, but its remote location in the waterlogged southwest has preserved its rural nature. Around Khan J. Ali traffic circle, bicycle
rickshaws outnumber cars a hundred to one. Down the palm-lined lanes where a million people live, roosters crow from every backyard. And the city air, even near the jute mills and brick kilns, smells like tropical heaven.
Two unbridgeable rivers, the Ganges and Brahmaputra, are responsible for Khulna's back-country ambience. They inundate the plain to the north and east, cutting off land travel to Dhaka, and spawn a thousand other rivers that zigzag west of town, isolating it from Calcutta.
All this water pools in the Bay of Bengal's tidal creeks, forming a mangrove wilderness called the Sundarbans, which walls Khulna on the south. The four-thousand-square-mile roadless jungle, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is the country's last refuge of the Bengal tiger and the sundari tree, Asia's most coveted hardwood.
There were no tourists in Khulna when I arrived after my time in the Philippines.
The twenty-four-hour trip by river from Dhaka and the lawlessness of the countryside both discouraged visitors. Khulna Division, of which Khulna city is the capital, had been plagued for years by Maoist and Islamic extremists who assassinated officials, set off bombs and
raped the wives of farmers who refused their extortionate demands. The fanatically motivated violence resembled the insurgencies in Colombia and the Philippines, but Khulna added its own twist to the mayhem. Here, among the shifting rivers and jigsaw islands, terrorists whose goals were radically opposed conducted joint operations, and most of their crimes were overseen by the Bengal Mafia, the real power in the division. Indeed, nowhere else in the world were alliances of murderous forces so oxymoronic. Neither theology nor ideology kept jihadists and communists from hiring themselves out to Khulna's gangsters, known in the city as "the seven godfathers."
According to local journalists, the seven godfathers wore "white clothes"—that is, they were public figures who ran Khulna's city council, chamber of commerce and mayor's office. Offered impunity in return for delivering money and votes to the government in Dhaka, the godfathers employed the extremists to illegally log the Sundarbans, steal thousands of acres a year
from farmers, murder competitors and pillage Bangladesh's ocean trade at the Port of Mongla. Meanwhile, a black-uniformed unit of the federal police, the Rapid Action Battalion, maintained the appearance of law by arresting the first hapless criminal the godfathers pointed to after an assassination. "Main suspect killed in a cross fire," RAB usually stated in its press releases. Case closed.
The sanctioned gangsterism of Khulna Division was a good part of the reason Transparency International
consistently rated Bangladesh at the bottom of its worldwide corruption index, and why the Committee to Protect Journalists named the country one of the five
most murderous places in the world to report the news. Between 1998 and 2006, sixteen journalists were murdered in Bangladesh, eight in Khulna Division after they'd detailed the government's alliances with "the underground groups." The most prominent on the kill list was Manik Chandra Saha, above, the former president of the Khulna Press Club and a winner of Transparency International's Integrity Award.
Saha was different from the slain journalists I'd encountered in Colombia and the Philippines.
The division's 14 million citizens considered him a saint, and even some officials acknowledged he was Khulna's most reasoned and likable reporter. The deputy inspector general of the Khulna police wept in public when he heard Saha had been killed on January 15, 2004—the first time
local journalists had ever seen him show emotion. Saha's murder precipitated a week of hysterical mourning. Nationwide hartals, or strikes, paralyzed the country. The prime minister's spokesman and the leader of the opposition arrived in Khulna to comfort the population. And the street where the forty-nine-year-old Saha had fallen was turned into a shrine and renamed Manik Saha Road.
For all the devotion he inspired, Saha was a rather unassuming man. He was stockily built, of middle height, with thinning hair and a voice that could barely be heard when he asked questions at press conferences. What distinguished him in a crowd of reporters were his huge brown eyes, tilted up like wingtips by high cheekbones, which gave him something of a Confucian smile, even when he was being told to shut up by one of the seven godfathers. "Manik did not know how to get angry or raise his voice," said Mainul Islam Khan, director of a Dhaka-based NGO that attempts to protect journalists. "He had no aggressive side to him, no personal agenda, no ego or inner turmoil. He was a purely innocent person. Whatever he wrote, he just laid the facts out, appealing to reason. He was motivated only by love."
That love apparently gave Saha tremendous drive. Sleeping at most four hours a night, he divided his days between exposing the region's torments and laboring to rectify them. He founded schools, libraries, cultural organizations, rural poverty councils, human
rights committees, women's shelters, clinics, a theater group, a music academy,
a foundation for working children and an international action forum to save the
Sundarbans. Each of the underground groups had threatened to torture him to
death, but he regularly traveled alone to remote villages to investigate
atrocities. "If they use rape and murder as weapons," he told his worried
brother Prodip, "if they steal the land and no one arrives to tell the world,
then their wrongs take place in a vacuum." Trained as a lawyer, Saha
exclusively represented the godfathers' penniless victims—and was penniless
himself most of the time because he gave away the $250 a month he earned from
his groundbreaking journalism. "There is no God to answer the prayers of the
poor," he told his wife, Nanda. "It's a human universe and therefore up to
humans to fulfill prayers."
Three days before his murder, Saha
delivered a lecture on his brand of investigative journalism to a reporters'
training session in the nearby town of Jessore.
"Use the scientific method and the rules of evidence to gather facts about what
is unjust and harmful," he advised. "When conveying those facts, be neither
subtle nor angry. If threatened, take courage by reminding yourself that you
speak for those who have no voice. Place your skills in the service of the poor
and you will be happy."
Before I arrived in Bangladesh, I had searched for the motivations of journalists who had given their lives for a story and had discovered complex emotional sources for their bravery. Personal
atonement, angry resistance to public enemies or compensation for infirmity had played a part with some; manly pride or religious intoxication had fueled the courage of others. But in Manik Saha I found something more difficult to explain: selflessness that seemed to come from pure goodness.
Posted by Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM) at 3:17 PM No comments:
The girl gang-raped: The Daily Star Editorial
Source: The Daily Star
The incident that follows a similar crime committed by BCL men a few days ago puts the whole nation to shame, not only should the ruling party be. When a schoolgirl is gang-raped by the activists of the ruling party's student wing, people are bound to feel both tormented and insecure.
The BCL activists appear to have gone out of control as reports of their committing all sorts of crime continue to pile up. All the attempts by the AL high-ups to rein the unruly elements in have apparently failed to produce any results. But then gang-raping a young girl and then trying to hush it up is a crime the enormity of which is hard to describe. The criminals, no fewer than 10 in number, committed the mind-boggling crime and then arranged a farcical village arbitration and were let off the hook lightly, as they were asked to pay a fine of only Taka 10,000 each. Now, rape is not the sort of crime that can be settled in a village arbitration dominated by the influential locals who have no legal authority to deal with such matters. In this case the arbitrators themselves committed a crime by allowing the culprits to escape without the punishment that they deserved.
The whole thing smacks of a conspiracy to deny the poor father of the victim the justice that he sought so desperately. The AL leaders of Kalapara upazila in Patuakhali district have failed to handle the matter neutrally as is evident from the arguments put forward by them in defence of the rapists. Perhaps such leaders are as responsible as the criminals themselves for what is happening today across the country.
Justice is clearly eluding the victim and her family. Things are going wrong for them at almost every step. The rapists are reported to have collected the signature of the girl's father on a white paper to make sure that he could not seek legal remedy. This is of course another crime since the poor fellow's right to seek legal protection was violated through it.
So, it is a story of political clout overshadowing everything else. Even the law enforcers appear to be helpless as they released two of the rapists because no case had been filed against them! However, the police should have delved deeper into the matter before releasing the two young men.
The ruling party has to address the issue in order to uphold the right of a poor girl to get justice, and for other girls to feel secure. Such ghastly crimes will surely blur the party's image and expose it to condemnation only unless the culprits are given due punishment.
Bangladesh: Victim's family, not rapists, on the run
Family of the Kalapara gang-rape victim went into hiding leaving home on Tuesday after police remained inactive against the rapists amidst reprisal from the perpetrators.
Meanwhile, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Kalapara Police Station Ishaq Ali claimed that the girl (victim) submitted a written statement to the police station yesterday declaring she was not raped.
Father of the teenaged schoolgirl, who was kidnapped and gang-raped by 10 Bangladesh Chhatra League activists on Friday, left his house along with his wife, three daughters and a son.
Relatives of the victim said they are afraid of revealing the family's present whereabouts; that would earn them wraths from the rapists and their political mentors.
Locals and relatives alleged the ruling Awami League Kalapara upazila unit secretary Rakibul Ahsan took signatures from the victim and her father after staging village arbitration and awarding fines of Tk 10,000 each to the 10 rapists to ensure their escape.
They also suspected the statement submitted in the name of the victim was actually one of those blank paper signed under coercion.
Asked who submitted the statement, the OC could not answer but said he was away from the office till 3:00pm and was busy attending a case in the court.
The duty officer, who was present at the police station in absence of the OC, also could not ascertain who submitted the statement.
Bangladesh: Ruling Party leaders pressurize victim to 'refutes' rape report
The Kalapara schoolgirl, who was kidnapped and gang raped on September 25 and whose family had to leave home under duress, told a press conference that she was not raped but tortured by a gang.
The poor girl along with her peasant father and mother addressed the hurriedly called press conference at Kalapara press club Wednesday night flanked by local Awami League leaders Rakibul Ahsan and Sultan Mahmud.
Rakib, secretary of AL Kalapara upazila unit, and Mahmud, vice chairman of Kalapara upazila parishad, were the two arbitrators who set the 16 Chhatra League activists, accused of kidnap and rape, free on Sunday last after fining them Tk 10,000 each.
Local human rights activists however said no proper steps on the matter could be taken until the victim is rescued from the grip of a local political group.
Locals alleged that the victim girl was forced to read out a written statement, declaring she was not raped but tortured while she along with a cousin was returning home after visiting a puja mandap on September 25.
They alleged that a local political clique has taken the entire family of the victim under its shelter and using them as safeguard against legal steps against the perpetrators.
Meanwhile, the victim also filed a defamation case with judicial magistrate court of Kalapara upazila yesterday accusing three--publisher, editor and reporter--of a daily. Judge Md Jamal Hossain ordered that Kalapara Upazila Social Welfare Officer will look into the matter and hearing on the case will be held on November 3.
Patuakhali Deputy Commissioner Md Reaz Ahmed told The Daily Star yesterday that the Prime Minister's Office had asked him to look into the incident and subsequently, he asked local police to take lawful action.
Major Rajib Amin, commander of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) camp in Patuakhali, told this correspondent that Rab on Wednesday invited AL leader Rakibul Ahsan, who awarded the fines through a village arbitration, to provide Rab with his version of the incident but he did not appear till | 2,910 |
by: Rebecca
Merton is a pretty little village and has been the site of continuous human habitation since at least the eleventh century and was described in the Domesday Book of 1086 as a manor belonging to the Bishop of Coutances.
It lies about five miles south east of the town of Great Torrington, is surrounded clockwise from the north by the parishes of Little Torrington, Beaford, Dolton, Huish, Petrockstowe and Peters Marland. The eastern and northern boundaries of the parish follow the loops of<|fim_middle|>6pm – 9pm
SUNDAY – currently no Sunday lunch available
The Malt Scoop Inn
Merton, Okehampton
North Devon EX20 3EA
info@themaltscoop.co.uk | the River Torridge and the other sides are defined by the River Mere.
In 1608 the most famous son of Merton, George Monk, later to become Duke of Albermarle and commander of the Coldstream Guards was born in the parish at Great Potheridge.
In recognition of George Monk's origins awards of Coldstream Prizes are made each year to children of The Clinton School at a ceremony first instituted in Merton in 1948. His arms are featured on the club badge of Merton Football Club.
A delightful focus to the village is the church of All Saints dating back to the 1400s. It was heavily restored between 1872 and 1875 by R. M. Fulford, but the east window of the north chapel retains many fragments of late medieval stained glass.
The Clinton Estate exerts a big influence on the life of Merton and Huish, not only in terms of land and house use and ownership but also on the location, name and badge of The Clinton School and village hall.
Merton Moor, on the border between the parishes of Merton and Petrockstowe, has been the site of ball clay extraction for a number of years, and the North Devon and Cornwall Junction Light Railway ran through the west of the parish between 1925 and 1982 to serve the ball clay industry. Today the former railway line forms part of the Tarka Trail series of footpaths and cycle tracks.
With such a wide range of activities and attractions across the region, boredom isn't an option
You can't move in North Devon without finding something fun to do! For a fun family day out whatever the weather, take your pick from a choice of theme parks with exhilarating rides, exciting soft play zones to explore or experience the power of a steam train! If you're after wildlife attractions, you're in luck too – from award-winning zoos and aquariums to theme parks and natural trails there's heaps to see and do. If you fancy a spot of retail therapy the local towns have lots to offer, ranging from high-end brands and retail villages to independent boutiques and traditional workshops to discover.
The Ultimate Adventure Centre
Docton Mill Gardens & Tea Rooms
Instow Beach
Instow
North Devon Wakepark
Wild Pear Beach
Atlantic Village
True Nature – Mindfulness Meditation Days
North Devon & Exmoor
Atlantis Adventure Park
Lynton & Barnstaple Railway
Clovelly Village
Funder Island
RHS Garden Rosemoor
Croyde Surf Academy
14 The Gallery
Hunter Surf
Combesgate Beach
Bucks Mills Beach
Wildersmouth Beach
Barnstaple Heritage Centre
North Devon Theatres
Woolacombe & Mortehoe Golf Club
Croyde Beach
Barnstaple Pannier Market
Tapeley Park Gardens
Bideford Pannier Market
Hartland Abbey & Gardens
Castle Hill Gardens
Westward Ho! Beach
Braunton Burrows Biosphere Reserve
Broomhill Sculpture Gardens
Watermouth Castle
Gnome Reserve and Wild Flower Garden
Tarka Trail Cycle Hire
Bideford Farmers Market
Great Torrington Pannier Market
North Devon Hawk Walks
Barometer World
Tarka Pottery
MONDAY – 6pm – 11pm
TUESDAY – 3pm – 11pm
WEDNESDAY – 3pm – 7pm
THURSDAY – 3pm – 11pm
FRIDAY – 3pm – 12am
SATURDAY – open all day from 12noon – *12am
SUNDAY – 12noon – 6pm
MONDAY – 6pm – 9pm
TUESDAY – 3pm – 9pm
THURSDAY – 3pm – 9pm
FRIDAY – 6pm – 9pm
SATURDAY – Lunch 12noon – 2pm & Evening Service | 859 |
Those who venture on foot onto Dartmoor fall into one of two categories; walkers – and ramblers. I am unashamedly in the latter category. My rucksack rarely holds more than my lunch, a map and some waterproofs, and I set out only when the weather forecast is favourable. I do not yomp.
Today is September 9th. The sky is that very clear mid-blue of early autumn and there is just a hint of coolness in the breeze. I feel invigorated. The weather refreshes my spirit as a sorbet cleanses the palate. As I descend from the bus I experience a glow of anticipation for the solitude and purity of the open space.
I haven't reached it yet, though. The first mile is along a lane between two high Devon hedges; pleasant enough walking, but asphalt underfoot and only the occasional glimpse of the moor proper. Mixed with my enjoyment is a little tension. This is the big one, the walk I've been building up to over the summer, seventeen miles during which time I shall be as isolated as it's readily possible to be in England. I've left details of my route at the shop by the bus stop, and with friends at home. I have my mobile phone with me. There's no real danger.
Gradually the stone walls peter out. The road is flanked by grass, and water hurries in the leat on my left. The scenery is beautiful but very familiar to me, and my daily concerns, unprompted and unwelcome, insinuate their way back into my consciousness.
What am I going to do about my mother? I must face facts; she's definitely gaga. I could see it start during those horrible last days of my dad's cancer. We were all distraught, but she – well, she seemed to retreat from reality. One evening she spoke about going on holiday. Dad was next door, choking on his own flesh as the tumour in his throat swelled, and she was inviting me to join them in Como in a few months time. I'm afraid I yelled at her. I feel so bad about it now, but I was half mad with the strain of the death-watch. She looked at me, and then began sobbing softly. I think that was last time that she really understood what was going on around her.
This is not what I came out here for. I look around, to appreciate consciously where I am and what I am doing. The road bends in a slow curve around the tor. Skylarks pipe their magical songs at the limit of human hearing. It is easy to imagine that they are merely the mortal manifestation of an unheard symphony of surpassing loveliness. And there ahead of me is a patch of moorland that is sometimes a passport to the immortal; the mires. How deceptive that verdant green! What a trap for the unwary that level land! An incautious step and you can be caught and held, sucked down, your struggles only causing you to sink more quickly.
Still, it's safe enough as long as you stay on the track, which picks its way through the treacherous ground. Never, never try a shortcut here! At least I'm now off the tarmac and onto the moorland proper.
Past the mires the path climbs steeply, and at ten o'clock in the morning it's in the shadow of the tor. Out of the sunshine the breeze feels noticeably cold, but my exertions are keeping me warm enough. I don't need to put on a jacket; I'd only have to take it off at the top.
He's absolutely right, of course. You have to be there to take advantage of every opportunity to make your case to the people who matter. And that's usually in the evening over dinner and a drink; or in the early morning at a 'power breakfast'; or even at lunchtime in the gym. No question about it, working from Devon I couldn't accomplish even a tenth of what's needed. If I'd imagined that sort of lifestyle when I was a student, I'd have gawped and said "No way, José." Now, I'd love the assignment. What could be more intoxicating than to influence policy at the highest level? But what am I going to do about Mum?
My brother Tom says that she should go into a home. "She's got pots of money since she sold her house and moved in with you," he says. "That'll be more than enough to cover the costs. She could afford excellent residential care from the proceeds." Residential care; a nice euphemism.
It's not that Tom is heartless. He's an excellent dad, and he and his wife Mary have been happily married for two decades. He just lacks imagination. Of course, he hasn't been close to Mum over the last two years, as I have.
"Promise me you'll never put me into a home, dear." It's been a constant refrain. I never promise, naturally, but the weasel words to avoid the commitment sometimes stick in my throat. She plays on my feelings of guilt, but like a child would. It's deliberate, but almost as though it's no longer under her control. I can't imagine the strong woman who brought me up being anything other than scrupulous in leaving others to make their own decisions. Perhaps this should tell me how terrifying she finds the idea of dependency?
The path has passed its apex and swung around to run almost directly due south while I have been musing. South, into the sun. The golden bracken flames in the noonday brightness. A buzzard hovers, and then stoops. It's too distant for me to see whether it catches its prey. The walking is easy, and I swing along. I remember a performance of Bach's 'Italian Concerto' that I heard a year ago in St Martin in the Fields church. Walking through this landscape feels like that music, exuberant, embellished, affirmed. Life snatches me up, lifting me high, soaring joyfully. The path runs down, down to a stream, and when I reach it I leave the track to splash the chill water on my head, as much for exhilaration as the need to cool myself.
About halfway there. The way climbs again, but gently and I'm heading eastward. I cross the brook on the stone clam bridge, marvelling that this primitive human structure should have stood since before history. Up the hill I go, to join the old trackway along which the miners' railway once ran. Gravel crunches under foot, until I decide that it's pleasanter to walk on the grass beside the way.
It's lunchtime, and I'm feeling strong. I leave the track and climb steeply until I'm standing at the very top of the tor. Looking to the south-east I can see right down the valley, clear to the edge of the moor and beyond, to the rich, rolling South Hams. I open my pack and pull out the food. Sandwiches. A round of prawn with mayonnaise in granary bread. Half a round of rough paté and lettuce. Is there any pleasure more visceral and intense than the pleasure of food?
Over my head there is a deafening buzzing of insects. It's as though I've sat myself under their equivalent of Spaghetti Junction. Where are they all going, so busy, expending such energy in getting there? The horizon looks a bit misty. Nothing to worry about, though. The weather forecast was unambiguous. "A glorious day over the whole of Devon and Cornwall" was what the man said. No problem. I set the alarm on my phone and doze for twenty minutes.
It's such a pleasant dream that I don't really want to wake up, but I suppose that I must. There's still eight miles before I reach the end of the route. Yawning, I sit up, take out the vacuum flask, pour myself a coffee and look down from my perch on the tor. It's much mistier below, and I can't see more than a hundred metres or so; I'd better get moving.
I pack my bits and pieces into the rucksack, pull on my jacket and trudge down the slope. Sleep has enervated me and my limbs lack strength. Never mind. The coffee and the movement will soon revive me.
Walking into the mist is sinister, stepping into a shadow world. My senses feel more acute but perceive less. At first I can make out the sun as a bright patch against the grey, but as I descend it disappears and colour drains from the landscape. The grass is dull, the bracken mud-brown and dripping damp. It's cold, colder than I'd expected. Lucky I have my waterproof over-trousers in the rucksack; I may need them.
All I need to do now is climb over this mound and descend the far side and I'll rejoin the track. Then it's just follow the path all the way to journey's end.
My feet skid on the grass and I slip onto my bum. There's no harm done apart from a damp patch on my trousers but I need to be careful. It wouldn't be funny if I were to turn an ankle. It's quite eerie in the fog.
I keep descending. The downward slope is gentler than I remember, and I haven't struck the track yet. I'm walking fast, getting hot. Is that sweat on my face or moisture from the fog? Slow down, girl! Panicking will not get you anywhere.
"I'm not panicking." I say the words out loud, annoyed with myself, and moderate my pace. All I have to do is go downhill until I reach the path, turn left, and keep walking. The miners' track will see me home.
But where is the track? Surely I set out in the right direction? And I've kept pretty straight, haven't I?
I steer well clear of a pond on my left; the ground around it looks wet and treacherous. As I turn away from it, a gentle breeze rolls thick fog up the valley, engulfing me. It's cold. I pull on my waterproof trousers.
The pause gives me a chance to pull myself together. When I left the top of the tor I could still just see the sun through the mist, and I walked slightly to the left of it. The time is 14:45, so the sun would have been almost south-west, and I would have been moving more or less south. I look at the map and see the pond I've just avoided. There should be a path to the west of me. I need to cross that and keep walking downhill. Where's my compass?
Once more, I delve into my backpack, feeling for the familiar plastic rectangle that houses the compass. I can't feel it. I unpack everything from the bag. It's not there.
I check my pockets. Not there. I'll just have to wing it. If I walk away from the pond, I'll cross the path and strike the miners' track. Where's the pond? I can't see it; it's hidden in the fog. I think it's over there.
I'm filled with doubt about my exact orientation. It takes an effort of will to turn ninety degrees to my right and walk forward. I move carefully, because I can't see more than about five metres. "So much for the weather forecast," I think. I try to relax, because I can feel tension in my legs and that will tire me quickly.
The ground is rough, tussocky. I must have walked several hundred metres and I still haven't crossed the path shown on the map. Is it approaching the time to phone for help? I check my mobile. No signal. "You're on your own, girl," I tell myself, firmly.
Aha! What's this? A path, as I live and breathe. Unless it's a sheep track… I shall define it as the path I've been looking for. I don't want to follow it, because it bends around to take me in the wrong direction. I must cross it.
It feels wrong to leave the relative security of the little track, and plough my way across lumps of grass and reeds, but that's what I must do. I acknowledge to myself that I'm frightened. It helps to admit the feeling.
It's soggy under foot. Every step squeezes water out of the ground. I must be careful not to step into a bog. According to the map there shouldn't be one, but am I where I think I am? I squelch onwards. Thank goodness for proper equipment; at least I'm dry, and not cold. I wish I'd remembered to check I had the compass, though. What a stupid thing to forget!
I think of my mother, and hope that Tom is coping alright with her. I said I'd be back by six o'clock at the latest. It's now half past three.
At last! A grassy ditch full of water, and beyond it a stony track. This is the miners' track! I'm safe!
I hitch my backpack into a more comfortable position, relax my muscles and stride out.
Now that I'm confident of where I am, it seems lighter. In fact, it actually is lighter; there is a patch of brightness in the sky. I walk about eight hundred metres and the sun is warm on my right cheek. The moor is familiar; I've walked this stretch several times. I'm tired, more tired than I should be after the distance, but I suppose that's down to the tension when I thought I was lost.
The walk is no longer the intense pleasure that it was when I set out, but I feel satisfaction at being within sight of completing it. I follow the track, putting one foot in front of the other, ignoring the fatigue.
So, what am I to do about Mum?
I'm going to have to turn down that job offer.
It's after five. I can see the gate at the edge of the moor. Is there a signal yet for my mobile phone?
I call Tom. Back in thirty minutes, I tell him. Put the kettle on – I need coffee!
Six weeks today, we in the UK vote in a General Election.
Let us leave aside the reasons why it was called (which are incoherent), and the reasons why the opposition MPs voted in favour of it (which are incomprehensible). Let us consider instead some information that may influence<|fim_middle|>ufferers from anxiety know that the condition can be debilitating. I was in that state some years ago; thankfully I've now recovered. In the recovery, I learned a number of mental habits that help me to avoid recurrences; living 'in the moment' is one of them; hypnosis for relaxation is another. I recently came across another influence, namely the power of symbols.
I've recently returned from a holiday in Japan. I'll start this post by confirming what a wonderful holiday it was. It was full of interest, full of beauty, full of emotion. My wife Daphne and I really enjoyed it.
Travel – especially long haul flights – can be stressful. A different culture – and Japanese culture is pretty different from European culture! – can be stressful. Visiting a place where you don't understand the language can be stressful – and although English is taught to all children in Japan, it's not widely spoken, and only the most important signs are in English as well as Japanese.
And yet I have returned feeling tranquil, and the feeling has endured. This was sufficiently unexpected that I have tried hard to understand it. I wouldn't say that I've reached any definite conclusions, but here are some of the thoughts.
So I considered in advance what might happen.
The anxiety would be very unpleasant. Could I get through an attack without going home? Yes. Could I get through two attacks without going home? Er, yes, probably. What about repeated attacks? It would spoil the holiday but I'd survive.
What about a worst-case scenario? The worst case would be that I would have repeated anxiety attacks that would leave me feeling so vulnerable that we would have to return home before the end of the tour. It would be a great shame to lose the holiday. It would cost a lot of extra money to change flights for an early return.
I consciously accepted that this could happen, and used my usual hypnotic relaxation regime to put aside any worrying about it.
I'm sure it helped. But I'm equally sure that it's not the whole story.
Could the tranquillity have arisen as a result of having succeeded in surviving the stress of the holiday? I took on the challenge of a visit that in prospect I found quite intimidating, and came through it unscathed. Was I just feeling relief?
Well, I suppose it's possible. But the tranquillity seems such an active feeling. I'm a slightly different woman from the one who set off to Japan. I would have expected relief to be a reactive feeling, and to dissipate quickly.
One of the features of the holiday was that we visited some important Buddhist temples, and Shinto shrines. Buddhism is based on the Four Noble Truths, and the Noble Eight-fold Path, and includes a recognition that human suffering is unavoidable. It also teaches, among many other things, that true happiness can be attained despite human suffering, by relinquishing useless craving and by living in the moment. Surrounded as we were by pilgrims, it seems possible that some of their piety 'rubbed off' on me, so to speak.
Beyond any of these possible explanations, though, my emotions tell me that the answer may lie in the symbol of cherry blossom. It was the 'Cherry Blossom Tour' that we took, and there were several occasions when the symbolism of the blossom overwhelmed me emotionally. The blossom is beautiful – and transient. But the symbolism goes far beyond the recurrence of beauty in the world despite personal tragedy. I can't explain it; I had to experience it.
I suspect that Japan has given me a most valuable gift. I'm so glad we took the holiday!
This poem celebrates my forty-two year marriage to Daphne. It started life as free verse, but gradually, without my conscious design, iambic pentameters started to elbow their way in. Finally I realized that my sub-conscious was wiser than my conscious; iambic pentameters, with their remorseless di-DUM, di-DUM, are the very thing for conveying the brutal march of time.
Maybe the outline always has been blurred.
And blonde, your blue eyes steadfast, thoughtful, kind.
And we become, as near as dammit, one.
Writes lines of love upon your loving face.
Not bow your head; your courage is undimmed.
The person that you were is who you are.
Wisdom and love defeat the passing years.
"How are we today? Are we happy, relaxed, in good shape?" My boss was full of bonhomie at eight o'clock in the morning.
I shrugged. I had a meeting in Coventry at ten o'clock. There was no time to waste in small talk. I drove onto the ring-road, my mind full of my forthcoming meeting. It was going to be tough, explaining to a customer why we were having difficulty meeting his product specification, and persuading him to change it. Even before the meeting I had eighty miles of rush hour traffic to negotiate in a little under two hours.
A silver Ford pulled out in front of me at a roundabout. I swore, and braked harshly. I was too busy checking the other traffic to extend the middle finger of friendship to the idiot, even though he richly deserved it. Still, it wasn't too long before I was on the motorway.
I'm a careful driver. I don't break the speed limit. I was in lane two travelling at seventy when this stupid person in a blue Vauxhall wobbled out of lane one right in front of me. He bumbled along at sixty-five. Lane three was full of traffic, so I couldn't overtake. I just had to sit there grinding my teeth until he completed overtaking the car transporter and pulled back into lane one.
I reached my customer with five minutes to spare, feeling like I'd already done a day's work.
I felt that other drivers had driven badly, and maybe they had, but did my anger at this do any good? Even if they'd noticed me, would it have changed the way they drive? Of course it wouldn't.
Driving becomes a lot less fraught when we realise that we aren't responsible for the way other people drive. It's not our job to fix their bad habits. There is absolutely no need at all to become angry, because it won't get us to our destination any quicker, and it might make us less safe.
Mindfulness can help with this. When we practise mindfulness, we aim to become aware of our emotions as they happen. The first step to avoiding anger is to recognise when we are becoming angry. Being aware of the emotion as it happens gives us the space to say, "I don't need to be angry," take a deep breath, and relax.
Mindfulness can help us to be more relaxed when driving. Why not give it a try?
John was twenty-eight when he was promoted to department manager, and Linda, his wife, suggested that they should start their family. John had been hoping to have a little spare cash so as not to need to budget quite so stringently. However, he knew Linda longed for a baby and he wanted her to be happy, and so Michael was born, and, two years later, Robert. They hadn't planned for a third, but three years after Robert's birth, little Amy came along. They coped.
Michael was always a quiet boy, but Robert was noisy right from the start. He woke frequently in the night. He was active. When he was only nine months old, he managed to climb out of his cot. Linda found him and scooped him up just before he could tumble down the stairs.
At school, Michael was the bright one, but Robert was the one that the teachers liked. "He'll go far, that lad," said the headteacher at his primary school.
And he did. He took a gap year before university, which became two gap years, which became wandering the world doing casual work, acquiring skills and languages. He visited the South Pacific and Patagonia, the rain forest in Brazil and in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He was bitten by a venomous snake in Australia, and by a tarantula in South America. His complexion was mahogany, and his countenance cheerful and untroubled.
Michael studied at Nottingham University, and, after graduating, became an accountant. He was an excellent accountant. He prospered. By the time he was forty, he was married to the beautiful Caitlin, and had one son, Tarquin, and two daughters, Anastasia and Persephone. They lived in a large house in Winchester, and Michael had a pied-a-terre in London where he lived during the working week.
Occasionally Robert would phone Michael; to give him news, to find out how their parents were, and to make sure that Michael knew where to contact him. Michael seldom tried to phone Robert; he knew from experience that Robert's phone number changed frequently. Several times a year Michael would despatch some luxury that he knew Robert particularly enjoyed – Cuban cigars were a special favourite – to the most recent address he had. And Michael would pass on a circumspect account of Robert's latest exploits to their parents when he telephoned them once a fortnight.
The day came, of course, when Michael needed to contact Robert urgently. Their father, John, was ill; a major heart attack. Michael sent a letter to all the most recent addresses he had for Robert, and then sat down with his phone and a list of all the phone numbers that Robert had used for the last five years. It wasn't until he tried the last number on his list that he made contact.
Jungles aren't as impenetrable they used to be, especially when you're as resourceful as Robert. He was in London with Michael, beside his father's hospital bed, within seventy-two hours. John looked at him, and grinned weakly.
"You're both here? I really must be on my last legs," he joked, and, closing his eyes, drifted off into that halfway house to death that is unconsciousness.
"You know, I think I'd better stop tramping the world," said Robert to Michael, across the bed.
The two brothers looked at each other over the unconscious form of their father.
At the foot of the bed, their sister Amy was focussed on him.
She stood up, bleary-eyed after her vigil.
"Oh, what beautiful flowers!" she exclaimed. "Did you bring them, Robert? They're gorgeous! I hope you'll come round and see us now you're in England for a few days." She hugged her brothers, beamed at them, and went home. | how we vote.
What are our liberal values in the context of this election? The hallmark of a liberal society is that it accords equal respect to every member. An absolute pre-requisite is that the society looks after its weak members. People should not go hungry. They should have good accommodation. They should receive good healthcare promptly.
One measure of whether people are going hungry is the number of people requiring help from a food bank. A major provider of such help is the Trussel Trust Foundation. They provide 3-day emergency packs for people who cannot afford to buy food. They report figures showing a dramatic and continuing rise in the need for these packs.
How about adequate accommodation? Homeless Link is an agency that works with government and other providers to help reduce homelessness. They have reported the following statistics.
The data for temporary accommodation was taken from a graph, and has been rounded to the nearest thousand. You can find the data here.
The target time for Ambulance Trusts to respond to Red 1 emergency calls is 8 minutes. When this was introduced in June 2012, it was missed 24% of the time. This has now risen to 33% of the time.
A&E Departments have a target that no-one should wait more than 4 hours from arrival to admission, or transfer, or discharge (as appropriate). During 2009 – 10 this was missed less than 2% of the time. It's now being missed 10% of the time.
The target for waiting time after diagnosis is that fewer than 8% of patients should wait longer than 18 weeks before the start of treatment. In 2012, this target was being met comfortably; fewer than 6% of patients waited longer than the target time. The latest report notes that the target has now been missed for ten consecutive months, and exceeds 10%.
I haven't 'cherry-picked' these numbers. The data are largely from government bodies. There are many more statistics saying the same thing.
Over the period during which we have had a Conservative government, more people have gone hungry; more people have gone homeless; and people have found it harder to obtain care from the NHS.
We are one of the richest nations in the world; our government has been steadily and knowingly providing less help for those who need it most; and this is having an impact on the lives of millions of people.
Today, now, we have people who don't have enough to eat, don't have anywhere to sleep, who are dying because they're not receiving medical help in time.
So, back to this election.
I would normally vote Green. I'm a Green party member. However, if this Conservative government remains in power, the data above suggest that life for the poorest will become even worse.
Consequently, if it starts to look as though a particular candidate can challenge the current Conservative MP in my constituency, then I shall vote for that candidate. It goes against the grain for me; I would far rather vote Green; but the stakes are just too high.
S | 636 |
Celebrations of St. Patrick's Day, and all things Irish, including Parades and parties honoring the patron saint of Ireland will be a highlight in major United States cities, as well as Dublin, Ireland on March 17th. Below you will find a favorite St. Pat's Day recipe for corned beef and cabbage to enjoy at your 'wearing of the green' celebration dinner. New York, Boston and Chicago all feature great parades to celebrate this great day! Chicago dyes the river green, but it has<|fim_middle|> as Los Angeles Trave Show with destinations and culinary treasures to enjoy. Please contact us with any questions regarding editorial requests or advertising rates. | been frozen solid so who knows? World of Pinot Noir happened at the Ritz Carlton Bacarra and was a hub of outstanding wine experts and wine lovers.
February was the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. This month brought some fantastic talent at the Grammy Awards, and it is now time to honor excellence in entertainment reporting on the Academy Awards Oscar presentations to honor excellence in film in Hollywood, where the best of the best went home with the golden guy. Once again we visited celebrity gifting suites presented by special event professionals at all the Best Beverly Hills & Hollywood Hotels. GBK at The Chanel Annex on Rodeo was outstanding, as was seeing Gavin Keilly again. This was one of the best Oscar Awards - the best I've seen yet, and Actor John Voigt agreed with me!
See BookBites for some wonderful new reads. So many great new cookbooks coming out this year. Enjoy the recipes below to celebrate St. Pat's Day with your family at home. So enjoyed an early St. Pat's party with the Dingle Ireland Sister City Group at Pilgrims Court in Santa Barbara complete with Irish entertainment (see story in culinary coup section). I also covered the Barbara Ireland Walk for Cancer kick-off at Dargan's Irish Pub and walked with them on did the walk.
See a beautiful poem on Ireland by my grand uncle John Walsh in our BookBites section. John wrote co-authored a book of poems while he was in a seminary, but later became a co-founder of the American Theatre Guild, and co-founder of the first Catholic Motion Picture Company in Hollywood.
Happy March birthday wishes to my son Michael, and friend Rosemary Redlin. Hope you fish have a swimmingly fun and fantastic time!
Thank you for joining us this month, and we hope you enjoy our "It's nice to be Irish" issue. We wish you happy travels in 2019. Join us next month for our health and food news from the Natural Products Show in Anaheim, as well | 405 |
Have you ever wondered where and how is slate? From the pit to the roof or the facade of Your house slate tile goes a long way. The production process is more manual work than mechanical, which You ever could have imagined.
Step-by-step production of roofing slate , or as they say slate shingles.
1. Before shale tile<|fim_middle|> are selected according to their quality and capacity on the part of the production team and cut into different sizes.
4. The next step is the formation.
Then the smaller blocks are split manually by skilled artisans on a plate with a given thickness, one after the other.
This stage of processing slate tiles the most important and time-consuming, likely much more time consuming than You might imagine.
5. Mechanical processing of slate. When performing this operation, the shale plates gives the final shape and size.
Beveled edge slate prevents the penetration of rainwater when the wind is strong and also promotes the directed drainage of precipitation into the drainage system.
Once the process is completed, the slate passes the final inspection, and sorted by quality.
After categorization, slate tiles are counted and Packed in wooden pallets for storage and subsequent delivery. | experts-geologists conducting a lot of surveys and sample testing of the breed to learn the best areas for extraction of slate. The extraction of mining deposits begins only when is verified the quality and purity of shale meets the standard.
Shale rock is sawn into large flat plates with diamond beads on a steel cable. The machines are installed on rails which allow you to move them while maintaining an adequate length and tension steel cable, for efficient sawing of the block.
Then the plates carefully cut into smaller natural slate blocks, loaded into trucks and transported to the factories near the quarry. The transformation process begins.
Blocks of slate | 124 |
A couple personalizes their wedding in less than five months.
Tricia Dever and Travis Durham met unexpectedly. Tricia, from Meredith, New Hampshire, had recently moved to Charleston and was buying groceries at Kroger. While waiting in line, she noticed that the man before her had an insane amount of Monster Energy cans in his cart. She made fun of him, they talked for a while, and they exchanged numbers before they left.
After dating for a year and a half, Travis bought a vintage ring with a round purple amethyst stone—Tricia's favorite color—and planned a picnic at Hawks Nest State Park in Ansted. They got to a hill, lay down a blanket, and set up the picnic. "He was so nervous, he forgot the<|fim_middle|> frosting from Rock City Cake Company. Tricia's sons and nephew were the designated cake bearers.
As wedding favors, Travis and Tricia bought books for each one of their guests. They didn't want to give them something that would be tucked away and forgotten in a junk drawer. "We took the time to pick out an individual book for each guest that kind of reflected something about them," Travis says. It was one of the most unique elements of their wedding.
In the end, even if it was for one day, Tricia and Travis finally had their families together. Everyone was laughing and dancing. It was their ideal wedding—personal and unforgettable. | bread," Tricia laughs. "But I didn't think anything of it." When the time came, Travis tried to get down on one knee but he kept slipping on the blanket. They couldn't stop laughing, until he finally asked the question and she immediately said yes.
For their venue, the couple chose Woman's Club of Charleston. They wanted a small wedding, and the Woman's Club provided the ideal, comfortable room for their ceremony and reception.
Right from the start, Tricia knew her sister was going to make her dress. But in lieu of a white gown, Tricia wanted a colorful dress she could wear again and again. While looking for fabrics online, she came across a taffeta with a green, black, and purple plaid pattern. "I saw the picture and it was everything that I wanted without realizing that it's what I wanted," she says.
Travis and Tricia's wedding was unique. The flowers were handmade by Tricia, her sister, and her closest friend. The roses were book pages from Tricia's favorite book, A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter. Her sister made the burlap flowers on the drive from Tucson, Arizona, and she helped Tricia make the purple tweed roses a few nights before the wedding. The couple also had their favorite books as part of the décor.
The reception was comfortable and cozy. The couple shared their first dance to "Can't Help Falling In Love" by Elvis Presley. The father-daughter dance was performed to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," and later turned into a mother-son dance when Tricia's two boys jumped in to dance with her. For dinner, guests enjoyed pizza from Pies & Pints. The purple wedding cake was a spice cake with cream cheese | 369 |
Diablo Steve panhandles at a busy intersection
Tags: class, crime/law/deviance, marriage/family, methodology/statistics, drugs, ethnography, homelessness, visual<|fim_middle|> a busy intersection, where they carry out their panhandling "hustle." The film sticks with Steve and Pam as they navigate various modes of transportation throughout the day, until finally setting up camp at a homeless shelter, where they attempt to get some relief in a momentary and fleeting setting of "home." Although the film neither expresses judgement nor engages in the kind of overt analyses one typically finds in films that include interviews and narration, assistant videographer Thom Fredericks notes that "Ultimately the film represents an effort to analyze marriage and the ways in which the meaning of marriage has changed in society." In the context of a sociology class, instructors can easily draw on the film as a basis for contemplating a range of other topics, including homelessness, substance abuse, and deviance. The film is also an excellent example of visual ethnography, which is a form of ethnographic research that incorporates photography, video, or hypermedia.
Submitted By: Thom Fredericks | ethnography, substance abuse, 06 to 10 mins
Summary: This observational film from filmmaker Greg Scott and a crew of sociologists chronicles the daily lives of Diablo Steve and Sapphire Pam, a homeless and heroin-addicted married couple. Beginning with a brief wedding anniversary celebration, the camera follows Steve and Pam as they go about their daily routine, which includes a visit to a "shooting gallery," where they inject their "medicine," and a visit to | 95 |
With low fertility rates and an aging workforce putting stress on this province's labour force, stronger parental leave policies in Newfoundland and Labrador wouldn't just be good for families — they'd be good for the provincial economy.
In her report Transitioning Into and Out of Parental Leave: Recommendations for Three Stages of Support, Department of Sociology master's student Jenna Hawkins suggests policy changes that would increase support for working mothers, and their families, before, during and after the birth of a child.
The importance of making sure that women can transition in and out of the workforce with ease has also been identified as an important one by business, labour and government in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Ms. Hawkins' work was funded through the Strategic Partnership's Student Research Fund, a Harris Centre-managed fund that provides support for Memorial undergraduate and graduate students to undertake research on public policy issues related to the province's social and economic development. The fund is a partnership of business, labour and government dedicated to improving the quality of life of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador through sustainable, balanced economic and social development.
"In the province, and in Canada as a whole, we're seeing a demographic shift happening. We're expecting to see a gap between the people we need for the workforce and the number of available workers. More and more, women are going to be called on to fill those roles," said Ms. Hawkins. "We're going to need to offer better support to allow them to do that.
"Among other things, our society is built on work and reproduction," she continued. "If women decide, 'I'm not going to struggle through balancing a job and a family. I'm just going to work,' then you've got the problem of a depleting population. Conversely, if a woman decides to leave the workforce, choosing children over a job, the labour market challenge gets worse.
Along with assessing the current state of working mothers in Newfoundland and Labrador, and suggesting improvements, Ms. Hawkins' report<|fim_middle|> They've moved ahead with more generous wage-replacement rates, and a paternity leave as well," Ms. Hawkins said.
Interestingly, although her report is focused primarily on policies that would directly impact mothers, Ms. Hawkins believes that father-friendly policies would also be a positive step forward.
"While my research suggests that mothers bear the brunt of the 'working parent challenges,' fathers need to be supported too, I am particularly excited about the possibility of extending paternity leave to fathers. It's an excellent way to encourage fathers, and to support working families," concluded Ms. Hawkins.
The Harris Centre is now accepting applications for the Strategic Partnership Student Research Fund. For more information, please visit www.mun.ca/harriscentre. There you will also find Jenna Hawkins' report. | also shares best-case-scenario practices from around the world.
"The Nordic countries have great supports for working mothers. They've got childcare, a lengthy parental leave and a much more generous monetary support system to help women have children while working," said Ms. Hawkins.
Closer to home, the Quebec model is something to work towards.
"Quebec's new parental leave support program takes important steps forward that the rest of Canada has not. | 87 |
Exiger Appoints Jill Denham to Board of Directors
Exiger
TORONTO and NEW YORK, Nov. 27, 20<|fim_middle|>www.exiger.com
Exiger Receives $70 Million Growth Facility from Monroe Capital...
LMI and Exiger Collaboration Brings AI/ML Supply Chain Resiliency ... | 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Exiger, the leader in the provision of technology-enabled regulatory, financial crime, risk, and compliance solutions, is pleased to announce that Jill Denham has been appointed to its Board of Directors. Ms. Denham is a renowned senior executive and corporate director in financial services and other industries.
Ms. Denham brings over 20 years' experience in both investment and commercial banking to Exiger's Board, where she serves alongside Exiger's Michael Cherkasky (Executive Chairman) and Michael Beber (President & CEO) in addition to Carrick Capital Partner's newly appointed members, Jim Madden and Mike Salvino.
"We're thrilled to have Jill join our Board. Her extensive leadership and Board experience and expertise in financial services, tech and tech-enabled services will serve us well," said Michael Cherkasky, Executive Chairman. "We look forward to working with Jill as we continue to execute on our growth strategy, serving our clients, globally."
Ms. Denham spent much of her career at CIBC in roles including Vice-Chair of CIBC's Retail Bank, President of Merchant Banking / Private Equity and Head of CIBC Europe. Currently, Ms. Denham Chairs the Board of Directors of Morneau Shepell Inc., Munich Reinsurance Company of Canada and Temple Insurance Company. Ms. Denham also sits on additional Boards, including National Bank of Canada, Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, and Kinaxis Inc. Previously, Ms. Denham was a member of the Task Force on the Future of Securities Regulation in Canada and on the Board of Directors and Chair of the Human Resources and Compensation Committee of the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board. She holds an HBA degree from the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
About Exiger
Exiger is a global regulatory and financial crime, risk and compliance company. Exiger arms financial institutions, multinational corporations and governmental agencies with the practical advice and technology solutions they need to prevent compliance breaches, respond to risk, remediate major issues and monitor ongoing business activities. Exiger works with clients worldwide to assist them in effectively managing their critical challenges while developing and implementing the policies, procedures and programs needed to create a sustainable compliance environment. A global authority on regulatory compliance, the company also oversees some of the world's most complex court-appointed and voluntary monitorships in the private and public sectors. Exiger has four principal business units being: Exiger Advisory; Exiger Diligence; Exiger Government Services; and Exiger Tech, including AI-based automated due diligence solutions DDIQ and Insight 3PM. Exiger operates through offices in New York City, Silver Spring (DC Metro), Toronto, Vancouver, London, Bucharest, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
Canada / USA
Kody Gurfein
SOURCE Exiger
http:// | 580 |
10 highlights from the new Literature Review into Legacy Giving
There has been a proliferation of research into legacy giving and related areas, particularly over the last 10 years.
But much of this research is hard to<|fim_middle|> value. A long-term approach to a younger audience with a focus on stewardship can be an effective strategy.
Donors don't want public displays of recognition for their legacy gifts, which they consider as ostentatious, but instead prefer more subtle ways to remember their gift (or that of a loved one) such as communal memorials or events to see the impact of a gift up close.
A full copy of the legacy giving literature review is available to download at http://legacyvoice.co.uk/legacy-giving-research/
Ashley Rowthorn, Director at Legacy Voice | access and little understood which is a real problem for fundraisers and the non-profit sector as a whole.
It is a problem because the more we learn about legacy giving, the more we understand that it is completely different to lifetime giving. And without a better understanding into the how, what and why of legacy giving, we will be completely ineffective as fundraisers. This could cost the sector literally billions of pounds in lost funding, given the transfer of wealth that is projected to take place in the UK over the next 20-30 years.
But there is hope for fundraisers thanks to the publication of a world's-first literature review into legacy giving, commissioned by Legacy Voice and carried out by Professor Adrian Sargeant and Dr Claire Routley at the University of Plymouth's philanthropy team.
In it you will find masses of information from more than 160 published papers across fundraising, marketing, sociology, psychology and behavioural economics.
Below we have highlighted 10 things you can learn from research, which we hope can help you grasp the opportunity that legacy giving has to offer. Not just in financial terms for your organisation, but also for the many positive ways legacy giving can help your donors too.
75% of the population are actively motivated to die with a positive net worth and leave something behind for future generations.
Legacy giving is proven to be good for you. Particularly later in life, it helps people age well, to find a new sense of purpose and even increases self-esteem.
Most of your donors are good legacy prospects. While people are naturally older when they die and finally leave a gift to charity, people of all ages can and do make charitable wills. By the age of 40, most people will have experienced a life change that puts them in a position to contemplate making a will and therefore a charitable gift.
The biggest barrier to will making is apathy, with most people saying they haven't got round to it yet. The biggest barrier to leaving a gift to charity in a will is having children.
Effective legacy giving language is completely different, opposite even, to effective lifetime giving language. If our fundraising communications fail to reflect this fact they will be completely ineffective.
Stories and storytelling is proven to be a very effective technique in legacy fundraising. Tapping into the life story of a donor, and the power of social norming, we find that the more stories we tell, and the more the story reflects the readers own life, the more they are likely to consider a legacy gift themselves.
Potential legacy donors highly scrutinize the organisations they give to and are concerned by issues of trust, the quality of communications they receive and the impact of charity programmes. They can undertake extensive research before they give, and even deliberately test the organisation to gauge their responsiveness.
There is growing evidence of the importance of stewardship in legacy giving. Organisations that invest in stewardship convert more supporters into legacy donors and of a higher value.
While the last will distributes the estate to charity, there is good evidence that gifts in earlier wills can remain for life and those that do increase in | 622 |
2003-09-11 Assigned to ESPEED, INC. reassignment ESPEED, INC. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: HEATON, TIMOTHY H.
A graphical user interface related to non-standard settlement trading in financial instruments is provided. The graphical user interface preferably includes a selectable portion of a display screen related to a financial instrument and a selectable tab for accessing a selectable portion of the display screen related to one or a plurality of non-standard settlement positions with respect to the financial instrument. In one embodiment of the invention, when the tab is selected, access is provided to the selectable portion of the display screen related to the plurality of non-standard settlement positions.
This invention relates to the trading of securities. More particularly, this invention relates to trading financial instruments for non-standard settlement. Such non-standard settlement (for United States Treasuries, the standard settlement is next day) may be immediate—i.e., in the cash market for immediate settlement—or forward settlement—i.e., further into the future than the next day.
One type of such a non-standard settlement is forward contract. A forward contract for a purchase or sale greater than one day into the future is a transaction in which a seller agrees to deliver a specific commodity or instrument to a buyer at some non-standard time in the future. Unlike futures contracts (which may occur through a clearing firm), forward contracts are typically privately negotiated and are not standardized. Consequently, the two parties to the forward contract must bear each other's credit risk. This is not the case with a futures contract. Also, because the contracts are not exchange traded, there is no marking to market requirement, which may allow a buyer to avoid almost all capital outflow initially (though some counterparties might set collateral requirements). Given the lack of standardization in these contracts, there is generally no secondary market in forwards.
The forward price is typically adjusted such that the forward contract has no intrinsic value when the contract is written. However, if the value of the underlying commodity or instrument changes, the value of the forward contract becomes positive or negative, depending on the position held.
Forwards are priced similarly to futures contracts. Like in the case of a futures contract, the first step in pricing a forward is to add the spot price to the cost of carry. The cost of carry may include interest forgone on the underlying instrument (a positive carry), storage costs (a negative carry) or other suitable costs. The constant accruing of income associated with interest-rate related instruments is one form of carry related to engaging in a forward sale of the interest-rate related instruments. Interest-rate related instruments typically include fixed-income securities such as United States Treasury Bills, Notes, and Bonds, or variable interest-rate instruments such as inflation-based bonds.
For example, when an investor agrees to sell an interest-rate related instrument at a pre-determined time in the future—e.g., in a month's time—then the value of the interest-rate related security necessarily declines during the month because a portion of the constant accruing associated with the instrument (that forms a part of the value of the instrument at the time of the agreement to the contract) is not part of the final transaction. Therefore, a price associated with selling a forward contract for interest-rate related instrument typically decreases as the period for the forward contract increases and creates a positive carry environment.
Unlike a futures contract, however, the price of a forward contract may also include a premium for counterparty credit risk, and the fact that there is not a daily marking to market process to minimize default risk. If no allowance is made for these credit risks, then the forward price will equal the futures price.
One particular position in a forward agreement is selling in a forward contract. Selling in a forward contract, also known as a short forward position, is the agreement to sell securities, or any other suitable financial instrument, at a pre-determined time in the future. The seller may or may not own the item or items specified in the forward contract at the time of agreeing to the forward contract.
Another position in a typical forward agreement to purchase securities at a pre-determined time in the future is known as a long forward position. In a long forward position, the investor agrees to purchase one or many securities at the present price at some point in the future with the hopes of the security increasing in value before the execution of the forward contract.
As described above, in a short position, the investor agrees to sell one security or many securities at the present (or otherwise agreed upon) price, in the hopes that the security will decline in value so that the investor can purchase the security later at a lower price, thereby "covering" his short forward position. Thus, the investor can make money on a short sale if the price of the security drops subsequent to the investor initially agreeing to sell the security at the present price at some time in the future.
The manner by which an investor would sell a security short at some time in the future is to own the security at the delivery date (either by buying it or borrowing it) and then sell the borrowed security from his own account. The only caveat to this process is that the investor may be required to put up a certain amount of margin—a portion of the total amount at risk—to assure the sale. The margin requirement ensures that any short forward sale is associated with a certain amount of leverage.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide systems and methods for providing a graphical user interface that allows a user to quickly and easily participate—e.g., buy and/or sell—in a non-standard settlement market for financial instruments.
In is an object of the invention to provide systems and methods for providing a graphical user interface that allows a user to quickly and easily participate in a non-standard settlement market for financial instruments.
In one embodiment of the invention, a graphical user interface is defined. The interface preferably includes a selectable portion of a display screen related to a financial instrument, a selectable tab for accessing a selectable portion of the display screen related to a non-standard settlement position with respect to the financial instrument. When the tab is selected, access is provided to the selectable portion of the display screen related to non-standard settlement position.
FIG. 6 is a graphical user interface relating to trading an instrument according to the invention.
The invention provides apparatus and methods relating to a graphical user interface that allows a user to quickly and easily sell an interest-rate related instrument, or other suitable financial instrument, for non-standard settlement. The invention further allows a user to sell an interest-rate related security for non-standard settlement by taking advantage of liquidity in the market for a cash equivalent of the future instrument.
Referring to FIG. 1, exemplary system 100 for implementing the present invention is shown. As illustrated, system 100 may include one or more workstations 101. Workstations 101 may be local or remote, and are connected by one or more communications links 102 to computer network 103 that is linked via communications links 105 to server 104. Server 104 is linked via communications link 110 to back office clearing center 112.
In system 100, server 104 may be any suitable server, processor, computer, data processing device, or combination of the same. Server 104 may be used to process and settle the executed trades.
Workstations 101 may be personal computers, laptop computers, mainframe computers, dumb terminals, data displays, Internet browsers, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), two-way pagers, wireless terminals, portable telephones, etc., or any combination of the same. Workstations 101 may be used to enter into and proceed with the trades that relate to the present invention, and display a graphical user interface to users of system 100 as will be described in more detail below.
Back office clearing center 112 may be any suitable equipment, such as a computer, a laptop computer, a mainframe computer, etc., or any combination of the same, for causing trades to be cleared and/or verifying that trades are cleared. Communications link 110 may be any communications links suitable for communicating data between server 104 and back office clearing center 112, such as network links, dial-up links, wireless links, hard-wired links, etc.
The server, the back office clearing center, and one of the workstations, which are depicted in FIG. 1, are illustrated in more detail in FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 2, workstation 101 may include processor 201, display 202, input device 203, and memory 204, which may be interconnected. In a preferred embodiment, memory 204 contains a storage device for storing a workstation program for controlling processor 201. Processor 201 may use the workstation program to present on display 202 a graphical user interface to a user of workstation 101. Furthermore, input device 203 may be used by the user to enter bids and offers, modify them, and to enter into trades involving the interest-rate related instruments.
Server 104 may include processor 211, display 212, input device 213, and memory 214, which may be interconnected. In a preferred embodiment, memory 214 contains a storage device for storing graphical interface information as well as trade information. The storage device further contains a server program for controlling processor 211. Processor 211 uses the server program to transact the purchase and sale of the interest-rate-related instruments. Processor 211 may include graphical interface processor 215 that provides the graphical user interface based on market conditions or other criteria that may relate to the instruments. Processor 211 may include trade processor 216 that executes and processes trades.
Back office clearing center 112 may include processor 221, display 222, input device 223, and memory 224, which may be interconnected. In a preferred embodiment, memory 224 contains a storage device for storing a clearing program for controlling processor 221. Processor 221 uses the clearing program to clear executed trades, thereby facilitating the transfer of securities resulting from the executed trades. Clearing executed trades may preferably include exchanging currency for an instrument.
FIG. 3 shows a flow diagram that illustrates a method that may be implemented on a graphical user interface according to the invention. It should be noted that the flow diagram in FIG. 3 deals specifically with a particular type of non-standard settlement—i.e., a short forward sale. Nevertheless, it should be understood that the invention is not limited by this example and, in fact, systems and methods according to the invention apply to any suitable non-standard settlement for a financial instrument.
Step 301 shows a trading system according to the invention which receives a short forward request from a short participant (SP). The request may be the result of user interaction with the interface shown in FIG. 4. In step 301, the trading system preferably receives and holds a margin associated with the short request and may receive a trading system service charge.
Step 302 shows the trading system communicating with the Repurchase (Repo) desk. To fully understand the invention, the following explanation of a Repo desk (at least with respect<|fim_middle|>-standard settlement position state.
15. The graphical user interface of claim 14, wherein, in the trading state, the selectable portion of a display screen related to a financial instrument and the selectable tab are displayed, and in the non-standard settlement position state, the selectable portion of a display screen related to a financial instrument and the non-standard settlement position with respect to the financial instrument are displayed.
16. The graphical user interface of claim 9, wherein the selectable portion of the display screen related to a non-standard settlement position with respect to the financial instrument is adapted to display a plurality of non-standard settlement positions. | to government securities, though the same function may still be served with respect to other instruments) is helpful. The Repo desk provides a form of short term borrowing for dealers in government securities. The dealer sells the government securities to investors, and buys the securities back at the original price (minus a service charge associated with the service provided by the Repo desk) as needed. For the party selling the security (and agreeing to repurchase it in the future), it is a repurchase agreement or "repo"; for the party on the other end of the transaction (buying the security and agreeing to sell in the future) it is a reverse repurchase agreement. It should be further noted that the Repo desk may be able to obtain the best available repo rate for the particular instrument because the repo desk is generally knowledgable with respect to the various competitive repo rates in the market. Alternatively, the repo desk may query the market—e.g., with a request for quote—for the most agressive bidder interested in taking part the in the non-standard settlement transaction initiated by the market participant.
With respect to the present invention, the Repo desk provides the cost information associated with the predetermined completion date of the forward contract. In this particular example, the cost information reflects the charge for obtaining and holding the instrument until the execution date of the forward contract. It is appropriate for the Repo desk to be in possession of such information because trading at the Repo desk typically reflects the cost of borrowing a particular security for a particular period of time: the required service in this embodiment of the invention.
where AIR is the Annual Interest Rate for the particular interest-rate related instrument being used in the non-standard settlement. Thus, the carry cost will be a negative number, representing a positive carry—i.e., the one who carries the item is making, not losing, money—which indicates that P0 is incrementally higher than P1 because of the interest that has been foregone for the time owned by the investor, plus a suitable repurchase charge.
In step 303, in addition to providing cost information, as shown in step 302, the Repo desk also may sell (or hold in escrow) item X to SP at P0 on condition to repurchase from SP on day N at P o * ( 1 + AIR * N 365 ) .
The TS purchases item X at P0 from the Repo desk for resale at a later date. Thus, the Repo desk takes a long position in item X for the pendency of the contract. Thereafter, the TS sells item X substantially immediately in the cash market.
Step 304 shows a suitable delay until day N at which the short forward position is covered. The covering of the short position is shown in steps 305-307.
Step 305 shows the trading system, on behalf of the short participant, buying on day N the instrument X in the cash market. An additional suitable cash trades (CT) service charge may be charged to the short forward participant. To close out the position of the short forward participant, the short forward participant will be required to return the purchased item X to the Repo desk or extend—i.e., roll over—his obligation to the Repo desk. Either of these actions may preferably be carried out on his behalf by the trading system.
Thereafter, step 306 shows the trading system passing to the short participant the item X value difference between day 0 and day N reduced by the amount of interest earned (and the concomitant reduction in value of the instrument) between day 0 and day N, if any; and reduced by the repo desk service charge, the cash trade service charge and the trading system service charge.
In the example shown in FIG. 3 the position described is a short forward position, but systems and methods according to the invention apply to both a short and a long forward position, as well as to any other suitable non-standard instrument—as will be further evident from the following. It should be noted as well that one important aspect of the invention is that systems and methods according to the invention preferably utilize tradable components—i.e., components related to standard instruments, to form a contract related to forwards or other non-standard settlements instruments. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, a Repo desk trader may be able to utilize any liquidity provided on such a system of non-standard settlement to participate in trades as the particular needs of his desk or associated positions dictate.
The process of providing the opportunity to establish a non-standard forward position is enhanced by the graphical user interface 400 (GUI) shown in FIG. 4. GUI 400 preferably includes at least two columns 410 and 420. Column 410 shows the instrument that is being offered to the forward participant and the various settlement dates at which the forward participant may choose to settle his forward position. The dates range from one day in the future to 90 days in the future at varying increments. Any suitable date may be implemented in the GUI.
Column 420 shows the various prices for the various dates. The prices are based on the cash price at the top of column 420 and may be extrapolated off of the cash price based on the length of the forward contract, the annual interest rate and current market conditions (typically obtained from the Repo desk). Alternatively, one of the forward positions may reflect actual market conditions and the cash price and the other short positions may be extrapolated from the market conditions for the one short position. Thus, at least in one embodiment of the invention, the prices for the various forward contracts may take advantage of the liquidity of trading of instruments at the cash price.
It should be noted that where only one of a bid or offer is shown in the underlying market, then any extrapolated market will also preferably only be able to show a bid or an offer.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 5, the currently traded price 510 may be shown at the top of a screen and then, in response to some input signal—e.g., a click from a mouse—the top of the screen may be expanded to the drop-down menu 520 shown in FIG. 5 (which is the same as the screen shown in FIG. 4). In this way, a minimum of area may be displayed on the screen and the larger portion of the menu adapted for trading the forward contracts may be hidden, yet easily accessible. In one embodiment according to the invention, a tab 530 may be attached at the bottom of the traded price 510. Tab 530 may be used to access the list of forward contracts available to an investor. Though drop-down menu 520 shows a plurality of non-standard settlement positions, it should be noted that the invention describes a drop-down menu with even a single non-standard settlement position.
FIG. 6 shows an interface 600 that may be provided in response to receive an input message such as a mouse click on one—e.g., settle at r+6—of the drop down menu 520 in FIG. 5. Interface 600 shown in FIG. 6 may be presented on a display of user computer 102 of FIG. 1.
In order to submit a bid or offer for the forward instrument indicated in display 601 using interface 600, an investor may first set a bid or offer price and a bid or offer size by entering the appropriate values in fields 624 and 630, respectively, using up/down buttons 626, 628, 632, and/or 634 and/or using keypad 602. Once the desired price and size for the bid or offer have been specified, the trader may then submit the bid or offer by pressing bid button 604 or the offer button 614.
In order to hit a bid or lift (or take) an offer for the instrument indicated in display 601 using interface 600, an investor may first specify a size in field 630 using up/down buttons 632 and/or 634 and/or using keypad 602. Once the desired size has been specified, the trader may then hit the bid or lift (or take) the offer for the specified size by pressing sell button 606 or buy button 604, respectively.
In the event that a trader desires to cancel a bid, an offer, a hit, or a lift (or take), the trader may press any corresponding one of buttons 608, 610, 616, 618, 620 and 622.
Thus, a graphical user interface for providing an investor with opportunities to take non-standard positions with respect to a financial instrument, especially an interest-rate related instrument, is provided.
wherein when the tab is selected, access is provided to the selectable portion of the display screen related to the forward position.
2. The graphical user interface of claim 1, wherein the portion of the display screen related to the financial instrument reflects market conditions for the financial instrument.
3. The graphical user interface of claim 1, wherein the portion of the display screen related to a financial instrument and the portion of the display screen related to the forward position each reflects market conditions related to the trading of the financial instrument.
4. The graphical user interface of claim 1, wherein the portion of the display screen related to a financial instrument and the portion of the display screen related to the forward position each reflects market conditions related to the trading of one of the forward positions.
5. The graphical user interface of claim 1, wherein the financial instrument is an interest-rate related instrument.
6. The graphical user interface of claim 1, further comprising a trading state and a forward position state.
7. The graphical user interface of claim 6, wherein, in the trading state, the selectable portion of a display screen related to a financial instrument and the selectable tab are displayed, and in the forward position state, the selectable portion of a display screen related to a financial instrument and the forward position with respect to the financial instrument are displayed.
8. The graphical user interface of claim 1, wherein the selectable portion of the display screen related to a forward position with respect to the financial instrument is adapted to display a plurality of forward positions.
wherein when the tab is selected, access is provided to the selectable portion of the display screen related to the non-standard settlement position.
10. The graphical user interface of claim 9, wherein the portion of the display screen related to a financial instrument reflects market conditions for the financial instrument.
11. The graphical user interface of claim 9, wherein the portion of the display screen related to a financial instrument and the portion of the display screen related to the non-standard settlement position each reflects market conditions related to the trading of the financial instrument.
12. The graphical user interface of claim 9, wherein the portion of the display screen related to a financial instrument and the portion of the display screen related to the non-standard settlement position each reflects market conditions related to the trading of one of the non-standard settlement positions.
13. The graphical user interface of claim 9, wherein the financial instrument is an interest-rate related instrument.
14. The graphical user interface of claim 9, further comprising a trading state and a non | 2,355 |
Business Centres Leighton Buzzard: Use the first class google street plan just below to identify business centres obtainable within the Leighton Buzzard locality.
Displayed on the map on this page are the actual Google business entries in relation to business centres relevant to the town of Leighton Buzzard, to see business results over a wider zone use the zoom out function (minus). In this way you will see listings for: Milton Bryant, Wingrave, Battlesden, Cheddington, Horton, Toddington, Dunstable, Hockliffe, Briggington, Clipstone, Soulbury, Grove, Billington, Stoke Hammond, Wingfield, Houghton Regis, Slapton, Little Billington, Burcott, Bragenham, Stewkley, Little Brickhill, Eaton Bray, Luton, Linslade, Tebworth, Stanbridge, Wing, Great Brickhill, Eggington, Mentmore, Heath and Reach.
Alternative places for you to find directories of Leighton Buzzard business centres could be: Tipped, Hotfrog, Gomy, Scoot, Free Index, Britaine, Business Directory UK, U Find Us, Places Locally, My Local Services, 192, City Local, 118 118, Brown Book, Yell, Wahanda, My Sheriff.
Business Centres Tags: Leighton Buzzard business centres Beds, Leighton Buzzard business centres businesses, Leighton Buzzard business centres needed, Leighton Buzzard business centres Bedfordshire, Leighton Buzzard local business centres, Leighton Buzzard business centres required, Leighton Buzzard business centres wanted, Leighton Buzzard business centres services, Leighton Buzzard business centres reviews, Leighton Buzzard area business centres, Leighton Buzzard business centres jobs, Leighton Buzzard business centres near me, Leighton Buzzard business centres available and more.
Located in the county of Beds, the charming town of Leighton Buzzard stands near to the border in between Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, on the Grand Union Canal, Leighton Buzzard has a resident population of around 37,000 and a history going back to the Roman era, at which time the historic Watling St (now the A-5) passed the town. These days Leighton Buzzard is coupled with the nearby town of Linslade and it is roughly halfway between Milton Keynes (Bucks) and Luton, it can be found next to the Chilterns and has a substantial sand quarrying industry.
Leighton Buzzard Through the Ages: It is felt that there had been settlements in or around what is now called Leighton Buzzard going back to prehistoric times, age-old relics and coins unearthed near by offer evidence of this fact. The age old Watling Street (constructed by the Romans), now known as the A5, passed through the close by areas of Dunstable and Hockliffe some two thousand years ago, and the Romans should have at least been aware of the Leighton Buzzard settlement as they passed it.
The Romans were later followed by the Anglo-Saxons, and it was they who developed the market place sometime in the tenth century, and antiquities picked up suggest that they were settling the area in all probability since the sixth century. The village as it was is not cited till 906 after the Danes made a peace treaty at Tiddenfoot, the Domesday Book documented Leighton Manor.
The parish of Leighton Buzzard, traditionally, embraced a way larger area than merely the town alone, and included the settlements of Stanbridge, Eggington, Heath & Reach and Billington. The "Leighton" in the town's name is thought to come from the old English meaning "a clearing in the woods", the "Buzzard" piece was not to be appended until the twelfth century at which time the Dean of Lincoln needed to distinguish it from a different "Leighton" which he had inside his diocese. The Manors of Leighton were leased to many different tenants over the centuries, such as the Leighs of Stoneleigh, who assisted Charles I in the English Civil War (1642-1645).
Leighton Buzzard continued to grow through the coming years and the building of a railway and a canal in the Nineteenth Century saw it develop and evolve. Modern Leighton Buzzard can be termed a busy market town that has witnessed increased development in the recent past.
Attractions Around Leighton Buzzard: The All Saints Church dating from 1277, along with its 190 foot high spire, the popular Leighton Buzzard Light Railway, a narrow guage heritage railway which extends for approximately four miles from the station in Pages<|fim_middle|>yne, Riverside.
It is easy to check out much more in regard to the town & neighbourhood at this excellent website: Leighton Buzzard.
Get Your Business Centres Business Listed: The best way to see your business showing on the business listings, is actually to surf to Google and setup a service posting, you can do this at this website: Business Directory. It could take some time before your listing comes up on the map, therefore get rolling right now.
Popular search terms/keywords: Leighton Buzzard energy storage, Leighton Buzzard to Euston, D&G Motors Leighton Buzzard, Leighton Buzzard miniature railway, S George printers Leighton Buzzard, Leighton Buzzard b&b, Leighton Buzzard ramblers, Leighton Buzzard Bassett Road surgery, Leighton Buzzard houses for sale, Leighton Buzzard quarters, Leighton Buzzard osteopath, D&D Haulage Leighton Buzzard, H Samuel Leighton Buzzard, G Browns Leighton Buzzard, Leighton Buzzard observer archives, Leighton Buzzard incident, Leighton Buzzard jobs vacancies, Leighton Buzzard day centre, Leighton Buzzard ju jitsu club, Leighton Buzzard gymnastics, Leighton Buzzard library cinema, Leighton Buzzard Euston, Leighton Buzzard grill, Leighton Buzzard uniform shop, Leighton Buzzard observer news, K Wilson Associates Leighton Buzzard, J Framing Leighton Buzzard, Phones 4 U Leighton Buzzard, Leighton Buzzard pub quiz, Leighton Buzzard what's on, Leighton Buzzard Waitrose. | Park, to two now disused sand quarries at Double Arches, the line utilizes refurbished steam engines, Stockgrove Country Park, a forty acre park at nearby Heath and Reach with woodland walks, lake and picnic area.
Also: C2 Gallery, Aspley Woods, Ouzel Meadows, Dunstable Leisure Centre, Great Adventure Game, Grebe Canal Cruises, Lancot Meadow, Rushmere Park, Pitstone Windmill, Mead Open Farm, Woburn Heritage Centre, Woburn Abbey, Leighton Linslade Virtual Museum, Bluebell Wood, Leighton Lady Cruises, Ford End Watermill.
A selection of Leighton Buzzard streets and roads: Hinton Close, Pine Close, St Andrew's Street, Brooklands Avenue, Lincombe Slade, Stephenson Close, Appenine Way, Bassett Road, Pear Tree Lane, Churchill Road, Victoria Road, Rowley Furrows, Ascot Drive, Heath Park Road, Phoenix Close, Goodman Drive, Rothschild Road, Old Chapel Mews, Ledburn Grove, White House Court, Adastral Avenue, Willow Bank Walk, Nebular Court, Stanbridge Road, Faulkner's Way, Oak Bank Drive, Pulford Road, New Road, Church Avenue, Craddocks Drive, Oatfield Gardens, Stoke Road, Saturn Close, Cherrycourt Way, Shepherds Mead, The Wood, Oakley Green, Hockliffe Street, Carlton Grove, Cheviot Close, Marley Fields, Mowbray Drive, Middle Green, Aquila Road, St Andrews Close, Winston Close, Vimy Road, Mill Road, Hockliffe Road, The V | 346 |
<|fim_middle|> engagement. | To produce the highest possible food quality in own section and provide assistance within any area of the Kitchen. All work is carried out in line with the Head Chef guidelines and corporate guidelines, and service concepts..
1. Takes care of daily food preparation and duties assigned through the superiors to meet the standard and the quality set by the Restaurant.
2. Follows the instructions and recommendations from the Head Chef to complete the daily tasks.
4. Able to estimate the daily production needs and checking the quality of raw and cooked food products to ensure that standards are met.
5. Ensure that the production, preparation and presentation of food are of the highest quality at all times.
6. Ensure highest levels of guest satisfaction, quality, operating and food costs on an ongoing basis.
7. Knowledge of all standard procedures and policies pertaining to food preparation, receiving, storage and sanitation.
8. Full awareness of all menu items, their recipes, methods of production and presentation standards.
9. Follows good preservation standards for proper handling of all food products at right temperature.
10. Operate and maintain all department equipment and reporting of malfunctioning.
11. Ability to produce own work in accordance with a deadline and to assist and encourage others in achieving this aim.
12. Checks periodically expiry dates and proper storage of food items in the section.
13. Consults daily with Sous Chef and Executive chef on the daily requirements, functions and also about any last-minute events.
14. Guides and training subordinates on a daily basis to ensure high motivation and economical working environment.
15. Should be able to set example to others for personal hygiene and cleanliness on and off duty.
16. Carry out any other duties as required by management.
An energetic person who has a good experience in managing a dance school or a fitness center.
Admin: Keep all the documents and files up to date.
Sales: boost sales and arrange a plan of promotion through the year to attract more customers.
Marketing & Communication: Keep the project plan up to date / Be in touch with all different media, partners, and customers to always update them with new projects / events / information in a regular basis.
Operation: make sure the venue is always operational to welcome customers.
Events: Good coordination and organizational skills to organize events for Capella.
Experienced Bartender required for unlicensed Japanese concept restaurant in Dubai, UAE.
Please note this is a 2 year contract!
We are looking for a professional food and beverage manager to be responsible for managing all F&B operations and for delivering an excellent guest experience. The successful candidate will be able to forecast, plan and manage all F&B orders, staff and finance. The goal is to maximize sales and revenue through customer satisfaction and employee | 549 |
Not to be confused with Communism or Communalism.
Part of the Politics series on
Central concepts
Political particularism
Positive rights
Value pluralism
Important thinkers
Benjamin Barber
Gad Barzilai
Robert N. Bellah
Phillip Blond
Amitai Etzioni
William Galston
Mark Kuczewski
Stephen Marglin
José Pérez Adán
Robert D. Putnam
Joseph Raz
Christian democracy
Politics portal
Two-axis political spectrum chart with an economic axis and a socio-cultural axis, and ideologically representative colors
Academic studies
Community psychology
Computational sociology
Sociocultural evolution
Affinity (sociology)
Community of place
Community politics
Group (sociology)
Imagined community
Solidarity (sociology)
Community-based management
Community development planning
WikiProject Community
Category:Community building
Category:Community development
Category:Localism (politics)
Join the Community community
List of Christian democratic parties
Centrist Democrat International
Christian Democrat Organization of America
European People's Party
European Christian Political Movement
Konrad Adenauer Foundation
Centre for European Studies
Christian corporatism
Cultural mandate
Dignity of labor
Distributism
Neo-Scholasticism
Popolarismo
Progressive conservatism
Social conservatism
Social market economy
Sphere sovereignty
Subsidiarity
Rerum novarum
Kuyper's Stone Lectures on Calvinism
Graves de communi re
Quadragesimo anno
Laborem exercens
Sollicitudo rei socialis
Centesimus annus
Alcide De Gasperi
Eduardo Frei Montalva
Keith Joseph
Wilhelm Emmanuel von Ketteler
Pope Pius XI
Luigi Sturzo
Communitarianism is a philosophy that emphasizes the connection between the individual and the community. Its overriding philosophy is based upon the belief that a person's social identity and personality are largely molded by community relationships, with a smaller degree of development being placed on individualism. Although the community might be a family, communitarianism usually is understood, in the wider, philosophical sense, as a collection of interactions, among a community of people in a given place (geographical location), or among a community who share an interest or who share a history.[1] Communitarianism usually opposes extreme individualism and disagrees with extreme laissez-faire policies that neglect the stability of the overall community.
2 Origins
3 Communitarian philosophy
4 Academic communitarianism
4.1 Social capital
4.2 Positive rights
5 Responsive communitarianism movement
6 Comparison to other political philosophies
7.1 Opposition
The philosophy of communitarianism originated in the 20th century, but the term "communitarian" was coined in 1841, by John Goodwyn Barmby, a leader of the British Chartist movement, who used it in referring to utopian socialists and other idealists who experimented with communal styles of life. However, it was not until the 1980s that the term "communitarianism" gained currency through association with the work of a small group of political philosophers. Their application of the label "communitarian" was controversial, even among communitarians, because, in the West, the term evokes associations with the ideologies of socialism and collectivism; so, public leaders — and some of the academics who champion this school of thought — usually avoid the term "communitarian", while still advocating and advancing the ideas of communitarianism.
The term is primarily used in two senses:
Philosophical communitarianism considers classical liberalism to be ontologically and epistemologically incoherent, and opposes it on those grounds. Unlike classical liberalism, which construes communities as originating from the voluntary acts of pre-community individuals, it emphasizes the role of the community in defining and shaping individuals. Communitarians believe that the value of community is not sufficiently recognized in liberal theories of justice.
Ideological communitarianism is characterized as a radical centrist ideology that is sometimes marked by leftism on economic issues and conservatism or centrism on social issues. This usage was coined recently. When the term is capitalized, it usually refers to the Responsive Communitarian movement of Amitai Etzioni and other philosophers.
Czech and Slovak philosophers like Marek Hrubec,[2] Lukáš Perný[3] and Luboš Blaha[4] extend communitarianism to social projects tied to the values and significance of community or collectivism, and to various types of socialism and communism (Christian, Utopian, Scientific), for example:
Historical roots of collectivist projects from Plato, through Babeuf, Proudhon, Bakunin, Charles Fourier, Robert Owen to Karl Marx
Contemporary theoretical communitarianism (Michael J. Sandel, Michael Walzer, Alasdair MacIntyre), originating in the 1980s
Pro-liberal, pro-multicultural (Walzer, Taylor)
Anti-liberal, pro-national (Sandel, MacIntyre)
The vision of practical, self-sustaining communities as described by Thomas More (Utopia), Tommaso Campanella (Civitas solis) and practised by Christian Utopians (Jesuit Reduction) or utopian socialists like Charles Fourier (List of Fourierist Associations in the United States), Robert Owen (List of Owenite communities in the United States). This line includes various forms of co-operatives, self-help instititutions, or communities (Hussite communities, The Diggers, Habans, Hutterites, Amish, Israeli kibbutz, Slavic community; examples: Twelve tribes, Tamera (Portugal), Marinaleda (Spain), monastic state of Mount Athos).[5]
While the term communitarian was coined only in the mid-nineteenth century, ideas that are communitarian in nature appear much earlier. They are found in some classical socialist doctrine (e.g. writings about the early commune and about workers' solidarity), and further back in the New Testament. Communitarianism has been traced back to early monasticism, but in the twentieth century began to be formulated as a philosophy by Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker movement. In an early article the Catholic Worker clarified the dogma of the Mystical Body of Christ as the basis for the movement's communitarianism. Communitarianism is also related to the personalist philosophy of Emmanuel Mounier.
A number of early sociologists had strongly communitarian elements in their work, such as Ferdinand Tönnies in his comparison of Gemeinschaft (oppressive but nurturing communities) and Gesellschaft (liberating but impersonal societies), and Emile Durkheim's concerns about the integrating role of social values and the relations between the individual and society. Both authors warned of the dangers of anomie (normlessness) and alienation in modern societies composed of atomized individuals who had gained their liberty but lost their social moorings. Modern sociologists saw the rise of a mass society and the decline of communal bonds and respect for traditional values and authority in the United States as of the 1960s. Among those who raised these issues were Robert Nisbet (Twilight of Authority),[6] Robert N. Bellah (Habits of the Heart),[7] and Alan Ehrenhalt (The Lost City: The Forgotten Virtues Of Community In America).[8] In his book Bowling Alone (2000), Robert Putnam documented the decline of "social capital" and stressed the importance of "bridging social capital," in which bonds of connectedness are formed across diverse social groups.[9]
Responding to criticism that the term 'community' is too vague or cannot be defined, Amitai Etzioni, one of the leaders of the American communitarian movement, pointed out that communities can be defined with reasonable precision as having two characteristics: first, a web of affect-laden relationships among a group of individuals, relationships that often crisscross and reinforce one another (as opposed to one-on-one or chain-like individual relationships); and second, a measure of commitment to a set of shared values, norms, and meanings, and a shared history and identity – in short, a particular culture.[10] Further, author David E. Pearson argued that "[t]o earn the appellation 'community,' it seems to me, groups must be able to exert moral suasion and extract a measure of compliance from their members. That is, communities are necessarily, indeed, by definition, coercive as well as moral, threatening their members with the stick of sanctions if they stray, offering them the carrot of certainty and stability if they don't."[10]
What is specifically meant by "community" in the context of communitarianism can vary greatly between authors and time periods. Historically, communities have been small and localized. However, as the reach of economic and technological forces extended, more-expansive communities became necessary in order to provide effective normative and political guidance to these forces, prompting the rise of national communities in Europe in the 17th century. Since the late 20th century there has been some growing recognition that the scope of even these communities is too limited, as many challenges that people now face, such as the threat of nuclear war and that of global environmental degradation and economic crises, cannot be handled on a national basis. This has led to the quest for more-encompassing communities, such as the European Union. Whether truly supra-national communities can be developed is far from clear.
More modern communities can take many different forms, but are often limited in scope and reach. For example, members of one residential community are often also members of other communities – such as work, ethnic, or religious ones. As a result, modern community members have multiple sources of attachments, and if one threatens to become overwhelming, individuals will often pull back and turn to another community for their attachments. Thus, communitarianism is the reaction of some intellectuals to the problems of Western society, an attempt to find flexible forms of balance between the individual and society, the autonomy of the individual and the interests of the community, between the common good and freedom, rights and duties.[citation needed]
Communitarian philosophy
In moral and political philosophy, communitarians are best known for their critiques of John Rawls' political liberalism, detailed at length in his book A Theory of Justice. Communitarians criticize the image Rawls presents of humans as atomistic individuals, and stress that individuals who are well-integrated into communities are better able to reason and act in responsible ways than isolated individuals, but add that if social pressure to conform rises to high levels, it will undermine the individual self. Communitarians uphold the importance of the social realm, and communities in particular, though they differ in the extent to which their conceptions are attentive to liberty and individual rights. Even with these general similarities, communitarians, like members of many other schools of thought, differ considerably from one another. There are several distinct (and at times wildly divergent) schools of communitarian thought.
The following authors have communitarian tendencies in the philosophical sense, but have all taken pains to distance themselves from the political ideology known as communitarianism, which is discussed further below:
Alasdair MacIntyre – After Virtue
Michael Sandel – Liberalism and the Limits of Justice
Charles Taylor – Sources of the Self
Michael Walzer – Spheres of Justice
Academic communitarianism
Whereas the classical liberalism of the Enlightenment can be viewed as a reaction to centuries of authoritarianism, oppressive government, overbearing communities, and rigid dogma, modern communitarianism can be considered a reaction to excessive individualism, understood as an undue emphasis on individual rights, leading people to become selfish or egocentric.[11]
The close relation between the individual and the community was discussed on a theoretical level by Michael Sandel and Charles Taylor, among other academic communitarians, in their criticisms of philosophical liberalism, especially the work of the American liberal theorist John Rawls and that of the German Enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant. They argued that contemporary liberalism failed to account for the complex set of social relations that all individuals in the modern world are a part of. Liberalism is rooted in an untenable ontology that posits the existence of generic individuals and fails to account for social embeddeddness. To the contrary, they argued, there are no generic individuals but rather only Germans or Russians, Berliners or Muscovites, or members of some other particularistic community. Because individual identity is partly constructed by culture and social relations, there is no coherent way of formulating individual rights or interests in abstraction from social contexts. Thus, according to these communitarians, there is no point in attempting to found a theory of justice on principles decided behind Rawls' veil of ignorance, because individuals cannot exist in such an abstracted state, even in principle.[11]
Academic communitarians also contend that the nature of the political community is misunderstood by liberalism. Where liberal philosophers described the polity as a neutral framework of rules within which a multiplicity of commitments to moral values can coexist, academic communitarians argue that such a thin conception of political community was both empirically misleading and normatively dangerous. Good societies, these authors believe, rest on much more than neutral rules and procedures—they rely on a shared moral culture. Some academic communitarians argued even more strongly on behalf of such particularistic values, suggesting that these were the only kind of values which matter and that it is a philosophical error to posit any truly universal moral values.
In addition to Charles Taylor and Michael Sandel, other thinkers sometimes associated with academic communitarianism include Michael Walzer, Alasdair MacIntyre, Seyla Benhabib, and Shlomo Avineri.[11]
Beginning in the late 20th century, many authors began to observe a deterioration in the social networks of the United States. In the book Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam observed that nearly every form of civic organization has undergone drops in membership exemplified by the fact that, while more people are bowling than in the 1950s, there are fewer bowling leagues.
This results in a decline in "social capital", described by Putnam as "the collective value of all 'social networks' and the inclinations that arise from these networks to do things for each other". According to Putnam and his followers, social capital is a key component to building and maintaining democracy.[9]
Communitarians seek to bolster social capital and the institutions of civil society. The Responsive Communitarian Platform described it thus:[12]
Many social goals [...] require partnership between public and private groups. Though government should not seek to replace local communities, it may need to empower them by strategies of support, including revenue-sharing and technical assistance. There is a great need for study and experimentation with creative use of the structures of civil society, and public-private cooperation, especially where the delivery of health, educational and social services are concerned.
Important to some supporters of communitarian philosophy is the concept of positive rights, which are rights or guarantees to certain things. These may include state-subsidized education, state-subsidized housing, a safe and clean environment, universal health care, and even the right to a job with the concomitant obligation of the government or individuals to provide one. To this end, communitarians generally support social security programs, public works programs, and laws limiting such things as pollution.
A common objection is that by providing such rights, communitarians violate the negative rights of the citizens; rights to not have something done for you. For example, taxation to pay for such programs as described above dispossesses individuals of property. Proponents of positive rights, by attributing the protection of negative rights to the society rather than the government, respond that individuals would not have any rights in the absence of societies—a central tenet of communitarianism—and thus have a social responsibility to give something back to it. Some have viewed this as a negation of natural rights. However, what is or is not a "natural right" is a source of contention in modern politics, as well as historically; for example, whether or not universal health care, private property or protection from polluters can be considered a birthright.
Alternatively, some agree that negative rights may be violated by a government action, but argue that it is justifiable if the positive rights protected outweigh the negative rights lost. In the same vein, supporters of positive rights further argue that negative rights are irrelevant in their absence. Moreover, some communitarians "experience this less as a case of being used for others' ends and more as a way of contributing to the purposes of a community I regard as my own".[13]
Still other communitarians question the very idea of natural rights and their place in a properly functioning community. They claim that instead, claims of rights and entitlements creates a society unable to form cultural institutions and grounded social norms based on shared values. Rather, the liberalist claim to individual rights leads to a morality centered on individual emotivism, as ethical issues can no longer be solved by working through common understandings of the good. The worry here is that not only is society individualized, but so are moral claims.[14]
Responsive communitarianism movement
In the early 1990s, in response to the perceived breakdown in the moral fabric of society engendered by excessive individualism, Amitai Etzioni and William A. Galston began to organize working meetings to think through communitarian approaches to key societal issues. This ultimately took the communitarian philosophy from a small academic group, introduced it into public life, and recast its philosophical content.
Deeming themselves "responsive communitarians" in order to distinguish the movement from authoritarian communitarians, Etzioni and Galston, along with a varied group of academics (including Mary Ann Glendon, Thomas A. Spragens, James Fishkin, Benjamin Barber, Hans Joas, Philip Selznick, and Robert N. Bellah, among others) drafted and published The Responsive Communitarian Platform[15] based on their shared political principles, and the ideas in it were eventually elaborated in academic and popular books and periodicals, gaining thereby a measure of political currency in the West. Etzioni later formed the Communitarian Network to study and promote communitarian approaches to social issues and began publishing a quarterly journal, The Responsive Community.
The main thesis of responsive communitarianism is that people face two major sources of normativity: that of the common good and that of autonomy and rights, neither of which in principle should take precedence over the other. This can be contrasted with other political and social philosophies which derive their core assumptions from one overarching principle (such as liberty/autonomy for libertarianism). It further posits that a good society is based on a carefully crafted balance between liberty and social order, between individual rights and personal responsibility, and between pluralistic and socially established values.
Responsive communitarianism stresses the importance of society and its institutions above<|fim_middle|> Communities and Law: Politics and Cultures of Legal Identities, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press ISBN 978-0-472-03079-8.
Judith Harris & Donald Alexander, 1991, "Beyond capitalism and socialism: The communitarian alternative." Environments, 21(2), 29–37. Retrieved from: http://hdl.handle.net/10613/2733.
Michael J. Sandel, 1998, Liberalism and the Limits of Justice, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press ISBN 0521567416.
Sterling Harwood, 1996, Against MacIntyre's Relativistic Communitarianism, in Sterling Harwood, ed., Business as Ethical and Business as Usual, Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company), Chapter 3, ISBN 0-534-54251-4 and ISBN 978-0-534-54251-1.
Look up communitarianism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Bell, Daniel. "Communitarianism". In Zalta, Edward N. (ed.). Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
"Communitarianism", Infed Encyclopedia.
Fareed Zakaria, The ABCs of Communitarianism. A devil's dictionary, Slate, July 26, 1996.
Robert Putnam, "Communitarianism", National Public Radio, February 5, 2001: "The term 'Third Way' was used to describe President Clinton's form of liberalism. Now 'Communitarianism' is being used in the same way to describe President Bush's form of conservatism. They're both an attempt to create a middle ground [...] an alternative to the liberal-conservative paradigm."
Civil Practices Network
Responsive Communitarian Platform
The Communitarian Network
Hard left
Centre-left
Centre-right
Hard/Far-right
Radical: United States - Europe
Post-left
Anti-Stalinist left
Centrist Marxism
Christian left
Jewish left
Muslim left
Third Position
Hindutva
New right
Other models:
Up-wing and Down-wing politics
Horseshoe theory
Nolan Chart
Open–closed
Pournelle chart
Left-wing politics
Right-wing politics
Communalism
Industrialism
Intellectualism
Islam (Islamism)
Masculism
Monarchism
Progressivism (Progressive conservatism)
Han Fei
Laozi
Valluvar
Marsilius
Nizam al-Mulk
Bonald
Bosanquet
Le Play
Malebranche
Stirner
Taine
20th–21st-century
Ambedkar
Aurobindo
Azurmendi
Badiou
Baudrillard
Benoist
De Beauvoir
Gehlen
Irigaray
Maritain
Mises
Niebuhr
Nozick
Nursî
Oakeshott
Pettit
Plamenatz
Polanyi
Qutb
Rawls
Santayana
Searle
Shariati
Simonović
Sombart
Spann
Žižek
Social theories
Conflict theories
Consensus theory
Contractualism
Culturalism
Feminist political theory
Gandhism
Mohism
National liberalism
Social constructionism
Social constructivism
Social determinism
Four occupations
Mandate of Heaven
Philosophy and economics
Philosophy of love
Philosophy of sex
Political ethics
Social epistemology
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Communitarianism&oldid=903462651"
Political science theories
Political theories
This content was retrieved from Wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communitarianism
This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article "Communitarianism"; it is used under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (CC-BY-SA). You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the CC-BY-SA | and beyond that of the state and the market, which are often the focus of other political philosophies. It also emphasizes the key role played by socialization, moral culture, and informal social controls rather than state coercion or market pressures. It provides an alternative to liberal individualism and a major counterpoint to authoritarian communitarianism by stressing that strong rights presume strong responsibilities and that one should not be neglected in the name of the other.
Following standing sociological positions, communitarians assume that the moral character of individuals tends to degrade over time unless that character is continually and communally reinforced. They contend that a major function of the community, as a building block of moral infrastructure, is to reinforce the character of its members through the community's "moral voice," defined as the informal sanction of others, built into a web of informal affect-laden relationships, which communities provide.
Responsive communitarians have been playing a considerable public role, presenting themselves as the founders of a different kind of environmental movement, one dedicated to shoring up society (as opposed to the state) rather than nature. Like environmentalism, communitarianism appeals to audiences across the political spectrum, although it has found greater acceptance with some groups than others.
Although communitarianism is a small philosophical school, it has had considerable influence on public dialogues and politics. There are strong similarities between communitarian thinking and the Third Way, the political thinking of centrist Democrats in the United States, and the Neue Mitte in Germany. Communitarianism played a key role in Tony Blair's remaking of the British socialist Labour Party into "New Labour" and a smaller role in President Bill Clinton's campaigns. Other politicians have echoed key communitarian themes, such as Hillary Clinton, who has long held that to raise a child takes not just parents, family, friends and neighbors, but a whole village.[16]
It has also been suggested that the compassionate conservatism espoused by President Bush during his 2000 presidential campaign was a form of conservative communitarian thinking, although he did not implement it in his policy program. Cited policies have included economic and rhetorical support for education, volunteerism, and community programs, as well as a social emphasis on promoting families, character education, traditional values, and faith-based projects.
President Barack Obama gave voice to communitarian ideas and ideals in his book The Audacity of Hope,[17] and during the 2008 presidential election campaign he repeatedly called upon Americans to "ground our politics in the notion of a common good," for an "age of responsibility," and for foregoing identity politics in favor of community-wide unity building. However, for many in the West, the term communitarian conjures up authoritarian and collectivist associations, so many public leaders – and even several academics considered champions of this school – avoid the term while embracing and advancing its ideas.
Reflecting the dominance of liberal and conservative politics in the United States, no major party and few elected officials openly advocate communitarianism. Thus there is no consensus on individual policies, but some that most communitarians endorse have been enacted. Nonetheless, there is a small faction of communitarians within the Democratic Party; prominent communitarians include Bob Casey Jr., Joe Donnelly, and Claire McCaskill. Many communitarian Democrats are part of the Blue Dog Coalition. A small communitarian faction within the Republican Party also exists. Rick Santorum is an example of a communitarian Republican.[18] It is quite possible that the United States' right-libertarian ideological underpinnings have suppressed major communitarian factions from emerging.[19]
Dana Milbank, writing in the Washington Post, remarked of modern communitarians, "There is still no such thing as a card-carrying communitarian, and therefore no consensus on policies. Some, such as John DiIulio and outside Bush adviser Marvin Olasky, favor religious solutions for communities, while others, like Etzioni and Galston, prefer secular approaches."[20]
In August 2011, the right-libertarian Reason Magazine worked with the Rupe organization to survey 1,200 Americans by telephone. The Reason-Rupe poll found that "Americans cannot easily be bundled into either the 'liberal' or 'conservative' groups". Specifically, 28% expressed conservative views, 24% expressed libertarian views, 20% expressed communitarian views, and 28% expressed liberal views. The margin of error was ±3.[21]
A similar Gallup survey in 2011 included possible centrist/moderate responses. That poll reported that 17% expressed conservative views, 22% expressed libertarian views, 20% expressed communitarian views, 17% expressed centrist views, and 24% expressed liberal views. The organization used the terminology "the bigger the better" to describe communitarianism.[21]
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, founded and led by Imran Khan, is considered the first political party in the world which has declared communitarianism as one of their official ideologies.[22]
Comparison to other political philosophies
A variant of the Nolan chart using traditional political color coding (red leftism versus blue rightism) with communitarianism on the top left
Early communitarians were charged with being, in effect, social conservatives. However, many contemporary communitarians, especially those who define themselves as responsive communitarians, fully realize and often stress that they do not seek to return to traditional communities, with their authoritarian power structure, rigid stratification, and discriminatory practices against minorities and women. Responsive communitarians seek to build communities based on open participation, dialogue, and truly shared values. Linda McClain, a critic of communitarians, recognizes this feature of the responsive communitarians, writing that some communitarians do "recognize the need for careful evaluation of what is good and bad about [any specific] tradition and the possibility of severing certain features . . . from others."[23] And R. Bruce Douglass writes, "Unlike conservatives, communitarians are aware that the days when the issues we face as a society could be settled on the basis of the beliefs of a privileged segment of the population have long since passed."[24]
One major way the communitarian position differs from the social conservative one is that although communitarianism's ideal "good society" "reaches into the private realm, it seeks to cultivate only a limited set of core virtues through an organically developed set of values rather than having an expansive or holistically normative agenda given by the state. For example, American society favors being religious over being atheist, but is rather neutral with regard to which particular religion a person should follow. There are no state-prescribed dress codes, "correct" number of children to have, or places one is expected to live, etc. In short, a key defining characteristic of the ideal communitarian society is that in contrast to a liberal state, it creates shared formulations of the good, but the scope of this good is much smaller than that advanced by authoritarian societies."[25]
Authoritarian governments often embrace extremist ideologies and rule with brute force, accompanied with severe restrictions on personal freedom, political and civil rights. Authoritarian governments are overt about the role of the government as director and commander. Civil society and democracy are not generally characteristic of authoritarian regimes.
Liberal theorists such as Simon Caney[26] disagree that philosophical communitarianism has any interesting criticisms to make of liberalism. They reject the communitarian charges that liberalism neglects the value of community, and holds an "atomized" or asocial view of the self.
According to Peter Sutch the principal criticisms of communitarianism are:
that communitarianism leads necessarily to moral relativism;
that this relativism leads necessarily to a re-endorsement of the status quo in international politics; and
that such a position relies upon a discredited ontological argument that posits the foundational status of the community or state.[27]
However, he goes on to show that such arguments cannot be leveled against the particular communitarian theories of Michael Walzer and Mervyn Frost.[citation needed]
Other critics emphasize close relation of communitarianism to neoliberalism and new policies of dismantling the welfare state institutions through development of the third sector.[28]
Bruce Frohnen – author of The New Communitarians and the Crisis of Modern Liberalism (1996)
Charles Arthur Willard – author of Liberalism and the Problem of Knowledge: A New Rhetoric for Modern Democracy, University of Chicago Press, 1996.
Classical republicanism
Communalism (South Asia)
Communalism before 1800
Dark Enlightenment
Fourieriest Associations (USA)
Owenite communities (USA)
Radical center
Singaporean communitarianism
Statism
Third Way
Utopian socialism
Venezuelan Communal Councils
Yellow socialism
Earlier theorists
Charles Fourier
Contemporary theorists
Alexandre Marc
Emmanuel Mounier
Non-conformists of the 1930s
Jose Perez Adan
^ Avineri, S.and de-Shalit, Avner. (1992) Communitarianism and Individualism, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
^ HRUBEC, M. Úvod. In: COHEN, G. A. (2006):Iluze liberální spravedlnosti. Praha: Filosofia, ISBN 8070072342
^ PERNÝ, Lukáš. Vybrané kapitoly zo súčasnej anglo-americkej sociálnej filozofie: Liberalizmus, komunitarizmus, neomarxizmus.. [s.l.]: Vydavateľstvo Prešovskej univerzity v Prešove 160 s. Dostupné online. ISBN 9788055520452. (slovensky) Google-Books-ID: lSp1DwAAQBAJ.
^ BLAHA, L. (2018): Antiglobalista. Bratislava: VEDA, ISBN 978-80-224-1628-3.
^ PERNÝ, Lukáš. Lukáš Perný: Komunitarizmus ako alternatíva individualizmu. DAV DVA - kultúrno-politický magazín
^ Nisbet, Robert, Twilight of Authority. Indianapolis: LibertyFund, 1975.
^ Bellah, Robert N., Habits of the Heart, Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1985.
^ Ehrenhalt Ehrenhalt, Alan, The Lost City: The Forgotten Virtues Of Community In America. New York:BasicBooks, 1995.
^ a b Putman, Robert D., Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of AmericanCommunity. New York:Simon & Schuster, 2000.
^ a b Beckert, Jen. "Communitarianism." International Encyclopedia of Economic Sociology. London:Routledge, 2006. 81.
^ a b c "Communitarianism | political and social philosophy". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2018-08-16.
^ The Communitarian Network, Responsive Communitarian Platform Text Archived 2010-01-14 at the Wayback Machine.
^ Sandel, Liberalism and the Limits of Justice, 143.
^ MacIntyre, Alasdair C. After Virtue. Notre Dame, IN: U of Notre Dame, 1984.
^ Dionne, E.J., Our Divided Political Heart: The Battle for the American Idea in an Age of Discontent, New York: Bloomsbury USA, 2012, 83–99.
^ Obama, Barack. The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream. New York: Crown Publishers, 2006.
^ Jackson, Brad. "Rick Santorum and Communitarian Conservatism".
^ The Responsive Community, Vol. 3, Issue 1. Winter 1992/93. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
^ "Needed: Catchword For Bush Ideology; 'Communitarianism' Finds Favor". Retrieved 1 October 2014.
^ a b Ekins, Emily (August 29, 2011). "Reason-Rupe Poll Finds 24 Percent of Americans are Economically Conservative and Socially Liberal, 28 Percent Liberal, 28 Percent Conservative, and 20 Percent Communitarian". Reason Magazine. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
^ McClain, Linda, C, "Rights and irresponsibility," Duke Law Journal (March 1994): 989–1088.
^ Douglass, R. Bruce. "The renewal of democracy and the communitarian prospect." The Responsive Community 4.3 (1994): 55–62.
^ Etzioni, Amitai, What is Political? (2003). CSA Worldwide Political Science Abstracts, 2006. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2157170
^ 'Liberalism and communitarianism: a misconceived debate'. Political Studies 40, 273–290
^ Peter Sutch, Ethics, Justice, and International Relations, p. 62
^ Pawel Stefan Zaleski, Neoliberalizm i spoleczenstwo obywatelskie (Neoliberalism and Civil Society), Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Mikołaja Kopernika, Torun 2012.
Amitai Etzioni, 1996, The New Golden Rule, Basic Books ISBN 0465049990.
Charles Taylor, 1992, Sources of the Self, Cambridge: Harvard University Press ISBN 0674824261.
Daniel Bell, 2000, East Meets West, Princeton: Princeton University Press ISBN 0691005087.
David L. Kirp, 2001, Almost Home: America's Love-Hate Relationship with Community, Princeton University Press ISBN 0691095175.
Gad Barzilai, 2003, | 3,111 |
George Gauld (1731–1782) was a British military engineer, artist, cartographer, geographer and surveyor.
Life
George Gauld was born in Ardbrack, Banffshire, Scotland,<|fim_middle|> the Mississippi near Manchac 1774." "For His Excellency Sir Henry Clinton, K.B., Commander-in-Chief, &c. &c. at the request of Brigadier General Campbell 1779." Clinton Papers, Williams L. Clements Library, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Gauld, George. 1790. "An account of the surveys of Florida, &c: with directions for sailing from Jamaica or the West Indies, by the west end of Cuba, and through the Gulph of Florida. To accompany Mr. Gauld's charts." Published by W. Faden; to be sold by him; and by Messrs. Mount and Page, 1790. 27 pages. See: An Account of the Surveys of Florida
Ware, John D., and Robert Right Rea. 1982. George Gauld, surveyor and cartographer of the Gulf Coast. Gainesville: University Presses of Florida. ; 9780813007083.
References
External links
Gauld, George. 1790. "An account of the surveys of Florida, &c: with directions for sailing from Jamaica or the West Indies, by the west end of Cuba, and through the Gulph of Florida. To accompany Mr. Gauld's charts." Published by W. Faden; to be sold by him; and by Messrs. Mount and Page, 1790. 27 pages.
American cartographers
American geographers
People from Banffshire
1731 births
1782 deaths
Alumni of the University of Aberdeen
American surveyors
Members of the American Philosophical Society | in 1731, and was educated at King's College in Aberdeen, where he received his Master of Arts degree. He became a cartographer and painter, and was on in 1761, same ship that proved John Harrison's marine chronometer to be correct.
Prior to the French and Indian War (Seven Years' War) the British possessed few detailed maps of the interior of North America. The land beyond the Appalachian Mountains had been dominated by the French and their Indian allies. However, British colonial expansion and the military operations led to a flurry of mapping in the form of reconnaissance and route maps, fortification plans, and map depicting engagements. "At the conclusion of the war in 1763, Britain was left in possession of a vast and little known addition to its seaboard colonies. To facilitate the administration and development of Canada and the western territory, topographical surveys were initiated. Notable examples are the James Murray survey of the St. Lawrence River valley (1761–63), the first detailed hydrographic survey of the Ohio River by Harry Gordon and Thomas Hutchins (1766), Philip Pittman's surveys of the Mississippi and Iberville River (now known as Bayou Manchac) (1765), and the surveys of East and West Florida by David Taitt, George Gauld and Bernard Romans (1772–73)."
Between 1764 and 1781, Gauld was assigned by the British Admiralty to chart the waters off the coast of the British colony of West Florida. "After Florida came into the possession of Great Britain, the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, sent out Mr George Gauld to make a thorough survey of the whole coast. He was employed in surveying the coasts and harbours of West Florida, and the west coast of East Florida from the summer of 1764, to the year 1781, when he was made prisoner by the Spaniards, in their invasion of Florida. These surveys were not published until the year 1790, after the death of Mr Gauld. Much remains to be done by our own government in improving the charts of this dangerous coast. It does not appear precisely at what time."
A description of Jamaica mentions Gauld's early work. "Modern charts give only the outline of this area; but there is a particularly interesting chart, "Plan of Port Royal Harbour", by George Gauld, "Surveyor General of the Coast of West Florida", the field work for which was apparently completed in I772, which shows the probable make-up of the Plum Point area at the time. The chart was published in London by W. Faden in I798 and gives the impression of careful work."
Gaul was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1774, and in 1773 he presented some of his findings to the society in the hopes that they would be published in the Transactions. Although his report was not published, it became one of the first submissions entered into the Society's collections. This manuscript also includes a letter from Dr. John Lorimer to Gauld, and a sketch of the Middle and Yellow Rivers of West Florida by Thomas Hutchins.
In 1774, Gauld, Lorimer, Thomas Hutchins, Captain Thomas Davey, RN, and Major Alexander Dickson of the 16th Regiment of Foot, made a mapping expedition from Manchac to the mouth of the Yazoo River. Major Dickson went with them for the first part of the survey, and helped them investigate the Manchac region, but evidently left the group at Natchez. Dr. Lorimer made careful measurements of latitude at Natchez, and then the remainder of the party continued further north to the mouth of the Yazoo River. Major Dickson was back in Pensacola by 30 April, although it is unknown if he returned by going up the Manchac to the Iberville River, or south to New Orleans. He appeared back in Pensacola almost two weeks after the return of the main party that went up further north. They had hoped to be able to find a route up the Mississippi River without having to go through Spanish controlled New Orleans. The second reason for this map is to show the landholdings of various planters and speculators. Many were speculators, including Gauld and Lorimer. The land they owned on Thompson's Creek were acquired by Lorimer and Gauld in 1772, and then visited by them, perhaps for the first time, during this trip. This cheap land was mostly purchased for speculation, because running the property profitably as a plantation would have been too difficult as absentee landlords from their homes on the Gulf Coast.
Later, Thomas Hutchins would write an account of this journey, with acknowledgment to the information he had received from Gauld: "It may be proper to observe that I have had the assistance of the remarks and surveys, so far as relates to the mouths of the Mississippi and the coast and foundings of West Florida, of the late ingenious Mr. George Gauld, a Gentleman who was employed by the Lords of the Admiralty for the express purpose of making an accurate chart of the above mentioned places."
Many people copied his maps and charts in those days before strict copyright laws. A book by William Stork reputedly featured a plagiarised copy of a map by Gauld, who later wrote (speaking of himself in the third person):
In 1776, Gauld was forced to suspend his work in the Dry Tortugas and Florida Keys due to the depredations of American privateers, and he was taken prisoner at the Siege of Pensacola in 1781. He was carried off first to Cuba and then to New York.
Return to England and death
He was later repatriated to Britain, and died shortly afterwards in London.
He is buried at the cemetery of Whitefield's Tabernacle, Tottenham Court Road, London. His memorial, of plain Portland stone, reads: "In memory of George Gauld, A.M. Surveyor of the Coasts of Florida &c. Who was born at Ardbrack in the parish of Botriphny, Banffshire, North Britain; and educated at King's College, Aberdeen. A man of real abilities without affection, a sincere friend without flattery, and religious without hypocrisy or superstition. He died at London on 8th June 1782, aged 50 years. Psalm XXX verse 37. Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; for the end of that man is peace."
Bibliography
Gauld, George. 1767. "British Pensacola." Painting. "Pensacola was becoming something more than a garrison town by the time Gauld made this splendid painting. There were now a number of fine houses and structures and an especially impressive Governor's Palace while the fort had been strengthened and made more efficient. It seems likely the town had over two hundred houses made of timber. Pensacola was still, however, mainly a military and trading outpost, its principal link to the outside world being primarily by sea." Colonial Pensacola. 1974. Page 78.
Gauld, George. Date not given. "A Plan of the Mouths of the Mississippi by George Gauld, MA [For the Right Honourable the Earl of Dartmouth.]" M.P. G530, Public Records Office, Kew, England.
Gauld, George. 1778. "A Plan of the Coast of Part of West Florida & Louisiana including the River Mississippi from its Entrances as high as the River Yazous. Surveyed by George Gauld, M.A., for the Right Honourable the Board of Admiralty." ["This survey has been taken at different times, and reduced to one general scale in the year 1778." Inset: "A Plan of Manchac 1774." Ministry of Defense, Hydrographic Office (MODHD) D958 88, in Tauton, England. Photocopy in Geoscience Map Library, Louisiana State University.
Gauld, George. 1779. "A Plan of Manchac." [Inset "Part of | 1,738 |
I am rather old-fashioned in some areas of my life, which I do not intend to upgrade to current standards. I do not believe in changing something unless it really needs to be changed. A crazy phobia is going around these days suggesting that if something is old, it must not be any good and if it is new, it must be good.
I think old Solomon was right when he said, "there is no new thing under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9 KJV).
So, I am never intimidated by some new gizmo or gadget that comes down the line. One of the things I have no intention of upgrading is in the area of giving credit. I believe in giving credit where credit is due. After all, I need all the credit I can get these days.
If somebody does something that blesses me, I am beholden to give them their due credit. I am under the opinion that if I give enough people enough credit that one day I just may be able to cash in.
This all came to me this past week when I had my visit to the dentist. I make it a rule that once a decade to visit my dentist whether<|fim_middle|> know what I can credit my excellent dental health. Apple Fritters. That is right. The reason I have good teeth and good gums is because of a consistent diet of Apple Fritters. After all, everybody knows the main ingredient of an Apple Fritter is an Apple. There is nothing better for a person than an Apple.
Where the Fritter comes in is very simple. The Fritter part of an Apple Fritter is the means by which my body can assimilate the nutritional aspects of the Apple. The Fritter facilitates the good parts of the Apple to every part of my body.
Therefore, with a deep sense of humility and gratefulness, I credit my dental health to the regular consumption of Apple Fritters. A friend of mine recently suggested that I might be addicted to Apple Fritters, but I kindly remonstrated him by explaining I am addicted to good dental health.
My spiritual health is a different matter.
"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and for ever. Amen" (Jude 1:24-25 KJV).
God gets all the credit in my life for my spiritual health now and forever. | I need to or not. The thing that spurred my visit to the dentist this time was one of my fillings had fallen out. Actually, I am assuming it fell out because where it used to be was a hole in my tooth. Upon pondering the situation to its logical conclusion, I must have eaten my filling.
This dental hygienic situation brought me to my latest visit with my dental hygienist. While I was there, I thought I would save time, if not money, and have my teeth cleaned. Every decade I like to have my teeth cleaned. According to my dentist's records, the last time I had my teeth cleaned was 13 years ago. So, it is time.
Because it was so long since my last visit with the dentist, he insisted on taking pictures of all my teeth. I hope to get copies so I can post it on my Facebook. After all, what would my Facebook be without pictures of teeth?
I had forgotten the whole procedure of dental photography. It took an entire hour to photograph all my teeth one at a time. During the sixty minutes of my photography shoot, I had to keep my mouth open. I have never had my mouth open for so long in all my life.
After this, I have a new appreciation for women. How they keep their mouth open for so long is one of those mysteries husbands will never be able to unravel.
The upshot of my visit with the dentist was I had a clean bill of health regarding my teeth and gums. I must have been doing something right to have such healthy teeth and gums for a person my age.
When the dentist said "a person my age," I was not sure if he was insulting me or congratulating me for good health. Being the gentleman that I am, I took the latter.
"I don't know what you're doing," the dentist said cheerfully as I left his office, "just keep it up." With that, I left the dentist office.
I thought a lot about what he said and I have come to a major conclusion. I like giving credit where credit is due, so I had to think long and hard about whom to credit for my good dental health.
Certainly, I could congratulate the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage on her superb dietary work in the kitchen. Without doubt, it pays to eat the right food if you are going to have good health. But I think it goes much further than this.
What am I doing to credit such a good dental health report?
Have you ever given serious thought about something for so long, you seem to be getting nowhere, and then all of a sudden, it hits you?
I | 541 |
Most Americans Will Not Pay More for "Healthier" Restaurant Fare, Survey Shows
On June 10, 2011, in Consumer Attitudes
Most Americans are not interested in paying more for food items billed as "healthier" when they go out to eat, according to a survey by the NPD Group, a market research company.
The majority of consumers, especially those over 50 years of age–who typically express more interest in healthful foods than younger consumers–expect to pay no more for "healthier" items than they do for other menu items, the NPD Group said. According to the report entitled "Consumers Define Healthy Eating When They Go Out To Eat," when asked if they would be willing to pay more for healthful items at restaurants they visited often, 70 percent of adults over 50 said no, 25 percent said they would pay somewhat more, and only 5 percent said they would pay a lot more.
In contrast, younger adults appear more open to paying more for healthful items, with 44 percent of those aged 18 to 24 saying they would expect prices for healthful items to be the same as other items, and 41 percent saying they would expect to pay somewhat more. Fifteen percent said they would expect to pay a lot more.
The restaurant segment also played a role<|fim_middle|>, while fewer consumers at quick-service restaurants did.
Survey respondents also noted that they would feel more satisfied after restaurant visits if they had more healthful options available at the same prices as less healthful options, including on the value menu.
"One of the key takeaways from the study results is that pricing of the healthy options needs to be consistent with pricing of other choices on the menu," says Bonnie Riggs, NPD restaurant industry analyst and author of the report. "The market for health today is growing, and there is a good opportunity for operators who find a way to offer healthier options at lower price points." | in consumers' price perceptions, according to the report. More consumers at full-service restaurants expected to pay the same price for healthful items as they did for other menu options | 34 |
The subsequent time I read a weblog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as a lot as this one. I imply, I know it was my option to read, but I actually thought youd have one thing interesting to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about one thing that you could repair should you werent too busy looking for attention.
Thanks so much for giving everyone such a wonderful chance to discover important secrets from this site. It really is so great plus stuffed with a lot of fun for me personally and my office friends to visit your blog on the least three times per week to read through the fresh secrets you will have. And of course, I am just at all times amazed with your splendid advice you give. Some 2 points in this post are in truth the most suitable we've had.
I just wanted to jot down a brief note to be able to thank you for those nice tips and tricks you are giving out on this website. My incredibly long internet research has now been recognized with reasonable points to share with my family and friends. I 'd point out that we visitors actually are definitely blessed to live in a magnificent place with so many wonderful professionals with valuable pointers. I feel extremely privileged to have discovered your site and look forward to really more amazing times reading here. Thank you again for everything.
Aw, this was a really nice post. In concept I would like to put in writing like this moreover ?taking time and actual effort to make an excellent article?however what can I say?I procrastinate alot and in no way appear to get one thing done.
Good post. I be taught something more challenging on totally different blogs everyday. It can all the time be stimulating to read content from different writers and follow somewhat one thing from their store. I抎 want to make use of some with the content material on my blog whether or not you don抰 mind. Natually I抣l provide you with a link on your internet blog. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much for providing individuals with remarkably pleasant possiblity to read articles and blog posts from this site. It can be very awesome and as well , stuffed with a great time for me and my office fellow workers to visit your blog at a minimum three times every week to learn the fresh guides you have. Of course, I'm so at all times contented with all the powerful points you give. Selected 4 ideas on this page are particularly the most suitable we've had.
Whats up! I just want to give a huge thumbs up for the good data you've gotten here on this post. I will likely be coming back to your weblog for extra soon.
I wanted to write you this little bit of observation in order to thank you so much as before relating to the splendid tricks you've provided above. It's certainly unbelievably open-handed with people like you to provide without restraint all that many of us could have offered for an e-book in order to make some profit on their own, chiefly considering the fact that you could possibly have done it in the event you decided. The thoughts additionally served as the fantastic way to recognize that many people have the same dreams like mine to realize great deal more on the subject of this problem. I'm sure there are numerous more pleasurable times up front for people who browse through your website.
Howdy! I just would like to give a huge thumbs up for the nice data you could have here on this post. I will likely be coming again to your weblog for extra soon.
I precisely desired to thank you so much all over again. I'm not certain what I would've implemented without the entire concepts revealed by you relating to such theme. It absolutely was a frightful setting in my circumstances, nevertheless witnessing the specialized manner you solved the issue took me to jump for happiness. I am just thankful for your help and then sincerely hope you find out what a great job you have been carrying out training some other people via your blog. I'm certain you haven't come across all of us.
I just wanted to write a note to be able to thank you for all the unique instructions you are placing at this website. My long internet look up has now been rewarded with beneficial facts to talk about with my co-workers. I 'd claim that most of us site visitors actually are truly endowed to dwell in a notable community with very many outstanding professionals with very beneficial tactics. I feel somewhat privileged to have discovered the web page and look forward to really more awesome times reading here. Thanks a lot again for a lot of things.
Hiya! I simply wish to give an enormous thumbs up for the good info you might have right here on this post. I will likely be coming again to your blog for extra soon.
I am also commenting to let you know what a superb experience my wife's princess found browsing your blog. She mastered too many things, including what it's like to possess an incredible helping style to make other people just understand certain extremely tough subject areas. You truly exceeded readers' expectations. I appreciate you for showing these good, dependable, educational not to mention unique tips about your topic to Julie.
I simply wished to appreciate you once more. I do not know the things that I would have followed in the absence of those points documented by you regarding this problem. It previously was a terrifying difficulty in my view, but understanding this well-written form you treated it made me to leap with contentment. I am grateful for this information as well as hope that you find out what an amazing job you are doing training other individuals by way of a blog. Most likely you have never got to know all of us.
Howdy! I simply want to give a huge thumbs up for the great information you could have right here on this post. I will be coming again to your blog for extra soon.
I would like to point out my respect for your kindness in support of persons that really want guidance on this situation. Your real commitment to getting the message across was quite good and have surely encouraged employees much like me to arrive at their ambitions. Your entire informative facts can mean much to me and far more to my office colleagues. Thank you; from all of us.
I truly wanted to send a simple comment to say thanks to you for all of the precious guides you are giving out here. My incredibly long internet investigation has at the end been paid with pleasant tips to write about with my close friends. I would mention that many of us readers are unequivocally blessed to be in a superb site with very many awesome people with beneficial solutions. I feel extremely lucky to have come across the web pages and look forward to so many more awesome times reading here. Thank you once more for all the details.
I precisely desired to say thanks yet again. I am not sure the things that I would've worked on without these pointers provided by you about that theme. It seemed to be a real difficult dilemma in my circumstances, nevertheless finding out this well-written tactic you solved the issue forced me to jump over delight. I'm happy for the service and as well , have high hopes you know what a great job you are always putting in training other individuals through the use of your webblog. I know that you haven't come across any of us.
I not to mention my friends were found to be digesting the excellent information and facts from the blog and then suddenly came up with a terrible feeling I never thanked the blog owner for those techniques. These ladies appeared to be happy to read them and already have in actuality been tapping into those things. I appreciate you for genuinely very accommodating and then for going for this kind of exceptional subject areas most people are really needing to understand about. My honest apologies for not expressing appreciation to you earlier.
This web page is really a stroll-through for the entire information you needed about this and didn抰 know who to ask. Glimpse right here, and also you抣l undoubtedly uncover it.
I needed to draft you that little bit of observation to help thank you very much again for all the magnificent opinions you've contributed here. It was really strangely open-handed of people like you to grant openly precisely what a lot of people might have offered for an ebook in making some money for themselves, and in particular since you might well have tried it if you decided. Those secrets additionally acted to become easy way to recognize<|fim_middle|> in addition easy tips on your topic to Gloria.
A lot of thanks for every one of your effort on this blog. My mother really loves carrying out investigations and it is easy to understand why. Almost all hear all regarding the dynamic ways you convey vital items through the blog and even inspire participation from others on this area so our own child is undoubtedly becoming educated a whole lot. Enjoy the remaining portion of the year. You're doing a really good job.
I wanted to post you that very small observation in order to thank you very much yet again for your personal unique information you've discussed in this case. This has been strangely generous with people like you to convey easily what some people would have advertised for an e-book to generate some money on their own, especially now that you could possibly have tried it in case you desired. The pointers also acted to provide a fantastic way to recognize that some people have the same dream just as my very own to learn good deal more in regard to this condition. I am sure there are numerous more enjoyable sessions in the future for those who read carefully your site.
I must express some thanks to the writer just for bailing me out of this trouble. Because of scouting through the search engines and getting basics that were not pleasant, I assumed my entire life was gone. Existing devoid of the answers to the problems you've sorted out as a result of the short article is a serious case, as well as the ones which could have in a negative way affected my career if I hadn't discovered your website. Your own expertise and kindness in controlling all things was important. I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't discovered such a point like this. I can also at this time relish my future. Thanks for your time very much for your professional and sensible help. I will not hesitate to recommend your blog post to any person who needs and wants direction about this subject matter.
Thanks a lot for providing individuals with such a superb opportunity to read from this website. It can be so enjoyable and also stuffed with a lot of fun for me personally and my office colleagues to search the blog particularly thrice in 7 days to read through the newest things you will have. And of course, I'm just actually fascinated with the stunning guidelines you give. Selected 4 facts in this posting are undeniably the most suitable we have all ever had.
I'm just writing to let you understand of the amazing experience my friend's princess enjoyed reading the blog. She mastered such a lot of pieces, most notably what it is like to possess an ideal helping mood to get many more effortlessly know specified complicated issues. You actually surpassed her expected results. Thank you for producing those useful, trusted, explanatory as well as fun tips on that topic to Ethel.
Thanks a lot for giving everyone a very memorable opportunity to read from this site. It really is very excellent and as well , full of fun for me personally and my office mates to search your website the equivalent of 3 times in a week to study the newest secrets you will have. Of course, I am also usually happy for the impressive creative concepts served by you. Some 2 tips in this posting are undoubtedly the most beneficial I've ever had.
I really wanted to make a quick message in order to express gratitude to you for all the awesome hints you are showing on this website. My extended internet look up has now been honored with pleasant ideas to go over with my two friends. I would admit that we website visitors actually are very endowed to dwell in a decent place with so many perfect professionals with very beneficial tricks. I feel rather lucky to have seen the web site and look forward to many more awesome minutes reading here. Thanks a lot once more for everything.
I am writing to make you understand what a great experience my cousin's girl developed studying your web site. She even learned too many pieces, including what it's like to have a great helping style to have the rest just know just exactly some complicated subject areas. You actually did more than her desires. Many thanks for imparting such practical, dependable, edifying and also cool tips about the topic to Julie.
I as well as my buddies were reviewing the best tips and hints located on your web blog while all of a sudden I got a horrible feeling I had not expressed respect to the web blog owner for those strategies. Those young men ended up consequently joyful to read them and already have pretty much been tapping into those things. Thank you for indeed being so accommodating and for getting this kind of superior topics most people are really desperate to know about. Our sincere regret for not expressing appreciation to earlier.
I would like to point out my affection for your generosity giving support to persons that should have help with this subject. Your personal commitment to passing the message all-around has been exceedingly productive and have regularly helped some individuals much like me to achieve their endeavors. The insightful useful information indicates a lot to me and still more to my office colleagues. Regards; from each one of us.
I as well as my buddies happened to be looking at the best hints found on your web page and then then got an awful suspicion I had not expressed respect to the web site owner for them. Most of the young boys had been certainly thrilled to see them and have now surely been taking pleasure in those things. Many thanks for being really accommodating and for pick out varieties of excellent information most people are really desirous to discover. My personal honest regret for not saying thanks to earlier.
I would like to point out my admiration for your kindness giving support to individuals who absolutely need help on that question. Your very own dedication to getting the message all around had been exceptionally significant and have permitted individuals much like me to achieve their targets. Your personal invaluable suggestions implies this much a person like me and still more to my fellow workers. Many thanks; from everyone of us.
My husband and i felt joyous that Emmanuel managed to finish off his basic research via the ideas he acquired in your web pages. It's not at all simplistic to simply choose to be giving freely instructions other folks could have been selling. And we all recognize we've got the blog owner to give thanks to for that. The main illustrations you have made, the simple site navigation, the friendships you will help instill – it's mostly unbelievable, and it is facilitating our son in addition to us feel that that situation is entertaining, which is extremely fundamental. Thanks for everything!
I and my pals were actually reading through the excellent secrets on your website and unexpectedly developed a terrible feeling I had not expressed respect to the blog owner for them. My guys were excited to see all of them and have in effect without a doubt been taking advantage of these things. Thanks for indeed being really kind and for choosing these kinds of incredible things millions of individuals are really desperate to know about. My personal sincere apologies for not saying thanks to sooner.
Thanks a lot for giving everyone an exceptionally remarkable possiblity to read from here. It's usually very useful and jam-packed with a lot of fun for me and my office fellow workers to visit your web site at least thrice per week to learn the latest issues you have got. And of course, I'm also certainly satisfied concerning the striking suggestions you give. Selected 3 points in this posting are without a doubt the most effective I've ever had.
Thank you a lot for giving everyone an exceptionally terrific opportunity to discover important secrets from here. It can be very awesome and as well , packed with a lot of fun for me and my office acquaintances to search your site at the least three times a week to read the latest guides you will have. And indeed, I am just certainly amazed considering the breathtaking points you serve. Selected 4 points on this page are definitely the most impressive we've ever had.
I must express some appreciation to the writer for rescuing me from this particular trouble. After browsing through the online world and seeing tricks which were not pleasant, I thought my life was gone. Living minus the approaches to the issues you have fixed all through your post is a serious case, as well as the kind which could have negatively damaged my entire career if I had not discovered your blog post. Your mastery and kindness in controlling all the stuff was very useful. I don't know what I would've done if I had not come upon such a solution like this. I am able to now relish my future. Thanks very much for the specialized and result oriented guide. I will not think twice to refer the website to any individual who needs care about this matter.
My wife and i got quite glad that Ervin managed to carry out his survey using the ideas he was given using your web page. It's not at all simplistic to simply find yourself giving away procedures which usually many others could have been trying to sell. We see we need the blog owner to thank because of that. The entire illustrations you made, the straightforward site navigation, the relationships you can assist to engender – it's got mostly incredible, and it's assisting our son and us reason why this issue is enjoyable, and that's extraordinarily important. Thank you for the whole lot!
I precisely wished to thank you very much once again. I do not know the things I would have sorted out in the absence of the tricks discussed by you relating to my concern. This has been a real distressing matter in my view, but being able to see the very specialised tactic you dealt with it forced me to jump with joy. Now i am grateful for your support as well as wish you really know what an amazing job you have been providing educating people through the use of your webpage. I know that you haven't met all of us.
I want to show my affection for your kindness in support of those people that actually need help on this particular study. Your special dedication to getting the message all-around had become pretty significant and have constantly enabled professionals like me to reach their aims. Your entire warm and friendly help and advice entails a whole lot to me and even further to my mates. Best wishes; from each one of us.
I want to point out my respect for your kindness for men and women who require guidance on in this idea. Your real commitment to getting the message around turned out to be definitely helpful and have always allowed those just like me to arrive at their aims. Your entire useful guideline entails a whole lot to me and further more to my peers. Thanks a lot; from each one of us.
Thanks for each of your efforts on this web page. My mum really likes conducting investigation and it's really obvious why. A number of us notice all of the dynamic ways you present insightful guidance by means of your web site and therefore recommend contribution from website visitors on the point while our favorite simple princess is undoubtedly learning a whole lot. Take pleasure in the remaining portion of the year. Your doing a first class job.
I simply had to appreciate you all over again. I'm not certain the things I might have done in the absence of the type of tricks documented by you about such a industry. It truly was the frustrating setting for me personally, nevertheless being able to view the very specialized mode you handled the issue took me to weep for fulfillment. I am just happy for this help and in addition pray you realize what a great job that you are doing training most people using a blog. I'm certain you haven't come across any of us.
I together with my buddies have been reading the nice strategies on the blog and then then got a horrible feeling I had not thanked the site owner for them. My young boys ended up for this reason happy to read through all of them and already have seriously been enjoying them. We appreciate you genuinely simply considerate and also for utilizing such remarkable things most people are really wanting to understand about. My sincere apologies for not expressing appreciation to you earlier.
I precisely desired to thank you very much all over again. I am not sure what I would've sorted out in the absence of the actual basics discussed by you concerning this industry. Completely was the fearsome condition in my opinion, however , observing the very specialised tactic you resolved that made me to leap over contentment. Extremely happy for this work and in addition hope that you recognize what a great job you were putting in educating men and women with the aid of your web page. Probably you haven't got to know all of us.
Thank you for every one of your work on this web page. Gloria delights in working on investigation and it is simple to grasp why. A lot of people know all about the lively manner you present advantageous steps on your website and even inspire response from visitors about this point while our princess is truly being taught so much. Take pleasure in the remaining portion of the new year. You're the one doing a superb job.
I am only commenting to make you be aware of what a impressive encounter my wife's child enjoyed visiting your web site. She even learned a wide variety of details, not to mention what it's like to have an incredible giving character to have certain people just know chosen hard to do subject areas. You undoubtedly did more than my expected results. I appreciate you for rendering those productive, trustworthy, edifying and as well as cool thoughts on that topic to Sandra.
I precisely wanted to thank you very much once again. I'm not certain the things I might have made to happen in the absence of the entire techniques provided by you relating to this area. This has been a very troublesome case in my opinion, but taking a look at the very specialized strategy you managed it forced me to leap for fulfillment. Now i'm thankful for this support and expect you are aware of an amazing job that you are putting in training other individuals using your webpage. Most likely you have never met all of us.
My wife and i felt really more than happy when Jordan managed to complete his survey from your precious recommendations he received through the web page. It is now and again perplexing to just find yourself giving for free guidance which often the rest could have been making money from. And we remember we now have the blog owner to appreciate because of that. The specific illustrations you made, the straightforward site menu, the relationships you can make it easier to foster – it is many fantastic, and it's making our son in addition to the family do think that subject matter is exciting, and that is truly vital. Thank you for all the pieces!
I wanted to send you that very little observation to help say thanks the moment again with your great advice you've provided in this article. It has been certainly incredibly generous with people like you to convey extensively precisely what a number of people could possibly have distributed for an e book to get some cash for themselves, certainly seeing that you might have tried it in case you wanted. The strategies also acted to be a good way to be sure that the rest have a similar zeal really like my own to figure out more on the subject of this problem. I am certain there are lots of more fun periods up front for those who read carefully your site.
Thank you a lot for providing individuals with an exceptionally special chance to check tips from this web site. It is usually so excellent and also packed with a great time for me and my office co-workers to visit your web site the equivalent of three times in one week to see the latest issues you will have. And lastly, I am also usually motivated concerning the great suggestions you give. Selected 4 ideas on this page are essentially the most efficient we have all ever had.
I'm also writing to make you understand what a fantastic experience my cousin's princess went through viewing your webblog. She figured out plenty of things, which include what it's like to have an amazing teaching heart to get other folks clearly know just exactly various impossible issues. You undoubtedly did more than her expectations. Many thanks for churning out those insightful, trustworthy, informative and in addition cool thoughts on the topic to Emily.
I needed to create you this tiny observation to say thanks over again with your breathtaking basics you have contributed on this site. It was shockingly open-handed with people like you to provide easily just what some people might have distributed as an ebook in order to make some profit for their own end, even more so considering the fact that you could have done it if you ever decided. Those concepts in addition acted like the good way to fully grasp most people have the same dreams just like my own to learn good deal more in terms of this issue. I'm sure there are some more pleasurable times in the future for those who find out your blog post.
Thank you so much for providing individuals with a very marvellous possiblity to read critical reviews from this blog. It can be very awesome plus packed with a good time for me personally and my office fellow workers to visit the blog at the very least 3 times in one week to read through the latest guides you have. Of course, I'm also actually satisfied with your effective secrets you serve. Selected two ideas on this page are particularly the most effective we have all had.
I wanted to write you a tiny note to be able to thank you as before for all the exceptional tricks you've shared at this time. It's certainly generous of people like you to allow freely exactly what a few individuals would have offered for sale for an e-book to get some dough on their own, notably since you might have tried it in the event you desired. The thoughts also acted like the easy way to understand that other people online have the same eagerness similar to my very own to know much more related to this issue. I'm certain there are several more fun moments in the future for folks who scan your site.
I have to show my appreciation to you for bailing me out of this particular predicament. Just after researching through the online world and obtaining opinions which were not beneficial, I thought my entire life was over. Existing devoid of the solutions to the problems you have fixed by means of your entire short post is a serious case, and those which could have badly affected my entire career if I hadn't noticed your web page. Your expertise and kindness in controlling all the details was very useful. I don't know what I would've done if I had not come across such a step like this. It's possible to at this time look ahead to my future. Thank you very much for this skilled and results-oriented guide. I will not hesitate to refer your blog to anybody who should get care about this situation.
I just wanted to jot down a simple comment in order to say thanks to you for these amazing hints you are giving out at this site. My time intensive internet investigation has finally been honored with good quality suggestions to go over with my partners. I 'd mention that many of us site visitors are very much lucky to exist in a good site with many brilliant professionals with great concepts. I feel somewhat lucky to have encountered your web site and look forward to really more thrilling moments reading here. Thanks once more for everything.
Thanks a lot for giving everyone an extremely terrific opportunity to read articles and blog posts from this web site. It's usually very fantastic and as well , stuffed with amusement for me and my office peers to search your site at the least 3 times weekly to learn the latest stuff you will have. Of course, I am at all times amazed concerning the wonderful guidelines you serve. Some 3 ideas in this post are indeed the best we have had.
I would like to show appreciation to this writer for rescuing me from this particular predicament. As a result of checking throughout the the net and meeting techniques that were not powerful, I figured my life was well over. Living without the presence of strategies to the problems you've solved all through the short article is a crucial case, and the ones which could have in a negative way affected my entire career if I hadn't noticed your site. Your own natural talent and kindness in playing with all the things was very helpful. I am not sure what I would have done if I had not encountered such a stuff like this. I can at this point look forward to my future. Thank you very much for your professional and effective guide. I won't hesitate to propose your blog post to any individual who needs direction about this matter.
I must express appreciation to this writer just for bailing me out of this type of scenario. As a result of exploring throughout the search engines and coming across notions that were not beneficial, I thought my life was well over. Being alive without the strategies to the difficulties you've resolved by way of this site is a serious case, as well as the ones that would have in a negative way affected my career if I had not come across your site. The knowledge and kindness in controlling the whole lot was tremendous. I'm not sure what I would have done if I had not come upon such a thing like this. I am able to at this moment look forward to my future. Thanks a lot so much for the skilled and results-oriented guide. I won't think twice to recommend your web blog to anybody who should have guidelines about this problem.
I want to express some thanks to you just for rescuing me from this circumstance. Because of checking through the the web and meeting recommendations that were not beneficial, I was thinking my life was done. Being alive minus the solutions to the difficulties you have solved all through the guideline is a critical case, and the ones that could have negatively damaged my entire career if I hadn't noticed your site. Your primary knowledge and kindness in touching all things was valuable. I am not sure what I would have done if I hadn't discovered such a subject like this. I am able to at this point look ahead to my future. Thanks for your time very much for the high quality and results-oriented help. I will not be reluctant to refer the website to any person who should receive guidance on this subject matter.
Needed to send you one very little note in order to say thank you once again for those stunning thoughts you have documented above. It has been so surprisingly open-handed with people like you to allow without restraint what some people could possibly have advertised as an ebook to end up making some cash for themselves, chiefly considering that you could have tried it if you ever decided. Those tips additionally served to be a great way to be certain that other people online have the same interest the same as mine to know lots more in regard to this matter. I know there are millions of more enjoyable times ahead for individuals who read through your website.
Thanks a lot for providing individuals with a very memorable chance to check tips from this website. It is always very awesome plus packed with fun for me and my office acquaintances to search your website not less than three times in a week to read through the new issues you have got. And of course, I am just usually satisfied concerning the perfect hints you serve. Selected two ideas on this page are rather the most impressive we have all ever had.
I intended to put you one bit of word just to say thanks again about the beautiful information you've documented in this case. It is quite particularly open-handed with you in giving easily exactly what a lot of folks would've marketed for an e book to generate some bucks on their own, chiefly since you could have done it if you ever wanted. Those creative ideas as well acted to be the good way to know that many people have the identical dreams the same as my very own to grasp a good deal more with respect to this issue. I think there are several more pleasurable occasions in the future for individuals that scan your blog.
I simply wanted to write down a remark to be able to express gratitude to you for some of the splendid strategies you are posting at this website. My extended internet search has at the end been honored with really good facts to share with my family and friends. I 'd believe that we readers are undoubtedly endowed to be in a great network with many wonderful individuals with good tricks. I feel really privileged to have encountered your entire web site and look forward to really more thrilling times reading here. Thanks a lot once more for all the details.
A lot of thanks for all of your effort on this site. My mom really loves going through research and it is easy to see why. Most people know all of the powerful medium you produce powerful strategies via your web site and even increase response from other people on this idea while my daughter is now starting to learn a lot of things. Take advantage of the remaining portion of the year. You are doing a remarkable job.
I am only commenting to let you know what a incredible discovery my cousin's child experienced reading your site. She came to find numerous issues, including how it is like to possess a very effective helping mindset to have a number of people with no trouble learn about selected very confusing subject areas. You actually exceeded my expected results. Thank you for producing such informative, trusted, educational and even fun tips about this topic to Ethel.
Thank you so much for providing individuals with a very special chance to read from this web site. It really is very excellent and also packed with a good time for me personally and my office fellow workers to visit the blog not less than 3 times weekly to read through the newest issues you will have. And lastly, we are always contented considering the special strategies you serve. Selected 3 ideas in this article are easily the most efficient we have had.
I must convey my admiration for your kind-heartedness giving support to people that really need assistance with this one subject. Your very own commitment to passing the solution around appears to be extremely helpful and have regularly permitted somebody like me to get to their endeavors. Your entire helpful tutorial signifies so much a person like me and even more to my office workers. Regards; from all of us.
I must show some thanks to you just for rescuing me from this type of situation. Just after researching throughout the online world and coming across notions which are not pleasant, I was thinking my entire life was gone. Existing devoid of the approaches to the problems you have fixed through your post is a critical case, as well as the ones which could have badly affected my entire career if I had not noticed your site. Your main knowledge and kindness in dealing with everything was precious. I'm not sure what I would've done if I had not encountered such a step like this. I can also at this time look ahead to my future. Thanks for your time very much for this reliable and amazing guide. I won't be reluctant to suggest your blog to any person who would need direction about this problem.
I truly wanted to post a small word to be able to thank you for these awesome advice you are posting at this website. My rather long internet research has at the end been rewarded with high-quality facts and strategies to go over with my great friends. I 'd repeat that we readers are really lucky to dwell in a magnificent website with very many awesome individuals with valuable solutions. I feel quite fortunate to have come across the web page and look forward to some more thrilling times reading here. Thanks again for a lot of things.
My spouse and i ended up being quite delighted that Michael could round up his homework from the precious recommendations he discovered from your very own web pages. It's not at all simplistic to simply choose to be making a gift of guidelines that many the others may have been selling. And we all take into account we need the website owner to be grateful to for this. The type of illustrations you made, the simple blog menu, the friendships you aid to promote – it's many spectacular, and it's really facilitating our son in addition to us reckon that that matter is brilliant, which is certainly exceptionally mandatory. Many thanks for all!
Thanks for each of your work on this blog. My mum take interest in doing internet research and it is simple to grasp why. A number of us notice all concerning the compelling form you present reliable tactics via this web site and as well as recommend participation from some other people on that subject plus our favorite daughter is without question being taught a great deal. Enjoy the rest of the year. You have been conducting a really great job.
My spouse and i felt so lucky when Ervin could finish off his survey through the precious recommendations he got through the web site. It is now and again perplexing to simply continually be giving away instructions which usually people today might have been making money from. So we recognize we have got the website owner to give thanks to because of that. Those explanations you made, the simple web site navigation, the friendships your site give support to engender – it is most awesome, and it is aiding our son and us consider that that topic is interesting, which is certainly particularly pressing. Many thanks for the whole lot!
I wish to show my thanks to you for bailing me out of this type of circumstance. Just after exploring through the the net and meeting recommendations which are not pleasant, I assumed my entire life was over. Being alive devoid of the strategies to the issues you've fixed as a result of your good posting is a serious case, as well as those that would have adversely affected my career if I had not discovered your web blog. The natural talent and kindness in dealing with all the stuff was very useful. I'm not sure what I would have done if I had not encountered such a point like this. I can also at this time look ahead to my future. Thanks for your time so much for your high quality and results-oriented help. I won't be reluctant to endorse the sites to any individual who wants and needs tips about this matter.
I not to mention my buddies came examining the nice items found on the blog while unexpectedly I had an awful feeling I had not expressed respect to the web blog owner for those secrets. Those boys happened to be as a consequence thrilled to learn all of them and already have without a doubt been having fun with those things. Many thanks for getting so kind as well as for going for variety of fine themes most people are really eager to be informed on. My very own honest apologies for not expressing gratitude to you sooner.
I precisely had to thank you so much again. I do not know what I would've worked on without the tricks shared by you about such a concern. It previously was a real depressing dilemma in my opinion, but noticing the very well-written fashion you solved it made me to weep with gladness. I am just happier for your support and as well , hope that you comprehend what an amazing job that you're getting into training many others using your web site. More than likely you've never encountered any of us.
Aw, this was a really nice post. In idea I would like to put in writing like this additionally ?taking time and actual effort to make an excellent article?but what can I say?I procrastinate alot and by no means seem to get something done.
I抎 have to test with you here. Which isn't one thing I normally do! I take pleasure in reading a submit that may make individuals think. Additionally, thanks for permitting me to remark!
I'm often to blogging and i actually appreciate your content. The article has actually peaks my interest. I am going to bookmark your website and keep checking for brand new information.
A formidable share, I simply given this onto a colleague who was doing a little analysis on this. And he in actual fact bought me breakfast because I discovered it for him.. smile. So let me reword that: Thnx for the treat! But yeah Thnkx for spending the time to debate this, I feel strongly about it and love studying extra on this topic. If possible, as you change into experience, would you thoughts updating your weblog with extra details? It's highly helpful for me. Huge thumb up for this weblog submit!
I抎 should examine with you here. Which is not one thing I often do! I take pleasure in studying a post that may make people think. Also, thanks for permitting me to comment!
I used to be more than happy to search out this internet-site.I wanted to thanks to your time for this excellent learn!! I undoubtedly enjoying each little little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to take a look at new stuff you blog post.
I was very happy to find this net-site.I needed to thanks to your time for this excellent learn!! I positively enjoying each little little bit of it and I've you bookmarked to take a look at new stuff you weblog post.
After research a few of the blog posts on your web site now, and I truly like your means of blogging. I bookmarked it to my bookmark website checklist and will likely be checking again soon. Pls take a look at my web page as nicely and let me know what you think.
There are definitely lots of details like that to take into consideration. That is a nice level to bring up. I offer the ideas above as general inspiration but clearly there are questions like the one you bring up the place crucial factor might be working in trustworthy good faith. I don?t know if greatest practices have emerged around issues like that, but I'm sure that your job is clearly identified as a good game. Both girls and boys really feel the affect of just a second抯 pleasure, for the remainder of their lives.
Wow, great blog site formatting! The way long have you been posting intended for? you are making posting seem simple. The whole seem within your web site is . kumpulan youtube terfavoritsuperb, together with the information!
get irked whilst folks think about concerns that they plainly do not recognise about.
I must say you've done a amazing job with this. Also, the blog loads very fast for me on Chrome.
when is it best to take sildenafil.
cialis movie http://www.cialislet.com/ cialis prices.
I'll immediately grasp your rss as I can't to find your email subscription link or e-newsletter service.
all the internet visitors; they will obtain benefit from it I am sure. | that other people have a similar interest much like my own to find out more on the subject of this condition. I think there are lots of more pleasant opportunities up front for individuals who look into your blog post.
I wanted to write down a quick word so as to say thanks to you for some of the wonderful ways you are posting at this website. My particularly long internet investigation has finally been recognized with useful concept to talk about with my pals. I would admit that we site visitors actually are undeniably endowed to exist in a magnificent community with very many marvellous professionals with valuable techniques. I feel quite privileged to have seen the site and look forward to many more enjoyable moments reading here. Thanks once again for all the details.
I want to express thanks to you just for rescuing me from this setting. Right after checking through the the net and meeting recommendations that were not productive, I thought my life was over. Living minus the answers to the issues you've fixed by way of your good short article is a serious case, and those that could have badly affected my entire career if I hadn't encountered the blog. Your actual capability and kindness in controlling all things was useful. I don't know what I would've done if I hadn't discovered such a subject like this. I am able to at this time relish my future. Thank you very much for your expert and sensible help. I won't think twice to refer your web site to any person who would need tips about this topic.
I want to express my appreciation to this writer for rescuing me from such a incident. Just after researching through the internet and finding advice which were not pleasant, I thought my life was gone. Being alive without the presence of strategies to the issues you have resolved by way of your good blog post is a crucial case, and the kind that could have badly damaged my entire career if I hadn't discovered your web blog. The natural talent and kindness in dealing with all areas was vital. I don't know what I would have done if I had not come across such a step like this. I can also at this moment look forward to my future. Thanks for your time so much for the skilled and sensible guide. I won't be reluctant to recommend your blog post to any individual who desires direction on this area.
I have to show appreciation to you just for rescuing me from this type of trouble. Just after looking out through the internet and getting things that were not pleasant, I believed my life was gone. Living without the presence of strategies to the problems you've solved all through the short article is a critical case, and those which may have negatively affected my career if I hadn't noticed your web site. That know-how and kindness in playing with the whole lot was valuable. I am not sure what I would've done if I had not come across such a solution like this. It's possible to at this moment relish my future. Thanks for your time so much for this reliable and results-oriented help. I won't be reluctant to refer the website to anyone who should get tips about this area.
Thank you so much for providing individuals with such a special possiblity to read in detail from this website. It can be very beneficial and as well , stuffed with amusement for me and my office co-workers to visit the blog more than thrice per week to read the newest tips you will have. And definitely, we're certainly contented with the sensational strategies served by you. Selected two facts in this posting are certainly the most beneficial we have all ever had.
I would like to point out my respect for your generosity giving support to individuals that really want help with this niche. Your personal dedication to getting the message all over had been extremely invaluable and have in every case made others just like me to get to their objectives. This insightful suggestions entails a whole lot a person like me and especially to my office workers. With thanks; from everyone of us.
Thanks for all your valuable labor on this web site. Betty really likes engaging in internet research and it's really obvious why. My partner and i hear all of the dynamic tactic you create sensible strategies by means of your web site and as well strongly encourage contribution from website visitors on the area of interest plus our favorite girl has always been starting to learn a lot of things. Have fun with the rest of the new year. You have been conducting a fantastic job.
A lot of thanks for all your effort on this blog. My mom delights in working on research and it's really simple to grasp why. My partner and i know all about the lively medium you present vital techniques by means of this web site and therefore attract response from some others about this idea so our own child is studying a whole lot. Enjoy the remaining portion of the year. You have been carrying out a really great job.
I wish to get across my love for your generosity giving support to individuals that really want help on the concept. Your special dedication to getting the message all around appears to be especially effective and has helped ladies much like me to realize their goals. Your informative publication implies a whole lot a person like me and even more to my office colleagues. Regards; from each one of us.
I just wanted to compose a simple remark in order to thank you for these superb tips you are writing on this website. My time consuming internet look up has at the end been recognized with beneficial concept to share with my co-workers. I would assume that many of us website visitors actually are undeniably endowed to be in a fabulous network with very many perfect people with interesting techniques. I feel very privileged to have used the web page and look forward to some more exciting times reading here. Thanks once again for everything.
I would like to voice my passion for your kindness in support of men who should have assistance with this idea. Your very own commitment to getting the message all around appears to be exceedingly important and has continually enabled professionals just like me to attain their desired goals. Your entire informative report implies so much a person like me and substantially more to my fellow workers. Thanks a ton; from all of us.
I would like to show my gratitude for your generosity giving support to all those that require help on that theme. Your special dedication to getting the message all over had become quite interesting and has usually enabled some individuals like me to attain their goals. Your amazing useful report implies this much to me and much more to my mates. With thanks; from all of us.
I intended to draft you this tiny remark in order to thank you over again for your striking thoughts you've shared on this site. It is simply unbelievably generous with people like you in giving extensively all that a number of people could possibly have made available as an electronic book to end up making some money for themselves, certainly given that you could possibly have tried it if you considered necessary. Those tips as well served to provide a great way to comprehend some people have similar eagerness similar to my own to understand a lot more around this matter. I know there are a lot more pleasant instances in the future for individuals who check out your blog.
Needed to put you one tiny word to thank you so much again for all the gorgeous things you've documented in this case. It was simply surprisingly generous with you to offer without restraint all that most people would have advertised as an electronic book in making some dough on their own, precisely seeing that you could possibly have tried it if you wanted. Those tactics also served like a easy way to be aware that other people have a similar dreams much like my personal own to find out significantly more in terms of this condition. Certainly there are millions of more pleasurable instances ahead for individuals that view your blog post.
I simply wanted to appreciate you once more. I'm not certain what I would've used without the entire opinions contributed by you over such a area. Completely was a difficult problem in my position, however , discovering your skilled way you treated the issue took me to cry with fulfillment. I am happy for this information and even hope you comprehend what a powerful job your are accomplishing instructing people today all through your web page. I know that you have never encountered all of us.
I wanted to jot down a simple note in order to say thanks to you for those marvelous ideas you are giving out on this site. My prolonged internet research has at the end of the day been paid with good points to go over with my family. I would state that that most of us readers are undeniably blessed to dwell in a great community with so many wonderful professionals with very beneficial basics. I feel somewhat grateful to have encountered the weblog and look forward to so many more pleasurable times reading here. Thank you once more for everything.
Thank you so much for giving everyone an exceptionally wonderful chance to read from here. It is always very great and as well , jam-packed with a lot of fun for me personally and my office friends to visit your web site the equivalent of three times in 7 days to read the latest stuff you will have. Not to mention, I am always impressed with your surprising creative concepts served by you. Some 3 facts in this article are unquestionably the finest I've had.
I and my pals appeared to be analyzing the excellent advice found on the website while all of a sudden developed an awful suspicion I never expressed respect to the web blog owner for them. These ladies appeared to be as a result happy to see them and have honestly been tapping into them. Appreciate your really being well helpful and then for picking such incredible subject areas most people are really desirous to be informed on. My personal sincere apologies for not expressing appreciation to sooner.
I precisely wished to thank you very much once more. I'm not certain the things that I would have taken care of in the absence of the entire points shown by you on such a concern. It previously was an absolute troublesome problem in my view, but understanding a new well-written style you processed that took me to jump with happiness. I'm just grateful for this support as well as wish you are aware of an amazing job you happen to be putting in educating the rest through your websites. I'm certain you haven't got to know any of us.
I in addition to my buddies have already been taking note of the nice helpful tips on the blog and so suddenly got an awful feeling I had not expressed respect to the website owner for those strategies. The people became for this reason very interested to study all of them and already have pretty much been taking advantage of these things. Thanks for simply being quite helpful and then for considering some fine useful guides most people are really desirous to know about. Our honest apologies for not saying thanks to you sooner.
I definitely wanted to develop a quick message to be able to thank you for these unique tricks you are giving out on this website. My time consuming internet lookup has at the end been honored with extremely good facts to share with my partners. I 'd admit that most of us website visitors actually are rather endowed to be in a notable website with so many outstanding professionals with useful plans. I feel truly fortunate to have seen your entire web page and look forward to some more awesome moments reading here. Thanks once again for all the details.
I am commenting to make you be aware of of the fine encounter our daughter undergone reading through the blog. She discovered plenty of pieces, most notably how it is like to possess a wonderful helping style to get many others just know precisely various impossible things. You undoubtedly did more than our desires. Many thanks for giving the beneficial, safe, educational and | 2,331 |
August 2021 Issue [Reviews]
Writ in Water
by Leanne Shapton,
On Roger Deakin's indelible swims
Yuba River, by Billy Childish. Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York City
Discussed in this essay:
Waterlog: A Swimmer's Journey Through Britain, by Roger Deakin. Tin House. 370 pages. $27.95.
In my early twenties, whenever I heard the word "hippie," I pictured the Haight-Ashbury version: Woodstock, Manson, tie-dye. Then I realized there was another kind of hippie: the British hippie. There was a little music shop on College Street in Toronto called She Said Boom. I'd walk there from the room I was renting a few blocks away. On this particular day, I was probably looking for Mazzy Star or Future Bible Heroes or anything from 4AD. That's what I was into. But a random CD cover caught my eye: a shaggy, elfin boy-man wearing a rainbow-striped woven sort of sweater thing, beckoning, in soft focus. He was standing in a wood. Nick Drake. Way to Blue. I'd heard the name; I liked the stripes. I want it, I got it.
Nick Drake led to Syd Barrett, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Sandy Denny. Guitars held vertically, played by things with pointy boots and ears. In my head, I connected these sylvan beings to Stonehenge and Tumnus the faun. From my Canadian perspective, the denizens of Britain, great and small, consisted of the bowler-hatted banker from Mary Poppins, Lady Di and the royal family, Merchant Ivory characters, and the Mackenzies and Strachans—the starchy founders of Upper Canada. Mannered men and women, austere. So these wilder and woollier natives blew my mind. I liked them better.
I realized that I had encountered this weight of shag within the bohemian spectrum before: the gentleman hippie. The English eccentric. Withnail and his pal I. Poetry-fed, exuberant thespians and luvvies, accustomed to an audience. A mix of Pan and William Blake: Plake. Shakespeare was totally one. Jonathan Miller, Michael Palin, and Simon Callow, crossed with Byron and the Shelleys. Less psychedelic, more homosexual. Hippies in corduroy. Hippiedom as sensibility rather than pejorative. Lawrence: check. The Bloomsbury Group: check. Hockney: check. Roger Deakin, the writer, activist, educator, and filmmaker: check.
As I reread Deakin's book Waterlog, I found it shot through with this sensibility. Though it is only now being published in the United States, it was released in the United Kingdom in 1999, and helped launch a national movement of outdoor swimming. It might be the most romantic swimming memoir ever written. Its spirit, and the way it illuminates the joy and complexity of water, of swimming in the wild, places it next to Thoreau's Walden. As Thoreau "went to the woods," Deakin went into the water.
Swimming is generally a nonverbal sport. Its soundtrack is burbles and plashes and amplified muffled roars, pops, and tinklings. More than anything, swimmers hear themselves breathe. Deakin details this music. But, as he points out in Waterlog, swimming
certainly appeals to free spirits, which is why the talk is invariably so good in those little spontaneous bankside, beach or poolside parliaments that spring up wherever two or three swimmers are gathered, as though the water's fluency were contagious.
He gives us this song too.
Deakin died from a brain tumor in 2006. "My house was once an acorn," he wrote in his posthumously published Notes from Walnut Tree Farm. The farm was his home base, where in 1970 he bought and began to restore a sixteenth-century Tudor ruin surrounded by fields, ancient paths, and crucially, a moat—a beloved, swimmable moat. One rainy afternoon, Deakin, pensive, strokes through his moat and thinks of Neddy Merrill's long swim in John Cheever's story "The Swimmer." Merrill decides to swim home after a pool party by using a suburban patchwork of backyard pools. "He seemed to see, with a cartographer's eye, that string of swimming pools, that quasi-subterranean stream that curved across the country." The swims take him through the seasons and, finally, to a Scrooge-like apprehension of his shallow life.
Deakin, nest empty of his son, and at the loose end of a relationship, decides to swim north, through Britain's rivers and waterways, starting in the southwestern Scilly Isles and ending on the Suffolk Coast. He wants to "break out of the frustration of a lifetime doing lengths, of endlessly turning back on myself like a tiger pacing its cage." Waterlog gives us a diary of his year of swims, in four hundred pages. Instead of the gin, the drunk neighbors, and the soggy Japanese lanterns that Merrill encounters, Deakin encounters wild bathers, finger-wagging coast guards, tufa, and thyme. Cheever's reader recognizes the concrete bottom of an empty pool. Deakin beckons his into the depths of the natural world.
indelible swim i
The Sulu Sea, the Philippines, with my brother. I am ten, he's twelve. We swim for hours before sunset, a couple of our uncles on the beach watching us, sipping bottles of San Miguel. We've never felt salt water this warm. None of our cousins get in with us. They turn to their homework, their red-and-blue Game & Watches. One of them has a little Sony Watchman. Pictures from this trip show two tiny dots, our heads, backlit on the swelling orange horizon.
In the Nineties, when he began his cross-country swim, Deakin was an established broadcaster, journalist, and teacher. His vast archive at the University of East Anglia lists the environmental organizations he either founded, chaired, or supported: Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Common Ground, Houghton Fishing Club, and various wildlife-preservation trusts. In columns, events, and articles he spoke for bees, otters, bluebells, apples, and French cabbages. He practiced and preached bioregionalism.
As Deakin sets off, his reader begins to understand how he sees the natural world. Tiny shells are the souls of drowned sailors; every single flower is named. He follows the flight of a bee or dragonfly so that we share its quotidian errands. He considers the eels he swims with.<|fim_middle|>pareil. This is true of open-water swimmers, too.
Deakin introduces the idea of indelible swims in his first chapter. They are "like dreams, and have the same profound effect on the mind and spirit." The first of his indelible swims was in the dawn darkness at the local pool before opening hours. "We had the place to ourselves." His love of swimming is always a little subversive: he enjoys trespassing and has the activist's ease of being where he's told not to be. On reading Waterlog for the second time, I realized that my own indelible swims have predominantly taken place in open water. The childhood swims are indelible for their joy, and as I age the swims become unforgettable for darker reasons. By the time I finished the book this time round, pools were starting to look weird to me. Filtered. Merrillesque.
In 2012, the artist Taryn Simon and the programmer Aaron Swartz created the Image Atlas, a website that indexes the top pictures generated for various keywords, using local search engines in nineteen default countries. Today, if I search for the word "swimming" in the Image Atlas, all the results are of swimmers in pools, except for one, an image from Twitter of bathers in Iran swimming in a sort of canal. Not a single picture of a river, lake, or beach.
I have to admit: there is something weird, something wrong about this.
indelible swim iii
The Atlantic, a last swim in Peconic Bay, New York, 7 am, mid-October. The water is glassy, quiet. I wear stubby orange flippers, more for picking over the rocky beach than for speed. I backstroke westerly, against the current and parallel to the shore. In my periphery, I see the cottages that line the bulkhead: thirty-one small wooden summer dwellings, purpose-built for brick workers at the turn of the nineteenth century. A friend had told me about the place, its unusual, perfect scale. Its lawns, its magic. My daughter watches me from the grass. At Cottage Four, I turn and slowly kick back, looking up at the clearing sky. The water is still summer-warm, like a cup of tea left on a desk for an hour.
I'm waiting for the light to change. I look at the tops of the roadside trees, still stripped from winter. Branches resemble river systems, rivers resemble the body's nervous and circulatory systems. As my turn signal clicks, I imagine all the lakes and rivers in the country, numb from disuse, coursing with lead, sluggish with waste. Then Deakin's book arrives on these shores. It pumps swimming, splashing bodies into the system, waking it up with a massive human transfusion. Deakin extends W. H. Auden's line "a culture is no better than its woods." He adds that this holds true for its rivers too. Sitting in traffic is the opposite of swimming. The light turns green, the vision dissolves.
The remarkable and sad thing about his book is how urgent its concerns remain. Waterlog was a watershed. Deakin led people to water and started a wild-swimming renaissance in the United Kingdom. In the United States, books such as Swimming to Antarctica, by Lynne Cox; Swim, by Lynn Sherr; Nine Ways to Cross a River, by Akiko Busch; and, most recently, Why We Swim, by Bonnie Tsui, have generated a similar interest in wild water. A rallying cry of nature conservation runs through each one. Though the term "climate change" appears nowhere in Waterlog, it's what the book continues to table in Deakin's absence.
There's one moment in particular that illustrates Deakin's sympathy for the planet. He startles a pair of foxes at a spring near Malvern:
The dog fox scampered off, but the vixen and I just stood looking at each other for fully two minutes. I wasn't going to move before she did, even if we were there all morning. Then she turned and dragged herself away, towing her paralyzed hindquarters after her. I stood for a long time by theliving spring, too shocked to move, looking at the rank, parted grass where the dying fox had disappeared, wondering how long she could survive.
In Holland, children learn to swim in their clothes and earn diplomas that allow them to use public pools. I don't know why this practice isn't encouraged in North America. Few schools and universities have requisite swimming instruction. There was an urban myth that Harvard's mandatory swim test—now abandoned—was initiated at the behest of donor Eleanor Elkins Widener, whose son (a Harvard student) and husband went down with the Titanic. Neither of them knew how to swim. This myth has been debunked. Still. I raise you one: What if all children, everywhere, were taught to swim in their clothes and in open water?
Imagine the look of horror on a Manhattan parent's face (mine) if a child were to bring home a slip to be signed, granting permission to swim in the Gowanus Canal during phys ed class. If swimming skills are predicated on a basic fear of drowning, they can also be used to prove the water quality of a civilized society. A child who knows how to swim should not then be poisoned by the water. It's like a game of Floor Is Lava. But real. Now imagine if that signature were dashed off with a kiss on the head and a "sounds like fun, honey." I can dream. I dream of drinking from lakes the way Augustus Gloop greedily gulps the chocolate river in Willy Wonka's factory. I wish Biden dreamed of water as Kennedy did of the moon.
indelible swim iv
Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, pulling off the side of the highway, clambering up the dunes because the waves look too good not to jump into them. Cold, loud, crashing waves. The man I am with, an Australian, is completely at home in ocean waves. He strips and walks straight in, without hesitation. We're there to see Kitty Hawk. We run the length of the Wright brothers' famous twelve-second 1903 flight—120 feet—in the spitting rain.
Early in Waterlog, Deakin swims the Green Bay in the Scilly Isles, seeing stone walls beneath him. "I was going back four thousand years, soaring above the ancient landscape like some slow bird," he writes. "And it reminded me how like the sea a field can be; how, on a windy day, silver waves run through young corn." He compares swimming to flight. One of Deakin's most popular quotes is in fact from T. H. White's The Sword in the Stone. Merlin turns Arthur into a fish and says: "There is practically no difference between flying in water and flying in the air."
Any confident swimmer knows this feeling. But Deakin continues to connect Darwinian dots. In a chapter called "The Red River," Deakin cites the marine biologist Sir Alister Hardy and the writer Elaine Morgan's aquatic theory of human evolution, which holds that humans spent ten million years of drought "evolving into uprightness as semi-aquatic waders and swimmers in the sea shallows and on the beaches of Africa." Hardy had noticed that vestigial hairs formed different patterns on humans than they did on other apes, and that the hydrodynamic lines that would form around a human swimming in a water tunnel would match the lines created by the body hairs—"just what you would expect to find in a creature evolved for streamlined swimming."
In each body of water, Deakin introduces us to wonderful, marginal characters like Hardy or Sir James Lighthill, a mathematician, preeminent in wave theory and fluid dynamics, who backstroked around the Channel Islands. More familiar figures appear too. He mentions Virginia Woolf in Byron's Pool, Cambridgeshire; George Bernard Shaw with salt water in his beard; George Orwell on Jura. He name-dunks, then cheerfully explains the politics, science, and history of the landscape he peers at—over and beneath the waterline.
The assignment of this review coincides with a stay in a one-room cabin lent to me by friends, in upstate New York. After spending the previous year landlocked, street-locked, apartment-locked, and finally confined to bed by illness, I'm giddy to be in nature. I walk and walk and walk and poke at birds' nests and carry attractive rocks across fields and burn through piles of firewood and collect sticks. Seeing a beaver in a neighbor's pond feels like spotting a UFO. It's March, but I take off my boots and wade into a river.
I play Poohsticks with my daughter. We each choose a stick, and on the count of three, throw it over the upstream side of a bridge. We run across to see whose comes bobbing along in the current first. Sometimes only one appears. We wait for the other stick to follow, but there are times it never does. So we walk on, suspense fluttering away in the breeze, figuring that it got stuck in some bramble or flotsam. Later, when I'm slicing an onion or stoking the fire, I'll think of that stick at the mercy of the water.
The sticks that disappear under the bridge sum up this pervasive subtraction—the invisibility, the uncertainty and loneliness—of the pandemic. My own stoic feelings of worthlessness. Friendships have floated. I'm guilty of drift, too. During lockdown, society is a dry riverbed, an oxbow lake, cut off from the source. My natural reclusiveness thrives. I'm happy when I can hear my daughter in the same room, burbling, breathing, asking me to do things for her. "Mom, can you. . . ?" I encourage her to do these things herself. I look up river and water terminology that might describe this pooling of dependence breaking into its own movement. Child as distributary. River deltas of resistance. Family as groundwater. There's a Heimweh to a hillside in the half-dark of the country, the "dimmit-light," as Deakin calls it. Just a glance as I drive past, then a flash of riverbed. How can a landscape that I've never seen before make me miss my own life?
indelible swim v
Georgian Bay, Ontario. I am eleven. My father has bought a twenty-five-foot sailboat. It is a rusty red, its name painted in black italic on the hull: Abegweit. The previous owner told my father that Abegweit is a species of bird. Later I look it up, and it seems it's not a bird but another spelling of the Mi'kmaq name for Prince Edward Island, meaning "cradled on the waves." We sail, then anchor off an island called Giant's Tomb and swim off the boat, into water twenty feet deep, and clear. I can count the ribs of sand on the lake bed, like rows of rickrack ribbon.
As I sit typing in the cabin, I hear a high pulsating beeping sound, like some kind of alarm. I sit up, then realize it's the fire. One log—orange, black, and white—is so hot that its whistling is accelerating into the digital. I poke it until the wood ignites and the noise bursts into a less neurotic, muttering roar. I stare at the fire and think of Deakin's words in Wildwood, his second book—this one about trees—published posthumously in 2007: "As it burns, wood releases the energies of the earth, water and sunshine that grew it."
When I was in third grade, my suburban Catholic school sent thirty of us into the woods on an overnight trip. We learned how to make a fire from wet grass and prayed in the snow, but what I remember best was the animal survival game. Each of us was assigned an animal in the southern Ontario food chain, starting with trout, then on to chickadee, to small mammals like raccoons, to predators like wolves, hawks, and bears. One kid got to be man, and four children were elements: fire, flood, famine, and drought. I was a squirrel. A jealous one. Of course I wanted to be all-powerful water or famine. Everyone did. The point of the game was to acquire punches on a card, at food stations hung from various trees throughout the woods, without getting eaten—i.e., having your card taken by someone higher up the food chain. I got killed off early on by a wolf (Julie) who plopped herself down on a log near one station, waiting for the rodents and birds to approach. When you died you convened in "God's land," a perch above the ravine, where the hollering of fresh kills would echo up to us dead little animals.
That night, in a row of iron cots occupied by little pizza-fed nine-year-old bodies tidily arranged beneath a crucifix, I knew my very small place in the order of things, even as man.
This memory comes back to me as I stare into the fire. I think: Deakin was fire and Deakin was flood. I am probably still a squirrel, a black one with a raggedy tail, like the ones you see, freaked out, in Toronto parks.
indelible swim vi
Warren Falls, Vermont, Fourth of July weekend. My daughter wears a life vest and we wade from pool to pool, spotting members of the wedding party along the boulders. The water is cold, and she is apprehensive of the rocks and the darker water in their shadow. I'm distracted by messages from a psych ward, emphatic proposals of marriage. They warp the vows I heard the night before, my daughter dancing to Bowie. We find a bend in the river where our friends have spread towels around a deep, pebble-bottomed pond. I turn off my phone. We swim and get out to dry in the sun, and repeat this until we get hungry. On the way to the car my daughter stops to examine pollywogs in a shallow stream.
One odd thing that dates the book—in a good way—is its lack of foodie fetish. Waterlog came out a hair before the boom of farm-to-table, nose-to-tail foodie culture and the celebrity of chefs such as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Fergus Henderson. Deakin describes a meal as getting his "head in the trough." When he mentions food, it is "some chocolate," "tea and wine," or "another cheese sandwich." I do wonder if, in the intervening time, The Great British Bake Off made the U.S. publication of this book easier. Waterlog is very English. Quite English. Gogmagog this, beck that, eel jelly. I am an Anglophilic Canadian, once married to a British man, so the deep Englishness of Deakin's subject matter and delivery is familiar to me. The absence of gastronomic detail feels radical, but he applies nuanced, juicy notes to frogs, lichen, and damselflies instead. He puts his face to the ground, his cheeks in the loam. A lot. He lies in the grasses and they steam up his spectacles, and he listens. Often naked. Deakin likes to be naked.
The book is quietly erotic. Its sensual bass line isn't food or companionship (though a love of his son and friends is obvious), it is wood and water. In Notes from Walnut Tree Farm, which is organized by month, a February entry reads:
What you need to write is energy, sexual potency and solitude. Swimming gave me plenty of all three, stimulating the hormones as it sharpened up the stamina, and isolating me with one of the great universal elements.
His descriptions of swimming are salty and intimate.
Throughout its thirty-six chapters, the structure of Waterlog emerges as a river system, where the organizing principle, as it is with water, is gravity. Deakin's level is that of simple common sense: conservation is our responsibility. The health of the natural world is the health of our own family. I read his chapters the way he swims—meandering, drifting—rapt by the natural history and animal anatomy he shares like an endless bag of fat pistachios. His stories and alphabets feel like currents; I let them take me to places of my own, to pools that lead to other rivers. "Left to itself, a river will always meander."
I think of water finding its level, of stories coming to light. Postmemory. How telling and shame have evolved. Abuses and their scars, made on humans or land, are no longer protected or ignored. Telling is, lately, a burst dike. Stories coming out from under pressure, digging in, pushing back.
Dotted throughout Waterlog and Notes are references to the popular Geoffrey Household novel Rogue Male. In it, a fugitive almost-assassin escapes detection by fleeing, crawling around on his belly, and hiding in rural England. In an introduction to the 2007 edition, Victoria Nelson attempts to categorize it—perfectly, in my opinion—as a "wilderness procedural." Reading it offers insight into Deakin's own apparent mix of adventure, persecution, and sportsmanship.
Photos of Deakin: A chiseled, lined face, Barrymore chin, shock of curly white hair. A cross between Christopher Lloyd as Doc and mid-career Malcolm McLaren. Is Deakin a Rogue Male? He's not domestic, but he's devoted to his camp. I wonder if Deakin might be an example of . . . tonic masculinity? He approaches confrontation. He defends and protects. He's a conservator and a builder. His subversion isn't cruel or powerful; it's based in freedom and husbandry. Thoreau's civil disobedience. He wouldn't stand there staring at a Big Two-Hearted River; he'd strip down and swim up it. Deakin, when he realizes that the River Lark, the "Jordan of the Fens," has been funneled into a concrete canyon to make room for a supermarket: "By the Bury St. Edmunds Tesco I sat down and wept."
Despite his love of nature, he isn't a spectator, doesn't go with the flow. In his three books, Deakin rhapsodizes on trees, wood, and animals, and rails against the poverty of imagination, of foresight, of the unavailability of the Australian poet Les Murray's books in Britain. He's outraged at English xenophobia, at the eradication of the coypu. He also rails against "proper swimming" and the privatization of water; against I'm a Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here!, where "eating five plates of 'creepy-crawlies' . . . actively alienat[es] nature." He's suspicious of the heritage industry, which he feels tames the wild "to death." "You can always tell something untoward is going on in a place," he cautions, "when you see large numbers of trees being planted."
Deakin's first swim in Waterlog occurs in April. So I decide to try one then, too. Two swimmer friends mention a pond they know, a half hour's drive from the cabin. It's pouring rain, but the forecast predicts snow later in the week. I make a thermos of tea and pack a towel. The road along the waterside is empty; we park, undress, wade in. The pond is very cold. Its surface is steel-gray, prickled with rain. The bottom is unstable and soft: mud, leaves, and sticks. I push off, shoulders in, and breaststroke out. The water is brown, dark breakfast-tea brown, and smells strongly of mulch and wet wood. I splash around a bit, and then, feeling my hands start to go numb, I get out. My hair is still dry, and I decide to get back in, this time diving beneath the surface, feeling the water, like being swatted with a boar-bristle brush on my face, neck, and scalp. I drive home, blasting heat and Taylor Swift. The rental car smells wonderfully mucky.
There is a 1996 book by the artist Tadanori Yokoo called Waterfall Rapture: Postcards of Falling Water, which features nearly thirteen thousand postcards of waterfalls over nearly three hundred full-color pages. No captions. Just water—crashing, trickling, falling, over and over, all over the place. These vernacular pictures of moving water, arranged thus, animate and pause. The accumulated images feel like unified time: the same thing happening everywhere, forward and backward and vertically. The past and present overflowing, all at once.
In Notes from Walnut Tree Farm, Deakin traces his passion for conservation to the death of his father, when he was seventeen. "I was wanting back what I had lost . . . I didn't want to lose anything more." At the heart of his work is the balance and flux between holding on and letting go. Roots and spores. Sleeping in his Citroën (with its hydropneumatic suspension) and sleeping in his bed. The indelible and the impermanent. Stay, stay stay, go, go go. But in every chapter, in every book, there is the deep idea of habitat. Of living, in a living place, with—not on or off—the place, which more creatures will inhabit, love, and then leave. It makes me think of Blake (the hippie) again. Devotion, enthusiasm, eternity.
My favorite Deakin swims are his moat swims. Toward the end of the book is a chapter called "Swallow Dives," just over two pages. After he finishes a moat swim, Deakin wants to light a fire but is prevented by the swallows, who "return to the chimney nests each night, chattering long after dark, like children in a dormitory." He wishes they'd leave, but catches himself. "I remind myself that I'm a mere newcomer to this ancient dynasty of nomads," he writes, "who settled here centuries before I ever appeared on the scene and will, I sincerely hope, long outlast me here."
Leanne Shapton
is the author of Swimming Studies and, most recently, Guestbook.
Roger Deakin Swimmers Waterlog: A Swimmer's Journey Through Britain
More from Leanne Shapton
Waterlog and Green Green Green
Surf and turf: Leanne Shapton on Roger Deakin's swimming memoir and Gillian Osborne on her wild essay collection Read More
Eight swimmers
Read another free article?
You've read your free article from Harper's Magazine this month. Want to read another? Subscribe to our newsletter!
Notify me when the new issues goes online
The Weekly Review:
A weekly email taking aim at the relentless absurdity of the 24-hour news cycle
From the Harper's Archives:
We hope you enjoy reading another article this month!
[ Hit Escape to close ] | Really considers them. Paddling happily in a cold river, Deakin describes a split second of a moorhen's liftoff, giving us its "gangling undercarriage of olive-green legs and spidery feet." As he stops on a bankside, we see this tiny moment explode into dandelion clocks and "the yellow smudge of lady's bedstraw. A cabbage-white butterfly explored, alighting on a lost white sock." He describes a swimsuit left to dry on a hedge and the clicking of the tin changing shed as it expands in the sunshine. Like the hot tin, time expands as he writes it.
I love pleasures that slow down our tempo: kissing, sleep, ice in a drink. Photography is supposed to freeze time, but I find that in its facade of reality, it actually accelerates it. Though Deakin was a filmmaker and avid photographer, he refrains from describing pictures. Instead he averts our glance, makes us look, slowly, at real time: "the water was grained with silt, like an old photograph."
Get the Weekly Review in your inbox
A weekly email taking aim at the relentless absurdity of the 24-hour news cycle.
Leanne Shapton's studies of Roger Deakin's moat, for Harper's Magazine © The artist
indelible swim ii
Woods Hole, Massachusetts. The green August water shifting warm and cold as we bounce deeper. A dog swims out to meet us, delighting my daughter until it licks her. Two women do a heads-up breaststroke, chatting, wearing sunglasses. We wade onto a sandbar and draw lines with our toes in the dark sand.
By nature, I'm a pool swimmer. I learned to swim in pools, trained in pools, competed in pools, am most comfortable in pools. In 2012, I published a book called Swimming Studies about how those perfectly symmetrical, right-angled tables of water have framed the way I see the world. I read the British edition of Waterlog in 2010, as I was writing that book, and understood Deakin as a wild swimmer by nature. My polar opposite. I thought the world was divided into open-water swimmers and pool swimmers. I marvel at people who have the guts to open their eyes underwater in lakes and dark oceans. I'm afraid of the dark. Low visibility fills me with dread. There is no question of the likelihood, when swimming in open water, that I will be bitten by a shark or nudged by a Loch Ness Monster. No question.
What I don't like about pool swimming, however, are the people. The body has an unspoken territorial boundary in water. Space is propulsion, safety, agency. Any pool swimmer will tell you that having a lane to yourself is like being given the best seat in a restaurant or riding shotgun or sleeping in the middle of the bed. It's unselfconsciousness non | 611 |
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Stolons absent, or present. Culms decumbent; 20–45 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 3–9 cm long; 2.2–4 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
Racemes 3–7; borne along a central axis; erect; unilateral; 3–10 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 2–10 cm long. Rhachis subterete. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; regular; 1–2 -rowed.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels oblong; 1–3 mm long.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 7–14 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 5–6.5 mm long; 3–4 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume elliptic; 2.2–3 mm long; 0.7–0.9 length of upper glume; herbaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume elliptic; 3–3.5 mm long; 0.9–1.1 length of adjacent fertile lemma;<|fim_middle|>convex; 1 mm long; rugose. | herbaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse; mucronate.
FLORETS Fertile florets imbricate to tip. Fertile lemma elliptic; 2.7–3 mm long; herbaceous; keeled; lightly keeled; keeled above; 3 -veined. Lemma surface glabrous. Lemma apex truncate, or obtuse; mucronate. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
FRUIT Caryopsis with free soft pericarp; ellipsoid; flattened; concavo- | 140 |
Banrock Station Chardonnay 2001
Chardonnay from Australia
Currently Un<|fim_middle|> unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
ALL530404_2001 Item# 45885 | available $8.99
Medium straw in colour, the Banrock Station Chardonnay displays soft peach, pineapple and citrus aromas. Subtle flavours characterise the full palate. Ripe peach, rockmelon and pear are supported by well-integrated butter and oak nuances. A clean and crisp finish balances this easy drinking style of wine, which is best consumed within the next 12 months.
The Banrock Station Chardonnay is the ideal accompaniment to penne pasta tossed with eggplant pesto and parmesan, and smoked salmon with dill and sour cream.
Banrock Station lies at the junction of Banrock Creek and the Murray River near the Town of Kingston-on-Murray in South Australia's Riverland. The property includes extensive floodplains and wetlands with surrounding Mallee woodlands. For more than 100 years the property had been extensively used for grazing sheep and cattle. But now, following some passionate conservation work by Banrock Station and environment groups like Wetland Care Australia, the wetlands and woodlands are being carefully rejuvenated.
A large, climatically diverse country with incredibly diverse terrain, producing just about every wine style imaginable, Australia has a grand winemaking history and some of the oldest vines on the planet. Most regions are concentrated in the south of the country with those inland experiencing warm, dry conditions and those in coastal areas receiving tropical, maritime or Mediterranean weather patterns. Australia has for several decades been at the forefront of winemaking technology and has widely adopted the use of screwcaps, even for some premium and ultra-premium bottles. Thanks to the country's relatively agreeable climate throughout and the openness of its people, experimentation is common and ongoing.
Shiraz is indeed Australia's most celebrated and widely planted variety; Barossa Valley leads the way, producing exceptionally bold and supple versions. Cabernet Sauvignon, Australia's second most planted variety, can be blended with Shiraz but also shines on its own particularly in Coonawarra and Margaret River. Grenache and Mourvèdre are also popular, both on their own and alongside Shiraz in Rhône Blends. Chardonnay is common throughout the country and made in a wide range of styles. Sauvignon Blanc has recently surged in popularity to compete with New Zealand's distinctive version and Semillon is often blended in Margaret River or shines on its own in the Hunter Valley. Riesling thrives in the cool-climate Clare and Eden Valleys. Sticky-sweet fortified wine Rutherglen is a beloved regional specialty of Victoria.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the | 636 |
How can we stop overanalysing our relationships?
Emma Firth
Photo credit: Getty | Katie Wilde - Getty Images
From Cosmopolitan
It started with a heartbreak emoji. Or rather, a succession of them. A WhatsApp response to my glowing review of a Very Sad<|fim_middle|> was weak. "It means you care."
This was liberating. Because I think in many ways the key to over-analysing less is knowing I do. Sometimes. That it's a bit part of the fabric of me, myself and I. Like I said to my friend Katie the other day, who was suffering from a bout of nervousness. "Don't worry! BUT IT'S OKAY IF YOU ARE."
SUBSCRIBE HERE to have Cosmopolitan delivered to your door.
Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox.
LOOKING FOR YOUR NEXT FAVOURITE PODCAST? LISTEN TO COSMOPOLITAN'S ALL THE WAY WITH... ON APPLE PODCASTS, SPOTIFY, ACAST AND ALL THE USUAL PODCAST APPS.
A ranking of the very best hair straighteners - according to our Beauty Editors
Best party dresses to shop in the UK right now
11 products you'd be mad to miss from the Net A Porter beauty sale
The Telegraph·7-min read | Film the guy I'm dating had recommended. So far, so normal. Then…nada. For, what felt like incredibly stretched out, painful, hours.
Until I messaged him in the evening to goad something. Anything. "This is a non-message with no real point other than to say I hope you've had a good day. Saturday suddenly feels far away, but then tomorrow's Tuesday which is basically mid-week. Anyway hi hi hi."
Oh god. Thoughts spiralling, almost immediately as I pressed send. Did my message(s) sound too earnest? Too needy? Too much? So, I did what I normally do in such scenarios where my neurosis takes a joyride. I phoned my mother. Unhelpfully, she makde a joke about a scenario in which "someone actually broke up with a person entirely in emojis. Could! You! Imagine?!" Ugh, well that was a terrible idea.
I see those words glaring back at me now and I cringe. Admittedly, I'm very good at reading into things. I've made a career out of it; so actually, this character trait - of which we're all susceptible to now and then - actually pays my rent. Yet, this was knock it out of the park over-worrying. In hindsight, he was probably busy working. We'd been dating less than a month. And it was a Monday. The day of the week when almost nobody has anything truly that interesting to say.
But am I being "crazy"?
I'm not alone in the but-am-I-being-"crazy" camp, though. It appears that a whole lot of us are over-analysing our relationships – romantic or otherwise – more than we ever normally would.
Just a few weeks ago one of my closest friends of more than a decade, Martha, called me up to confirm whether we were, in fact, still friends. "Emma, I feel abandoned!" She mock-cried, but I could hear she was being absolutely serious. My response: "What are you talking about?! I love you! Ugh, I'm sorry I'm so shit at texting back…how are you?" Cutscene to filling in the gaps of our lives since we last spoke and laughing at the absurdity that there could possibly be any real fractures in our friendship.
"I felt that you weren't available," Martha explained, later. "The fact that people are so seemingly available through technology all the time, definitely exacerbates the problem [of feeling abandoned]. Because you think, well, they could answer if they wanted to?"
"This time has been more emotionally difficult for most people," she added. "So you rely on those interactions more [with your friends]." On the flip side, you notice when people aren't available to a much greater extent. You're at home more; there's (theoretically) less distraction; everyone's schedule is wide open, baby! (I think it's necessary to point out that me and Martha are quite different in our social behaviours. She's someone who enjoys being around people all the time, loves to have a plan each evening. I, however, will gleefully put my phone on airplane mode the entire weekend, having little to zero interaction with anyone and be perfectly content. Neither is better or worse, just different.)
Consulting Dr Becky Spelman, Psychologist and Clinical Director of Private Therapy Clinic, she agrees that as a result of the pandemic, we are collectively more anxious than ever. "There are a lot of roadblocks that are put in place now that were not there before," she reasons. In the Before Times, we may have been able to see a person more frequently. Having less physical contact with someone can cause issues, particularly for the anxious person. "This [distance] can make them feel quite insecure," she says. "They don't have the reassurance they had previously."
When our brains go into analysis overdrive, it is usually a way of trying to regain control or certainty over a situation. Which can, sometimes, result in 'over the top' behaviour patterns and setting 'unrealistic' standards (yup, guilty). Becky says, "For example, someone might want to have far more communication with their partner than is actually healthy to be able to maintain a good relationship."
Before we get into how to overcome Analysis: The Spin Cycle, it's important to weed out what is a legitimate, healthy worry versus plain old paranoia. The latter is more like a broken record playing over and over in your mind, with no real solution. Just worst-case scenario, with little basis. Google, 'Jumping To Conclusions' meme, you get the idea. My friend, Alice, once went out with a guy who would obsess about her ex-boyfriends, which ultimately led to their breakup. "I felt like he didn't trust me," she said. Though a "tiny bit of analysis in a relationship is healthy", according to Becky. "This is when we step back from a situation and consider how we're being treated."
The answer to breaking the cycle is threefold. First: accepting you may feel alone, over-worried, upset, or whatever the emotion is in a moment. Second: reaching out, having a chat on the phone (no WhatsApp), like my friend Martha did, is no bad thing. Third: remember, the most important relationship you need to analyse is the one you have with yourself. Considering human dynamics is part of the richness of life. It can even be quite entertaining. Though, it's important to disentangle the insecurities you have about yourself from the relationship itself.
Before lockdown 2.0, I was having a romantic dinner in an actual restaurant with heartbreak emoji man. I made a comment about having a thick skin. Like it was a badge of honour. An aural mirage to mask the fact that I actually am, probably, quite a sensitive person. "I think you have a thin skin," was his response. "It's not a bad thing," sensing my internal worry that I thought he thought I | 1,247 |
When it<|fim_middle|> so that you really take in its texture, flavour and the way it makes you feel.
My most important tips for yoga and eating are to stay mindful, stay full and stay aware. Eat the foods you love, be time conscious around your practice, and choose things which really make you feel nourished when you eat them. | comes to doing any form of exercise, it can be difficult to know what foods to eat before and after you get moving. Sometimes we find ourselves peckish as we head out to a yoga class, and know we won't make it through the sweat without a snack. However, it's important we choose something that fills us up enough, but doesn't leave us feeling nauseous or sluggish once we get moving.
A huge part of my yoga practice relates to the way I eat. My practice has made me far more mindful of the food I put into my body and the way I consume it. On the days I've booked in a particularly rigorous class to take, I make sure I'm eating three nutritious, sustaining meals that day. This usually consists of something fresh like fruit, with yogurt and granola for some healthy fats and proteins at breakfast. Then for lunch I eat some starchy carbs like potatoes, with lots of fresh vegetables and some protein like hummus or legumes. Usually I book a yoga class in the evening, so i'll either have an early dinner, or something to eat afterwards. I normally keep my dinners quite simple so my body gets its time to unwind at night, so i'll eat something like a lentil dhal with rice and vegetables. It's nutritious, comforting and always makes me feel good when I eat it.
I try to avoid eating an hour before I practice, so that my body has time to digest before I get moving. If I find myself rushing and really need to eat with less time before practice, I normally eat something light like a piece of fruit so that the natural sugars give me a boost of energy. I'll combine this with some form of protein source to keep by blood sugars balanced, fill me up more, and support my muscles. I usually grab something with oats in or a small handful of nuts. With all exercise, it's really important to maintain a good level of high quality protein in your diet.
Yoga is also a great reminder for you to observe the way you eat. Food makes a wonderful way to take your practice with you when you step off of your mat. Remembering to take deep breaths between each mouthful of food, and to slowly, mindfully chew your food – | 457 |
Hudson church bells are music to some, noise to others
Aliya Schneider reports for Columbia-Greene Media that the church bells in Hudson have been returned, then turned<|fim_middle|> studio in the basement of the First Presbyterian Church, and Johnson is a volunteer programmer with WGXC. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com. | back off, and then back on, after two complaints that said the noise was too loud. The clock is located at the First Presbyterian Church, at 369 Warren St., and bells have rung in the city since it was built in 1837. "I don't even notice the bells because I grew up here, so to me it's just like second nature," Hudson Mayor Kamal Johnson said. Normally, the clock chimes every hour, day and night. It is run by the city, not the church. But more people complained about the lack of bells than those who wanted them quieted. Now the church and the city are discussing having them only ring during the day, but they have to figure out how to do that. But it is a very old system, according to Department of Public Works Superintendent Robert Perry. "It's weights and levers," he said. NOTE: WGXC rents a | 190 |
You are here: Home / Crime / Courts / Wisconsin teen leads high-speed chase that ends in Marquette<|fim_middle|> hit-and run accident and a theft earlier in the day.
Filed Under: Crime / Courts | , Iowa
Wisconsin teen leads high-speed chase that ends in Marquette, Iowa
A Wisconsin teen led seven police agencies from Iowa and Wisconsin on a lengthy high-speed chase Thursday that ended with at least five vehicles damaged and shots fired by police, but no injuries. Charges are pending against 16-year-old Joseph Neeley, of Bloomington, Wisconsin, in Clayton County and in Grant County, Wisconsin. The chase began in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, and went into Marquette and McGregor in Iowa before returning to Prairie du Chien. The chase ended back in Marquette when Neeley collided head-on with another vehicle. He was taken into custody by Clayton County deputies. Clayton County Sheriff Robert Hamann said Neeley was released to his father, who then turned him over to Wisconsin authorities. According to several police agencies, shots were fired by law enforcement at Neeley's vehicle after he drove through a road block as he came into Iowa a second time. Police say Neeley was driving a stolen sports utility vehicle. Prairie du Chien police originally tried to stop Neeley at about 9:51 a.m. Neeley also was wanted in connection with a | 244 |
The final programs for WAMS and LAEF are now available. Please follow the links on the side bar.
The workshop has 3 principal purposes. First, it is an opportunity for Australasian macroeconomists to share and discuss their results and ideas with each other, to encourage excellence and collaboration in research in macroeconomics in Australasia. Second, by bringing top international researchers here, the workshop aims to help connect researchers here with top people from around the world in a two-way learning process. Third, by bringing together both theoretical and applied researchers, the workshop aims to foster synergies between and across all modern scientific approaches to macroeconomics.
This year, in collaboration with WAMS, we have the honor to host a one-day event right after WAMS sponsored by the Laboratory for Aggregate Economic and Finance (LAEF) under the direction of Finn Kydland and Peter Rupert the University of California Santa Barbara. The LAEF day will focus on a<|fim_middle|> December 2015 with a dinner on Friday night, and LAEF will run Sunday 13 December.
Please click on the link in the sidebar on the left to access to draft programs and further details regarding the Workshop.
The Workshop will be held at the beautiful Crowne Plaza in Coogee Beach, Coogee, New South Wales, Australia. The venue is in the Eastern Suburbs 6km from Sydney CBD. Click on the link in the sidebar for further details and location.
There is no registration fee for this conference, however participants are required to register their attendance for catering organizational purposes. The deadline for registration is 31 October 2015 and registration details are available on the website via the link above.
If you have any questions regarding registration please contact Benoit Julien at benoit.julien@unsw.edu.au with WAMS in the subject. | specific topic to be chosen from the set of submitted papers by Peter Rupert and Greg Kaplan (Princeton U.).
The WAMS will run on Friday 11 December and Saturday 12 | 39 |
Ready for another weekend of fun in Downtown St. Pete? We are, and we've got a checklist for you. Thursday, start things off right with Friends Trivia at MacDinton's or a trip to the Royal Palm Market for your holiday shopping needs. Friday is, of course, First Friday, which means a night of dancing and fun in the heart of the city. Or, relax for<|fim_middle|>00 for second place, $100 and a $50 MacDinton's gift card for third, and a $50 gift card for fourth. This event is 21+and runs from 7:30PM to 10PM.
Cozy up with a blanket & a lawn chair in Paul's Landing's yard to watch the holiday classic – Home Alone. Enjoy Christmas themed cocktails and yard games that the whole family can enjoy. The fun begins at 6 p.m. with the movie starting at 6:30 p.m.
Celebrate every First Friday of the month in St. Pete with a free block party complete with live music and dancing! The action goes down between 2nd and 3rd streets on Central Ave. from 5:30-10 p.m.
Bring your blanket or lawn chairs to settle in for a holiday movie in Vinoy Park at 5th Avenue NE. Tonight's showing is the holiday classic, "A Christmas Story" starting at 7 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.
Take in the St. Pete arts scene after hours as more than 40 galleries and studios spanning across five different arts districts stay open late, including local favorites like Duncan McClellan Glass and Morean Arts Center. Free trolleys run throughout the city's five districts to get you around during the 5-9 p.m. event. For a complete list of participating galleries and a map, visit stpeteartsalliance.org.
Take part in the 3rd Annual Booze and Boutiques Event on December 8th, from 12pm-5pm! This a fun filled afternoon of shopping and bubbly while supporting a great cause, Heels to Heal. The net proceeds of this event help provide crisis counseling to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Purchase your sponsorship or tickets today. | the evening and watch the classic that is A Christmas Story under the stars in Vinoy Park. Saturday, drink and shop to your satisfaction with Booze and Boutiques after a day full of shopping at the Saturday Morning Market and brunch at the Oyster Bar. Sunday brings things to a close in the best ways, with a morning of yoga at the Dali Museum and trivia night at the Hollander Hotel. As always, enjoy your weekend!
Get that Goodwill sweater, find those tacky holiday pants, and get ready to jingle bell ROCK! Registration is $14 – $23 and includes ugly sweater swag, live music throughout the crawl, & deals along the way. Check-in begins at 5 p.m. at Thirsty First.
How much do you know about Friends? Can you recite Chandler's sarcastic quips by heart? Put those skills to the test with MacDinton's night of trivia fun! There will be a $350 first prize, with $2 | 205 |
Earlier we had discussed in Graph Representation – Adjacency Matrix and Adjacency List about Graph and its different representations. In this article we will see the better (use inbuilt class of LinkedList) way to implement graph using adjacency list.
Graph is a collection of<|fim_middle|> between two nodes.
Directed Graph – when you can traverse only in the specified direction between two nodes.
Adjacency List is the Array of Linked List, where array size is same as number of Vertices in the graph. Every Vertex has a Linked List. Each Node in this Linked list represents the reference to the other vertices which share an edge with the current vertex. The weights can also be stored in the Linked List Node.
238 queries in 0.133 seconds. | nodes or vertices (V) and edges(E) between them. We can traverse these nodes using the edges. These edges might be weighted or non-weighted.
Un-directed Graph – when you can traverse either direction | 42 |
Contact Lane
About Lane Mendelsohn
Lane Mendelsohn has been involved in the financial industry since the mid-1980s, when he joined his father, Louis Mendelsohn, a widely recognized pioneer in trading software industry, at Vantagepoint ai.
As a child, Lane accompanied his father to financial conferences and business meetings with industry participants. As a result, Lane became<|fim_middle|> popularity of VantagePoint Software.
Focus, determination, persistence and a passion for the financial markets allows Lane to approach his responsibilities at Vantagepoint ai with enthusiasm each day. And that enthusiasm and dedication lead to his promotion to President of Vantagepoint ai in 2018. Louis Mendelsohn, Trading Software Pioneer and father of Lane Mendelsohn marked the occasion by adding a new entry to his prized dictionary that he's owned for decades. On April 6th, 2018, he added his very last entry before giving the dictionary to Lane– "Today, my son becomes President."
Lane remains committed to giving back to his community, donating time and money to various charitable organizations each year including the ongoing partnership with Shriners Hospitals for Children. Lane is not all business, though; or at least not entirely so. He enjoys relaxing at his Wesley Chapel ranch with his wife Mandi and two daughters Rachael and Abby where they raise and breed farm animals as a hobby. Although he does this to relax, he is never one to pass up a good buy or a profitable sell. Sometimes, you can take the man out of business, but you can't take business out of this man.
Copyright © 2020 Lane Mendelsohn | familiar with the financial industry and developed relationships with many top technical analysts, brokers, software developers, and money managers.
In the years that followed, Lane contributed significantly to the company's growing success as a multi-million dollar Inc. 500 company. He became involved in every aspect of the company's operations including sales, marketing, research and development, trader education, website development, recruiting, employee training, and general management. In 2009 he was recognized by the Tampa Bay Business Journal as an honoree for the Up & Comers Award in the "30 Under 30" category. This award recognizes rising professionals committed to excellence in both their work and community environments. Over the years, Lane has been featured in numerous publications including Keeping Stock, Benzinga, Entrepreneur Podcast Network, and US News & World Report. Most recently, Lane sat down with Kevin Harrington, original Shark on the hit tv show Shark Tank, and was interviewed on Fox Business to discuss the | 201 |
A prospective stepped wedge cohort evaluation of the new national trauma team activation criteria in Sweden – the TRAUMALERT study
Fredrik Linder ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-8125-45361,
Lina Holmberg1,
Martin Bjorck1,
Claes Juhlin1,
Knut Thorbjornsen1,2,
Jan Wisinger3,
Per Polleryd4,
Hampus Eklof1 &
Kevin Mani1
Trauma triage based on prehospital information facilitates correct allocation of in-hospital resources<|fim_middle|>, Uppsala, Sweden
Fredrik Linder, Lina Holmberg, Martin Bjorck, Claes Juhlin, Knut Thorbjornsen, Hampus Eklof & Kevin Mani
Department of surgery, Gävle county hospital, Gävle, Sweden
Knut Thorbjornsen
Department of surgery, Västerås county hospital, Västerås, Sweden
Jan Wisinger
Department of surgery, Karlstad county hospital, Karlstad, Sweden
Per Polleryd
Fredrik Linder
Lina Holmberg
Martin Bjorck
Claes Juhlin
Hampus Eklof
Kevin Mani
FL, LH, KT, JW, PP and KM contributed to conception and design of the study. They collaborated in acquisition of data and drafting the manuscript. MB, CJ, HE and KM contributed in analysis and interpretation of data and revising the manuscript critically for important intellectual content. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript submitted for publication.
Correspondence to Fredrik Linder.
The regional ethics committee in Uppsala, Sweden approved of the registry-based study (Dnr 2017/405), without requiring informed consent from the patients.
Table S1. Definition of methods used for assessment of over- and undertriage. (DOCX 35 kb)
Linder, F., Holmberg, L., Bjorck, M. et al. A prospective stepped wedge cohort evaluation of the new national trauma team activation criteria in Sweden – the TRAUMALERT study. Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med 27, 52 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13049-019-0619-1
Prospective stepped wedge cohort design | . The Swedish national two-tier trauma team activation (TTA) criteria were revised in 2016. The current study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the new criteria.
Five centres covering trauma care for 1.2 million inhabitants registered all trauma patients prospectively in the Swedish trauma registry (SweTrau) prior to and after stepwise introduction of new TTA criteria within the cohort (a prospective stepped-wedge cohort study design; period August 2016–November 2017). Evaluation of full- and limited-TTA frequency, under- and overtriage were performed at equal duration before and after this change.
The centres registered 1948 patients, 1882 (96.6%) of which were included in the study. With new criteria, frequency of full-TTA was unchanged, while limited-TTA decreased with 46.3% (from 988 to 531). 30-day trauma mortality was unchanged. The overtriage was 107/150 (71.3%) with former criteria, and 104/144 (72.2%) with new criteria, p = 0.866. Undertriage was 50/1037 (4.8%) versus 39/551 (7.1%), p = 0.063. Undertriage was consistently > 20% in patients with fall injury. Among patients with Injury Severity Score (ISS) > 15, 50/93 (53.8%) did not initiate full-TTA with former, vs 39/79 (49.4%) with new criteria, p = 0.565. Age > 60-years was a risk factor for undertriage (OR 2.89, p < 0.001), while low fall injuries indicated a trend (OR 2.70, p = 0.051).
The newly implemented Swedish TTA criteria result in a reduction in limited TTA frequency, indicating an increased efficiency in use of resources. The over- and undertriage is unchanged compared to former criteria, thus upholding patient safety.
In trauma care, a multidisciplinary, resource intensive acute trauma patient management is crucial to maximally utilize the "golden hour" [1] during which effective resuscitative interventions are performed [2]. This acute trauma care is initiated through activation of a trauma team which often consists of multiple medical specialties, support staff and resource allocation with operating capabilities and CT-scanner availability.
Whilst rapid trauma team activation (TTA) is a cornerstone in trauma care, inadequate TTA may drain resources from other patients. Therefore, triage is an important tool to direct medical efforts towards patients with the most urgent needs [3, 4]. The American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS-CoT) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have published Guidelines for Field Triage of injured patients [4]. A two-tier trauma alert system is often used. Physiologic derangement or specified anatomical injuries in trauma patients initiate a full TTA, whilst Mechanism of Injury (MOI) criteria alone initiate a limited trauma alert [5, 6]. The efficacy of trauma triage criteria is evaluated with assessment of over- and undertriage, (Additional file 1: Table S1) [7].
The perfect triage system is assumed to activate a full TTA for all severely injured patients, and a limited or no TTA for patients with minor or no injuries. The Injury Severity Score (ISS) is a method to define the severity of injury during trauma. A patient with ISS > 15 is regarded as severely injured, and should thus initiate a full TTA when using the optimal triage system. The ISS is calculated using the Abbreviated Injury Score (AIS) where injures in different body areas are scored. The ISS is used as basis for evaluation of over- and undertriage. Overtriage is an assessment of what proportion of full TTAs that are activated by patients with minor injuries (ISS ≤15), i.e. resulting in unnecessary use of hospital resources. Undertriage, on the other hand, assesses the proportion of of severely injured patients with ISS > 15 not intiating full TTA. Over- and undertriage are the primary markers of how successful a triage system is in allocating adequate resources to patients in real life.
The development of effective triage criteria is a challenge [8,9,10]. In Sweden, modified two-tier ACS-CoT trauma triage criteria have been used, Table 1. Evaluation of these criteria in a retrospective cohort indicates that although they do result in an acceptable over- and undertriage, they also result in many limited trauma team activations in un-injured patients [11]. In 2015, the Swedish trauma association created a multidisciplinary workgroup involving twenty professional trauma-related organizations, with the task to develop national consensus-based TTA guidelines. The new TTA algorithm (Table 1) was introduced in late 2016 and implemented nationally in a step-wise fashion.
Table 1 Former and new trauma team activation criteria
The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the new national TTA criteria in terms of over- and undertriage compared to the previously used algorithm.
The study was performed in a population based setting in five Swedish hospitals covering trauma care for a total population of 1.2 million inhabitants. The actual change in TTA criteria was planned for implementation March 1st 2017 all over Sweden, and the study was planned and initiated in the spring of 2016. Initially the plan was a prospective before- and after cohort study but as is often the case with simultaneous clinical guideline implementations at different institutions, the actual change in TTA criteria took place at different times at the including hospitals. The study design was thus adapted to a stepped wedge cluster design of the introduction of the new trauma triage criteria. The evaluation of the TTA criteria in this cohort was performed using the prospective registration of trauma patients in the Swedish trauma registry (SweTrau). A pre-study power calculation indicated that to detect a change in undertriage from 4 to 8% with the Matrix method [7] with 80% power and 5% significance, a sample size of 553 patients per group was required.
Swedish trauma registry and participating hospitals
SweTrau is a national trauma registry in Sweden established in 2011, based on "the revised Utstein Trauma Template for Uniform Reporting of Data following Major Trauma, 2009" [12]. The registry includes all patients where a full or limited trauma alert has been activated, as well as all trauma patients with a New Injury Severity Score (NISS) > 15. This also includes trauma patients secondarily transported to a higher-level trauma centre. Forty-eight hospitals, including all but one university hospital, participate in the registry [13].
Five hospitals in the mid-Sweden participated in the current study, Fig. 1. These hospitals had harmonized criteria for full- and limited TTA prior to the transition to the new national criteria, which were stepwise implemented in the region, Fig. 2. All primary trauma patients registered in SweTrau at these centres before and after the change of TTA criteria were included in the study. Patients registered after secondary trauma transfer were excluded, as well as patients where information on TTA level or injury severity was lacking. The evaluation period was 2 × 6 months in four and 2 × 4.5 months in one hospital, Fig. 2.
Map of Sweden presenting the geographical area that is covered for trauma by the five hospitals participating in this study
Illustration of the step-wedge prospective inclusion of patients in the study, including the time for change of Trauma Team Activation (TTA) criteria, per center. The number of trauma cases registered in the Swedish trauma registry per month during the period 2014–2016 is illustrated for reference
In-hospital triage was performed by a senior nurse according to guidelines when contacted by the pre-hospital staff, or by a senior anaesthesiologist in the medical helicopter service. At one of the hospitals (Västerås county hospital), the triage was performed by prehospital staff and reported by phone to the receiving nurse prior to the change in TTA criteria. After implementation of the new criteria, all hospitals performed in-hospital triage by a senior nurse. The effect of this practice change on outcome was assessed in a sensitivity analyses (see below).
The trauma team
The resources allocated differ between limited and full TTA. The initial survey is conducted by the surgeon on call for limited TTA, and as a team effort for full TTA. A senior consultant specialized in trauma care receives a "stand by call" during limited TTA if the alert is upgraded and this consultant is designated trauma leader for full TTA. The affiliated staff for full, limited and no TTA is listed in Table 2.
Table 2 Study population demographics after subdivision into the studied groups
Evaluation of safety and efficacy
ISS was used as basis for evaluation of over- and undertriage. The choice of ISS, rather than NISS (which serves as inclusion for SweTrau) for this evaluation was based on the fact that NISS is regarded as less accurate in predicting risk of mortality in blunt trauma [14]. Additionally, the ACS-CoT recommendations for acceptable levels of over- and undertriage are based on ISS7. The ISS was calculated for all patients using the Abbreviated Injury Score 2005 rev 2008 (AIS). The actual scoring was performed by accredited AIS-scoring professionals at all including hospitals using the AIS-module of the trauma registry. The most severe cases where validated by re-scoring at another including hospital to ensure accuracy and adequacy in the scoring. Patients with an ISS > 15 were considered severely injured [15, 16]. Over- and undertriage was calculated using the Matrix method, Additional file 1: Table S1 [7]. Additionally, the proportion of severely injured patients who did not initiate full TTA was evaluated with former and new criteria as a measure of safety, (Additional file 1: Table S1) [17]. This additional method was necessary as the design of the new criteria aimed to reduce the number of limited trauma alerts, hence per se influencing the denominator in the evaluation of undertriage based on the Matrix method. Changes in number of TTA were evaluated in four different groups based on ISS (0–15, 16–24, 25–49 vs 50–75) [18, 19].
Sensitivity analyses
To evaluate the potential effect of the differing triage routine in Västerås county hospital on overall outcome, TTA frequency and over- and undertriage were calculated separately when excluding this hospital in a sensitivity analysis.
As the implementation of new TTA criteria occurred late 2016/early 2017 in most hospitals, the former criteria were primarily used during autumn and winter months, whilst the new criteria were more often used during spring and summer months. To assess the potential effect of the seasonal variation on TTA frequency, an evaluation of the number of TTAs registered in the SweTrau during different months for the period 2014–2016 was performed in relation to the current study.
Data were assessed for normality with histograms. Categorical data were reported as ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CI), and were assessed with chi-square. Non-normally distributed data were reported as medians with interquartile range (IQR) and compared with Mann-Whitney-U test. Predictors for undertriage were assessed in a multivariable binary logistic regression analysis. A p-value of < 0.05 was regarded as significant. Statistical analyses were performed with IBM SPSS Statistics version 25 (IBM Corp, Armonk, New York, USA).
During the study period, 1948 trauma patients were registered in SweTrau at the participating centres, 66 (3.4%) of which were excluded, Fig. 3. The numbers of patients initiating full TTA, limited TTA and no TTA before and after change of trauma criteria are presented in the flow chart, Fig. 3. The number of patients receiving full TTA and those not initiating TTA was not significantly different in the two cohorts (before and after implementation of the new criteria). There was a 46.3% (95% CI 43.1–49.4%) decline in the number of cases leading to a limited TTA in the cohort in which the new criteria was implemented (988 limited TTA with former criteria vs 531 limited TTA with new criteria, Fig. 3.
Flow chart of patients included in the study
Study population demographics are presented in Table 2. The proportion of male patients activating any alert increased with the new criteria, as did the median ISS of patients with limited TTA. There was no difference in 30-day mortality after trauma based on the triage criteria.
To assess if reduction in TTA activation occurred in patients with severe injury or not, all patients were divided into four subgroups according to their ISS values [19] as presented in Fig. 4. The most important reduction in number of limited TTAs occurred in the patients that were not severely injured (ISS 0–15, decrease in TTA by 48.1% with new compared to former criteria). Overall, 99.1% of the reduction occurred in patients with ISS ≤ 15, and 87.8% of the reduction was in the group of patients with ISS 0–2.
Number of trauma team activations (TTA) with former and new criteria according to injury severity score (ISS) group
Over- and undertriage
Overtriage was 71.3% (107/150 patients) with the former TTA criteria and 72.2% (104/144 patients) with the new TTA criteria, p = 0.866. Undertriage calculated with the Matrix method was 4.8% (50/1037) with former criteria and 7.1% (39/551) with new criteria, p = 0.063. When assessing the severely injured patients (ISS > 15), 53.8% (50/93) did not initiate full-TTA with former, vs 49.4% (39/79) with new criteria, p = 0.565.
Subgroup analysis of undertriage
Undertriaged patients according to injury mechanism are presented in Fig. 5. Road traffic accidents constitute 55.3% (656/1187) of all patients with former criteria and 52.9% (368/695) with new criteria. Ten patients subject to road traffic accidents were undertriaged with former and nine with new criteria, p = 0.204. Patients subject to low fall injury constituted 13.8% of the trauma patients (164/1187) with former and 12.2% (85/695) with new criteria, p = 0.327. Eighteen of these patients were undertriaged with both former and new criteria p = 0.051.
Proportion of undertriaged patients based on mechanism of injury. Error bars indicate 95% confidence interval
Binary logistic regression analyses of risk factors for undertriage indicate a higher risk for undertriage in patients ≥60 years of age, Table 3. There was a trend for increased risk for undertriage in patients with fall injury.
Table 3 Odds-ratio of risk factors for undertriage
When excluding Västerås county hospital, 1311 patients remained for analysis. The number of limited TTA decreased from 707 to 316 after change of TTA criteria (55.3% reduction, p = < 0.001). The number of full TTA as well as the number of patients not initiating TTA was unchanged. Overtriage was 67.5% with former criteria, versus 68.2% with new, p = 0.915. Undertriage with Matrix method was 5.9% versus 7.6%, p = 0.281. Among severely injured patients, 53.7% did not initiate full TTA with former criteria, versus 67.6% with new criteria, p = 0.168. Thus, overall the sensitivity analysis indicates the same trend as in the overall cohort, with reduction of limited TTA and stable over- and undertriage.
The re-scoring of AIS in severe cases between hospitals did result in minor variances regarding AIS-codes for injuries but it did not result in any differences regarding AIS-score and subsequently no differences in ISS for any patient.
In order to analyse the seasonal variation in TTA, the SweTrau registry was consulted for the period 2014–2016. The mean number of TTA registered in SweTrau during the months of September–December, which was the period during which the former criteria were used at most centres, was 2889. During the period May–August (new criteria), the number of registered cases was in average 3196. The monthly national trend in TTA registration in SweTrau is presented in Fig. 2.
The current analysis confirms that the updated national TTA criteria in Sweden are safe, with levels of over- and undertriage remaining unchanged compared to former criteria. Additionally, the new criteria put less strain on acute care in-hospital resources. They result in a significant decrease in the number of limited TTA, without compromising patient safety. However, the analysis of undertriage in the current paper indicates that further modification of the TTA criteria may be required for specific patient cohorts and MOI. This concerns particularly elderly patients and those subject to fall injury, where undertriage was higher than expected.
In this study, a prospective stepped wedge cohort design was used to evaluate change in triage criteria. The optimal methodology to study such intervention without bias would have been a randomized controlled study, where patients would have been triaged with one of the two criteria based on randomization. Although we initially aimed for such a study design, it was not accepted by the ethical review board. They required informed consent prior to randomization from all patients, which we regarded as impossible to achieve. Unfortunately, Swedish law does not accept randomization without informed consent, in contrast to for instance the UK, where the Mental Capacity Act makes a two stage consent process possible [20]. The prospective stepped wedge cohort design is a pragmatic and suitable choice for studying an intervention on a system level [21], sometimes called a pseudo-randomization. The benefits of such study design include the fact that the introduction of a new routine resembles a cluster randomization, controlling for bias. The stepped wedge introduction of the intervention to some extent controls for changes due to temporal trends. The population-based element of this study, and the use of an established trauma registry [13], increases the generalizability of the analysis.
The main change in the new Swedish TTA criteria compared to the former ones is the substantial reduction in MOI criteria for initiating limited TTA. This is based on several studies questioning the validity of MOI criteria in predicting severe injury [5, 22, 23]. The MOI remaining in the new criteria are either evidence based (fall≥5 m, extrication time > 20 min) [5] or of a more obvious nature (thrown out of vehicle, child struck by car) where the consensus group could not agree upon their removal. The important reduction in limited TTA with the new criteria (which almost exclusively occurred in patients with ISS ≤ 15) in combination with maintained undertriage level supports the consensus group's aim in judiciously restraining limited TTA criteria without jeopardizing patient safety.
The power-estimation was performed with the hypothesis that if undertriage according to the Matrix method increased from 4 to 8%, it would be reliably detected. The method of choice for evaluation of undertriage is a matter of debate, as the Matrix method includes an inherent error, where undertriage is affected by the total number of patients initiating a limited or no TTA. In the current study, the change of TTA criteria per se resulted in a reduction in number of patients initiating a limited TTA, and thus reduced the denominator for the calculation of undertriage according to the Matrix method, Additional file 1: Table S1 [17]. This resulted in an increase in undertriage calculated with this method (from 4.8 to 7.1%). Although this increase was not statistically significant, this could be due to a type II error. Additionally, based on the Matrix method, the undertriage for the new criteria increased to above the recommended level of 5% based on ACS-CoT recommendations.
The method of calculating undertriage based on proportion of severely injured patients not initiating a TTA is more robust when assessing triage over time regardless of TTA criteria [17]. The main weakness of the method is that there is no current definition on what is an acceptable percentage for undertriage. In our study, the undertriage was close to 50% with this method. Although the overall rate of undertriage calculated with this method was unchanged when comparing the former and new criteria, the fact that approximately half of the patients with severe injury did not initiate a full TTA indicates that there may be a need for further revision of the criteria. A detailed analysis of the trauma mechanism and injury panorama in these patients would inform this process. An important aspect is to assess compliance to TTA criteria, i.e. that all patients who meet the criteria also receive TTA. A previous study indicates that compliance may affect both the cost-efficiency of TTA as well as patient safety [11].
The results of the current study highlights a persistent problem: the inability of former as well as new TTA criteria to successfully reduce undertriage in elderly patients and those subject to injury from fall. Many of these severely injured patients who are undertriaged have single life-threatening injuries, however, and may not always benefit from a full trauma team. Future studies with the aim to reduce undertriage in these patients, or to improve the resource allocation in an alternative way, are warranted.
The overtriage rate was unchanged during the study period (71–72%), and was substantially higher than the 35–50% which is recommended by the ACS-CoT. This indicates a potential for further sharpening of the triage criteria to reduce remaining inefficiencies. During the TTA criteria revision, pulse rate was excluded as a TTA criteria because of the lack of evidence for its validity as a standalone criterion [24]. The shock index (SI, ie the ratio of heart rate to systolic blood pressure) has been proven in several studies to accurately predict severe injury [25, 26], and could be considered for future revisions of the criteria.
The prospective stepped wedge design of this study does not compare TTA during the same time of year while both mechanisms of trauma and prevalence is seasonal. An analysis of trauma registration in the SweTrau showed that the number of trauma in Sweden generally is higher during the summer months, when the new criteria were evaluated in the current cohort, Fig. 2. The reduction in the number of TTA with the new criteria despite evaluation during the summer months indicates that the effect of the new criteria in lowering the number of TTA may even have been underestimated.
While the data was analysed regarding undertriage for specific mechanisms of injury, the study was not powered for the subgroup analyses, introducing a risk for type II error. Additionally, there was no information available regarding the impact of each specific TTA criteria in triggering each TTA level. A future prospective study assessing the efficacy of each specific criteria for full TTA could amend current evidence and assist in further revision of TTA criteria.
The adequacy of triage criteria is affected by the trauma panorama and the prevalence of MOI in the studied population. The population-based setting of this study ensures that the analysis is relevant for a Scandinavian/Western European population, e.g. where blunt trauma mechanism is more prevalent than penetrating trauma, and where the vehicles involved in road traffic accidents are relatively modern with adequate safety equipment. The under- and overtriage with these criteria may vary in other populations.
The newly implemented Swedish TTA criteria are safe, with levels of over- and undertriage remaining consistent after change of TTA criteria. The number of limited TTA diminished significantly with the new criteria, resulting in an increased efficiency in use of in-hospital resources, without compromising patient safety. Additional evaluation of TTA criteria are motivated in order to further reduce overtriage as well as for specific subgroups where undertriage is high, in particular elderly patients subject to fall injuries.
Pepe PE, Wyatt CH, Bickell WH, Bailey ML, Mattox KL. The relationship between total prehospital time and outcome in hypotensive victims of penetrating injuries. Ann Emerg Med. 1987;16(3):293–7.
Alarhayem AQ, Myers JG, Dent D, Liao L, Muir M, Mueller D, et al. Time is the enemy: mortality in trauma patients with hemorrhage from torso injury occurs long before the "golden hour". Am J Surg. 2016;212(6):1101–5.
Skandalakis PN, Lainas P, Zoras O, Skandalakis JE, Mirilas P. "to afford the wounded speedy assistance": Dominique Jean Larrey and Napoleon. World J Surg. 2006;30(8):1392–9.
Sasser SM, Hunt RC, Faul M, Sugerman D, Pearson WS, Dulski T, et al. Guidelines for field triage of injured patients: recommendations of the National Expert Panel on field triage, 2011. MMWR Recommendations and reports : Morbidity and mortality weekly report Recommendations and reports. 2012;61(Rr-1):1–20.
Boyle MJ, Smith EC, Archer F. Is mechanism of injury alone a useful predictor of major trauma? Injury. 2008;39(9):986–92.
Davis T, Dinh M, Roncal S, Byrne C, Petchell J, Leonard E, et al. Prospective evaluation of a two-tiered trauma activation protocol in an Australian major trauma referral hospital. Injury. 2010;41(5):470–4.
American College of Surgeons. Committee on trauma. Resources for optimal care of the injured patient. Chicago, Ill: American College of Surgeons, Committee on Trauma; 2014.
Lehmann RK, Arthurs ZM, Cuadrado DG, Casey LE, Beekley AC, Martin MJ. Trauma team activation: simplified criteria safely reduces overtriage. Am J Surg. 2007;193(5):630–4 discussion 4-5.
Spaniolas K, Cheng JD, Gestring ML, Sangosanya A, Stassen NA, Bankey PE. Ground level falls are associated with significant mortality in elderly patients. J Trauma. 2010;69(4):821–5.
Demetriades D, Sava J, Alo K, Newton E, Velmahos GC, Murray JA, et al. Old age as a criterion for trauma team activation. J Trauma. 2001;51(4):754–6; discussion 6-7.
Linder F, Holmberg L, Eklof H, Bjorck M, Juhlin C, Mani K. Better compliance with triage criteria in trauma would reduced costs with maintained patient safety. Eur J Emerg Med. 2018.
Brohi K. The Utstein template for uniform reporting of data following major trauma: a valuable tool for establishing a pan-European dataset. Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med. 2008;16:8.
Brattström O. Anual report from the swedish trauma registry (SweTrau) 2016; 2017 http://rcsyd.se/swetrau/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/10/%C3%85rsrapport-SweTrau-2016_v_2.0_SKL.pdf.
Deng Q, Tang B, Xue C, Liu Y, Liu X, Lv Y, et al. Comparison of the ability to predict mortality between the injury severity score and the new injury severity score: a meta-analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2016;13(8):825.
Baker SP, O'Neill B, Haddon W Jr, Long WB. The injury severity score: a method for describing patients with multiple injuries and evaluating emergency care. J Trauma. 1974;14(3):187–96.
Baker SP, O'Neill B. The injury severity score: an update. J Trauma. 1976;16(11):882–5.
Peng J, Xiang H. Trauma undertriage and overtriage rates: are we using the wrong formulas? Am J Emerg Med. 2016;34(11):2191–2.
Rozenfeld M, Radomislensky I, Freedman L, Givon A, Novikov I, Peleg K. ISS groups: are we speaking the same language? Inj Prev. 2014;20(5):330–5.
Palmer C. Major trauma and the injury severity score--where should we set the bar? Annu Proc Assoc Adv Automot Med. 2007;51:13–29.
Bjorck M. Endovascular or open repair for ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm? BMJ (Clinical research ed). 2017;359:j5170.
Hemming K, Haines TP, Chilton PJ, Girling AJ, Lilford RJ. The stepped wedge cluster randomised trial: rationale, design, analysis, and reporting. BMJ (Clinical research ed). 2015;350:h391.
Rehn M, Eken T, Kruger AJ, Steen PA, Skaga NO, Lossius HM. Precision of field triage in patients brought to a trauma Centre after introducing trauma team activation guidelines. Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med. 2009;17:1.
Uleberg O, Vinjevoll OP, Eriksson U, Aadahl P, Skogvoll E. Overtriage in trauma - what are the causes? Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2007;51(9):1178–83.
Victorino GP, Battistella FD, Wisner DH. Does tachycardia correlate with hypotension after trauma? J Am Coll Surg. 2003;196(5):679–84.
Haider AA, Azim A, Rhee P, Kulvatunyou N, Ibraheem K, Tang A, et al. Substituting systolic blood pressure with shock index in the National Trauma Triage Protocol. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2016;81(6):1136–41.
Olaussen A, Blackburn T, Mitra B, Fitzgerald M. Review article: shock index for prediction of critical bleeding post-trauma: a systematic review. Emerg Med Australas: EMA. 2014;26(3):223–8.
The authors thank Monica Frick-Bergström and Anneli Gustavsson, Uppsala University hospital, Helena Puggioli, Jasmina Kljucevic and Eva-Lena Birkenholt-Widell, Västerås hospital, Helene Löveström, Karlstad hospital, Susanne Sellberg, Karin Wejander and Maria Löfblom, Hudiksvall and Gävle hospital for help in collecting data.
The Regional Research Committee of the Uppsala-Örebro region, Sweden (RFR-641661), and Uppsala University.
Will be made available upon reasonable request.
Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University, 75185 | 7,126 |
Home→LEARN→Getting started in family history
Getting started in family history
Researching family history has become one of the most popular hobbies, providing a strong sense of connection with your roots. The process requires logical thought and organisation, but can be a very rewarding experience.
These twelve tips will help to get you started in a positive way.
Work from the known to the unknown
Use sources you already have
Keep records and be organised
Record your searches and document sources
Learn about the area where your family lived
Don't make assumptions!
Use the Internet with caution
Use all available sources
Share your findings
Join a family history society
Write up your research
Start with an objective. Are you going to concentrate on one family only, perhaps the male line, or produce a detailed ancestry chart, showing all direct and collateral lines? Whichever aim you set yourself, it is best to start with one small section of the tree; you can always move to another part when you get stuck.
Start with yourself and work backwards from known information, to your parents, then grandparents and so on. This will ensure that your research is supported by documented facts. Obtain birth, marriage and death certificates to open up lines of enquiry for previous generations. Working forward from a famous historical figure that 'family legend' suggests is an ancestor is rarely profitable, although it may prove to be literally true in the end.
Many families have old photographs, letters, family bibles, or documents that contain a treasure trove of valuable information. Talk to elderly relatives about their family memories, before they are gone for ever. Find out if other family members have done any research; it helps to avoid repeating work already done.
As your research progresses, you will amass a lot of information. You will need to be organised so you can find what you need. Avoid writing notes on scraps of paper and the backs of envelopes (unless you immediately transfer them to your record keeping system). It is important to keep your system up to date, so you are not faced with a large pile of unfiled documents. Use standard tools such as pedigree charts and family group sheets to record your information. You might consider acquiring a specialised family history software package which will provide most of the tools you need.
You should keep a research log, listing all sources that you have consulted, the date of the search, names of ancestors investigated, and the time period covered by the records. How useful was the source; were new connections established? You may need to cite your sources or verify your research. Remember, others may need to follow the trail. Even if you found nothing, recording your search may save you from performing the same search in the future.
This adds the real interest to your hobby! Learning about the history, geography and industries of the area where your family lived helps to put the basic data about your family into a social context. Get a detailed map of the area, buy a local history book, or search the internet for information about the local area.
Don't make assumptions about a relationship until you have proof. Make sure you can confirm your facts before you move back to the next generation; or you may find yourself researching someone else's family tree! However, the concept of 'negative proof' exists; if you have searched all available sources without success, it may show that, because of lack of evidence to the contrary, a particular assumption could be correct.
The internet has revolutionised family history. It has a massive amount of information, some free and some at a cost. But treat what you find with caution, just because it is on the internet doesn't make it accurate. Data has been put there by people, and people make mistakes, which the web makes easier to perpetuate! Remember, not everything you want will be on the web. Be aware of scam sites; no website, despite its claims, will have your complete family history unless you put<|fim_middle|> the difference between primary and secondary sources. In primary sources, data is contributed by someone directly involved in the event, and is preferable to less reliable secondary sources, where data comes from someone else.
One of the benefits of researching your family tree is that you can involve your family. Family history research in this technological age is not usually done in a vacuum. By sharing your research with your extended family and the wider genealogical community, you may discover cousins near and far, in both distance and relationship, who may also be working on the same ancestry. They may be able to provide information not available to your side of the family.
Join a genealogical or family history society where you live and/or in an area where your research becomes concentrated. Membership gives you access to a specialised library with a wide range of resources, some of which are unique; resources impossible for an individual to afford. You will also have access to the accumulated experience of other researchers, who will be able to help you avoid the pitfalls, guide you to the records you need and put you in touch with others with similar interests.
Writing up your findings may be the culmination of your research. Aim to produce an account which tells the story of your family, rather than a dry list of genealogical facts. Such an account, either in book form or as a website, can be made available to your family, even those not interested in family history. Perhaps it will spark their interest! Make copies available to your family history society or library, so that others can benefit from your work. But don't put off writing your story until your research is 'finished', or it will never happen!
Terminology for beginners
Recording your family history
Writing your family history
Guides and advice
FAQ about family history | it there yourself.
Perhaps the most valuable starting point for beginners is to acquire birth, marriage and death certificates, which puts dates to vital life events, and gives useful information for further research. But don't neglect other sources. Every part of life is usually documented in some way, education, residence, employment, immigration, military service, trouble with the law. Information to add to your family story is available in a variety of places, newspapers, archives, museums, cemeteries. Make an effort to locate and use all the resources. Be aware of | 112 |
Here's how you'd know it: By hearing one of his instruments in action. Marchione guitars are things of beauty, aesthetically and sonically. The two go hand-in-hand. Marchione builds his guitars from hand-selected pieces of solid wood, much of which is locally sourced, giving each instrument a polished look and a rich, warm sound. Take apart another professional-quality guitar—a $3,000 Gibson 335, say—and you'll find… plywood. To Marchione and his clients, nothing can beat the real thing. And that's not all. Every detail of a Marchione guitar, from the fit of the neck to the feel of the frets, is engineered for maximum performance.
(R) Marchione's '59 Burst Semi-Hollow Guitar. Both photos courtesy Marchione Guitars.
To see Marchione at work today, a master in his studio, you'd be forgiven for thinking that he was born with a lathe in his hands. In reality, he learned his craft at a camp in the Texas Hill Country that he attended as a boy. He and his fellow campers would pass the day working on various projects for woodshop. He was always interested in<|fim_middle|> loved started to fade. What was once a vibrant neighborhood full of guitar- and violin-makers slowly gave way to retail and office space.
I do feel an obligation to keep the tradition alive. I want to train people to do higher-level work.
When it came time for Marchione to move, months after the September 11 terrorist attacks devastated the city and prevented him from reaching his studio for two and a half weeks, Houston—and Montrose, in particular—was a natural choice. "Montrose is very much like the older, lower Manhattan that I loved. It feels a lot like the East Village and West Village in the late '80s and '90s," he says.
He's been here ever since. These days, he runs a small operation consisting of two seasoned woodworkers and an apprentice or two—an integral part of the studio system, particularly for someone who's seen his craft, and the opportunity to learn it, disappear in an increasingly digital age.
Both photos courtesy Marchione Guitars.
My guitars feel like driving a Porsche compared to most guitars, which feel like driving a Toyota.
But guitars are where his true passion lies. "There's a lot more creative leeway with guitars," he explains. "I'll take a few basic parameters, but I have the flexibility of making my own shapes and f-holes and headstocks." He grabs a '59 Burst from off the wall and gives it a strum. Anyone could see that he's right at home.
Featured image courtesy of Marchione Guitars. | music, and in high school he began tearing apart guitars and putting them back together. Somewhere, something clicked.
Inside Marchione's studio. Photo by Two Cats Communications.
Marchione enrolled at the University of Houston, absorbing all he could about musical theory and instruments for three years before heading to Boulder, Colorado to further his studies. Having earned his music degree, Marchione did what generations of artists and musicians before him had done: He moved to New York.
"I had my music degree and I wanted a job as a guitar-maker, so I went out and got one, apprenticing,"he remembers. There followed an impressive run in New York City. He opened his own studio in Manhattan in 1993 and made his way as a businessman and master luthier in that largest and most competitive of cities. But as the years passed, the New York he | 176 |
It's October – you got your costume (you've been planning it for a year, after all), you've got your makeup, hair/wig sorted, and now, you just need to know where to go for Halloween! And in Springfield, MO., there's more to do on Halloween than simply trick-or-treating. Fancy an Axe Throwing contest? We got ya covered. Want to be all nostalgic and curl up to an old Halloween retro movie? We got that too! Or how about catching some live music? Done! We got you covered!
Back in the day, Halloween was more for the kiddos, but since people started realizing that being 30 or 40 doesn't necessarily mean you're grown, it has become a very mixed aged holiday. So, for all the big kids out there looking for some nightlife, happy hour and perhaps some adult beverages, here are some Halloween Happenings in Springfield, MO. for 2018.
Keep in mind, most of the Halloween Events in this article is adults only…unless it is the Pythian Castle thang. Then it is 8 years old and up!
What: WeDames first Halloween Party!! Come in your best Halloween costume and stand a chance to win some awesome prizes! There'll be drink specials, and a raffle or two. Bring a friend and join in on the fun!
Where: RosAmung Thorns, 2030 South Steward Street, Springfield, MO<|fim_middle|> if you can pass the test. Costumes are welcome, but not required!
Where: Barnes and Noble, 3055 S. Glenstone Ave., Springfield, MO.
Fee: Free and open to all ages!
What: The First Annual Halloween Bash at the Axe House! Reserve your axe-throwing lanes now, and bring your group of Ghosts and Ghouls to TommyHawks. We will have Zombie Targets, an awesome party vibe, and will vote for the "Best Costumed Group." Prizes for the winning group will be announced the following week.
Where: 1631 W. College St., Springfield, MO.
Fee: Reservations are $25 per axe thrower. For a group, you can reserve a lane for a fee here.
What: A Halloween party, drink specials and Kaos theory … need we say more?
Where: Archie's Lounge, 1817 E. Grand Street, Springfield, MO.
What: Watch Halloween on Halloween! Check out the food and drink specials when you come in! Reserve your seats today!
Where: Alamo Drafthouse, 4005 South Avenue, Springfield, MO.
Fee: Get your tickets here.
What: Join us for the annual Halloween Hustle 5k & 10k benefiting Harmony House! Register by October 19 and SAVE $5! We will have a special twist this year if you can find Bigfoot… Stay tuned for details!
Where: City Utilities, 301 E. Central St., Springfield, MO.
Fee: Get your tickets here!
What: Travel back in time to learn about some of downtown Springfield's most "haunting" people and their stories. The one-hour tour is narrated by History Museum on the Square staff. See the site of Springfield's first city cemetery, the location of a mass grave from the Civil War, hear stories about haunted buildings and who the ghosts might be. All this and much more packed into a one-hour ride through downtown on a Fisk bus! Perfect to get into the Halloween Spirit!
Where: History Museum on the Square, 157 Park Central Square, Springfield, MO.
Fee: $25 per person. Get your tickets here.
What: Live music, drink specials and even cash prizes for Halloween costume winners!
Where: Krave Seafood & Oyster Bar, 1614 Glenstone Avenue, Springfield, MO.
Fee: $10 per person. Get your tickets here.
What: LIVE Concerts are back for an explosive Halloween Party @ The Riff! Celebrating the RUF Records recent release of "STRAIGHTJACKET", Jeremiah Johnson Band w/support from local favorites, Fishing for Saturday for 1 awesome show. Costumes are desired but not mandatory for this party!
Where: The Riff, 1900 W. Sunset, Springfield, MO.
Fee: $10. Get your tickets here.
What: See the site of Springfield's first city cemetery, the location of a mass grave from the Civil War, hear stories about haunted buildings and who the ghosts might be. All this and much more packed into a one-hour ride through downtown on a Fisk bus!
The party begins at Patton Alley Pub at 5:30 pm. Grab a cocktail, then hop on one of the tour buses that leave at 6pm. When you return, have a drink and food, play some trivia and participate in the costume contest.
Where: Patton Alley Pub, 313 South Patton Avenue, Springfield, MO.
Fee: $50. Get your tickets here.
What: M-DOCK will be putting the best Halloween party together tonight on stage. MDock band has been playing great music in the Springfield area for 20 years. Come out and dance to a variety of hits from the 60's – 90's at Krave. Doors at 7, Show at 8.
Where: Krave Seafood & Oyster Bar, 1614 Glenstone Ave., Springfield, MO.
What: Join the C-Street Zombie Corps for Thriller on C-Street-Epidemic IX and 92.9's Killer Thriller after-party at the SAVOY! The show is FREE to the public, with a limited number of front row seats available for sale. 4:00 p.m. Thriller on C-Street Matinee: kid-friendly performance of Thriller.
Stay and play on C-Street between shows! Games, DJ, and more!!
Where: 224 E. Commercial Street, Springfield, MO.
What: Two bowling games, a T-Shirt, pizza and drinks! Shoes are included!
Where: Enterprise Lanes, 1625 S. Enterprise Ave., Springfield, MO.
Fee: $150 for a team of 5 people ($30 per person). Reserve your league here.
What: Hear ghostly tales while touring the castle! The tour lasts an hour and a half and includes brief history. Photos are allowed.
Where: Pythian Castle, 1451 E. Pythian St., Springfield, MO.
Fee: $15 per person. Book here.
Please have a happy and safe Halloween!
PreviousPrevious post:No Time to Lose Weight? Meal Replacement Shakes & How They WorkNextNext post:Vero Meal Kits – Making Thanksgiving Easy, Breezy and Delicious! | .
Fee: FREE! Simply RSVP here.
What: As the title suggests, it's a Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire themed party with activities such as a dragon station, a scavenger hunt, a maze, and trivia from the book. Put your name in the Goblet Of Fire and see | 64 |
If I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times: Korean women are tough! This is not up for debate. I'm not going to harp on it. If I did that'd be the only thing I'd say about my first Zandari Festa experience. Whatever any of your preconceived notions about the women in the country are, throw them out the window. They don't belong here. This truth is painted in stark reality when I make my way back to Veloso to see rock-blues band Billy Carter.
As I make my way up to the stage, nothing during the band's sound check indicates that I'm going to be completely overwhelmed during their showcase. They warm up, as most bands do, a few notes sung here and there, some tunings to get the precise sound in the space after it"s filled with people. Nothing interesting really clues me in to their performance style. Truth be told, since I'd gone into the show never actually having seen what any of them look like, I wasn't sure what to expect anyway.
It sure as hell<|fim_middle|> of Zandari Festa in the books, I was completely overcome with the emotional weight of it all. If this all happens on the first day, how am I going to survive the rest of the weekend? | wasn't what I got, I'll tell you that much!
I'd already fallen in love with Billy Carter through the series of color-themed EPs they released throughout 2017. Particularly the Orange EP. Their's is a gritty blues, tinged with the growl and snarl of their lead vocalist (keyboardist and melodica player), Kim Jiwon. It's genuine, nothing forced or put on for the sake of perpetuating some misinformed ideal of what the blues really is. When you listen to their music, you get the sense that they've all lived lives full of heartache and self-made redemption. It's rough, dirty, yet there's an elegance to it that ties everything together. It's heartbreaking music with a smoothed-out surface, raw enough to shock but palatable so you don't run away.
From note one, Jiwon is on a mission: drive the audience completely mad. She's a powerhouse. Her range and tone send chills down my spine. The first day of Zandari is the fullest for me, but I'd only seen one other band with a female lead vocal, and her voice while lovely was by no means tough. Jiwon's is pretty, no mistake about that. But it's got the kind of diamond hue that comes after being surrounded by the grit of jagged rocks. It's still rough around the edges, giving her a bite that will either make you fall in love or make you ache for a dirty touch.
All that, of course, is only heightened by the way she performs. Given that much room to play, she absolutely goes wild and takes everyone in the audience with her. The stage is her jungle. She prowls on it not unlike a tigress, crouching to begin her hunt, then pouncing when she knows she's got you ensnared. And when she takes off her boots, beware. That just gives her more incentive to fling herself around, whirling about, hair flying behind her like the wind caught hold of it and doesn't want to let it go. She's so overwhelmed with the music at one point, she actually falls to her knees, then bends herself backward as the moment washes over her.
One thing that you must understand about these bands, however, is that it's never, ever about just one person. The band is a unit, a living and breathing entity that needs every limb of its body to function. Jiwon may be the focal point, but you'd be daft to miscount the genius of drummer Lee Hyun-joon and guitarist and harmonica player Kim Jina, Jiwon's co-captain.
Let me tell you something. Jina is an absolute beast on her guitar. She's arguably the most subdued of the entire band, not announcing her presence, but damn if you don't see her! She plays with the furor of someone who's become one with their instrument. She knows its quirks, its needs and desires. She knows when to ride the melody and when to let herself out of her shell and make that thing weep.
There were a few moments when she was so immersed in the music she'd spin and kick, taking the guitar with her until she exorcised whatever demon that particular song placed in her body.
And then… Hyun-joon. I don't know what to say to give this man the credit he deserves, and honestly whatever I could say might just do him a disservice. There was a moment in the show where he was allowed to just play. That's a dangerous man when you give him the spotlight. He started to just melt the rivets off his drum set.
The audience was absolutely awe-stricken, even more so than when Jiwon was letting her body go. Hitting intricate patterns on that set, Hyun-joon had every single one of us in a trance, his sticking like casting a spell. For my part, I couldn't help but let loose a church holler because the man simply went insane when he was in his element.
In fact, his drum work was so damn brilliant, both Jina and Jiwon just turned to him. In that moment every member of Billy Carter was tuned in to one another like nothing else. Jina started wailing away on her ax. Jiwon stalked over, tambourine in hand, and started banging in the cymbals. It was a moment of pure magic in their 40-minute set. It laid the foundation for what was unquestionably the most heart-stopping show of the day.
With the first day | 950 |
News: December, 2003 More than 52000 members
DigitalConsumer home
Recent news about your rights
How you can participate
The Consumer Technology Bill of Rights
Information for members of the press
Creative Commons License.
New: Subscribe to our news updates by using our RSS feed. Send problems or questions to rss@digitalconsumer.org.
Executives Plan Now to Deal With Popularity
"Advertisers are having to figure out how to get their messages across in a world where viewers can zap commercials at will."
With CD Sales Slipping, the DVD Steps In
"What music industry executives would love to see in the new year is a magic bullet to end the three-year sales slump that they say is mostly the fault of Internet music trading. But since a miracle cure is about as likely as Eminem performing with the Boston Pops, executives at the music labels are aiming to make up lost ground in more modest ways, like pushing music video DVD sales."
Studios Fight Piracy With Education
"They are taking their message to grade school classrooms where volunteers teach lesson plans about the costs of illegal file sharing."
Heavyweights Are Choosing Sides in Battle Over Next DVD Format
"After the rapid spread of illegally copied DVDs, Hollywood is pushing both technical groups to come up with new security measures to protect their movies. Neither group has developed a prototype that satisfies the movie industry - a major impediment to a commercial launch."
In chasing movie pirates, Hollywood treads lightly
"The gentler threat works, said Mark Ishikawa, the chief executive of BayTSP, a company that helps the industry track down file sharers by scanning the Internet for movies and issuing the e-mail notices automatically."
U.S. Ends Antitrust Probe of Music Joint Ventures
"U.S. antitrust enforcers said on Tuesday they closed their investigation of online music ventures Pressplay and MusicNet after concluding that the services have not hurt consumers."
Justice Dept. closes Net music antitrust scrutiny
"After more than two years of quiet investigation, the U.S. Department of Justice said Tuesday that it is closing its antitrust scrutiny of the major record labels' online activities, without filing charges."
Bollywood in Internet download deal
"India's film makers are offering Internet movie downloads on web site Kazaa in a move that could lower costs and boost revenues in Bollywood, the world's most prolific film production centre."
WalTunes ToS suck
Fred von Lohmann: "Wal-Mart launched a music download site today. Notice the rather breathtaking EULA terms (much more onerous than the Apple terms) -- Fair Use, First Sale, all other copyright exceptions are swallowed up by contractual prohibitions."
Norwegian Freed in DVD Film Piracy Case
Upholding a verdict by a lower court in January, the court said Jon Johansen had broken no law by helping to unlock a code and distribute a computer program on the Internet enabling unauthorized copying of DVD movies.
An open letter to Atari/Infogrames
"I find it unacceptable that I have to shut down and/or uninstall software just to be able to play a game that I purchased. It�s even worse when, in your attempt to protect your property, I have to shut down a program that is not even remotely associated with said game."
Kazaa wins Dutch OK
"Developers of Kazaa cannot be held liable for the way people use their software, a Dutch court has ruled. The Dutch supreme court threw out a challenge by a music copyright agency against popular Internet file-swapping software system Kazaa on Friday."
Record Industry May Not Subpoena Online Providers
"A federal appeals court ruled Friday the recording industry can't force Internet providers to identify subscribers swapping music online, dramatically setting back the industry's anti-piracy campaign."
U.S. court nixes Net music subpoenas
"In a surprise setback for the recording industry, a U.S. appeals court said Friday its methods for tracking down those who copy its music over the Internet are not authorized by law."
Ithaca College May Rule Out Fair Use For Works in Readers
"Apparently, they are afraid of getting sued over the readers that lots of profs make up for classes, full of mostly copyright protected works, but sometimes with a few public domain works in the mix. Because of their fears, Ithaca is proposing that every work in a reader be cleared for copyright."
Wal-Mart, Amazon fine-tune online music plans
"Internet retailer Amazon.com extended a contract with digital media services provider Loudeye on Thursday to supply music samples on its Web site. Meanwhile, retail giant Wal-Mart Stores announced that it has begun testing its own online discount music download service."
Canada ruling won't stop music lawsuits
"A ruling in Canada declaring downloading music through peer-to-peer services legal, but uploading illegal, may do little to prevent the music industry from taking its own action against file swappers."
Techno-Lockdown Not Likely
"To lock down the Internet is to disconnect it from everyday life, from the life where I can send an invitation, or a business memo, or a home movie to anyone at any time, where I can read whatever I like without asking a censor's permission. We might go some short distance down the road of control, but ultimately the rules of cyberspace are firmly tethered to the rules of meatspace."
Philips Will Launch Open Digital Media System Soon
"Philips Electronics said on Tuesday it was six months away from launching a system against illegal copying that will allow consumers to play digital video and music on any digital media player."
Film Fans Befuddled by Copyright
"A major studio's recent action to curtail online sales of its films has left some movie buffs confused about where and when purchasing foreign DVDs is legitimate."
The RIAA Succeeds Where the Cypherpunks Failed
"The obvious parallel here is with Prohibition. By making it unconstitutional for an adult to have a drink in their own home, Prohibition created a cat and mouse game between law enforcement and millions of citizens engaged in an activity that was illegal but popular. As with file sharing, the essence of the game was hidden transactions -- you needed to be able to get into a speakeasy or buy bootleg without being seen."
Battle to control Internet threatens open access
"A new battle is brewing at the Federal Communications Commission. It's about the future of the Internet. Entrenched interests are threatening open consumer access to the Net and<|fim_middle|>
March, 2004 News
August, 2003 News
July, 2003 News | stifling innovation and competition in the process."
No, Really, You Can't Copy These
"Philips Electronics said on Tuesday it was six months away from launching a system against illegal copying that will allow consumers to play digital video and music on any digital media player.'
Music industry to target Canadian file sharers
"The Canadian recording industry is about to get tough with Internet users who share music files. The head of the Canadian Recording Industry Association says it will file lawsuits against individuals similar to ones launched in the United States."
B'buster chief: End regional codes, thwart pirates
"Blockbuster Inc. president and chief operating officer Nigel Travis on Thursday called for an end to regional coding on DVDs, saying they merely create more opportunities for piracy."
Madsters Supreme Court Battle Continues
"The US Supreme Court is currently in the process of reaching a decision on whether there should be a hearing in the case. In the meantime Johnny Deep gains support for his Supreme Court battle as a key court conference looms."
Regulator freezes copying media levy
"The Copyright Board of Canada offered a few crumbs to both sides of the personal-copying-media-levy argument on Friday."
Greatest DVD's Never Made: A Most Wanted List
"'When we deal with a film that Polygram actually produced, like 'Fargo,' it's fairly easy to make a DVD,' said Scott Grossman, MGM's vice president for technical operations. 'But if a film came from Epic, which Polygram's people didn't have time to sort through, we have to dig through 30 or 40 or 50 years of archives to figure out where everything ended up.' In other words, in many cases, the company that owns the film doesn't know where the film is."
A Reason To Pay For New Music
Press release: "At Changerz, music fans take the place of record labels and entertainment executives in deciding which new artists get heard and supported through a groundbreaking new web-based service."
Webcast Alliance to fight expansion of RIAA antitrust exemption
"A coalition of online broadcasters said today it will take up arms against proposed US legislation that would widen the Recording Industry Association of America's (RIAA) exemptions from antitrust law."
A Toll Booth for File Sharers
"Vivendi Universal's Universal Music Group, Microsoft and the five other companies are expected to announce today that they are collaborating on technology to ensure payment to copyright holders while letting computer users share digital products, as tens of millions of people do on networks like Kazaa."
Fight the Broadcast Flag - Give TiVos as Holiday Presents This Year
"Simply using TiVo creates consumer expectations that are going to run smack dab into the anti-consumer mandates of the broadcast flag."
Apple hits 25 million iTunes downloads
"Apple Computer has nearly doubled sales of digital music through its iTunes music store since launching a Windows-compatible version of its iTunes software in October, the company said."
Loudeye, Microsoft team on music store
"Digital music services provider Loudeye and Microsoft announced that they have teamed to promote Loudeye's new service that helps other companies set up online music stores much like Apple Computer's iTunes."
Canada deems P2P downloading legal
"Downloading copyrighted music from peer-to-peer networks is legal in Canada, although uploading files is not, Canadian copyright regulators said in a ruling released Friday."
High tech's government dilemma
"Now, the U.S. tech industry needs to move on from holding two opposing views of its relationship to lawmakers. Why? For one thing, it will need help."
Norwegian DVD piracy retrial ends
"The landmark retrial of a Norwegian who achieved fame when he was cleared of DVD piracy charges lodged by top Hollywood studios ended Thursday with prosecutors demanding a suspended 90-day jail term."
Alternative Compensation Systems
"With every passing day, online music downloading becomes more prevalent and industry countermeasures become more odious. What if there were a compromise that paid artists while letting you get music however you wanted?"
Microsoft wants non-standard media for Xbox 2?
"A job advertisement posted on Microsoft's careers website suggests that the company may be considering moving to a proprietary disc format for its next console, in an effort to make piracy on the device more difficult."
Studio Warns Kung Fu Site
"The cease-and-desist letter from Miramax landed on Pollard's doorstep last week, demanding that he stop selling copies of Hero, a 2002 film starring Jet Li. [...] The Hero review page on Pollard's site linked to HKFlix, a U.S. company that sold Hero and other films. But the company stopped selling the film in June, months before Pollard received the cease-and-desist letter."
Hard disks boost DVD recorder growth
"'It really is convenient: I record shows on to the hard drive and erase them later or copy the stuff I want to keep on to DVDs,' said Daisuke Kouno, a 25-year old car mechanic and owner of a Pioneer Corp DVD recorder with an 80-gigabyte hard drive."
'Meta-files' proposed for legal music sharing
"A new file-sharing standard designed to distribute copyrighted music and movies legitimately has been developed by a technology consortium. The system could deliver any content format to any computer, and users might even earn rewards points for sharing the files."
Rockin' on without Microsoft
"My attorney said it was going to cost our side a quarter million dollars to fight them, and since you're paying their side, too, figure at least half a million. It's not worth it. You pay the fine and get on with your business. What most people do is get terrified and pay their license and continue to pay their licenses. And they do that no matter what the license program turns into."
Music industry warns Kuro allies
IFPI warns venture capitalists: "Companies that invest in file-sharing or peer-to-peer Web sites and those that help them collect their monthly subscription fees should reconsider co-operating with the sites now that prosecutors have filed charges against Taiwan's largest on-line file-sharing site, Kuro.com.tw."
Patenting Air or Protecting Property?
"The Acacia case highlights why a growing chorus of corporate and government officials is warning that the U.S. patent system is broken, threatening to stunt technological innovation. They argue that an overwhelmed U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is simply approving too many dubious and overly broad patents, especially in the software and Internet realms."
Industry to improve as digital music, portability take hold
"Online music piracy isn't likely to vanish soon, but the rise of paid online services and the growing popularity of portable digital music players portends greater demand for digital music next year and better fortunes for the embattled recording industry, music executives said Monday."
Controlling content
"In the latest effort to respond to the threat from online piracy, a group of large media and technology companies today unveiled a new specification for a technology that will distribute online digital content to consumers while honouring complex contractual relationships that exist among media owners."
A Net of Control
"How the Internet could become a tool of corporate and government power, based on updates now in the works. [...] Staving off the Internet power shift will be a difficult task, made even harder by apathy on the part of users who won�t know what they�ve got till it�s gone."
"Without competition, an industry can stagnate due to high prices, slow product delivery and limited product innovation. Recent lawsuits that invoke the Digital Millennium Copyright Act seek to curb competition and therefore threaten to bring about those conditions."
Group wants P2P files to pay
"A new standards group, anchored by Microsoft and Universal Music Group, is developing a technology that members hope will let music, movies and other content be distributed more efficiently online."
Technology Continues to Challenge Legal Regimes
"The advent of such huge amounts of storage everywhere has some important implications of intellectual property law. In particular, it significantly raises the cost of a mandatory DRM dystopia as well as the costs of monitoring for compulsory licensing schemes."
Paid Music Downloading, MP3 Player Sales Double
"Persistence is paying off in the battle between the record industry and music sharers, as Ipsos-Insight determined that there has been a growing willingness among Americans to pay for their tunes."
Daughter's downloads get mom sued
"Scimeca said that screen name was used by her youngest daughter, a high school freshman, for a school-related project. But the family's high-speed Internet service is billed to the mother, so she is named in the suit that claims copyright infringement of songs by Pearl Jam, Korn, Godsmack and four other artists."
ATF Director to Head Music Industry's Anti-Piracy Efforts
"The director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is leaving his post next month to lead the recording industry's efforts to stop music piracy."
Call it pop--Coke to launch online music service
"Coca-Cola is launching an Internet music download service in Britain next month, the first consumer brand to jump into Europe's Internet music market."
How much is digital music worth?
"As the early buzz over new music services such as Apple Computer's iTunes fades, record labels and technology companies are struggling to turn the services into profitable businesses."
Taiwanese file-sharing site calls suit futile
"The nation's most popular file-sharing, or peer-to-peer, Web site yesterday tried to play down a criminal indictment launched against it by the Taipei District Public Prosecutors' Office, citing failed attempts to close similar sites in the US."
Steve Jobs: The Rolling Stone Interview
"There are a lot of smart people at the music companies. The problem is they're not technology people."
Peer-To-Peer Group Floats Scheme to Pay for Music
"Internet users who copy music through "peer-to-peer" networks should pay a flat fee to compensate musicians and record labels whose songs they download, a technology trade group proposed on Thursday."
The enigma of Earth Station 5
"Can a file-trading network that promises total anonymity and is based in the Palestinian Territories escape the wrath of the entertainment industry?"
Consumers Expect Substantial Savings On Digitally Distributed Albums
Press release: "American Internet users expect to pay a substantially lower price for a permanent full-length album download from a well-known, established artist than for a full-length physical CD."
California law will ban recording devices from cinemas
"Sneaking a camcorder into a movie theater will soon be a crime in California under a new law designed to protect both copyrights and the livelihoods of thousands of movie industry workers."
Stephen King: forget piracy, boomers are just tired of buying crap
"Piracy and illegal downloads, although covered to a fare-thee-well in the press, account for only a fraction of the drop in $$. I think what's happening is all too clear: We baby boomers are just too pooped to party."
CD antitrust lawsuit finalized
"A federal judge Thursday approved a $143 million settlement of a lawsuit that accused major record companies and large music retailers of conspiring to set minimum music prices."
Canadian Songwriters Want ISPs to Pay for Downloads
"Canada's songwriters sought to require that Internet service providers pay for their users' music downloading habits in a case that could generate millions of dollars in music royalties."
MP3.com archive is destroyed
"Michael Robertson's attempts to save the million-song music archive of the company he founded, MP3.com, appear to have been unsuccessful."
Virgin plans maiden online music service
"Virgin Entertainment Group is planning to launch its own online music service in early 2004, according to a company executive."
'Tis the Season for RIAA Lawsuits
"More people are on the recording industry's naughty list: Another 41 music traders have been slapped with copyright-infringement lawsuits, and 90 more are being warned that they will be next."
Music Industry Targets Even Computer-Less
"Among the RIAA's recent targets is retiree Ernest Brenot, 79, of Ridgefield, Wash., who wrote in a handwritten note to a federal judge that he does not own a computer nor can he operate one."
RIAA lawsuits yield mixed results
"The recording industry this week claimed progress in a controversial legal campaign targeting individuals who use peer-to-peer networks, but its optimism appeared to clash with at least some of the evidence, which remains murky. [...] The campaign to date has yielded 382 lawsuits and 220 settlements averaging close to $3,000 apiece. But by other measures, file swapping is hitting an all-time high."
Hollywood accuses Norwegian hacker of burglary
"A Norwegian hacker who has angered Hollywood by cracking a DVD copy protection code is a cyberspace version of a burglar, plaintiffs told an Oslo appeals court on Thursday."
RIAA extends legal actions to fight online music piracy
"The group is filing 41 new lawsuits and sending 90 lawsuit-notification letters this week, adding to the 341 lawsuits filed and 308 notification letters sent since September."
Group seeks political power for P2P
"A new nonprofit organization aimed at welding file-swapping and open-source computing advocates into a political force is launching online this week."
Network tool reins in music downloads
"As the success of digital music services like Apple Computer's iTunes and Napster puts new pressure on corporate and other private computer networks, a generation of tools is springing up to control the software."
ACLU Represents Student in Download Case
"The American Civil Liberties Union is now representing a University of North Carolina student who's entangled in a fight about downloading music."
Stopping Digital Copyright Infringement Without Stopping Innovation
"The economics of copyright enforcement suggest two basic types of alternatives � raising the cost of direct infringement, or lowering the cost of suit. Pursuing a combination of these approaches�selective enforcement, levies, and an arbitration safe harbor�is preferable to the status quo."
In Australia, Microsoft tunes in Net music
"Australian Web site Ninemsn has announced that it will launch an online music store that will sell music from the big five record labels."
Roku HD1000 high definition digital media player
"Roku calls its first product, the $499 HD1000, 'the world's first high-definition digital media player.'"
Diebold Agrees Not to Sue Over Leaked Documents
"A major supplier of touch-screen voting machines has agreed not to sue activists and others who posted leaked documents on the Internet about alleged security shortcomings surrounding electronic voting."
Jon Johansen Retrial Begins in Oslo Appeals Court
"Norwegian Jon Johansen today faces the retrial of his acquittal for reverse-engineering DVD technology and creating DeCSS in 1999. DeCSS is computer software that Johansen and others wrote in an effort to build an independent DVD player for the Linux operating system. The publication of DeCSS onto the Internet spurred lawsuits against hundreds of web publishers living all over the world for its re-publication."
RIAA wins round in file-swapping suit
"A San Francisco federal judge last week moved the venue for SBC Communications' lawsuit against the recording industry's file-swapping legal strategy, a potentially significant victory for record labels."
Time for a data transmission summit
"But we must not lose all discernment in our fight against abuses by large intellectual property interests, because they are touching on to something that affects us all. The ease of storing and transmitting information that essentially takes on an eternal existence is a social issue that we all must face."
Will the Broadcast Flag Break Your TiVo?
"How will the broadcast flag affect your viewing? It'll be an annoyance for some, but it's not the end of the world some tech reporters predicted. Instead, it's more like the Big Four networks' last stand against their competitors."
Salute the flag
"Where the rules will have more impact is on equipment that could be made now and that people want to buy now, but that the MPAA wants to block. SonicBlue was driven out of seeling the Replay device that would allow anyone with a copy of a TV show to hit a 'Send' button to dispatch a copy across an ethernet connection to a friend of relative with the same device."
Hacking the Xbox
Via Copyfight: "Unfortunately, discovering the inner workings of your own property and sharing what you've learned with your friends is not the legally straightforward activity it should be. For Americans at least, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is a troubling reality."
CNET to launch indie music service
"Shortly after buying the MP3.com domain name and announcing that its sprawling music archive would close, CNET Networks said Wednesday it will start its own free service for independent musicians online."
SBC calls action for Movielink rentals
"SBC Internet Services is promoting an online video-on-demand service from Movielink, in the hope of luring new customers to its broadband access with film rentals."
Tech politics and the 'Governator'
"Technology companies and Hollywood have been at odds for years now over the conflict between copyright protection and high-tech ways of copying movies and music. Maybe Schwarzenegger's weird administration can be a bridge between the two, allowing Silicon Valley and Hollywood to work together on projects that affect both of them."
Senators ask P2P companies to police themselves
"A group of Washington lawmakers called on Friday for file-swapping companies to help stop distribution of copyrighted materials and pornography on their networks."
SBC challenges RIAA over subpoenas
"Lawyers from the record industry and telecommunications giant SBC Communications faced off in a San Francisco courtroom Friday in a dispute over the record label's legal charges against file swappers."
Sharing and Stealing
"This paper proposes that we look for some of the answers to the vexing problem of unauthorized exchange of music files on the Internet in the wisdom intellectual property law has accumulated about the protection and distribution of factual information. In particular, it analyzes the digital information resource that has developed on the Internet, and suggests that what we should be trying to achieve is an online musical smorgasbord of comparable breadth and variety."
Getting Real About the DVR Threat
"But the scariest part about all of this is the lack of response from broadcasters, which do not share Wall Street's emerging sense of urgency about how DVR-type technology is being adapted more quickly and undercutting their ad-supported economics more quickly than previously expected."
February, 2005 News
January, 2005 News
December, 2004 News
November, 2004 News
October, 2004 News
September, 2004 News
June, 2004 News
May, 2004 News
April, 2004 News | 3,832 |
A key feature of higher education governance arrangements around the world<|fim_middle|> of adoption and implementation, as negotiation by affected groups, the historical path 'dependencies' of particular nations, and as varying cultural interpretations come to exert their influences. Formal governance arrangements that emphasize institutional autonomy and accountability in one country, for example, may look very different in practice to those found in other countries with apparently similar policies and structures. | is their apparent convergence, at least in formal terms. Certain global models, such as the so-called New Public Management (NPM), appear to have considerable traction (King, 2009, p. 41). Nonetheless, we need to be careful. Models — such as those configured around the preference by higher education policy-makers for increased institutional freedoms and performance accountability — are dynamic entities. They change in the processes | 86 |
Home/Marlins News
Changes to the Miami Marlins coaching staff
By David Levin
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - APRIL 10: A baseball sits on the field before the game between the Houston Astros and Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on April 10, 2016 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
The announcement that bench coach Tim Wallach will not return to Miami in 2020 means there will be changes to the Marlins coaching staff.
Marlins fans expect there to be changes to the team's 25-man roster heading into the 2020 season, but they should also expect new faces to make up the team's coaching staff as well.
We know that Don Mattingly has been given a two-year contract extension by the front office, hoping the work that has already begun in turning this organization around from top to bottom will continue.
Derek Jeter saw fit to keep Mattingly, who has dealt with the destruction of this franchise the past two seasons, as the point man in the dugout. It is now a waiting game to see if Jeter's decision pays off or more criticism will come from the national media.
News broke late last week that Tim Wallach will be leaving the team to be closer to his family out west. This means at least one member of Mattingly's staff will come aboard for the ride in 2020.
""For the past four seasons, Tim Wallach has been a staple on the Marlins' staff, serving as bench coach to manager Don Mattingly. Before that, they were together for five seasons with the Dodgers," Joe Frisaro of MLB.com wrote."As bench coach, Wallach has been a sounding board for Mattingly, and in many ways, a second skipper in the dugout. But after the Marlins' 2019 season comes to a close on Sunday against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, Mattingly will be in the market for a new bench coach.""
More from Marlins News
Miami Marlins news: Another target gone
Why didn't the Miami Marlins sign JDM?
Miami Marlins rejected Boston's trade offer
Miami Marlins are pursuing Michael Conforto
Miami Marlins need to spend to win
Can Mattingly find someone who becomes his right hand, someone who can offer another opinion and more than anything, become part of the culture of the Marlins focus on slow growth?
""You're looking for a person you're hopefully on the same page [with]," Mattingly said. "So you're kind of in tune during the game. They are really an extension in all different ways, from your prep work and everything you're doing getting ready for a game. But also getting ready for Spring Training and what we're trying to accomplish. It's really like having another manager right there with you.""
Another thing to consider here is that just because Mattingly got the new deal, which also calls for a third season provided the Marlins improve, it does not mean he is still there at the end of 2021. I thought the move to bring him back was the right one for now. That might look different midway through next year.
As big-name managers get the ax next week and front off personnel leave other baseball organizations, we will all play the "what if" game, wondering if the Marlins still need improvements at the top of the food chain.
The 1998 Marlins went from 54 wins to 64 in 1999. A + 10 win jump is pretty solid. So are we looking at 65 wins in 2020 for the Marlins ? 66 ? 67 ? Daunting.
— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) September 29, 2019
In other words, someone is going to get a really good manager if Joe Maddon is shown the door with the Chicago Cubs.
There is speculation the Marlins may make a move from within the organization to fill Wallach's spot. As Frisaro added, Trey Hillman, the club's first-base/infield coach this season, was Mattingly's bench coach with the Dodgers from 2011-13. It seems like a logical fit and would fall<|fim_middle|> the door on the Marlins 2019 season. dark | along the same lines of keeping the band together as the younger players on the roster continue to develop.
""I started with Trey, and 'Wally' came in, and it just felt good knowing that somebody has got your back all the time, and not letting you just sit there," Mattingly said."
Personally, I like the idea of Fredi Gonzalez moving into the role as he has experience as a manager and is respected within the organization. It's something Mattingly and Jeter should consider.
While Wallach leaves the Marlins for potential other opportunities, he is behind the work the organization has done to build from the ground up and thinks the winning will come at some point soon, something he won't be around to witness.
""That's going to be the hard part, not seeing this come to fruition, and I think it will. I think it's going to start coming fast," Wallach said. "There is no question I will be paying attention, watching and rooting for them. There's a lot of good kids in here who have worked hard, and there's a lot more coming.""
Next. Alcantara closes | 232 |
Beauty is an important goal in the design of many products. For a designer, it would perhaps be easier to attain this goal, if we were able to define and measure beauty in the same way as, for example, the weight of an object. Indeed, this is just what numerous researchers have tried to do since antiquity until our day, see the page Early Theories of Beauty, but nobody has yet found a definite relation between the proportions or other properties of an object, and the assessments of its beauty. It thus seems that 'beauty' is no permanent or independent property of objects.
A more secure point of departure for study is the fact that nearly always when observing an object that we would call beautiful, we experience a pleasant sensation. According to this view, the meaning of an assertion such as "This object is beautiful" is really "I like this object, and if somebody doesn't he has bad taste". Beauty would thus be no property of an object, but instead a property of perception, and the object of its study would be not only beautiful objects but the whole process of perceiving beauty or ugliness (i.e. the approach of perception psychology) or even its significance in the person's social context (the approach of sociology of art).
In the following we discuss a few psychological and sociological theories of perception and their merits in describing and explaining the sensation of beauty in an object. Finally there are some thoughts about the possibilities of normative application of these theories in the design of new objects.
Perception is the process where the human mind arranges the immense amount of material that our senses are all the time registering and sending to the cognition. The target is to select from the sensations those that have importance or interest for the person. Perception takes place all the time, for the most part subconsciously.
In the initial, subconscious phase or layer of perception one usual procedure seems to be the formation of patterns or outlines (in German: Gestalt). It is an important step of reducing the amount of superfluous detail in the sensations and finding familiar and comprehensible patterns in them, among which patterns the human cognition then can select those that need a reaction or are worth a conscious appraisal.
Proximity. Small shapes and objects that are near each other tend to be joined together in the mind to compose larger entities.
Similarity. Objects that are similar in some respect - form, size, color, texture, direction, or speed - will be related to one another and will easily be seen as a unity.
Closure, or wholeness. The eye will try to reduce an imperfect shape to a familiar ordered structure. It will complete a circle where a part is missing, "correct" a faulty square. The eye seems to prefer "good form" that is, shapes or figures that are complete, closed and symmetrical.
Simplicity. The perceived pattern will be as basic and simple as possible.
The line of signs above will usually be perceived as pairs which are formed by signs close to each other, either iI or Ii. A more logical grouping in which the similar elements ii and II would form pairs seldom takes place in the first phase of perception: it is more typical in the later phases of reflection when the subject consciously evaluates and interprets his perception.
From behind the signs, the figure I I becomes perceptible, I I being a background structure (in German: Superzeichen).
The picture in the consciousness concerning circumstances on the outside, acquired by a perception process, can become interesting and important to the observer only when he has related this image to his earlier picture of the world. Thereafter the individual can decide whether the perceived matter calls for a reaction or not. In this evaluation, earlier learned attitudes and behaviour patterns serve as a frame. The social environment is crucial in this because it provides the value judgements of the physical objects in the individual's environment.
It is interesting to look at the perception process in the light of the recent quantitative theory of information. The unit information is measured with is the bit (= binary digit). It is the smallest amount of information other than zero. One bit of information tells us if a binary quantity has the value 1 or 0. One letter contains about five bits of information. However, a 25 letter word strains our memories with far less than 125 bits, for as soon as we see the beginning of the word, we can figure out the rest. This is because in long words, there is a great deal of redundant i.e. repetitive information.
The capacity of perception is quite limited. It is capable of receiving only about 20 bits a second altogether through all the senses. From the short storage time of our consciousness follows that the amount of information which we can process at a time cannot considerably exceed the amount of a hundred bits.
Perception and pleasure. You have perhaps sometimes come across a blurred figure or text, for example a cryptogram, and wanted to figure out its meaning. You can probably recall the enjoyment at the moment of enlightenment when you have figured out the hidden meaning of the message. This pleasant feeling seems to be directly caused by the fact that the consciousness of a human being has worked hard and attained its goal: perception.
Another example which can be tried out right now. On the right, there is a picture by Bartlett representing a young woman. It is also possible to perceive this picture in a totally different way, but that usually requires some effort. I am asking the reader to try to perceive this again and to pay attention to his or her feelings when the new outline is found.
According to a hypothesis put forward by George Birkhoff in 1933, the above feeling of pleasure which is physically caused by the very effort to perceive and the success in it, is the same thing as the aesthetic pleasure obtained when looking at works of art. A person looking at a work of art intensively looks for and also finds some initially hidden, "deeper" structure in the work of art, which causes a pleasant feeling.
We may call "beauty" that feeling of pleasure which follows from the effort to perceive and the success in finding an initially hidden background structure in the work of art. That hidden structure might be e.g. the triangular form of a traditional Madonna painting, or a geometrical structure of shapes or proportions like the Modulor of Le Corbusier. But it might alternatively consist of a message, i.e. the work of art or product symbolizes something, see Theories Of Message on a separate page.
Moreover, if the object of study is not a work of fine art but a product that is used for a practical purpose, we may sometimes feel delighted (and have a sensation of beauty, or near it) when we discover unexpected qualities in the product, for example an unusually high level of quality, of usability, of safety, or any of the various sources of interest in products discussed later on.
The deeper structure always lacks the majority of details of the surface structure of the work of art, so it is always simpler than the surface layer (or at least it looks simple at first before it, too, may reveal new depths). Thus, the quantitative theory of beauty provides an explanation for something that many researchers of aesthetics have noticed, mainly that one component of beauty is simplicity. The same goes for scientific work as well: a line of thought can be called beautiful or elegant particularly because of the startling simplicity of its basic idea.
The pleasure caused by unravelling the background structure is strongest if it is preceded by an intellectual problem: at first, the work seems otherwise explicit but there is something mysterious, irritating and incompatible in it. At the moment of "a-hah" or "eureka", all the pieces fall in place, the irritation disappears and a pleasant feeling of clarity replaces it.
The sensations of irritation in a complex situation and pleasure when it is sorted out, are by no means restricted to aesthetic experiences - in fact, they seem to belong to man's original biological abilities, and they are necessary when man needs to adapt himself to changes in the environment. See e.g. Toffler 1970 p. 297.
The intensity of pleasant feeling depends on the amount of intellectual effort used when studying the work of art. If the work of art is very easy to interpret, trivial or commonplace, its aesthetic value remains low.
Compare the experiences of finding the background patterns in the symbols on the left and on the right.
The Electrolux trademark on the left at first seems be hinting to air conditioning, vents and fans only. It reveals its another meaning, the letter E, first in prolonged inspection. As a reward, it gives more aesthetic pleasure when the second explanation is found. -- The trademark of the British Eagle aviation company on the right discloses its double content of the letter E and an eagle, effortlessly and without producing much aesthetic pleasure, either.
On the other hand, a work of art shoud not be so complicated that outlining its background structure and deeper content becomes impossible. The diagram on the right indicates how aesthetic pleasure depends on the complexity of the work. There is an optimum level of complexity.
The optimum for complexity is different for a layman that has earlier seen few or no similar works of art, and for an expert in the pertinent field of art, see the figure on the left. The more works of art the expert has seen or heard, the less he is interested in superficial structures which are often common to many works of contemporary artists. He passes these standard characteristics as self-evident facts, and they do not give him any aesthetic pleasure. On the other hand, his erudition makes him capable to find out, interpret and enjoy more complicated works than is possible for a layman. It is even possible that a given work of art (marked with x in the diagram) can be too intricate for the layman while being too simple for an expert!
Abraham A. Moles (1966) has added precision to Birkhoff's hypothesis. According to Moles, the greatest pleasure produced by perception is felt when consciousness is allowed to function at its maximal effect, that is, approximately at the rate of 100 bits a second.
According to this, first of all, a work of art should contain a sufficient amount of superficial content or decoration immediately appealing to the senses. As a starting point to the interpretation can serve also the name of the work, if any. But to qualify as competent art, the work must be able to offer also a deeper content. Finding this deeper content will then produce the pleasant feeling of "eureka" once more, provided again that discovering it is not too easy. If it is very easy, or if there are no deeper layers to be discovered, the aesthetic pleasure remains brief and thus meager, and the work of art risks being classified as kitsch.
The perception of a profound work of art proceeds thus as several (or at least two) step-by-step phases. Each successive stage of comprehension should optimally be attainable so that the flow of new information remains always in the range of 100 bits per second, i.e. near the maximum of human abilities of perception. The deeper content can be a background structure, or anything else that arouses interest, for example an invitation to an emotional mood, or a message that the observer can apply to his or her own life. The contents on the different levels need not necessarily have any<|fim_middle|> can be more or less fixed in advance, for example, with a menu system. Similarly, esteeming the architecture of a large building usually involves a promenade in the building which the architect can pre-design so that the public has the possibility to enjoy surprises and "a-hah" experiences.
Moreover, a common method for pointing out a suitable starting point for the user's inspection is to give conspicuous emphasis to such an element, or to provide a detail or characteristic that differs from what is normal in the genre of objects (i.e. a "contra-standard" characteristic) which arouses the curiosity of the spectator and invites him to take a closer look.
The puzzle game design where the artist first exposes all the necessary details and then each member of the public has the option of putting the pieces together and finding the general structure behind them. For example, in the classical detective story a series of clues are given, and when approaching the final pages the public can try to deduce who was the murderer.
Theme and variations. The artist first gives the general pattern and then instances where it can appear. The "a-hah" experience of the audience consists of recognizing the theme in its various ingenious guises and surprising contexts.
Cyclic design. Returning to the initial scene or situation which the public now can understand more profoundly than in its first inspection, see the figure on the right. Cf. Hermeneutic study.
In some fields of art the content of a work of art is largely known to the public in advance. If you, for example, buy a ticket to a Chopin recital, you expect that the pianist plays the well-known pieces approximately according to the notes; if there are too many deviations you will have the feeling of being deceived.
What happens if everything is played exactly as it is printed in the notes? It could be made with a high-class electric piano so that, for example, each 1/4 sound in a 3/4 bar has exactly the same duration and the volume is adjusted according to the composer's instructions p, pp, f etc. The resulting aesthetic experience would probably remain bleak. There would be no "life" or "swing" in the presentation. The public perhaps would not complain, but they would not recommend the presentation to their neighbors.
According to the logic of a strongly autonomous field of [social] activity, the spectator of a work of art has to note the distinction, the difference to other contemporaneous or earlier works. ... Enjoying a work of art requires knowing the space of possibilities that the work results from, discerning the "augmentation" that the work is giving which can be seen only through a historical comparison.
If distinction is negative, i.e. the public receives less than it had expected, the work of art will be estimated substandard and nonprofessional. In the diagram, expectation is marked with a black dot and negative distinction in green.
If distinction is nil or very small (black line), i.e. the work is about what was expected, the work will be estimated as trivial and the artist as professional but not high-class.
The optimal aesthetic experience (red line) is attained when the presentation gives more than what was expected. Such a work of art is characterized verbally as, for example, entertaining, exciting, amusing, intense, or profound. Translated into the concepts of Moles (1966), above, the optimal aesthetic experience is attained when the public can use their abilities of discovery and interpretation at their maximal intensity and for a prolonged time.
Finally, if distinction is too great (blue line), the work of art may remain incomprehensible (which will not prevent snobs from praising it).
An artist who wants to get renown thus has to create a work that gives the public something that it could not expect. He or she has to deviate from earlier works, but only to a suitable extent. The cognitive mechanism of aesthetic pleasure gives thus an explanation for the continual quest for progress in arts, too.
It goes without saying that experts and professionals of any field of art have much higher and much more detailed expectations than laymen have. The more works of art the expert knows, the less he is interested in such features that are typical of the conventional style generally applied in the field. He passes these points as self-evident facts, and they do not give him any aesthetic pleasure. These different expectations explain the different receptions that a work of art sometimes gets from the general public on the one hand, and from "avant-garde" on the other. The general public may, for example, feel that a given work of art differs from expectations in a suitable way, whereas the avant-garde feels that it contains nothing of special interest and corresponds to what is normally expected from the genre, and is thus "déjà vu" if not kitsch.
Traditionally aesthetics has been restricted to the realms of the senses of vision and of hearing. This limitation is regrettable, because these are only two of several human channels of perception.
Especially the senses of touch and movement can be important when evaluating e.g. sports equipment, vehicles, clothing and furniture. The senses of taste and smell are traditionally the domain of culinary art, but there might be situations when they, and other simple corporeal urges could be included in the experience of other types of products, too. On the page Evaluating Normative Proposals we have a discussion of the numerous aspects of attractiveness, or "pleasurability" of products.
Moreover, there are a few emotional sources of pleasure that can arouse interest in a product or in a work of art. Of these, sexuality has traditionally been a customary element in those arts that can depict man and his life. In the process of perceiving the work, sexual content is best adapted for the initial phases of observation. Sexual hints provide points of interest that can motivate the public into closer inspection of the work, during which its other content then will eventually reveal itself, as explained by Moles (1966), above. Because sexuality is one of the first characteristics to be noted in the product, it is often important in the marketing situation. Makers of kitsch are well aware of the fact.
Attraction to social co-operation in the spheres of family, work, and various organizations.
Pursuit of knowing and comprehension.
Desire to set and attain goals.
The above discussed traditions in the study of art have been mainly descriptive in nature. However, the prefaces of study reports often announce that the author's final goal has been normative, i.e. to help later artisans, architects etc. to create more attractive works. Note also that many authors were occupied as teachers in art schools and they were thus willing and able to guide the artistic creation of their colleagues and students.
At first sight there seems to be no great difference between descriptive and normative study of beautiful products, because aesthetics has traditionally been concentrated on the most beautiful objects and the normative goal in new production is the same. Researchers of aesthetics have traditionally selected as their objects of study such products that were regarded as exceptionally beautiful, i.e. renowned works of art, which can make it difficult to apply the findings to the creation of more commonplace products, see a discussion on the alternatives when demarcating the Population of Study.
The situation gets more complicated if we accept the fact that different segments of the general public can have different tastes, and we want to please more than one of these tastes. This could be done in several ways. One approach could be first defining the target customers and then creating one product exactly for these people, and perhaps other products for other groups. Alternatives to this could be, either finding an arbitrated compromise product that would please the majority, or perhaps making a "double-coded" work so that two (or more) different levels of public could find different sources of satisfaction in it.
In the normative study of art, a frequently applied model can be seen here on the right. It includes the term feedback, borrowed from the theory of cybernetics, which is an important factor in the creation of works of art, and which appears in the form of criticism. The figure has been borrowed, slightly modified, from Herbert Franke.
The greater number of benefits we wish to attain, the greater is the risk that some of the targets get into conflict with each other. Note that beside the pleasures listed above, there are many practical objectives that a product is supposed to reach (like usability, economy and ecology), and each of these targets can obstruct reaching some other goals. It is difficult to develop general theory for the task of arbitrating between goals in conflict, even if such a need arises frequently in a development project for a specific product, cf. Strategic Design, the methods of creating a Product Concept and Evaluating a Design Proposal.
During many centuries beauty and especially the beauty of products has been studied from many different angles. Each of these lines of research has reached deeper and deeper insights, but in spite of that every explanation of beauty has remained deficient: it lacks at least the other well known angles, and probably something else that no researcher has ever thought of. It seems that 'beauty' is a name that has been given to several concepts which we can study one at a time, but no one has yet been able to combine them into one comprehensive theory. Time will show if future researchers will succeed better in this respect.
A common weakness in the study of beauty has been that the researcher has developed his assertions just on the basis of his personal and subjective competence (which often was admirable, because many authors also were qualified artists). Few assertions were ever tested with other people; in the best case they were tested in the works of art created by the author himself. This lack of corroboration not only diminished the credibility of the studies but it also was one reason why these studies had weak connections to each other and no general theory of beauty ever developed. Nevertheless, it is possible that this weakness of methods can eventually be corrected (see Diachronic View on Arteology).
The first researchers of beauty thought that the essence of beauty is the same everywhere and for everyone. It seemed unnecessary to consult many people when studying it, because already the researcher himself is a human being and his opinions about beauty could be comfortably recorded with solitary contemplation in an arm chair. The normal method in descriptive studies of beauty until 19 century was probably somewhat similar to the modern method of phenomenology or perhaps hermeneutics.
Today it is only the most obstinate existentialists who still assert that their findings will be valid anywhere, while other people think that they are unquestionably valid only in the author's sphere of culture. Of course, there is always the possibility that phenomenological findings happen to have wider validity as well, therefore if you like the method you can well use it and publish the results as hypotheses to be tested by others.
A more reliable method for exploring the mechanisms and patterns in the perception of beauty by different people in different countries, is empirical study in co-operation with these people. You will first need to define the group of people that you wish to study.
In the study of aesthetic experience it is important to note that the experience depends not only on the work of art itself but as much on the expectations that each member of the public had originally. For collecting these, a suitable method is survey with thematic interview. Its normal alternative, a poll is not suitable because people's artistic expectations are usually too vague to be expressed in definite questions and answers. Possible questions for mapping out a person's expectations could be: "When coming to see my exhibition, what did you expect to see?" and "Could you compare my work to some other similar works of art that you have seen?"
If you can construct a hypothesis for your study, you can consider testing it with experiments in laboratory, for example by preparing variations of a suitable work of art to be used as stimuli in the experiment. You can make these variations so that they differ only with regard to one variable, and the experiment will then reveal which effect the variation has to the aesthetic experience, see Stimulus in the experiment. Remember here, too, that all such experiments always involve one more important variable: the different expectations of the public, which you should not forget to include when registering people's reactions to the variable objects of art.
You can, of course, take as your object of study the existing works or products themselves, though the difficulty is often their great variation. When studying the beauty of products that are used for practical purposes, it can be difficult to eliminate the non-aesthetic aspects of the object. Most people think that preferences concerning beautiful form depend of the type of the object. A beautiful fishing boat is different from a beautiful racer. Moreover, many people perceive as beauty various qualities of the product, for example its accord with tradition, the quality of workmanship, or good usability.
When the purpose of the study is normative, i.e. if you want to assist the design of new products, the approach becomes slightly different depending on whether you want to create general design theory, i.e. models, standards and other tools for design, or if you just wish to develop one new product (or a series of them). Suitable methods for the latter task are explained in Developing Art With Scientific Methods and Developing an Industrial Product.
The methods for creating general design theory are discussed in Preparing Design Theory. Many of the descriptive methods listed above are also serviceable. The researcher's proposals for design guidelines should always be tested with a sample selected from the target group of customers.
When developing theory of design it is important to test not only written guidelines but also as fidel mock-ups as possible. Suitable methods are listed in Presenting the Draft and Prototype and Evaluating a Design Proposal. Do not forget to include in the testing group people with impaired abilities of perception. | relevance with each other - the only important thing is that each of them must be interesting to the observer.
The most rewarding work of art is one in which the process described above can take place several times successively like in the figure on the right. Such a multi-faceted work of art can be looked at over and over again. In each new vista the observer finds something new; first perhaps a solution to a problem which remained unsolved in the previous phase of observation, and second, a novel surprise: another problem motivating him to a deeper still reflection. Each phase of observation leads to more profound comprehension and thus increases the aesthetic value of the work.
Synchronic objects of art have no temporal dimension: they remain constant all the time and the public can inspect their details in any order of sequence. To this group belong most industrial products and immobile works of art like paintings.
Diachronic works such as music, novels and dramas, arrive to the public as fixed sequences which include an opening, a continuation and an end. It is the composer's task to determine in advance the succession in which he reveals the various layers of his work to the public.
In synchronic objects all the parts are visible all the time, but it does not mean that the author of the work has no means to guide the process of its study. The procedure of studying an immobile object | 277 |
Revealing the Early Renaissance: Stories and Secrets in
Florentine Art in March 2013 | AGO Art Gallery of Ontario
← Back to 2012
AGO Partners with the J. Paul Getty Museum to Present
Florentine Art in March 2013
Exhibition offers an experience to discover rare Early Renaissance works by Giotto and his contemporaries
(TORONTO – June 27, 2012) The splendour and devotion of the Early Renaissance come to life at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) next spring with a large-scale exhibition of Florentine masterpieces, presented in partnership with the world renowned J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
Revealing the Early<|fim_middle|> of Picasso's works.
AGO Celebrates IAIN BAXTER& with Interactive Features and Special Events
The upcoming exhibition IAIN BAXTER&: Works 1958–2011, invites visitors to become collaborators by engaging with the artist and his work. Special events that highlight the interactive nature of the artist's brand will complement and activate the exhibition, which is on view from March 3 to Aug. 12, 2012.
Chagall and the Russian Avant-Garde Attracts Crowds, New Members to the AGO
The exhibition that brought the magic, whimsy and wonder of Marc Chagall and other visionaries of Russian modernism to the Art Gallery of Ontario drew 152,637 visitors during its 13-week run, ranking as the eighth best-attended exhibition in the AGO's history. | Renaissance: Stories and Secrets in Florentine Art brings together rare panel paintings, manuscripts, sculpture and stained glass to tell the inside story of how the artists of one city brought about the birth of the Renaissance. Thanks to new scientific and art-historical research into the materials and techniques employed by painters of the time, as well as interactive iPad stations, audiences will learn more about how these masterpieces were created. The exhibition will take place at the AGO from March 16 to June 16, 2013.
The exhibition comprises more than 90 key pieces from the first half of the 14th century, including Giotto's five-panel Peruzzi Altarpiece, two painted and hand-written copies of Dante's Divine Comedy, and Bernardo Daddi's Virgin Mary with Saints Thomas Aquinas and Paul. The works, which have been secured by a team of staff members from the AGO and the Getty, will transport audiences back in time to Florence in the Early Renaissance.
"The AGO is proud to join forces with the Getty Museum, which is renowned internationally for its exhibitions, conservation and research," said Matthew Teitelbaum, director and CEO of the AGO. "This exhibition and the programming around it allow us to look at one of the most crucial periods in Western art history with fresh eyes. We invite visitors to view these seminal works through a contemporary lens, relating the issues of Florentine society at the dawn of the Renaissance to those of our modern lives."
Subdivided into various themes, Revealing the Early Renaissance: Stories and Secrets in Florentine Art will explore how the city's burgeoning economy of the time fostered a unique demand for artworks both religious and civic, as well as the collaborative nature of artistic production, a closer look at the workshops of artists, the stories behind the works and their subjects and insight into conservation research. Visitors will interact with the exhibition at numerous hands-on stations, offering the opportunity to explore inside the Renaissance artist's studio, discover the pigments and tools used, hear music from a book whose pages will be reunited for the first time in over a century, view footage of Florence and see aspects of the works through the microscopes of conservators.
Curated by Christine Sciacca, assistant curator of manuscripts at the J. Paul Getty Museum, together with coordinating curator Sasha Suda, assistant curator of European art at the AGO, Revealing the Early Renaissance: Stories and Secrets in Florentine Art will bring to life recent discoveries about artistic techniques and studio practice in Florence between 1300 and 1350. In conjunction with the exhibition, the AGO will host a public symposium that will assemble leading international experts to discuss the relationship between scientific research and art history.
"The exhibition features artists who were masters in both panel painting and manuscript illumination in the vibrant cultural climate of 14th-century Florence," explained Sciacca. "With new findings about artistic techniques and artists' workshops based on conservation research and scientific analysis, we are able to present a rich, nuanced picture of the beauty and creativity of artistic production in Florence."
According to Suda, "this exhibition will make it clear that the diverse artistic practices of Giotto and his contemporaries paved the way for generations of Italian Renaissance masters to come."
The exhibition is the first of its kind in Canada, as many of the treasured works have never travelled before and likely will not again for generations to come. Notable works include:
• Giotto di Bondone, Pentecost, Tempera and gold leaf on panel, 43 cm x 31.7 cm (The National Gallery, London)
• Bernardo Daddi, The Virgin Mary with Saints Thomas Aquinas and Paul, Tempera and gold leaf on panel, 120.7 cm x 55.9 cm (Getty)
• Pacino di Bonaguida, Polyptych: The Crucifixion, Saint Nicholas, Saint Bartholomew, Saint Florentius, and Saint Luke, 182 cm x 249 cm (Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence)
• Pacino di Bonaguida, Carmina regia: The Appeal of Prato to Robert of Anjou, 47.7 cm x 34.2 cm (The British Library, London)
• Master of the Dominican Effigies, Specchio Umano, 38.5 cm x 27.2 cm (Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Florence)
Revealing the Early Renaissance: Stories and Secrets in Florentine Art is presented in collaboration with the J. Paul Getty Museum of Los Angeles, which will display the exhibition from Nov. 13, 2012, to Feb. 10, 2013, under the title Florence at the Dawn of the Renaissance: Painting and Illumination, 1300–1350. This relationship underlines the AGO's commitment to supporting conservation and research efforts as well as bringing the world's masterpieces to Toronto through top-tier partnerships, which have recently included the Musée National Picasso, Paris, New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Centre Pompidou, Paris.
AGO Members will enjoy free admission to Revealing the Early Renaissance: Stories and Secrets in Florentine Art and will be invited to an exclusive preview in the days leading up to the exhibition's public opening. More information on the benefits of AGO membership can be found at www.ago.net/general-membership.
A catalogue will be published to accompany the exhibition. Edited by Christine Sciacca with contributions by Sasha Suda and others, Florence at the Dawn of the Renaissance: Painting and Illumination, 1300-1350 will be available for purchase at shopAGO.
The AGO acknowledges the generous support of its Signature Partners:
Aeroplan, Signature Partner of the Photography Collection Program
American Express, Signature Partner of the AGO's Conservation Program
ABOUT THE AGO
With a collection of more than 80,000 works of art, the Art Gallery of Ontario is among the most distinguished art museums in North America. From the vast body of Group of Seven and signature Canadian works to the African art gallery, from the cutting-edge contemporary art to Peter Paul Rubens' masterpiece The Massacre of The Innocents, the AGO offers an incredible art experience with each visit. In 2002 Kenneth Thomson's generous gift of 2,000 remarkable works of Canadian and European art inspired Transformation AGO, an innovative architectural expansion by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry that in 2008 resulted in one of the most critically acclaimed architectural achievements in North America. Highlights include Galleria Italia, a gleaming showcase of wood and glass running the length of an entire city block, and the often-photographed spiral staircase, beckoning visitors to explore. The AGO has an active membership program offering great value, and the AGO's Weston Family Learning Centre offers engaging art and creative programs for children, families, youth and adults. Visit ago.net to find out more about upcoming special exhibitions, to learn about eating and shopping at the AGO, to register for programs and to buy tickets or memberships.
Oct. 20, 2012–Jan. 20, 2013: Frida & Diego: Passion, Politics and Painting
March 16–June 16, 2013: Revealing the Early Renaissance:Stories and Secrets in Florentine Art
The Art Gallery of Ontario is funded in part by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Additional operating support is received from the City of Toronto, the Canada Council for the Arts and generous contributions from AGO members, donors and private-sector partners.
For images and more information on Revealing the Early Renaissance: Stories and Secrets in Florentine Art at the AGO, please contact:
Andrea-Jo Wilson; News Officer, AGO Communications
416-979-6660, ext. 403, andrea-jo_wilson@ago.net
Melissa Prince; Veritas Communications
416-482-2669, prince@veritascanada.com
AGO Appoints Kitty Scott its new Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art
The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) has appointed Kitty Scott as its new curator of modern and contemporary art. Scott assumes the curatorial role on Sept. 17, 2012 and will be tasked with expanding the profile of the Gallery's modern and contemporary art collections for local and international audiences, while planning and organizing major exhibitions.
AGO's New Free App Lets Users Customize Their Photos with Different Artistic Styles
The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) introduces AGO Express Yourself, a free new app designed to help visitors and the public creatively explore various artistic movements and media. In a few easy steps, users can see themselves transformed into a masterpiece. This engaging app is available for Apple iOS and Android devices, as well as online.
Art Gallery of Ontario Open on Monday, August 6 for Civic Holiday
With only three and a half weeks remaining, the Art Gallery of Ontario's hot summer exhibition, Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris is keeping its doors open this holiday Monday to allow more visitors to see the exhibition's treasures before they disappear on Aug. 26.
Art Gallery of Ontario Brings Evan Penny's Hyper-Realistic Sculptures Home in Evan Penny: Re Figured
The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) welcomes internationally renowned Toronto-based sculptor Evan Penny home with a large solo exhibition opening Sept. 20, 2012. Evan Penny: Re Figured will feature over 25 of Penny's larger-than-life sculptures, each painstakingly crafted from layers of pigmented silicone, human hair, fabric and resin. Blending abstraction and figuration, Penny's hyper-realistic sculptures straddle the line between object and image, presenting the human form both as it is and as it can be when imagined through the distorting lens of photography and digital media.
AGO Artist-in-Residence Heather Goodchild Goes to Work in the Interactive Installation Uniform Factory
Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris Celebrated with Special Programming
See the world through the eyes of a genius! Tickets go on sale this weekend for the Art Gallery of Ontario's highly anticipated Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris nearly 50 years after the AGO's last blockbuster presentation | 2,194 |
Humidity was building in the night sky, the tall coconut trees starting to sway dramatically, signalling a storm on its way. "I wish I'd come here 10 years ago", I said as the last of the Chang beer dripped from the bottle whilst I lay in my hammock precariously strapped between the uprights of my 100 baht-a-night (£1.50 at the time) rickety beach bungalow. "Yeah man, me too", replied my newly met travel mate, shouting over from his adjacent bungalow, in-between strums on his beat-up travel guitar. "I mean, it's cool here, but just think what it would've been like back then". I reached over to my cassette player to shake out the ants that were slowly eating away at it. (They were soon to finish it off, forcing me to buy a CD player, not a bad idea to ditch the cassettes anyway, after all Apple had already released their fourth generation iPod).
Haad Thien, Koh Phan Ngan, where said bungalows were. This photo taken 2009.
This was the scene, July 2004, on the small and some would say legendary, Thai island of Koh Pha Ngan. I was back on Koh Pha Ngan in 2015, and while sitting in a tree-tops bar reached by a wooden staircase clinging precariously to a steep jungle-clad hill, I was, with a slight smug look, able to recount to fresh-faced travellers how I was here 11 years ago, and how it was so much different – in reality, partly due to bad transport links, thankfully relatively little has visibly changed, compared with other places at least.
I must admit to having a mild obsession with how places change and develop over time. I get unhealthily excited over outdated guidebooks. An early edition of the Lonely Planet Survival Guide to Thailand is one of the best things I've bought online. So in my mad obsessions, I've made some conclusions, and that, for Southeast Asian tourist destinations at least, development usually takes the following pattern.
First arrive the backpackers, the intrepid travellers, who want the rickety bungalows with intermittent electricity and when getting to sleep through the heat and humidity one can consistently rely on counting cockroaches rather than sheep. These are the places that make a traveller, where one meets other travellers, the ability to share information over a beer and a smoke. These are the places where I spent my formative years as a traveller, and even now with some travel mileage on me, I still enjoy the most.
Rumour of a good travel destination spreads around backpackers like Vegemite in an Australian town. So it is that more and more travellers arrive, hoping to find their piece. Of course, then what happens is that more businesses – bungalow operations, guesthouses, restaurants, travel-shops – open to cater to the backpackers as more and more backpackers flood in, and eventually the town or island becomes part of what has been interestingly dubbed by various guidebooks who helped create it, the 'banana-pancake trail', refering to popular Asian routes and destinations favoured by backpackers.
As a town or an island reaches a certain level of popularity among backpackers, providing – and this is key – transport links are good, two things regularly happen simultaneously which could be viewed as the fuel and the spark respectively.
Thai beach bungalow, this one on Railey East, 2009.
Firstly, business owners seek an opportunity to develop their simple accommodation – rickety beach bungalows that go for 100 baht a night (£2), are replaced by sturdier en-suite versions that go for three times the amount. As demand increases so do the prices. These bungalows may be replaced by more expensive versions with air-conditioning, TVs, slippers, bath robes, heavy duvets to counteract the air-conditioning (where's the logic?). The management have enough money saved to build a pool, and can now charge premium prices, and they may even change their name from 'Coconut Bungalows' to 'Coconut Boutique Resort'. They may even choose to sell their now valuable land to developers. In a word, capitalism.
Secondly and simultaneously, 'mainstream tourism' operators see an opportunity to promote these once off-the-beaten-path areas, and the 'mainstream tourists' want to visit areas that they have heard so much about on the grapevine from backpackers' stories or ideas of paradise sold through mass-media.
So begins the development into a place that inspires thoughts of "I wish I was here 20 years ago" whilst looking around in annoyance at all the other foreigners and the corresponding over-priced accommodation, all the while others are doing the same whilst looking at you. The local market with a few enterprising stalls selling smoothies to backpackers, gets renamed 'Walking Street'. The full-moon party on the beach goes commercial and starts charging an entrance fee. The local boat-drivers triple their price in as many years, because the time-poor, cash-rich tourists will pay it.
It requires a certain amount of generalisation to classify types of tourists, but by 'mainstream tourism' I mean relatively organised and structured tourism with better standards of accommodation, relatively short total trip length, and higher per-day spend (time-poor, cash-rich). Backpackers conversely travel for longer periods, often without pre-booking accommodation, affording lots of flexibility, will spend less, staying in budget guesthouse accommodation (time-rich, cash-poor). Public transport is the preferred method of transport, although as is witnessed in places that are very busy with travellers, such as Surat Thani or Krabi in southern Thailand, one has the intention of travelling by public bus, but after buying a ticket conversely and annoyingly finds oneself surrounded only by other foreigners, on a privately owned bus.
Often one is quick to praise backpacker tourism as low-impact when compared to mainstream tourism, but perhaps the argument for either is not so clear-cut. So let's have a look at a place<|fim_middle|> the local economy. However, as these time-poor, cash-rich tourists are just that, perhaps they are more likely to spend their tourist dollars in local craft or souvenir shops. Backpackers travelling on a budget and having to haul their possessions around for often months on end, may not be as interested in buying souvenirs. So there may be economic benefits in other ways.
As I sipped the last drop of my Beer Lao from its bottle, looked at my watch, I pondered, the issue is complicated, but what's for sure, backpacker tourism brings many benefits in many ways that mainstream tourism doesn't, but mainstream tourism can also be beneficial in other ways. After that thought, I retreated from the terrace, into the bungalow, wishing I'd had my guitar with me, and a fire to go and play around. But without the Jack Johnson covers.
ko pha ngankoh pha nganlaosnam songsustainable tourismthailandtraveltubingvang vieng
Change in Beijing's hutongs 胡同
重庆 Chongqing: the most fascinating Chinese city you've possibly never heard of | that has seen great changes since it opened up to tourism in the late 1990s.
Vang Vieng. A town of around 25,000 people in Laos, a small landlocked country between Thailand and China with a total population of around 6 million. The town is about three hours by road north of the capital Vientiane, and is surrounded by picturesque limestone karsts and paddy-fields.
Village buildings and stunning karst scenery, Vang Vieng, 2017
Due to it being a neighbouring country of Thailand, a country popular with backpackers since the 1980s, when in the late 90s, it became easier for foreigners to travel to, with the easing of travel restrictions, it was increasingly the alternative destination of choice for those who thought Thailand was getting too mainstream. The atmospheric capital, Vientiane, with its crumbling French villas and many Buddhist temples, is from Bangkok, an overnight train journey to Nong Khai and a short border crossing, and as Vang Vieng is just a three hour drive across the plains from Vientiane, it quickly became a popular rural hangout for backpackers wanting to spend the days kayaking or more likely 'tubing' on the river, walking or cycling, exploring surrounding villages, and then the evenings eating, drinking, and smoking in the town.
"Where am I? Am I nearly there yet?" It's dark, but there are some lights in the distance and some faint drum beats carrying in the wind. I was certainly talking to myself as I was very much alone, having lost my new travel friends somewhere along the way.
I was half-naked, but no, I wasn't on a bus. I was also half-drunk on Beer Lao, sitting in tractor wheel inner-tube, in the middle of the Nam Song river, drifting closer to Vang Vieng. This is what's called 'tubing'. It was 2004. You climb aboard a tuk-tuk, taken along the dusty road for about three miles, jump in the river on your inner-tube, hanging on to your valuables in a dry bag, and every few hundred metres hear the welcoming sounds of "Sabaidee, Beer Lao, Beer Lao", before being offered to be hauled in by pole to the make-shift bar shack. You can sit for as many beers or smokes as the money in your dry-bag or sensibilities allow, before jumping back on your inner-tube and continuing your journey down the river.
2004 was the first time I visited, and before the peak of backpacker visitor numbers. Then it was an unremarkable, fairly small town with many family-run guesthouses, and a significant but manageable amount of backpackers 'tubing' in the day and eating, drinking and socialising at night usually until the very early hours around a riverside fire. I enjoyed the tubing, the evenings and early mornings spent playing guitar, drinking Beer Lao and 'lao lao' rice-whiskey around fires on one of the river islands, connected to the town by precarious bamboo bridges. I enjoyed days exploring the surrounding countryside by bicycle, and lounging by the Nam Song river on bamboo platforms in between refreshing dips.
The Nam Song river, at the point where tubers begin, 2017.
I visited a few months later in the Spring of 2005, when I specifically remember noticing that the town's central wet market had been moved a mile out of town presumably as I pondered at the time, because of rising land values and demand for land from guesthouse developers. After this I visited in 2006, and then 2007. I then didn't return until this year, 2017, 10 years later. Sure it was recognisable, but so were the massive changes.
Perhaps the peak of backpacker visitors was around 2010. At this time, it was reported that local people were becoming increasingly frustrated with the brash behaviour of some travellers. Drink and smoke fuelled partying keeping local people awake, half-naked travellers wondering around the town in what is a conservative and traditional country.
Outside of the town, the atmosphere is very peaceful, Vang Vieng, 2017
Some say the local youth were becoming negatively influenced, as they were constantly surrounded by foreign young backpackers indulging to excess. It was well-documented by the media that sadly a significant number of lives had been cut short in Vang Vieng, most reportedly due to intoxicated jumps from platforms at make-shift riverside bars, in a town without a hospital able to deal with any serious medical emergency. Superstitious villagers who used the river for washing and bathing grew afraid of going to the riverside. Things were ultimately getting out of hand, and the authorities seeing it as much, moved in to close down some of the riverside bars, and to quieten things down. As rumours spread of Vang Vieng's demise as an anything-goes party town, so backpacker numbers dropped. That's to say, backpackers interested in an all-out party atmosphere stopped coming, but the town has carried out attracting backpackers seeking nature and perhaps a more gentle party atmosphere – really exactly what attracted backpackers in the first-place before things turned somewhat raucous.
So now, in 2017, one might think the town and surrounding area is a haven of tranquility, and the town a model for sustainable tourism. Unfortunately, as I found out on my recent return, the locals have a different annoyance to deal with.
As the old public bus was rattling up Highway 13, and the flat plains that stretch north from Vientiane I was wondering what would have become of the Vang Vieng I was last in 10 years prior. I was expecting something more relaxed, quieter than in more recent years, but I refused to believe that backpackers would have been altogether dissuaded from visiting.
Vang Vieng centre still retains a rustic atmosphere, taken 2017
We pulled into the old US airstrip, strategically important during the Vietnam war, and now still serving as the bus station to the town. "What's that deep rumbling noise? Have they resumed flights on the old airstrip?" The answer flew towards me in the form of a large group of ATVs zooming down the road, each one carrying two Korean tourists, one driving, eyes fixed to the road, one sitting smiling and waving at passers-by. As we went through the town in the back of our songtheaw pick-up on the way to our guesthouse, we noticed more and more of these ATVs, each one sounding like it had an F1 engine strapped to the back. The quiet Vang Vieng roads now sounded more like track-side at Silverstone. "Still two restaurants advertising Happy Pizzas with all the telling smiley faces" I noticed out-loud.
Happy Pizzas still for sale, Vang Vieng, 2017
Then on the otherside of the road I was amused to see the same old open-air eateries showing the same old episodes of Friends on loop, that they were doing in 2004. There were of course low tables of backpackers totally zoning out to the repetitive American comedy. Some things never change I thought. The small family-run guesthouse that I stayed at in 2004, 2005, and 2006, was gone, in its place was a larger hotel building. The bar opposite where many a travel story and smoke was shared with fellow travellers was still there.
The same restaurant with the same episodes of Friends, Vang Vieng, 2017
What was noticeable was the relatively small numbers of young Western travellers, and much higher proportion of mostly older travellers from east Asia, most noticeably South Korea. Aside from the many older tourists, travelling in large groups, there were also some young Korean travellers, travelling in couples or small, usually single-sex groups. But generally it seemed, the tour groups of older Korean travellers prevailed.
After checking-in to our guesthouse on the quiet outskirts of town, we wandered down to the riverside. The number of bamboo platforms that have for many years – in the dry season at least – sat half in the river, half on the banks, overlooking the bamboo bridges that crisscross the river, had dramatically increased.
An increase in riverside huts, Vang Vieng, 2017
Nearby, what were tiny operations of a handful of unstable thatched huts, and a rickety bamboo restaurant building, were now neat rows of teak and concrete bungalows with all mod-cons, stretching back into the limestone-karst flanked paddy-fields. Korean pop was blasting out of some of the river-side BBQ shacks. We settled down on a riverside platform furthest away from the new bungalows, with Beer Lao, and some gentle Lao folk songs playing in the background as the Nam Song flowed gently downstream, and nearby picnicing Lao families were enjoying their fair share of Beer Lao, sticky rice and grilled river-fish.
Bamboo bridge crossing, with the island and now smart-looking building in the background, Vang Vieng, 2017
I looked over to the river island where in 2004 and 2005 I spent many a rice-whisky fueled night playing guitar around a fire. In place of the hastily-built bar shacks, was a smart-looking building, presumably a hotel. Times change, I thought.
Enjoying the view with the Beer Lao and the Lao folk-rock, we sat in our hut, legs dangling over the edge into the cool Nam Song which flowed swiftly by. Further upstream it was possible to see the odd tuber coming down the river, but very infrequently, nothing like the crowds of the mid-2000s. Lao children splashed and floated down the river, their parents clearly not worried as they drifted downstream, much happier than the European kids of a similar age I saw the night before, eyes transfixed on their iPads as their parents chatted away.
Sitting by the Nam Song, with a Beer Lao, 2017
As we put our heads down on the cushions, so it started. The roar. Boat after boat of tour-groups started to come by. These were not the silent glide of kayaks that were more common in 2004, these were longtails, that had engines as powerful as they were noisy. The boats didn't stop coming. It seems as sunset approaches, which is a perfect time to enjoy sitting in a riverside hut with a Beer Lao, is also the most popular time to take a noisy boat trip up and down the Nam Song.
Motorboats coming down the Nam Song river, Vang Vieng, 2017
Later, we went to a local restaurant for some laab, grilled chicken, and sticky-rice. The owner was trying to dampen the flames of the barbeque grill that were furiously licking at the chicken, as the rice steamed away.
Waiting for the bbq, Vang Vieng, Laos, 2017
A large tour group strolled by, going from their sizeable hotel, to somewhere, led by their tour-guide into the night. The owner cheerfully greeting them in broken Korean. A smile, but the group continued to be led forward by their guide. "These tours never come to us, to small restaurants", the owner offered to me. "They only eat in their hotels, or in certain restaurants that have an agreement with their tour-company". I of course, told him about my previous trips to Vang Vieng, over the years. We talked about the differences between now and then. The laab, by the way, was delicious. "seb li li" I told him as much as we were leaving.
So that night, over yet another Beer Lao, I began to think about something. Whether Vang Vieng was better off when the majority of visitors were young backpackers, or is it better off now, when the majority are older tourists, and many of them in tour-groups.
At the height of Vang Vieng's backpacker tourism, in the mid to late 2000s, you could say that local businesses were doing well. Many independent travellers, should mean many independent minds (as long as they're not all following the same guidebook's advice), meaning many independent visits to many independent small businesses. This ultimately spreads the cash, benefiting the economy at a very local level, and quite widely. That's not to mention all the family-run guesthouses that backpackers prefer, most set up on the back of family homes, slowly expanded to include guestrooms. But there was a downside, some of the problems mentioned earlier, brashness offending local customs, locals being negatively influenced by the excesses of the young backpackers.
Vang Vieng's awesome karst scenery is what attracted people in the beginning. Taken in 2017
Since the Vang Vieng party has wound down, what we see are more group-tours, more mainstream tourists. Less debauchery and drunkenness. Fewer half-naked foreigners confidently parading the streets. But the loudness of the tubers, has not just been replaced, but exceeded by the loudness of the many tour-group laden motorboats plying the river. The older tourist demographic may be better behaved after dark, but not necessarily better behaved out on their days trips.
Motorbikes crossing a bamboo bridge, with riverside huts in background, Vang Vieng, 2017
Exploring the countryside in the day, we came across a scenic swimming area, a river running into a natural blue pool, surrounding by lush vegetation, rice paddies and towering karsts in the distance. The beauty of the area meant that it was packed full of the tour groups that we'd seen around the town, and a huge and worrying amount of litter that was being left behind by these same tourists. As debaucherous as young backpackers can be, it seems the younger generation do tend to be a bit more considerate when it comes to where to put their finished bottle of Beer Lao.
For meals the tour-groups often either eat in their hotels, or go to restaurants that their tour company has approved. So since the drop in backpacker numbers many
That's me, on one of the many bamboo bridges, Vang Vieng 2017
local restaurants and bars are loosing out on business, and the wealth created by tourism is becoming more concentrated to certain businesses. This is certainly having a negative effect on | 3,081 |
Ann Nelson (<|fim_middle|>'s Tourism Center in 2008.
Ann lives in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul with her husband Steve, three cats (Cosmo, Rose and Sonoma), and periodic foreign exchange students. Her hobbies include cooking, hiking, biking, reading, camping, and baseball. | Event Consultant) began as a client of Fladeboe Auctions, and was delighted when she was invited to join the company's team in the fall of 2009. She has over 25 years of fundraising and event planning experience, and her passion is helping organizations create successful events which not only meet goals and expectations – but exceed them.
In addition to the consulting she does with Fladeboe clients, Ann is the owner of Ann Plans LLC (www.annplans.com), an event planning business focused on fundraising events, awards ceremonies, community celebrations, and corporate events. Her background includes staff positions with a number of organizations including the International Special Olympics, Lutheran Social Service, and Children's Home Society and Family Services. Ann is a graduate of Drake University (BA Speech Communications) and St. Paul College (Culinary Arts). She earned her Certificate of Festival and Event Management (CFM) through the University of Minnesota | 191 |
Resurrection by Derek Landy
Buy Resurrection by Derek Landy at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Confident Readers
Reviewer: Z J Cookson
Summary: A fast-paced, slightly disjointed, adventure that will be embraced by Skulduggery fans. However, if you've not read the previous books, I'd suggest you steer clear of this and start at the beginning of the series.
Buy? Maybe Borrow? Yes
Pages: 432 Date: June 2017
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
Skulduggery Pleasant – the sharply dressed<|fim_middle|> former partner – Valkyrie Cain – to join him for just twenty-four hours. But will she stay when the time runs out? Will they be able to save the world?
It's been five years in story time since Skulduggery and Valkyrie's last adventure and it's been three years since Skulduggery fans have had a new book about the skeleton detective. Most fans believed they'd reached the end of the series so they're likely to be thrilled by simply the idea of Book Ten – the aptly named Resurrection.
These fans are unlikely to be disappointed. In the scenes with Skulduggery or Valkyrie the text positively sparkles and we're also able to learn more about the effect of their previous adventures on both their life and their friendship. Indeed, the emotional scars on, now twenty-four year old, Valkyrie are skilfully described.
Sadly, however, Skulduggery and Valkyrie are not the only point of view characters and several of the others are distinctly less interesting. These new characters are also mostly adults which is odd for a children's book. Luckily there is a wonderful new teen character in fourteen year old, Omen Darkly. An overlooked and often inept boy who lives in the shadow of his brother, we are soon cheering Omen on and skipping through the pages as fast as possible, eager for the time to read more of his adventure.
Those of Skulduggery and Valkyrie's friends who survived the battles in the previous books also make cameo appearances including China Sorrows and Valkyrie's former boyfriend, Fletcher. (Sadly many of my favourite characters would need to be resurrected themselves to be included in the story). However, there is very little explanation of the magical powers or history of these sorcerers which probably makes this a hard book to follow if you haven't read the others in the series.
The plot is slightly disjointed, largely as a result of so many viewpoint characters. It is, nonetheless, worth reading for the witty dialogue and the impressively choreographed climax in which Valkyrie's life hangs in the balance – quite literally as she's suspended upside down about to have her life essence sucked from her body! (It's a vivid scene but remarkably restrained given some of the gore in the previous books).
Overall, this is a fast-paced, slightly disjointed, adventure that will be embraced by Skulduggery fans. However, if you've not read the previous books, I'd suggest you steer clear of this and head back to the first in the series. If you've devoured this and the rest of the Skulduggery Pleasant books, why not try Derek Landy's Demon Road trilogy, starting with the first book of the same name.
Derek Landy's Skulduggery Pleasant Books in Chronological Order
You can read more book reviews or buy Resurrection by Derek Landy at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Resurrection by Derek Landy at Amazon.com.
Retrieved from "http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/w/index.php?title=Resurrection_by_Derek_Landy&oldid=146652"
Reviewed by Z J Cookson
Confident Readers | and wise-cracking skeleton – is back and he needs help. A small group of disgruntled sorcerers have banded together and have plans to use their unique set of skills to wage war on the mortal world. Others have tried this in the past but this particular group have a scheme that should guarantee their success: they're going to resurrect a terrifying evil. Despite his powers, Skulduggery can't defeat them alone. He successfully persuades his | 93 |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.