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Royal Malewane boasts some of the best game rangers in all of Southern Africa. All of their rangers hold the highest FGASA qualifications (Field Guides Association of Southern Africa), including SKS-DG (Special Knowledge and Skills—Dangerous Game) as well as advanced rifle handling certificates. These qualifications mean that guests are ensured an exceptional and safe game<|fim_middle|>-to-eye with the wildlife we pass. We may even go golfing—not your average golf trip, the unique bushveldt atmosphere of the surrounding area's three golf courses means that it's not uncommon for visitors to share their tee-time with resident giraffe, hippo, crocodile and more—making this experience a golf safari in a very literal sense! If you prefer to simply relax, then the Waters of Royal Malewane Bush Spa fits the bill perfectly. | experience, whether in a vehicle or on foot. All the guides at Royal Malewane are also avid photographers, with numerous awards among them, so they're invaluable at assisting guests with their photographic requirements. The guiding staff here is so excellent that Royal Malewane has partnered with Louis Liebenberg (world renowned tracker and teacher) to start the Wilson Masiya Tracking School — an education facility for trackers right on the Royal Malewane property.
Accommodating guests in the utmost colonial splendour, Royal Malewane is an exclusive getaway for those who value privacy, personalised service and the best game viewing Africa has to offer. Set on the private concession of Thornybush Game Reserve—13,000 hectares of Africa's finest bushveld—this place is home to elephant, lion, leopard, endangered black and white rhino, and many more, as well as over 250 bird species. Spectacular game, extensive flora and never-ending African skies…it's all here.
Each of the eight freestanding suites combines all the most modern comforts with traditional extravagances, like Victorian claw-foot tubs and cozy fireplaces. The piece de resistance? Unmatched views. The caring and experienced staff knows what you want even before you do, and they'll make you feel wonderfully at home. Elevated walkways link the suites to the main camp, below which animals cavort and graze. Privacy is paramount here, and the only neighbors within sight of your private veranda are the elephant and giraffe herds that amble around the property.
And for families and groups of friends, Royal Malewane's Africa House is absolutely ideal. Situated just a few minutes drive from the main lodge, this fully-staffed house provides all the comforts of home for up to 12 people, including a courtyard and veranda, generous living and dining area, large pool, boma for dinners under the stars, and a private chef, butler, ranger and tracker.
Children over 10 are welcome in the Luxury Suites, unless all 6 Luxury Suites are booked for exclusive use in which case children of all ages are welcome. Children of all ages are welcome in the Royal Suites and at Africa House.
Wildlife is so abundant here that we may wish to spend all of our time on action-packed game drives, snapping photos of cavorting elephants, lion stalking kudu, and giraffe fighting by hitting each other with their necks. It's a fantastic and enthralling world.
To view wildlife from a different angle, we might visit the Cheetah Project, learning how they rehabilitate these stately and rare predators and return them to the wild. While there, why not experience the thrill of petting a cheetah, too? Or view animals from above, on a hot air balloon safari, watching the drama of the wilderness unfold below us and touching down for a champagne breakfast.
Perhaps we explore the Reserve on horseback, eye | 605 |
Баскская кухня — региональная кухня Страны Басков, объединяющая в себе традиции испанской и французской кухонь.
Обзор
Большое влияние на развитие кулинарных традиций оказала близость к морю: основу баскской кухни составляют блюда из рыбы и морепродуктов. Говядина употребляется в пищу чаще, чем свинина, при этом в основном в виде приготовленных на гриле стейков с кровью или средней прожарки. Также популярно куриное мясо; в некоторых мясных лавках предлагают конину.
Особенностью баскской кухни<|fim_middle|>бка из тунца и картофеля
Merluza en Salsa Verde — треска в зелёном соусе из горошка и петрушки
Pastel Vasco () — пирог из песочного теста с кремовой начинкой (распространен на французской части Страны Басков)
Пинчос — небольшие закуски, разновидность тапас
Piperrada (пиперада) — овощное блюдо из сладкого перца и лука
Pisto (писто) — овощное блюдо из баклажанов, кабачков, лука и томатов
Porrusalda — похлёбка из картофеля и лука-порея
Rape al Horno, Chicharro al Horno или Besugo al Horno — рыба, зажаренная в печи
Salsa vizcaína (Бискайский соус) — традиционный соус баскской кухни.
Sukalki — сукалки, мясное рагу с овощами и перцем чорисеро
Традиции и особенности
Кулинарные сообщества
В Стране Басков существуют кулинарные сообщества Sociedades Gastronómicas, в которые по традиции принимают только мужчин. У сообщества есть собственное помещение, где члены сообщества собираются для совместной готовки и празднований. Сообщества встречаются повсеместно в Стране Басков, наиболее — в провинции Гипускоа, в одном лишь Сан-Себастьяне находятся около 150, старейшие из которых существуют с XIX века. В Бискайе подобные сообщества называются чокос (txokos).
Ссылки
Die Welt: Сан-Себастьян: что делает баскскую кухню столь уникальной | является также умеренное употребление зелени и приправ, что однако не значит, что баскские блюда являются безвкусными. Вместо этого баски уделяют большое внимание собственному вкусу продуктов и следят за качеством и свежестью продуктов.
Кулинария имеет большое значение для басков, многие из баскских поваров известны во всём мире. В последнее время наравне с традиционной стала популярна «новая баскская кухня», развившаяся по подобию «новой французской кухни».
Приём пищи
Традиции приёма пищи такие же, как и в остальных регионах Испании. В провинции Гипускоа приём пищи происходит примерно на час раньше, чем в остальных регионах.
Продукты
Некоторые из продуктов, произрастающих или производящихся на территории Страны Басков пользуются особым спросом в частности для приготовления блюд региональной кухни:
Alubias de Tolosa — чёрные бобы из Толосы
Chorizo de Orozko — чоризо из Ороско
Сыр Идиасабаль из овечьего молока
Pimientos de Gernika — зелёные перцы из Герники
Txakoli (чаколи) — сухое белое вино из Гетарии
Izarra — травяной ликёр из Байонны
Вино риоха из Алавы
Блюда баскской кухни
Angulas — стеклянный угорь, обжаренный с перцем чили и чесноком
Bacalao al Pil-Pil — треска в желеобразном соусе из собственного сока
Bacalao a la Vizcaina — треска по-бискайски в соусе с паприкой
Caracolillos или Karakelas — морские улитки
Chipirones en su Tinta — каракатица в «чернильном» соусе
Chorizo a la Sidra — чоризо (свиная колбаса с добавлением красного перца), сваренная в сидре
Chuletón de Vaca — отбивная из говядины
Cuajada (куахада) — десерт из козьего молока
Goxua (гошуа) — сладкий десерт из пудинга, теста, сливок и карамели
Marmitako (мармитако) — похлё | 642 |
J.M. DeMatteis's CREATION POINT<|fim_middle|>'t a limitation, it's an invitation."—JMD
PODLANDIA
STRANGE TALES, FINALE
STRANGE TALES, PART TWO
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STRANGE TALES, PART ONE
In the early 90's—I'd guess 1991 or '92, but I can't swear to it—I was approached by Marvel's then-editor-in-chief, the lovely and talented Tom DeFalco, about writing a treatment for a Doctor Strange movie. Those were the days when Marvel's attempts at translating their universe to the big screen...well, let's just say they weren't exactly working; so someone up the food chain had the idea to let a few of people who actually wrote the comics have a crack at adapting the characters. I believe Tom came to me because a) I'd had experience writing for television and b) he knew I loved Doctor Strange—who remains one of my all-time favorite characters. (If I'm not mistaken, the great Roy Thomas was asked to write a treatment for Doc, as well.) I wrote the story—and had a wonderful time doing it—cashed the check, and, as you all know, my treatment was then developed into a screenplay that became the basis for a big budget epic that grossed hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office.
Okay, the treatment was filed away and forgotten.
Well, not totally forgotten. I was recently going through my file cabinets—stuffed with old work that was either done in the pre-digital age or not saved in digital form—and came across my original copy. Given that Marvel is now prepping a Doc Strange feature film, I thought this would be a good time to share the treatment with you.
Looking back, I'm amazed at the liberties I took with Doc's story. As best I recall, I was trying to retain the essence of Stephen Strange's journey while presenting his origin in a way that a broad audience could appreciate. What follows is presented exactly as I wrote it—I resisted the mighty urge to go in and rewrite my younger self (with the exception of some very minor formatting and punctuation fixes)—more than twenty years ago. I make no claims to greatness for it, but I think it's an interesting interpretation of the Doctor Strange saga and I hope you enjoy it.
This is Part One. Parts Two and Three will be along next week. (And let's not forget that Doctor Strange is ©copyright 2013 Marvel Entertainment.)
DR. STRANGE MOVIE OUTLINE
J.M. DeMatteis
FADE IN:
on a BOY'S FACE: wide with wonder. CAMERA PULLS BACK to reveal STEPHEN STRANGE, nine years old, flying over a suburban Long Island neighborhood at night. By the look of the houses and cars, it's the mid-1960's. Stephen is doing loops, dive-bombs, sailing, ghost-like, through walls: all in all having the time of his life. But beneath this, at first almost inaudible, but picking up in volume, we HEAR a MAN'S VOICE, shouting; HEAR the sound of leather striking flesh. As the SOUNDS reach their HEIGHT, we see Stephen tremble; see tears stream down his face. But then the SOUNDS STOP, replaced by the SOUND of FOOTSTEPS, receding. Then, Stephen begins to sail backwards, as if he's being carried off, like a leaf in a hurricane, against his will. Back, back, back he goes -- till he comes down through the roof of a house in a poorer part of town. Enters a boy's bedroom; and there, on the bed, is a body: his body. Curled up in a fetal ball. Bruised; tears streaking the cheeks. That seems perfectly natural to Stephen.
What doesn't seem natural is the DEMONIC ENTITY, sweeping around his bed, trying to get into that body. Time and again it circles the room, then swoops down like a bat, hitting against the base of the body's neck. Each time it seems to get a little further in; a few more tries and it will surely succeed.
Stephen floats there, panicked. He doesn't know what to do.
Then -- there's a SWIRL OF LIGHT that grows and takes the form of a MAN: a face that could be any of a dozen nationalities; that could be forty years old...or four-hundred. Eyes of wisdom, compassion, love. "Don't worry," the old man says; "I will help you." Stephen can barely croak the words, "Who are you?" "I," says the old man, "am the Ancient One." "Ancient One?" Stephen says -- and as soon as he says that name, the demonic entity explodes in a shower of light and sparks.
And Stephen finds himself in bed, in his body, shooting bolt upright.
HARD CUT TO: Today. New York Citv. The West Village. Morning. STEPHEN STRANGE, late thirties, shoots bolt upright in bed. Sweating. Disoriented. Hung over. The woman beside him, his girlfriend, VICTORIA BENTLEY, stirs. Asks if he's all right. "Just a dream," he says. "No...a memory." But the dream's already fading. "Hell, I don't know what it is." The CLOCK RADIO ALARM by the side of tbe bed KICKS IN. And, as Stephen and Victoria prepare for their day, we learn that Victoria's a journalist, originally from England, working for a Rolling Stone-like magazine. Stephen is a doctor...a surgeon... working at the N.Y.U. hospital; highly respected. But there's a suggestion -- from Vicky -- that Stephen's star may be on the wane; he blows this off: "Nothing to worry about."
They exit their brownstone; Stephen asks if they can swing dinner tonight. Vicky says no, she's got that meeting. "Your New Age loonies are taking up more and more of your time." "They're not loonies. Besides...the Baron's coming soon...we've got to get ready." "Wouldn't want to disappoint the Baron," says Stephen. "You could come, you know." "Not for me, Vick. I don't believe is karma and reincarnation. I don't believe in magic or mysticism or your Cosmic Santa Claus." "Seems like lately," Vicky says, "the only thing you do believe in is what you find at the bottom of a bottle." Stephen has no answer as Vicky hops into the cab...and he walks off toward work. Along the way, he stops by a little side-street. Finds himself drawn down it, to an extraordinary house at the end of the street. Dark, mysterious...yet somehow enchanting. He stares at the house -- it seems abandoned; then, like a man coming out of a dream, he turns and walks off. CAMERA HOLDS on a sign: For Sale...A-l Realty.
CUT TO: Switzerland. High in the snow-covered mountains, we find a huge castle...something out of another time. Then, MOVING INSIDE the castle, we find a vaulted library...but, on the shelves, instead of books, there are great gems...and, within each gem, swirling...shapes. Incense is thick in the air. Bizarre ritual masks from a dozen Far East cultures dot the walls. In the middle of the room, a SHADOWY FIGURE sits at a desk, head bowed...perhaps in prayer? There's a statue on the desk -- a sandalwood sculpture -- of an old man; the same old man who appeared to young Stephen Strange in our opening: The Ancient One. A WOMAN appears at the door: "It's time," she says. "Yes," says the shadowed figure -- as he reaches out, grabs the sandalwood sculpture...and snaps it in two. "Yes, it is."
CUT TO: N.Y.U. hospital...where Stephen's day begins with a chewing out from DR. STAN DITKO, the Head of Surgery. There are accusations about absenteeism, lateness, missed rounds. Strange is in total denial. "I'm fine, Stan. Just a few problems I'm trying to work out." "Stephen, you're my friend, you need help. I want you to -- " "I don't need anything except maybe a little time off. I've been doing my job, Stan. I'm still the best damn cutter this hospital's got. Have I ever once...once... botched a surgery?" "Once," says Dr. Ditko, "is all it takes. I'm keeping a very close eye on you, Steve." Ditko leaves. Stephen punches the wall. Hard. A NURSE walking by says, "Not a smart thing t'do, Doc. You make your living with those hands." And, off that, we...
CUT TO: That evening. Stephen in a West Village restaurant, sitting at the bar, nursing a screwdriver. Half-drunk, having a talk with a nineteen year old PUNK GIRL. "You ever fly?" he asks. "Uh-uh," she says; "airplanes scare the shit out of me." "No, I don't mean that. It's a funny thing...I hadn't really thought about it for years, but when I was a kid..." "What?" He shrugs. "Forget it. S'crazy." The girl gives him a come-on, he takes her up on it...but as he's getting ready to go, he looks in the mirror across the bar...and sees an old man standing behind him: the old man from our opening. THE ANCIENT ONE. Stephen turns around: no one there. Looks back at the mirror: no one there. Strange declines the girl's offer; staggers out of the bar.
CUT TO: Victoria at her meeting: it's a group of people who follow a spiritual leader named BARON MORDO. A man, they believe, of enormous wisdom, who has studied with the Hidden Masters, brought all the Great Spiritual Teachings together in a new form for the New Age. Mordo, who has never been to the United States (he lives, in seclusion, in Switzerland), will be arriving in New York in a few weeks...and his American followers treat it like the Second Coming.
CUT TO: Stephen, on his way home. He passes a large poster with a drawing of someone who could be the Ancient One...with the words "Let me help you" beneath the picture. Stephen turns, looks back, but, as with the man in the mirror, there's nothing there: just an ad for a rock show at The Bottom Line.
CUT TO: Stephen staggering into his apartment. The PHONE'S RINGING. He snatches it up. It's his MOTHER. She's upset because he hasn't been to the hospital to see his father, who's had a stroke, maybe dying. (As they talk, Victoria comes in.) Stephen says look, Mother -- "I've been consulting with Dr. Cahn. She's very good. He's in capable hands." "He's been asking for you." For an instant, Stephen seems about to lose it: "Tell him," he snarls; but then he catches himself. "Tell him...I'll come when I can. Good night, Mother." And he slams the phone down. "Why won't you see him?" Victoria asks. "I have nothing to say to him." "My God, the man's dying, you're not going for conversation!" And Strange explodes: "Let him die!" he roars. "Let the bastard die and rot in hell!" Again, he slams his fist against the wall. This time he hurts it...not badly. "Keep it up, Stephen. Keep it up. You're doing one helluva job of destroying yourself." "And it's my business if I do, isn't it?" "Not when you're destroying what we have along with it." And she goes into the bedroom, slams the door.
He collapses in a chair in the living room, picks up a magazine, begins mindlessly thumbing through it. He stops when he comes across a full page ad -- the same as the poster he passed on the way home. The picture of the Ancient One -- and the words "Let me help you." He stares at it, turns the page, turns back...and finds a cigarette ad. If he wasn't so drunk, perhaps he'd ponder this longer...but, as it is, Stephen just nods out; begins to dream:
Again we see the nine year old Stephen flying out above the rooftops in his old neighborhood. But this time, the flying is INTERCUT with what's going on back in Little Stephen's bedroom; as a great SHADOWY FIGURE stands over the bed, screaming, whipping the hell out of Stephen with a belt. As we continue to INTERCUT, we spend more and more time with the beating, less with the flying...until we STAY in the bedroom, as the shadowy figure -- now clearly revealed as Stephen's father, GEORGE -- brings the belt down again and again and again and we...
CUT TO: Three A.M. Stephen awakens in the chair, up out of the nightmare. Staggers to the bathroom. Vomits. Staggers out. And Victoria's there. He looks at her, can't say anything. Just cries. And she takes him in her arms and holds him there.
DISSOLVE TO: Later. They're in bed. Stephen talks to Vicky, for the first time, about his childhood. About his father. "'Sweet man,' you'd think if you met him. And he was...sometimes. I can remember those moments. A child learns to treasure them. When Daddy's loving. Kind. When he cares." (We SEE Stephen's memories: the innocent, loving days with Dad.) But Daddy drank. And the more he drank, the more angry, the more abusive he became. (We see George on a drunken rampage through Stephen's childhood apartment; tossing over furniture, while his mother, LENA, stands, helplessly watching.) His father would beat him, regularly. (We see Little Stephen under the belt again.) His mother, the classic co-dependent, couldn't do anything to stop it. She was trapped in her own terror. "How horrible," Victoria says. "Not really," Stephen says with a...strange smile. "You see, after a while, I wasn't there for the beatings." "What do you mean?" "You're gonna think I'm crazy." "I'm the one who believes in the Cosmic Santa Claus, remember?"
And so he tells her that when his father would beat him, he'd just...leave his body. Fly out of the house. Soar through the neighborhood. (These memories have come back as a result of the dreams...but he doesn't remember the incident with the Ancient One and the demon.) "Once I even flew out to Brooklyn...did a tour of Coney Island... (we see this: Little Stephen sweeping, soaring around the ferris wheel) ...God, I must sound like a lunatic." "No, no," says an excited Vicky. "You were in your astral body. It happens sometimes with abused children. The horror of their situation actually forces them out of their physical forms. Baron Mordo's written extensively about -- " But Mordo's name pushes the wrong button in Stephen. "Mordo's an ass," he says, walking into the living room, fixing himself a drink (he's always had an inborn resistance to Mordo; a dislike and distrust...despite the fact that he's never so much as read a word of his books). "And so am I. A psychiatrist would say I couldn't stand the pain so I drifted off into some psychotic fantasy..." She doesn't push it. "The point is," says Stephen; "that I did everything I could to get away from him. Moved out when I was sixteen. Worked like an animal to get myself through med school. I made a man out of myself -- not some twisted...thing like he was. A man. And now -- " "Now," says Victoria, "you're becoming the very thing you worked so hard to get away from." Stephen stands there, holding the drink, and we...
DISSOLVE TO: a Long Island Hospital. The next morning. Inside, we find Stephen, looking like hell, standing over the bed of his father. George has sunk into a coma...unblinking, unmoving. Stephen stares at the old man: a thousand conflicting emotions pass across his face. Then, a VOICE calls from behind him: his mother, Lena. "We're going to lose him," Lena says, breaking down. "We're going to lose Daddy." "It'll be the best thing that ever happened in your life." Mom, Queen of Denial, slaps Stephen. "He was a good
father!" Stephen, walking away: "You go on believing that."
CUT TO: The next day: Stephen, in the operating room at N.Y.U, in the middle of a delicate operation. He asks the nurse for an instrument, turns -- and it's the Ancient One standing there: "Let me help you," he says. Stephen freezes, blinks -- but the old man's still there. "What is it?" Stephen says; "what do you want from me?" "Doctor," says the nurse (the Ancient One, of course, is gone); "I just want to hand you this scalpel..." Stephen's disoriented, confused; asks another doctor to take over. Turns...
...and there's Doctor Ditko at the door, looking in through the glass.
Stephen walks out to face him: "Stan, I don't want to hear it. I'm just feeling a little under the weather today." Stan: "Stephen, I -- " "I know what you're going to say: I have a drinking problem. But I don't. Sure, sometimes -- " "Stephen -- " "Look, Stan, if you'll just give me a little time, I'll show you that -- " But Stan takes Stephen by the shoulders: "Stephen, your mother called. It's your father. He died."
CUT TO: a rainy day in a Long Island cemetery. We see George Strange's coffin being lowered into the ground. Various friends and relatives are there. Stephen's mother is in tears. But Stephen isn't there. OVER THIS we HEAR the phone conversation between Stephen and his mother, as Lena begs him to come -- "Please, he was your father...he loved you. How can you be so heartless?" But Stephen refuses. "Put him in the ground and forget him. Let him rot. Let him burn in Hell." "Stephen!" He hangs up.
CUT TO: Stephen, drunk again -- but this time he's really over the edge. Staggers into the apartment, comes on to Victoria...who's disgusted with him, rejects his advances. Rejects him: "This is it, Stephen. Either you get yourself some help -- or you get the hell out!" He flips -- begins turning the place inside out, knocking over furniture, screaming. We INTERCUT with those MEMORY-SHOTS of George, rampaging through Stephen's childhood apartment, while Lena looks helplessly on. Victoria can't take it. "Never mind. You stay...you stay and destroy yourself!" And she's gone. Now Stephen's really lost it. In his rage and pain and confusion, he roars -- and puts his hand through a window. Horrified by what he's done, he drops to his knees. We go CLOSE on his bloody hand, sliced down to the bone, and then...
CUT TO: The Long Island cemetery. A FIGURE stands over George Strange's grave, BACK TO THE CAMERA. We HEAR a slight HUM, see a sudden FLASH OF LIGHT around the figure, then...
CUT TO: N.Y.U. hospital. Stephen's in bed, after micro-surgery. Hand wrapped tighter than a mummy's. Dr. Ditko is there and the prognosis is good: Stephen won't regain full use of the hand, there'll be stiffness in the fingers...but, considering how deep it was cut -- "That's good news? Stan -- I'm ruined! My hands are my life!" Ditko tries to bolster Stephen by telling him that his knowledge of surgery is what makes him so valuable. There's alot he can do with that knowledge without being in the operating room. But Stephen won't hear it. Tells Ditko to get out.
Alone, a broken man, he lays in bed, dead-eyed, staring at the ceiling.
Posted by J.M. DeMatteis at 2:18 PM
Mojojee March 3, 2013 at 11:23 AM
Hi J.M. - Really enjoyed reading this. AMBKJ! Thanks, Dan Sparks (Oklahoma City)
J.M. DeMatteis March 3, 2013 at 11:27 AM
Thanks, Dan! In the next section, we head to India. Hope you enjoy it. Jai MEHER!
"The impossible isn | 4,464 |
OPINION OPINION | MASTERSON ONLINE: A stunning world by Mike Masterson | September 5, 2<|fim_middle|>'s the Armillaria Ostoyae mushroom.
"Nicknamed the Humongous Fungus, this mushroom has spread across 2,385 acres of Malheur National Forest in Oregon," Mitrokostas wrote. "The scientists who discovered the fungus in 2017 used DNA testing to determine that all parts of the growth are in fact different segments of the same organism. The giant mushroom has probably been growing for between 2,400 to 8,650 years."
Point Nemo is the furthest point from land on Earth, wrote Mitrokostas. "Officially known as the oceanic point of inaccessibility, it's located in the center of the triangle made by Ducie Island, Motu Nui (part of the Easter Island chain) and Maher Island near Antarctica."
The closest humans to Point Nemo are often astronauts; the International Space Station orbits Earth from a distance of about 258 miles, while the closest inhabited spot to Point Nemo is some 1,670 miles distant.
The Dragon's Breath chili pepper is so hot that it's said consuming one could potentially cause a form of anaphylactic shock, burning and closing the airways.
"I've tried it on the tip of my tongue and it just burned and burned," Mike Smith, the Welsh hobby grower who invented the Dragon's Breath with scientists from Nottingham University, told the Telegraph. The chili was initially developed to be use as an anesthetic.
The world's total population is more than 7.5 billion. While that figure number sounds enormous, all of those people standing shoulder-to-shoulder, would fit within the 500 square miles of Los Angeles, according to National Geographic.
Santa Cruz del Islote in the Archipelago of San Bernardo off the coast of Colombia may only be about the size of two soccer fields (two acres), but the artificial island has four main streets and 10 neighborhoods. Five hundred people live on the island in 155 houses. So many crowded into such a small space makes it the most densely populated island in the world, according to The Guardian.
Feelin' a bit more knowledgeable today?
Now go out into this wonderfully weird world and treat everyone you meet exactly like you want them to treat you.
Mike Masterson is a longtime Arkansas journalist, was editor of three Arkansas dailies and headed the master's journalism program at Ohio State University. Email him at [email protected] | 020 at 9:16 a.m.
It's been said a column writer should both inform and entertain with an assortment of compelling stories containing facts and details.
With that in mind, welcome to today's offering. I recently happened across a list of things so unusual on this planet you likely haven't heard of them. Better rephrase that: I certainly hadn't. And I've been around a while.
Business Insider reporter Sophia Mitrokostas gave us an informative list that activated my imagination.
For example, ever heard of a small creature that lives in puddles, but can survive extreme heat or cold and even a journey into the cosmos? They are known as tardigrades, water bears or moss piglets and "are fascinating microorganisms that can survive almost anywhere," wrote Mitrokostas.
They prefer moist places (think mud). Yet Smithsonian Magazine says they can survive at hundreds of degrees below zero, or as hot as 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Scientists have also found that they "can survive radiation, boiling liquids, pressures more than six times that of the deepest part of the ocean, and even the vacuum of space."
Next is Vantablack, a little-known "nanomaterial" darker than any substance on Earth. Developed in the UK by Surrey NanoSystems in 2015, it is actually a collection of vertical carbon tubes "grown" on a substrate.
"Vantablack absorbs 99.98 percent of the light that hits its surface," Mitrokostas wrote. "This means that the human eye technically sees nothing when it looks at Vantablack, making it the closest thing to staring into a black hole."
Aerogel is an ultralight material comprised of gas and gel, that's also called "frozen smoke" or "solid cloud" because of its ethereal appearance. Mitrokostas wrote: "Scientists have created more than a dozen recipes for different types of aerogel, but they all share a similar process: mix chemicals together, let them settle into a wet gel, and then suck all of the liquid out. The result is the substance of extremely low density that is actually 99 percent air."
Aerogel is mostly air, which is a terrible heat conductor, so a layer of Aerogel between a flower and a flame will protect the flower from becoming ash.
Glaucus Atlanticus is a feathery-like species of sea slug, and is also known as the blue angel. The creature, found exclusively on the coasts of South Africa and Australia, is deceptively pretty, belying its dangerous nature as a carnivore that feeds on other venomous ocean creatures like the Portuguese Man o' War.
Blue Angels save the venom from their prey in specialized pouches where it is concentrated to be used on future prey. Pretty efficient for a slug, eh?
A Eucalyptus Deglupta tree "may look like it has fallen out of a Dr. Seuss book," wrote Mitrokostas, "but it actually grows in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines. This unique tree has multicolored bark that features bright blue, orange, purple, green, and maroon streaks."
The vivid hues are a natural side effect of the tree's shedding, according to the Missouri Botanical Garden. As bark peels back, a bright green inner bark is revealed, then slowly matures and turns a variety of colors.
Goblin sharks put even the Great White to shame when it comes to a ferocious and ugly appearance. They are a rare species of deep-sea shark, and often referred to as living fossils, being the only known surviving member of the ancient Mitsukurinidae family of sharks. They are most notable for their distinctive elongated jaws filled with nail-like teeth. They can detect electrical currents emitted by other animals and rapidly extend their jaws to snatch up prey.
There's supposedly little more horrifying than watching videos of a goblin shark attacking its prey, Mitrokostas wrote. Little wonder it reportedly inspired the Neomorph in "Alien: Covenant," according to Digital Spy.
The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá, Mitrokostas wrote, is an underground Roman Catholic Church in Cundinamarca, Colombia, excavated from a salt mine in 1954 about 590 feet beneath the small town of Zipaquirá. It can accommodate as many as 10,000 people (but reportedly has never been filled to capacity) and features a giant salt cross.
Indonesia's Kawah Ijen volcano emits waves of what appears to be blue and purple lava. According to Smithsonian Magazine, it's technically not blue. Rather, the coloration comes from high quantities of sulfuric gas emerging with the lava. The lava appears electric blue because the gas burns that color when it catches fire.
The Danakil Depression in Ethiopia is one of the most otherworldly landscapes on Earth.
"Located in the Afar Triangle," Mitrokostas wrote, "this surreal spot is dotted with crackling lava pools, neon-colored hot springs, and sparkling salt flats. Poisonous gases swirl around hydrothermal fields, and many of the area's pools are filled with acid."
The inexplicable Voynich Manuscript is a 240-page medieval book written in an unknown language. Believed to have originated sometime between 1404 and 1438, the manuscript is filled with mysterious illustrations and diagrams that appear to depict unusual plants, and women with swollen bellies bathing in green pools, among other things.
Attempts to translate the text or even identify the plants have failed. Canadian computer scientists in 2018 said they may have had some limited success decoding parts of the manuscript using artificial intelligence, but said further refinement of the process and input from scholars is required.
Whales, redwood trees, and elephants are not the largest living organism. The Pando tree colony in Utah holds the title of the largest living organism by mass. But when it comes to sheer size, it | 1,248 |
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Watch Sum 41's Vulnerable Acoustic Performances of New, Old Songs
Pop-punk veterans go unplugged for exclusive renditions of "Fake My Own Death," "Hell Song"
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Sum 41 recently stopped by Converse's Rubber Tracks studio in Brooklyn to perform both an old song and a brand-new one in classic unplugged fashion. The band released their sixth studio album, 13 Voices, on October 7th.
For their newer selection, the pop-punk veterans stripped down recent single "Fake My Own Death" from its rough, thrashing original version into a tender, heartbreaking ballad. The acoustic run-through unlocks the vulnerability<|fim_middle|>.
Later, the band went back to their early years with a cut from their 2002 sophomore album Does This Look Infected? The bratty "Hell Song" is nearly unrecognizable in their subdued acoustic update, which features tasteful harmonies on the chorus.
The band's latest album marks Sum 41's return after Whibley's years of alcohol abuse sent him into a coma. "My whole brain felt like it reset," he told Rolling Stone. "Even speaking was difficult because my motor skills were so fucked up. When I picked up the guitar I knew where my were fingers were supposed to go, but I couldn't make them do it. It was almost like when I first learned how to play guitar at 13."
In This Article: Sum 41 | singer Deryck Whibley puts forth in his lyrics | 12 |
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It's easy to talk about transforming brands (lots of strategic agencies do) but it's somewhat harder to put your money where your mouth is and create case studies to prove the point. With 'The Brand Transformation Agency' as our strapline, it's vital to us here at Mobas that we walk the walk, not just talk the talk.
This is why we've worked so hard over the years to develop a successful stream of relationships with finance sector clients – and characterise them with game-changing impact. Take The Cambridge Building Society. Our Joint MD Rob Bryant can talk at length and in detail about how we helped deliver transformational change. In fact, you try stopping him. But cutting a long story short, we were instrumental – over a two-year period – in slashing the average customer age from 61 to 29; adding 5,5<|fim_middle|> edge of brand delivery for the likes of Visa, Switch, Mastercard and Bacs Direct Debit.
In fact, any new client coming to Mobas in search of transformational success will be introduced to an enthusiastic and energetic team assembled for its marketing nous, and financial experience. As well as Rob and Shelby, the team could include Pete Chaloner, Joint MD; Clive Weatherley, Copy Head; Dale Haste, Head of the Creative Department; Ellie Pearson, Art Director; Katie Sandell, Senior Account Manager; and Lorna Hopkins, Senior Account Manager.
Posted on 23rd May 2017. | 00 new customers; and growing the net asset base from £840m to £1.14 billion.
The catalyst to all this was a Mobas strategic brand project that refocused, reenergised and relaunched the Cambridge Building Society brand. Its influence changed everything internally – from brand personality and voice to culture, structure, processes and even the implementation of evolved IT and digital infrastructure. And its effect revitalised everything externally – in store, online, in social media and via paid-for media channels such as TV and print advertising.
Rob has led the Mobas team to deliver transformational marketing for many other finance sector brands, including the likes of Bluefin, Thinc Group and Compare the Market. Such experience gives the agency real potency when it comes to assembling a team of experts who know the sector inside out. Take Head of Strategy Shelby Haslam. She's worked at the cutting | 183 |
The 68th annual Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann drew to a close over the weekend and it's estimated that over 500,000 people visited Drogheda over the past week. The annual celebration of Irish music, dancing, storytelling and language has attracted record crowds to the<|fim_middle|> culture. Its enthusiasm and can-do attitude has never been more evident than last week as the people of Drogheda opened its town to a record number of visitors, giving them a céad míle fáilte to remember. | town, on the banks of the Boyne.
This years Fleadh featured some of the finest musicians in the country, including Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill, Damien Dempsey, Beoga, Micheal O'Suilleabhain, Andy Irvine and Donal Lunny, as well as the band Stockton's Wing, who reformed for a one off performance for the first time in decades. There was also a unique performance by the Hot House Flowers, who were joined on stage by two asylum seekers, one from Syria and one from Albania, and there was also a performance from the Toyotara Ceili Band from Tokyo, which served to underline and wide ranging International appeal of the Fleadh around the world.
Logistically it is estimated that there were over 1,500 volunteers working in the town, along with extra people from the Civil Defence, the Gardai as well as members of the Ambulance and Fire Brigades, and an extra force of paramedics all drafted in to help the town cope with the record numbers, even the workers in Louth County Council have been volunteering to help out.
This is the first time in the Fleadh's history that the All-Ireland Fleadh has been held in Drogheda, a town built on community spirit. It is a vibrant town driven by a positive outlook, nestling in a tranquil oasis of heritage and | 283 |
Training/Education Program
Our Mission/Vision
Missouri Behavioral Health Counseling Associates' mission<|fim_middle|> the children, families, and those who serve them.
MBHCA employs and contracts with a highly educated, skilled, professional treatment team. Our clinicians specialize in trauma and addiction. The strong clinical team is focused on the well-being, improved mental health, and reduction of trauma with the individuals they serve. They are all committed to improving the welfare of Missouri's children and families and engaged in a vast range of services, including: parent supportive education, community and school based prevention programs, individual and family counseling, addiction counseling, emergency crisis response, residential treatment, early childhood education, and much more.
For information and referral, contact our Clinical Intake Coordinator
at (417) 588-5885
Neuropsychological Assessment Services
Safety. First. – Addiction/trauma
Project S.T.R.E.N.G.T.H
Path to Permanency
Missouri Behavioral Health Counseling Associates
104 Crescent Drive
Lebanon MO 65536-3301
sheila.buie@mbhca.org
Copyright © 2023 | Missouri Behavioral Health Counseling Associates. | All Rights Reserved. | is to serve Missouri citizens AND to provide services that ensure the safety, welfare, and improve quality of life for all Missourian children, adolescents, and families. Our vision is to provide H.O.P.E. by Helping Ordinary People live Extraordinary lives.
MBHCA is a NHSC approved site~No one will be denied access to services due to inability to pay. There is a discounted/sliding fee scale available.
Founders of Missouri Behavioral Health Counseling Associates
The combined expertise of its founders possess 40+ years serving Missouri children and families. They have played a strong role in advocating for children and families, empowering communities, developing needed services, and reflecting a strong commitment to the betterment of Missouri children and families. They are passionately committed to | 153 |
In accordance with current regulations, a registered society must, unless it is a small society, appoint one or more qualified auditors to audit its accounts and balance sheet in each financial year. The members of most registered societies (since exceptions to the exception apply!)<|fim_middle|> 382 of the Companies Act 2006. The current audit requirements for credit unions will remain. The consultation closes on 22 September 2017. The government would then plan to lay regulations in autumn of this year and for them to take effect on 1 April 2018. | may dis-apply the requirement for an audit by resolution if the total value of the society's assets at the end of the preceding year of account did not exceed £2.8 million and its turnover for that preceding year did not exceed £5.6 million.
This means that registered societies are subject to mandatory audit that are different to the audit thresholds of similar organisations that have a company structure.
Under the proposed new regulations, registered society audit thresholds would increase to £5.1 million (assets) and £10.2 million (turnover) respectively. These would match the balance sheet total and turnover thresholds for a company to qualify as a small company under section | 134 |
The Potted Hen
Since it opened, the Potted Hen in St Anne's Square has already become one of the most talked about restaurants in Belfast, winning N. Ireland restaurant of the year at the National Restaurant Awards.
This chic, bistro-style restaurant is owned by husband and wife team Dermot and Catherine Regan, who also own the popular and award-winning Oregano Restaurant in Newtownabbey.
It is the first restaurant to open in the beautiful square which is set to become one of the most sought after residential and leisure areas in the city.
The philosophy of the Potted Hen is the same as its sister restaurant - creating delicious, imaginative dishes using the freshest of ingredients in a relaxed and friendly setting.
Both Dermot and Catherine are deeply passionate about what they do and want the food to be the main focus - to speak for itself.
The interior is modern yet welcoming and comfortable, with plain wooden furniture, iron columns, cream panelled walls and exposed duct work on the ceilings. The floor is dark, slate grey, designed to echo the cobbled street outside.
With its enviable location under a stunning colonnade, it will become a haven for those who love al fresco dining during the summer months.
The restaurant seats 70 people and has an intimate, friendly feel like its sister restaurant. It will be the perfect place to go to enjoy great food, fantastic service and good conversation.
During the<|fim_middle|> like minded people. Tara and Curt have toured the globe and have witnessed first...
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Whilst the hugely popular Game of Thrones TV series, adapted from George Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels, is filmed all over Europe, many of the key locations are based in Northern ... | week, The Potted Hen opens at 10.30am, serving deliciously creamy hot chocolate, flavoured coffees and speciality teas. It is the perfect place to enjoy a well deserved mid-morning break or hold an informal meeting.
Lunch begins at 12 noon and ends at 3pm, while dinner is from 5pm to 10pm. On Sundays the restaurant is serving 12 noon through to 9pm so you can relax and take it easy while the Children Eat Free. Appropriately, one of the signature starters is Dermot's delicious 'Potted Hen' Chicken Liver terrine served in a stylish glass Kilner jar.
11 Edward St, St Anne's Square,
Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT1 2LR
Website: http://www.thepottedhen.co.uk/
Email: info@thepottedhen.co.uk
Facebook: /pages/The-Potted-Hen/102946816437122
Twitter: https://twitter.com/oreganobelfast
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We are delighted to announce that The Merchant Hotel has been awarded AA Hotel of the Year for Northern Ireland at the prestigious national AA Hospitality Awards....
Vagabonds Belfast is an urban travellers hostel designed by two experienced travellers for | 271 |
A Champion of Truth and Justice The life and legacy of Archbishop Desmond Tutu
By Brian E. Muhammad, Staff Writer
Desmond Tutu (Photo by Deborah Feingold/Corbis via Getty Images)
Desmond Tutu, the champion for human rights and justice worldwide and stalwart of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa has died. The leader often regarded as the "moral compass" and "voice of integrity" in the country that defeated White minority rule was 90 years old.
The renowned figure lost his battle with prostate cancer which he was diagnosed with in 1997. The official announcement was made by South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa in a statement December 26. He lauded Mr. Tutu as a "patriot without equal" and a leader of principle and pragmatism who remained true to his convictions.
"The passing of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is another chapter of bereavement in our nation's farewell to a generation of outstanding South Africans who have bequeathed us a liberated South Africa," said Mr. Ramaphosa.
He described Mr. Tutu as a man of extraordinary intellect, integrity, and invincibility against the forces of apartheid. But was also "tender and vulnerable" in his compassion for those who suffered oppression, injustice, and violence under apartheid and worldwide. Mr. Ramaphosa announced that all flags will fly half-mast in South Africa and at its diplomatic missions abroad.
A weeklong National Day of Mourning was declared, and memorials were planned. For five days his former parish, Saint George Anglican Cathedral is tolling its bell at midday for 10 minutes marking Mr. Tutu's transition from life into death. The public is honoring the Archbishop with flowers and photos outside the gates of the church, his residences in Cape Town and Soweto, and significant sites of his work.
Mr. Tutu's body will lie in state Jan.1 at Saint George's and a requiem mass is scheduled the next day. Mr. Tutu's body will lie in state Dec. 31 at Saint George's and a requiem mass is scheduled the next day. Mr. Tutu's ashes will be buried in a mausoleum within the cathedral. Many remember him as an icon, not only for Africa but the world.
The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam issued a statement of reflection on the legacy of Archbishop Tutu and what his life means.
"Although many milestones in the march toward freedom and justice have been reached, the one that ArchbishopTutu wanted most was the same that Dr. Martin Luther King wanted most, to see a genuine brotherhood of the races in a beloved community. Every day that we live we are witnessing new and older efforts to destroy the good that good men like Archbishop Tutu tried to establish," said Min. Farrakhan. (See page 20-21 for Min. Farrakhan's statement in its entirety.)
"He was a giant," said Emira Woods, associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies.
Ms. Woods said Mr. Tutu represented several legacies in his public service. "One of the many legacies… the divestment movement, to push in his leadership under the anti-apartheid era to kind of follow the money," she recalled.
"He pushed boycott and divestment as a means of bringing the apartheid regime to an end," Ms. Woods added. She told The Final Call Mr. Tutu proved his brilliance as a strategist and visionary when he seamlessly pushed the same boycott and divestment strategy in the struggle for environmental justice. In 2014 Mr. Tutu lent the power of his stature to fighting the fossil fuel industry, greed, and unfettered exploitation of natural resources.
Ambassadors of the Tygerberg Hospital Children's Trust, Tutu Tygers, are seen in limited edition T-Shirts, designed by Patta, on the eve of celebrating Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu's 90th in in Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021. Tutu turns 90 on Thursday amid recent racist graffiti on a portrait of the Nobel winner which highlights his continuing relevance of his work for equality. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)
With a long legacy of struggle, Mr. Tutu was first and always an Anglican priest who made no secret of his deep dependence on the discipline of prayer, said the Desmond and Leah Tutu Foundation.
Desmond Mpilo Tutu was born Oct. 7, 1931, in Klerksdorp, west of Johannesburg. He became an educator before entering St. Peter's Theological College in Rosetenville in 1958. He was ordained in 1961 and in 1966 became chaplain at the University of Fort Hare.
He became bishop of Lesotho, chairman of the South African Council of Churches and, in 1985, the first Black Anglican bishop of Johannesburg. In 1986, Tutu was named the first Black archbishop of Cape Town.
The foundation said his faith "burst the confines" of denomination and religion and embraced all who shared his passion for justice and love. Mr. Tutu spent the closing years of his life increasingly devoted to prayer and contemplation, in the Milnerton home he and his wife shared.
U.S. Senator for Illinois Barack Obama, left, talks to former Archbishop Desmond Tutu, right, in Cape Town, South Africa, Monday, Aug. 21, 2006. Obama is on a two week African tour which started in Cape Town. (AP Photo/Obed Zilwa)
Father Michael Pfleger of Saint Sabina Church in Chicago told The Final Call that Archbishop Tutu was a consistent voice for freedom. The Chicago activist saw Mr. Tutu as a clergyman unlike many in religion today that sometimes compromise.
"He showed what the religious voice ought to be. All of us in clergy should ask ourselves the question, 'am I consistent enough to be a voice of freedom?'" said Father Pfleger.
Mr. Tutu didn't shy from world issues as vast as in Tibet, China, and persecuted Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. He also denounced the war on Iraq. He gave unwavering condemnation to Israel's oppression of the Palestinian people and likened it to apartheid South Africa.
"I have been to the occupied Palestinian territory," Mr. Tutu once said. "And I have witnessed the racially segregated roads and housing that reminded me so much of the conditions we experienced in South Africa under the racist system of apartheid," he said.
CHICAGO – APRIL 4: Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson (L), Archbishop Desmond Tutu (C) and Minister Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam, attend Palm Sunday mass at St. Sabina's church where Archbishop Tutu was speaking to the congregation April 4, 2004 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Such positions were not taken absent of the myriad of attacks by proponents of Zionism against Mr. Tutu. His name is on a long list of leaders falsely charged with being anti-semitic for just raising the issue of justice.
In a 2002 article Mr. Tutu penned called "Apartheid in the Promised Land," he pushed back on critics of his principled position. "I am not pro- this people or that. I am pro-justice, pro-freedom. I am anti- injustice, anti-oppression."
"People are scared in this country [the U.S.], to say wrong is wrong because the Jewish lobby is powerful—very powerful," argued Mr. Tutu. "Well, so what? For goodness sake, this is God's world! We live in a moral universe. The apartheid government was very powerful, but today it no longer exists," he wrote.
A global figure for human rights, Mr. Tutu continued speaking out on a range of ethical and moral issues like illegal arms deals, xenophobia, and HIV/Aids.
As corruption charges and unchanged economic disparity between wealthy elites and an impoverished poor continued in South Africa, Mr. Tutu also became a harsh critic of the ruling African National Congress.
Flowers are placed alongside a photo of Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town, South Africa, Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021. South Africa's president says Tutu, South Africa's Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist for racial justice and LGBT rights and the retired Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, has died at the age of 90. (AP Photo)
The world lost a rare change agent who was consistent across the board. "I think it was an unfortunate loss," said Dr. Gerald Horne, professor of history at the University of Houston.
"Generally speaking, I think historians of various stripes will be kind to Desmond Tutu," he said.
Mr. Tutu galvanized global support for the anti-apartheid cause. In 1984 he won the Nobel Peace Prize for his activism. By 1994 apartheid came down with the victory of Nelson Mandela in the first democratically held presidential elections of the country,
Mr. Tutu was asked by Mr. Mandela to chair the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, created as a space to uncover the horrors committed during apartheid.
Later along with Mr. Mandela and other former elder statesmen and world leaders, he served in The Elders, an independent group of global leaders working together for peace, justice, and human rights. The group was made up of former presidents and diplomats.
South African Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu hugs author Maya Angelou as she delivered a tribute to him at the J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding Award Ceremony, Friday, Nov. 21, 2008, at the State Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
"We are all devastated at the loss of Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The Elders would not be who they are today without his passion, commitment and keen moral compass. He inspired me to be a 'prisoner of hope,'" said Mary Robinson, chair of The Elders and former president of Ireland.
For others, losing such a caliber leader brings reflection and gratitude that one like him lived and contributed on the level he did.
"When someone has the kind of life and length of life that Archbishop Desmond Tutu had … thank the Creator of all things for having allowed his presence," said Bill Fletcher Jr, past president of TransAfrica Forum.
However, it is important to guard against the misconstruing of Mr. Tutu's legacy, Mr. Fletcher argued. Anytime progressive and radical leaders pass away, the establishment works to tone down their legacies to make them "safe" and acceptable, said Mr. Fletcher.
Former South African President Nelson Mandela, right, reacts with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, left, during the launch of a Walter and Albertina Sisulu exhibition, called, 'Parenting a Nation', at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg, South Africa, Wednesday, March 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
"We saw that with (Martin Luther) King," he said. After he was assassinated, many people didn't understand the militancy and radicalism of Dr. King because of a watered-down narrative explaining his significance.
Mr. Fletcher expects the same will be attempted with Mr. Tutu, particularly his internationalism and stance on Palestine. "You can't ignore Tutu … but what the larger establishment can do is rewrite it and blur out significant features," he said.
Bishop Desmond Tutu is survived by his wife of 66 years, Leah, and their four children.
Final Call Staff Writer Tariqah Muhammad contributed to this report.
Redemption, reconciliation and potential power: A Los Angeles concert with Kanye West and Drake was much more than a night for music. It was a sign: We can be peaceful and progressive.
By The Final Call
by Naba'a Muhammad and Charlene Muhammad
The Final Call
CHICAGO/LOS ANGELES—When Kanye West and Drake, giants in the hip hop and music industry, came together on stage in Los Angeles, it wasn't just a cultural moment.
The concert was a sign of how music industry beefs can be squashed and how rich, powerful, talented and popular young artists can come together as an example of reconciliation and for a higher cause.
The "Free Larry Hoover Benefit Concert" at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was hailed by thousands as an incredible performance, music and message.
In this June 27, 2015 file photo, Canadian singer Drake performs on the main stage at Wireless festival in Finsbury Park,
The mega-stars called for the release of Larry Hoover Sr., the 71-year-old legendary leader of the Chicago-based Gangster Disciple street organization which he has worked to change to a movement for Growth and Development. Mr. Hoover Sr. has been incarcerated for more than five decades. Though eligible, a federal judge has denied his release from solitary confinement for 23 hours a day, in the extremely isolated ADX Supermax federal prison in Florence, Colo.
In this Aug. 30, 2015, file photo, Kanye West accepts the video vanguard award at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Photo: Matt Sayles/Invision/AP, File
"Basically this concert was a beautiful thing to spread awareness about my father and his situation on a global platform. I really didn't know how we would get to this place where we got to," Larry Hoover Jr. told The Final Call in an exclusive telephone interview.
"It's just good to have the community behind this fight. Because without the world being behind this fight, they sweep it under the rug, and we haven't had a chance to really give our narrative on who my father is and what he has done for his community and the things that he was trying to do," he said.
"They always portray him in a negative light, and this was just the start of getting awareness out here; getting ourselves together in a position where we can fight, where we can help other people fight for prison reform. It's just a beautiful thing," Larry Hoover Jr. continued.
"And also it should lead the way for other artists to see how you can come together and make big things happen instead of being apart from each other and going through beefs and arguments that could lead to people losing their lives and jail time and things of that nature," said Larry Hoover Jr. "So, it's just a significant thing showing what can be done and hopefully leads the way for other great things to be done."
His father was sentenced to multiple life sentences, but many agree with his son and want him released now. They see value in having Mr. Hoover Sr. out on the streets to help stop violence that continues to plague the Black community. Much of the violence today is actually purposely driven by groups, cliques, and gangs in their music.
The violence has played out in the world of hip hop with deadly beefs claiming the lives of artists and fueling conflict.
Iconic artists Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls were entangled in a conflict that would claim both their lives. Tupac Shakur died in Las Vegas in 1996 and Biggie Smalls was killed in Los Angeles months later in 1997.
Among other killings were the Rapper Drakeo the Ruler, who died Dec. 18 in Los Angeles, Young Dolph in Memphis, South Carolina rapper 18veno, New York rapper Pop Smoke and Chicago rappers Edai and FBG Duck. All were painful deaths.
As the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan asked during his closing address at a December virtual Nubian Leadership Circle summit, "Who's feeding the filth over the radio that makes our young people rap in a foolish way?
"It's not like the early rappers who rapped with knowledge of self, but today it's filth, it's indecency; it is debauchery," he said. "It is the glorification of niggerism, the glorification of something that we should never call each other, 'nigger,' and make it seem like it's something nice."
From the early days of hip hop till now, the Minister has been a guide, a loving father figure who has worked to bring peace to the hip hop community. He is known for sharing his great love and wisdom with artists, and industry figures and mediating conflicts.
So Kanye West and Drake, who once had beef, performing together Dec. 9 was a watershed moment of possibility not just for two men but for a powerful, billion dollar, global music industry. As Billboard magazine noted, "It marked the first time Kanye and Drake were on the same stage since 2016."
The event sold out the 73,000 seat venue, and also streamed live for freeto 93,000 on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Music, and Twitch, and showed in select IMAX theaters across the country.
"Both me and Drake have taken shots at each other, and it's time to put it to rest," said Kanye, who has legally changed his name to Ye, in a video inviting Drake to join him on stage as a special guest to share their albums Donda (Kanye) and Certified Lover Boy (Drake), live in Los Angeles, with the ultimate purpose being to free Larry Hoover, Sr.
"I believe this event will not only bring awareness to our cause but prove to people everywhere how much more we can accomplish when we lay our pride to the side and come together," said Kanye.
Gov't condemnation and longtime gov't plots
Federal authorities blasted the concert and any talk of releasing Larry Hoover Sr. The government condemnation wasn't surprising and didn't move many.
"I met with Ye to pass on the message from my brother Larry Hoover who said he would like to see peace between the two of them," stated Jas Prince, CEO of the Houston-based Rap-a-Lot Records. He and its founder, J. Prince, discovered Drake. "I'm looking forward to all of us working together in unison to elevate our communities around the world," read his social media post about his unplanned meeting with Kanye at Houston's Rothko Chapel in November. Kanye, Drake and the industry executive later met at Drake's home in Canada.
"It's bewildering. I think if we put our heads together for five minutes, we could come up with 1,000—maybe more—causes that are more worthy to devote this kind of resources to," said Ron Safer, the former assistant U.S. attorney in Chicago who led a prosecution team that convicted Larry Hoover.
Mr. Safer criticized the University of Southern California, who owns the L.A. Memorial Coliseum, and Amazon for airing it to the world, the ABC News reported.
Wallace "Gator" Bradley, a longtime friend, confidante of Mr. Hoover Sr., sees an old U.S. plot and strategy still at work. The Chicago-based activist worked hard for the 1990s urban peace and justice movement and peace treaties that spread across the country to stem fratricidal violence. Those who had once been in street organizations worked to increase peace and promote life.
They were largely condemned, generally left unfunded while others copied their model and used it across the country. Those still working to bring peace to the streets often struggle to get and obtain resources and are accused of wrongdoing, despite their good work and reform efforts.
Mr. Bradley is clear the lockdown on Mr. Hoover Sr. is tied to government targeting of Blacks in leadership and potential leaders regardless of where they have influence.
He and others see ongoing, constant surveillance, infiltration and other efforts as determined work in the spirit and mission of the nefarious 1970s-exposed FBI Counter-Intelligence Program designed to neutralize, decimate and destroy Black organizations and leaders to preempt "the rise of a Black Messiah." Cointelpro was devoted to protecting U.S., national security and maintaining America's social and political order.
Among its targets yesterday, in the 1960s and 1970s, under FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover were the Nation of Islam, the Black Panther Party, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), civil rights groups and others. Also targeted were American Indian, Chicano and Latino rights groups, progressive Whites, and Communists–essentially anyone who challenged injustice and demanded change.
Performers and entertainers have long been targets of U.S. government surveillance and control going back decades.
Mr. Bradley sees a highly spiritual and practical message in the successful concert. God sent an undeniable zero tolerance message about senseless shootings and killings through the global concert, he said.
"There's a zero tolerance to the rape and abuse of women and children. There is a zero tolerance to the abuse and robbery of our elders and seniors," Mr. Bradley added.
The world witnessed a unified blow for peace that didn't come out of a vacuum but stems directly from Minister Farrakhan's decades of guidance and warnings to Stop the Killing, the first historic Gang Summit in Kansas City, Mo., in 1993 to the Million Man March in 19<|fim_middle|>, the fight continues.
This marks the sixth year of the "Up With Jesus, Down With Santa" campaign introduced by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam. During the Minister's 10.10.15 address marking the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March, the Muslim world leader quoted Dr. King stating, "We have to find a way to redistribute the pain." He talked about going to businesses that benefited from Black dollars, and said, "We have to now withdraw our economic support so that those who give us pain can receive some pain in return."
Each year the campaign encourages Blacks to not spend money from Black Friday through January 2 unless spending it with Black-owned businesses.
"You're either going to treat us right, or we're going to withdraw from you our economic support. …We intend to boycott Christmas but not Jesus. We choose not to spend dollars on Black Friday, Black Saturday, Black Sunday, Black Monday. We are not going to spend our money for the rest of that year with those companies that we have traditionally spent our money on," said Min. Farrakhan.
In Dallas, Pastor Frederick Hayes and Friendship West Baptist Church introduced its campaign, "100 Days of Buying Black (100DBB)" which started September 23 and runs through December 31 to promote economic justice while supporting Black-owned businesses.
"For five years, we've provided an opportunity for Black entrepreneurs to promote and sell their goods and services at West Wall Street. In 2021, we've commemorated the 100th year since the Tulsa Race Massacre through events and advocacy. We will close out the year by observing the last one hundred days of this centennial Sankofa moment by promoting 100 Days of Buying Black," notes the church's website.
The website also includes links to a "West Wall Street Directory" containing information on local Black businesses and a downloadable "100DBB" spending tracker form for participants to note businesses they patronize and how much money they spend at each one. There is also a "100 Days of Buying Black" Facebook Group where members can post information and photos of Black businesses.
"We are seeking to encourage people across the nation to spend their dollars with Black-owned businesses for 100 days to increase the sales and growth of those businesses. Our goal is to continue the legacy of Black Wall Street by circulating our dollars within the Black community to strengthen our economic base," notes friendshipwest.org.
Strategic, targeted spending by Black people is critical, Dr. Malveaux told The Final Call as she shared a quote from her recent article entitled, "Consumerism is the Foundation of Predatory Capitalism."
"I'm a consumer, just like you. I want to shower my friends and family with goodies. These days, I'd rather shower them with experiences and, if I must shop, I am shopping with Black-owned businesses. Our dollars can be a form of our resistance."
For the 2021 holiday shopping season, Black Lives Matter is once again calling for #BlackXmas, a boycott of White companies to spend with Black companies. Among other recommendations the campaign is urging folks to #BuyBlack, #BuildBlack and #BankBlack. The campaign's website blackxmas.org also suggests donating to Black organizations that serve Black communities.
Over the years social media movements under hashtags such as #BoycottBlackFriday, #BlackOutBlackFriday, #HandsUpDontSpend, and #NotOneDime connected social justice efforts to spending.
Economic boycotts are not new to the Black community, especially in the 20th Century. "At the Christmas season during the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, Martin Luther King Jr. built on the ascetic tradition of previous American boycotts by calling on protesters to refuse to shop at downtown stores and to save their Christmas-shopping money," writes Dr. Traci Parker in her seminal work "Black Christmas in American Department Stores."
"In late 1963, after the deaths of civil rights activist Medgar Evers, and four young girls in the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, the Actors and Writers for Justice, an ad hoc organization spearheaded by author James Baldwin, declared that Christmas that year would be a "Black Christmas," she writes.
Student Minister William Muhammad, of Mosque No. 3 in Milwaukee cited a Muhammad Speaks newspaper report documenting such efforts in the city in the 1960s. The historic publication was published by the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Eternal Leader of the Nation of Islam. "The boycott calling for a 'Beautiful Black Christmas' was launched against influential White merchants to force improvements to the near-subhuman living conditions Black people endured in 1967 Milwaukee," said Student Min. Muhammad.
"We have to be vigilant as followers of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan reminding the public Up With Jesus! Let's remind them of the injustice."
According to Nielsen, which provides analytical data about the habits of consumers, there was no significant drop-off in Black buying power in 2020 which it estimates was at $1.57 trillion. There was "an overall increase in buying" however the new Nielsen report also found this year has prompted Black consumers to buy Black.
While the Covid-19 pandemic hit Black businesses particularly hard, a joint survey released earlier this year by Groupon and the National Black Chamber of Commerce found nearly 80 percent of Black business owners say their businesses are better off than last year but that nearly three of four Black business owners say investment in Black-owned businesses still trails White-owned businesses.
The wealth coach Deborah Owens takes it to another level. "We have to save ourselves" by marshaling our economic dollars, she told The Final Call.
"Christmas, I think it's an opportunity to give the gift that keeps on giving. And that is education, a way to expose kids to investing, understanding how to build wealth. It is inherited knowledge, meaning someone has to pass it on to you to acquire it. Formal education does not teach it," she said.
"I think that the greatest wealth of all, the most valuable asset of all, is the knowledge itself. We have been so focused on seeking acceptance and looking at politics as a way of garnering that acceptance. If you look at other cultures, you will see that a great deal of emphasis is placed on providing that financial and economic insight," she added.
For Ms. Owens, the "Up with Jesus, Down With Santa" campaign represents and is an opportunity for Black folks to learn to channel buying power and convert it into economic power as a means of spreading real pain against people in power who are against the rise and success of Black people. "This is the point I want to make. The most important asset to acquire is the knowledge of how to build wealth," added Ms. Owens.
"Whenever Allah's (God's) servant makes a call and gives guidance, it goes deep into the hearts and minds of our people. They make adjustments, they make corrections," observed Student Min. Muhammad, referring to the guidance and wisdom of Min. Farrakhan. He believes Blacks are becoming more conscious about who they're spending their money with now. "So, instead of spending it in the White community, they're looking for a Black business," he said. (Final Call staff contributed to this report.)
Unyoked from a colonial master, Barbados faces the challenges, opportunities of full governance
BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS - NOVEMBER 29: Barbados President-elect, Dame Sandra Mason arrives at the Presidential Inauguration Ceremony at Heroes Square on November 29, 2021 in Bridgetown, Barbados. The Prince of Wales arrived in the country ahead of its transition to a republic within the Commonwealth. This week, it formally removes Queen Elizabeth as its head of state and the current governor-general, Dame Sandra Mason, will be sworn in as president. (Photo by Toby Melville - Pool/Getty Images)
The last vestige of British colonialism has been removed from the Caribbean island of Barbados. The former slave colony which initially gained independence in 1966 unyoked itself as a bastion of British imperialism and chose a full and complete freedom.
Before Caribbean heads of states, officials, England's Prince Charles, and the Barbadian people, Barbados became the world's newest republic.
Dame Sandra Mason, 72, was sworn in as its first president after being voted in by Parliament in October. Previously, Ms. Mason was Governor General, the surrogate of Queen Elizabeth II, whom she replaces as head of state.
For many the move to become a republic was long overdue.
"We should've gone straight to republic, instead of independence," said Sam Clarke, former chairman of A Better Life For Our People, a Barbadian Diaspora organization, based in New York.
Mr. Clarke said he didn't subscribe to "worshipping the queen" and the monarchy system. Europe had a common arrangement with its colonies upon "independence" of holding influence. In the Caribbean, it is seen in the systems of governance, jurisprudence, and education.
Forming a republic has long been debated in Barbados. A 1970s commission concluded the idea lacked public support. In 1998 another commission recommended Barbados become a parliamentary republic. In 2005, legislation was passed to hold a referendum, which never happened. Until now successive governments promised but failed to achieve the goal.
With the election of President Mason coupled with Prime Minister Mia Motely, two women now lead the small nation of 287,025 people. The presidential post is largely ceremonial with limited constitutional powers. The prime minister is the governmental authority.
"We the people must give the Republic of Barbados its spirit and its substance," said President Mason. "We must shape its future. We are each other's and our nation's keepers. We the people are Barbados," she reassured.
With military grandeur, the Royal Standard flag of the queen that symbolized European domination was lowered. Exactly at midnight Dec. 1 on the 55th independence anniversary, Ms. Mason pledged her allegiance to Barbados, not to Britain and its queen. The flag of a free Barbados was hoisted high. An added caveat was singer and business magnate Rihanna was proclaimed a national hero—an important distinction.
Barbados' new President Sandra Mason, center right, awards Prince Charles with the Order of Freedom of Barbados during the presidential inauguration ceremony in Bridgetown, Barbados on Tuesday Nov. 30, 2021. Barbados stopped pledging allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday as it shed another vestige of its colonial past and became a republic for the first time in history.(AP Photo / David McD Crichlow)
Amidst the regalia of Barbadian cultural expressions, the birth of the Republic of Barbados came nearly 400 years after the British enslaved Africans and ruled the island as an English slavocracy. British territories were so vast, it was boasted that the sun never set on the British Empire. Today Britain and its ideological offspring of White world supremacy and descendants are in decline and a caricature of her former self.
"A proud nation has shed the shackles of being Britain's first Black slave society, to become the first country in the Caribbean in this twenty-first century to declare that the time has come for full nationhood," said Sir Hilary Beckles, vice-chancellor of The University of the West Indies, in a statement.
Barbados' Prime Minister Mia Mottley, left, and President of Barbados, Dame Sandra Mason, right, honour Rihanna as a National Hero, during the Presidential Inauguration Ceremony, at Heroes Square, in Bridgetown, Barbados, Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021. Barbados has stopped pledging allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II as it shed another vestige of its colonial past and became a republic for the first time in history. Several leaders, dignitaries and artists, including Prince Charles, attended a ceremony that began late Monday and stretched into Tuesday in a popular square where the statue of a well-known British lord was removed last year amid a worldwide push to erase symbols of oppression. (Jeff J Mitchell PA via AP)
"This move is going to have a very important impact on the Caribbean community," said David Commissiong, Barbados Ambassador to CARICOM regional bloc of nations. Amb. Commissiong expects the "Barbados example" to cause a "domino effect" on eight remaining CARICOM member nations still tied to Britain.
The change is in line with other nations that severed ties with Britain: Mauritius (1992), Dominica (1978), Trinidad and Tobago (1976), and Guyana (1970). Australia, Canada, Jamaica, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea are among nations that still regard the queen as their head of state. Barbados will remain part of the Commonwealth, an alliance of 54 former British colonies.
Charles, the Prince of Wales, represented his mother Queen Elizabeth II at the inauguration. He acknowledged the "appalling atrocity of slavery," which he said, "forever stains our history."
Prince Charles said the transatlantic slave trade represented the "darkest days of our past," and the "creation of this republic offers a new beginning."
However, while the freedom trajectory of Barbados is celebrated and Prince Charles recognizes Britain's history of bloodshed and subjugation of Black people, some are asking what about reparatory justice.
Barbados is in a key position to push the demand for reparations which is part of its national policy. Barbados also chairs the Prime Ministerial Subcommittee on Reparations at the regional bloc CARICOM. Analysts explained that being free of the British monarchy positions Barbados to eventually hold the royal family to account.
Some attribute the Black Lives Matter protests that engulfed several nations worldwide as an element of the change. But issues have been building up for 50-plus years since Caribbean nations declared independence from Britain, analysts explained. Although there is agreement for the transition to a republic there are serious challenges facing Barbados.
A serious challenge is redistribution of wealth to meet the needs of ordinary Barbadians. Big business has belonged to Whites since the years of slavocracy. Because of this and with pageantry marking the new day, some see it as still symbolic.
"It's symbol without substance," commented Abdul Rahman, business owner and Barbados Study Group Coordinator for the Nation of Islam.
"We have a beautiful flag … national anthem but at the end of the day, that independence declaration has not translated to true independence for the people," he said.
Student Minister Rahman added the economic umbilical cord to Europe has not been severed.
Trevor Prescod, a Barbados member of Parliament, told The Final Call the move will not bring revolutionary change to the country. He sees it as part of a "continuum" of a long struggle since slavery.
Constitutional changes and economic challenges will have to be met, said Mr. Prescod. He expects serious external influences to meddle, like the United States, which has historically opposed self-determination in the Caribbean. Mr. Prescod predicted the United States would impose itself on the affairs of Barbados as she has done in Haiti, Cuba and opposing Grenada's revolution.
Understanding the pattern, most people who govern Barbados feel gradualism is the best path for development, he said.
'Trust God because God won't fail you' A mother's faith and the mighty fight for justice for Ahmaud Arbery
Ahmaud Arbery's mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones his hugged by a supporter after the jury convicted Travis McMichael in the trial of McMichael, his father, Greg McMichael, and neighbor, William "Roddie" Bryan, Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021, in the Glynn County Courthouse in Brunswick, Ga. The three defendants were found guilty Wednesday in the death of Ahmaud Arbery. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, Pool)
by Naba'a Muhammad and Brian E. Muhammad
The Final Call @TheFinalCall
There is nothing perhaps as deep and as lasting as a mother's love, a mother's pain and a mother's determination to defend her child even in death. Wanda Cooper-Jones devoted such commitment to a quest for justice for her youngest son. She called her boy "Quez," short for Marquez—his middle name.
"Today's a good day," Ms. Cooper-Jones told The Final Call in an exclusive telephone interview, hours after those responsible for her son's death were convicted of murder.
Quez is known to the world as Ahmaud Arbery.
Ms. Cooper-Jones fought when there were no signs anyone would be held accountable for her son's killing. Prosecutors in Glynn County, Ga., where her son died had already refused to file any charges. She found strength and resilience in her faith.
Ahmaud Arbery
"I have my struggles from day to day … I had many, many trials early in my younger life," Ms. Cooper-Jones shared. "There was nothing I could send to God, that he didn't fix it for me."
"And then when Ahmaud was murdered, I prayed and I prayed and I knew God would come through for us, " the mother of three continued.
Ms. Cooper-Jones admits it took a while to get to this point of a victory. "I never saw this day," she said. But she clung to faith in God's timing and something "good" eventually happening.
She still takes it day by day. She has a message for mothers dealing with similar horrific losses. "Keep pushing, don't give up hope, continue to pray, continue to trust God because God won't fail you," said Ms. Cooper-Jones.
She is trying to stay strong for a federal civil case against her son's killers, Travis McMichael, 35, his father Gregory McMichael, 65, and neighbor William Bryan, 52, who were found guilty of murder and other related charges on Nov. 24. All face mandatory life sentences and separate federal charges, including hate crimes and attempted kidnapping on the streets of Satilla Shores, Ga., on February 23, 2020.
Earlier this year, she filed a civil suit against the McMichaels, Mr. Bryan, several county police officers, former Glynn County Police Chief John Powell, and former district attorneys Jackie Johnson and George Barnhill.
The suit charges the district attorneys and police covered up what happened to her son. It charges the killers "willfully and maliciously conspired to follow, threaten, detain and kill Ahmaud Arbery."
The lawsuit has not been heard in court yet. The federal trial is scheduled for February 2022.
"We conquered that lynch mob," said Marcus Arbery, Ahmaud's father, addressing those gathered outside the Glynn County Courthouse after the verdict.
Many felt jubilation and relief with the guilty verdict rendered by 11 White and one Black juror.
The outcome was never guaranteed with defense attorneys lobbing appeals to race at jurors through complaints of "intimidating" Black ministers in the courtroom, ugly depictions of Ahmaud in defense lawyers' closing arguments and references to how people in Scintilla Shores, a predominantly White community, looked out for one another and kept one another safe. Ahmaud was described as an intruder whose presence and visit to a house still under construction violated the community.
It was 74 days before any arrests were made, and only after video of the shooting went viral.
With the police slayings of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman in Louisville, Ky., and George Floyd, a Black man murdered by a White cop on a Minneapolis street, protests grew. Ahmaud's name was added to the list of Black martyrs whose lives were taken by Whites in America.
Lynching in America
"Some people likened the murder of Ahmaud Arbery to a modern-day lynching, but I see it as simply a lynching," said James Simmons, a human and civil rights attorney. "They saw fit to chase him down—in the old term, coon hunting—and gun him down," said Atty. Simmons.
Lynching is defined as a killing by three or more people claiming extrajudicial reasons to kill. Ahmaud, a lone, unarmed Black man on a jog, was illegally confronted by armed White men in South Georgia. Historically that is a lethal combination.
Tears streak down the cheek of Ahmaud Arbery's mother Wanda Cooper-Jones after the jury convicted Travis McMichael in the Glynn County Courthouse, Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021, in Brunswick, Ga. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, Pool)
Georgia is stained with White racial terror and a lynching tradition second only to Mississippi in numbers between 1877 and 1950, according to the Equal Justice Institute. "For more than six decades, as Southern Whites used lynching to enforce a post-slavery system of racial dominance, White officials outside the South watched and did little," an EJI report observed.
There was fear Ahmaud's killers, who pursued him in pickup trucks and trapped him before Travis McMichael shot him to death with a shotgun, would be protected by the White power structure and legal system. Without the mother's vigilance, the death video, protests, media coverage and anger nationwide, it's unlikely that the case would have ever gone to trial.
"This is the beginning of an era of new justice that we can continue to use as a blueprint," said Porch'se Miller, a national civil rights activist from Atlanta.
"As you know 99 percent of the time it comes back with an unfavorable verdict—justifiable homicide," said Cephus "Uncle Bobby" X Johnson of the Love Not Blood Campaign. He advocates for families seeking justice for loved ones lost to police or community violence.
Wanda Cooper-Jones, mother of Ahmaud Arbery, talks with the media outside the Glynn County Courthouse on Monday, Nov. 8, 2021, in Brunswick, Ga. Greg McMichael and his son, Travis McMichael, and a neighbor, William "Roddie" Bryan, are on trial for murder and other crimes in the February 2020 slaying of her 25-year-old son. (Sean Rayford/Pool Photo via AP)
Though "extremely surprised" and "grateful" about the verdict, he hadn't had a lot of faith in the jury make up as he sat in the courtroom. He is the uncle of Oscar Grant III who was killed by a California transit cop on New Year's Day 2009.
"The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan said with change, there is two elements, danger, and opportunity," said Odis Muhammad of the Nation of Islam study group in nearby Brunswick, Ga. "What is happening in America and the world is the grip of White supremacy has been loosened and is falling."
Things happening in Georgia illustrate an unraveling of White power, he continued. "When their world begins to disintegrate in front of their eyes, desperate moves are necessary," said Mr. Muhammad. He added that Whites feel, "We gotta do some things to put y'all (Blacks) back in check, we have to make sure that we are the dominant force and that you all respect that."
"As the Honorable Elijah Muhammad said, 'this man will go down fighting' with his last breath," said Odis Muhammad.
National pressure, local change?
"What we're seeking is real change … with the police department … the justice system locally," commented Allen Booker, a Glynn County commissioner who knew Ahmaud as a young man working for his father in landscaping.
National attention added pressure for local change, he said.
Ahmaud Arbery's father Marcus Arbery, center, his hugged by his attorney Benjamin Crump after the jury convicted Travis McMichael in the Glynn County Courthouse, Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021, in Brunswick, Ga. Greg McMichael and his son, Travis McMichael, and a neighbor, William "Roddie" Bryan were convicted of murder Wednesday in the fatal shooting that became part of a larger national reckoning on racial injustice.(AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, Pool)
"I think that transparency is our friend," said Mr. Booker. "It's not something happening backroom or underhanded that you're trying to seek, but real justice," which ultimately "comes from God," he added.
The commissioner and others have worked to reform the county justice system. They organized to remove discredited Police Chief Powell. They fought to get rid of former District Attorney Jackie Johnson. She was arrested in August for telling two police officers not to arrest the McMichaels over the killing.
Ms. Johnson was indicted on violating her oath of office, a felony, for "showing favor and affection" to Gregory McMichael and failing "to treat Ahmaud Arbery and his family fairly and with dignity." Gregory McMichael was a former cop and worked with Ms. Johnson as an investigator for the Glynn County district attorney's office.
Mr. Booker hopes positive change will come with the appointment of Jacques Battiste, the county's first Black police chief, and his deputy, Ricky Evans, who is also Black.
Gains attributed to the Arbery case include Georgia repealing a citizen's arrest law, and a new law barring non-law enforcement from detaining people. Georgia also became the 47th state to enact a hate crime law.
But more needs to be done. "The federal government still has not passed federal anti-lynching legislation, despite over a hundred years of advocacy for it," noted Atty. Simmons. If the federal government were serious about stopping racist activity it would pass police reform, anti-lynching and voting rights protections, he said.
"That's three guys … White men. That is not covering the country," added Atty. Simmons. "There are still people from sea to shining sea that want to engage in this activity."
History and old hatred?
Atty. Simmons wouldn't be surprised if lynchings and racial animus increase. Although, there were convictions in Georgia, there was the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse, who shot three White men, killing two, during police protests in Kenosha, Wisc., last year. The White right and White terror organizations supported the young White male.
"There is so many Ahmaud Arberys' in small towns like this all around the United States," said organizer and activist YoNasDa Lonewolf, who lives in the South.
Local government didn't care about the case, she noted. It was the movement of the people that kept the spotlight on and led to the trial and the verdict, the activist added. "We cannot flip the supremacy that is happening if we don't speak up. We cannot be silent anymore," said Ms. Lonewolf.
There was widespread joy, tempered joy across Black America with the convictions and declarations from some Blacks and Whites on the right that the system worked. Few were declaring a new day in the United States.
"Generations of Black people have seen this time and time again, with the murder of Emmett Till, Trayvon Martin, and many others. The actions and events perpetrated by the McMichaels and William Bryan leading up to Ahmaud's death reflect a growing and deepening rift in America that will be its undoing if not addressed on a systemic level," warned the NAACP.
"We must fix what is genuinely harming our nation: White supremacy. To address and begin to repair the harm and trauma caused by centuries of racism, violence, and murder, we need stronger federal and state actions to address and eliminate outdated racist policies, like citizens' arrest."
Odette Flemming, who lives in the St. Louis area which has its own ugly racial history and where protests and rebellion erupted after the 2014 police killing of unarmed Black teen Mike Brown, was plainspoken. "These guilty verdicts are a direct result of the digital age. If no video footage had ever emerged, Ahmaud Aubrey's family would never have even seen the inside of a courtroom," she said.
"There is nothing Black people can do to minimize these attacks since they are unprovoked. Therefore, as long as we are dark skinned people in America, we are potentially at risk of being the victim in an unprovoked attack. That is the American reality that remains hidden and is forgotten every time an innocent life is taken and the White majority culture seeks to justify the death by digging for the imagined past sins of the victim and never the predator," she said.
Cedric Rashad is a 73-year-old successful businessman. Born in Mississippi, now living in Mazatlán, Mexico, he picked cotton as a little boy, lived through Black and White drinking water fountains and other indignities.
"I'm so disappointed in how people have become so open with their bigotry, this America has not changed much since I was young," he said. "We have become so polarized as a country and thought we would be accepted, especially when Barack Obama was elected. But that just pulled the scab off a sore that's been infected for a long time. I see this country moving backwards not forward."
J.A. Salaam contributed to this report.
Plots, Deceptions and Lies of a Wicked Enemy U.S. government conspiracy further exposed amid exoneration of innocent men wrongly convicted in murder of Malcolm X
By Starla Muhammad, Managing Editor
Malcolm X is shown addressing rally in Harlem, New York on June 29, 1963. (AP Photo)
"… even if it be the weight of a grain of mustard-seed, even though it be in a rock, or in the heaven or in the earth, Allah will bring it forth. Surely Allah is Knower of subtilities, Aware."
—Holy Qur'an 31:16
"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."—Bible John 8:44 KJV
Lies and liars continue to be exposed and the treachery of the U.S. government's deadly actions in targeting, infiltrating and attempting to destroy the Nation of Islam (NOI) is once again being brought to light.
Muhammad Aziz a suspect in the slaying of Malcolm X, is escorted by detectives at police headquarters, after his arrest, in New York, Feb. 26, 1965. Aziz, previously known as Norman 3XButler, one of two men convicted in the assassination of Malcolm X, is set to be cleared after more than half a century, with prosecutors now saying authorities withheld evidence in the civil rights leader's killing, according to a news report Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021. (AP Photo, File)
Finally, after 55 years, a New York judge on Nov. 18 exonerated Muhammad Aziz and Kahlil Islam, two of the three men convicted of murdering Malcolm X. Both men had always maintained their innocence and the FBI and New York Police Department knew from the beginning the two were not involved and were nowhere near the Audubon Ballroom that fateful day in1965.
"We are moving today to vacate the convictions and dismiss the indictments of Muhammad Aziz and Khalil Islam for the assassination of Malcolm X on February 21, 1965. But I want to begin by saying directly to Mr. Aziz and his family, to the family of Mr. Islam, and the family of Malcolm X, that I apologize for what were serious, unacceptable violations of the law and the public trust," said Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, Jr. in front of Chief Administrative Judge Ellen Biben at the New York State Supreme Court.
Khalil Islam, center, is booked as the third suspect in the slaying of Malcolm X, in New York, March 3, 1965. Islam, previously known as Thomas 15X Johnson, one of two men convicted in the assassination of Malcolm X, is set to be cleared after more than half a century, with prosecutors now saying authorities withheld evidence in the civil rights leader's killing, according to a news report Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021. Detective John Keeley is at right. (AP Photo, File)
A 43-page Joint Motion to Vacate Judgements of Conviction and Dismiss Indictment laid out several critical points. A nearly two-year investigation by attorneys for Mr. Aziz and Mr. Islam, the Manhattan district attorney's office and the Innocence Project revealed that prosecutors for the FBI and NYPD withheld key evidence that would have led to the men's acquittal had it been turned over.
The third man convicted, Thomas Hagan (also known as Talmadge X Hayer and Mujahid Abdul Halim), was arrested at the Audubon that day, confessed to his role in the assassination and later stated during the 1966 trial that Mr. Aziz (known then as Norman 3X Butler) and Mr. Islam (known then as Thomas 15X Johnson) were innocent and not involved.
All three men were sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. Mr. Aziz, now 83, was paroled in 1985. Mr. Islam, who died in 2009 at age 74, was paroled in 1987.
Muhammad Aziz, center, stands outside the courthouse with members of his family after his conviction in the killing of Malcolm X was vacated, Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, in New York. A Manhattan judge dismissed the convictions of Muhammad Aziz and the late Khalil Islam, after prosecutors and the men's lawyers said a renewed investigation found new evidence that the men were not involved with the killing and determined that authorities withheld some of what they knew. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
"I apologize on behalf of our nation's law enforcement for this decades-long injustice, which has eroded public faith in institutions that are designed to guarantee the equal protection of the law. We can't restore what was taken from these men and their families, but by correcting the record, perhaps we can begin to restore that faith," said District Attorney Vance.
The DA's inquiry was prompted by the many questions raised in the Netflix documentary series, "Who Killed Malcolm X?" released in 2020 which chronicled the research and investigation of Abdur-Rahman Muhammad about the assassination.
"The recently unearthed evidence of Mr. Aziz and Mr. Islam's innocence that had been hidden by the NYPD and FBI not only invalidates their convictions, it also highlights the many unanswered questions about the government's complicity in the assassination—a separate and important issue that, itself, demands further inquiry," said Vanessa Potkin of Innocence Project.
The U.S. government's records show through its FBI Counterintelligence Program (COINTELPRO) under director J. Edgar Hoover that it sent informants and agents into the ranks of the NOI to foment tension and division among its members. When Malcolm X split from his teacher and benefactor, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, eventually starting Muslim Mosque Incorporated and the Organization of Afro-American Unity, law enforcement infiltration of all three organizations did not cease.
The U.S. government has had the NOI in its crosshairs since the group's founding in Detroit in 1930 by Master Fard Muhammad, Allah in Person, the Great Mahdi and Teacher of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Both men were arrested, jailed and viewed as a threat for their Teaching of Black independence and self-determination.
Abdul Akbar Muhammad joined the Nation of Islam in New York in 1960 under Minister Malcolm X. That is where he met and worked with Mr. Aziz. He told The Final Call he and "Brother Norman 3X" worked together in the early 1960s. Both were tasked with assisting in training Muslim brothers in the FOI (Fruit of Islam) class. Mr. Aziz used to teach the men martial arts, shared the longtime NOI pioneer.
"I know personally that the brothers were not there at the Audubon Ballroom," said Akbar Muhammad, who today serves as international representative for the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam. In a previous conversation he had with Mr. Aziz, Min. Akbar Muhammad said Mr. Aziz told him when law enforcement personnel came to his home days after the assassination,
"they went in his closet and pulled out a coat and told him to put that particular coat on," he shared. "He didn't understand that. You know, he was there with the police officers who were arresting them. … The last time we talked, he told me that 'they wanted me to put their coat on,' so that they could identify, somebody would identify that coat."
Evidence points to U.S. gov't
The exonerations of Mr. Aziz and Mr. Islam is another step toward the full exoneration of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Minister Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam, said Student Minister Wesley Muhammad. Mr. Aziz and Mr. Islam were framed to frame the Nation of Islam and authorities knew Malcolm's assassins were not from New York but were from New Jersey, declared the researcher, author and lecturer who holds a PhD. in Islamic Studies.
"There was a reason even though the New York Police Department and the FBI knew in early March, not a week after Malcolm X was gunned down at the Audubon Ballroom, it was known that the source of the hit squad, if you will, was not New York but was New Jersey," explained Student Min. Wesley Muhammad.
Mr. Aziz and Mr. Islam were FOI from New York's Temple No. 7 (as the mosques were called at that time). Confessed gunman Mr. Halim had been a member of Temple No. 25 in Newark however was in "F-Time", explained Wesley Muhammad.
This means he had been put out of the temple, was not in good standing and was not active or permitted to be part of the Nation's activities or community.
"There was a reason this government, the prosecutor's office, the New York Police Department, and the FBI, there was a reason they insisted on making this a Nation of Islam New York operation and so they framed two well-known New York FOI when they knew that the mechanics, if you will—that's the intelligence community's name for shooters, in cases like this—the shooters came out of Newark but the actual identity of the shooters linked the operation back to the New York Police Department and the
FBI," the NOI student minister explained.
Of the three gunmen at the Audubon that day, the shotgun shooter who fired the fatal first shot at Malcolm X was identified years later as William 25X Bradley of Newark. Mr. Halim later pointed the finger at Mr. Bradley (later known as Al-Mustafa Shabazz) as one of the men involved. In 1978, Mr. Halim gave the names of four men who he said were his accomplices, yet officials did not reopen the investigation of the murder. Mr. Halim was released in 2010 and is still living.
In the Netflix documentary, Abdur-Rahman Muhammad's investigation also came to the same conclusion, that Mr. Bradley was the shotgun shooter. For years, late attorney William Kunstler also worked to reopen the case, arguing that Mr. Aziz and Mr. Islam were not guilty.
There was no political will to bring justice to this case, Abdur-Rahman Muhammad told Marc Lamont Hill, host of Black News Tonight airing on the Black News Channel. "It allows us to begin the process to interrogate the government; to find out just what was involved here. Why was there such prosecutorial misconduct and why as we've shown in our series was there such a desire to protect the man that they knew to be the shotgun assassin, William X Bradley?" asked Abdur-Rahman Muhammad.
Mr. Bradley died in 2018 and said he was not involved in the assassination. He has been described as an "enforcer" for Temple No. 25 in Newark and was featured heavily in the Netflix special, but Student Min. Wesley Muhammad said one key detail has been omitted.
"William 25X Bradley was a Newark, New Jersey, Muslim, only as a cover. He was an employee of the New York Police Department. He even had an office at the Harlem station, so he was undercover in Newark. So, his role in the assassination was not on behalf of the Newark Mosque No. 25 but was on behalf of the New York Police Department!" declared Student Min.
Wesley Muhammad. Leon 3X Davis, who was also later identified as the gunman with the Lugar, was caught at the scene of the crime but his identity at the time was protected, explained Student Min.
Wesley Muhammad. "There was no reason to protect the identity of a shooter of Malcolm unless you are protecting an asset. Leon 3X Davis, a Newark shooter but a protectee of the New York Police Department. Why was he protected? Well certainly because he was a protected asset. His gun disappeared. William Bradley's gun disappeared. The refusing to open up the files, release key files, the disappearance of files and the disappearance of the weapons all are part of the cover up, I believe."
The Newark connection to the assassination had to be "bleached out" because it proved the connection and link to the NYPD and FBI's involvement, he explained. Eugene Roberts, a Black NYPD intelligence unit agent assigned to infiltrate Malcolm's OAAU organization and eventually became his head of security, was also at the Audubon that day.
A history of duplicity
In February of this year, a press conference at the Malcolm and Betty Shabazz Center in New York was held outlining a confession by Ray Wood, an undercover NYPD officer and infiltrator of Black organizations, which cast additional light on the government's hand in the killing of Malcolm X and prompted renewed demands that all files related to the killing of the Black nationalist leader—especially the full FBI files—be made public.
Daughters of Malcolm X and his wife, the late Dr. Betty Shabazz, were present. Mr. Wood said a federal agent directed him to go to the Audubon Ballroom and observe something that would happen. He said he watched as the fatal shooting took place and the FBI and the NYPD were involved. A letter from Mr. Wood, the onetime undercover agent was released, and he shared how he was assigned to infiltrate Black organizations throughout New York City. Mr. Wood died in late 2020 and his memoir, "The Ray Wood Story: Confessions of a Black NYPD Cop on the Assassination of Malcolm X," was released earlier this year.
Since the early 1990s and beyond, Minister Farrakhan has called for the release of all government files about the death of Malcolm X.
During the exoneration hearing, DA Vance stated his office obtained dozens and dozens of reports, from the FBI and NYPD's BOSSI unit. "These records include FBI reports of witnesses who failed to identify Mr. Islam and who implicated other suspects. And, significantly, we now have reports revealing that, on orders from Director J. Edgar Hoover himself, the FBI ordered multiple witnesses not to tell police or prosecutors that they were, in fact, FBI informants," he told the judge.
According to Min. Akbar Muhammad, the objective of BOSSI was to put people inside the NOI who would spy and cause disinformation and confusion within its ranks. "They know that they did all of this, and it was the deathbed confession of one of the men that they were using (Mr. Woods) in terms of accusing the Nation of killing Malcolm. Allah (God) is the best knower. It all comes out now and we will just see how it unfolds."
Dr. Wesley Muhammad argues the reason the government refuses to open the files into the assassination is because it will clearly show the government's hand. Telephone records, the weapons used, and other critical evidence has been destroyed or disappeared and files that have been made public are heavily if not completely redacted.
"This is really just another example of how the Black community has been horrendously impacted by COINTELPRO. We're talking about an effort to prevent the rise of a Black Messiah, the FBI, took outrageous action to arrest and convict and cover-up what they themselves were doing! Afterall, this was a cover-up from the FBI and agents that they had within the Nation of Islam," said Attorney Nkechi Taifa, a longtime human rights activist.
Demetric Muhammad, author of the book, "But Didn't You Kill Malcolm?: Myth-Busting The Propaganda Against The Nation of Islam," stated he had mixed feelings on news of the exoneration. While he is happy for Mr. Aziz and the families of both men that their names have been cleared, there is a clear argument that it was long overdue.
"There's an old saying that justice delayed is justice denied. So, I hope that what follows from this admission from the Manhattan DA, is that a grand effort be made to help make the families of these two brothers whole … they certainly are well-deserving of monetary compensation for having given many years of their lives up to incarceration and having their families broken apart as a result of that," said the Memphis-based student minister who is also a member of the NOI Research Group.
An apology is not enough
For journalist Doshon Farad, who was outside the courthouse and caught glimpses of Mr. Aziz as he left the hearing, said this case is just one of many involving Black men and women in prison for crimes they did not commit or who are still locked up when there has been evidence if not to exonerate, to at least grant them a new trial.
There are cases across the country of Black and Brown political prisoners that need to be made known, explained Mr. Farad. "This is another case in my judgement of the criminal, criminal injustice system."
While the Manhattan district attorney apologized, critics argue it rings hollow. Lives have been destroyed, families needlessly suffered, and pain has been inflicted on innocent parties.
Mr. Islam's son Shahid Johnson was thankful but also saddened. "The fact that the family suffered, growing up with concerns of fear, of people coming after us … those kind of things you can't get back," Mr. Johnson said after the hearing. "Normality was gone when I was 10," he said. "Right now, this is great, but not so great at the same time," he added.
Min. Akbar Muhammad said he last spoke with Mr. Aziz about six months ago and that all he was concerned about was one day clearing his name.
"I mean, you can't just have an exoneration. I mean, this was these people's lives! Decades taken away. What is the compensation? Where is the reparations that is due? Where is the healing that we need for our communities?" asked Atty. Taifa.
"When will the FBI stand charged for their actions? Not one FBI agent ever served time for counterintelligence activities? Not one. So, we can't just sit down and say, 'Okay, folks have been exonerated.' The FBI needs to be put on trial! It's a good feeling that finally, 'justice' has been done … But it's not enough," she continued.
"It's not enough and until we really start dealing with what the genesis of what all of this was—the illegal actions of a U.S. government through its tentacles, i.e. the Federal Bureau of Investigation, there won't be any true justice."
Vindication of the Nation of Islam
While there are those who will still accuse and blame the NOI for the assassination of Malcolm X—even as more evidence is revealed vindicating the 90-year-old movement, its Eternal Leader the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and His National Representative and Chief Student, Minister Farrakhan—those efforts are collapsing on weak ground.
This deliberate lie of NOI involvement has caused pain not just on the families of the men wrongly accused but on the families of Elijah Muhammad, Min. Farrakhan, Malcolm X, as well as the Nation and Black America in general. It was by design, argued Min. Akbar Muhammad.
"All of the young students who were tossed between their love of Minister Farrakhan and their love of Malcolm as the patron saint of liberation struggle, these students were torn. They loved Malcolm, and they love Minister Farrakhan, and the enemy was showing them that Farrakhan and Elijah Muhammad were enemies to our people, and so forth, and they planned all that and worked it for years. As Allah (God) would have it now, it comes to the surface, that we had nothing to do with the death of Malcolm. And that it was all planned and laid out," said Min. Akbar Muhammad.
Ameen Johnson, left, and Shahid Johnson, sons of Khalil Islam, speak during a press conference outside Manhattan court, Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, in New York. A Manhattan judge dismissed the convictions of Muhammad Aziz and the late Khalil Islam, after prosecutors and the men's lawyers said a renewed investigation found new evidence that the men were not involved with the killing and determined that authorities withheld some of what they knew. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
"We need to make use of this kind of development to put it within our narrative of our complete innocence. But the Manhattan DA, and mainstream media are using this story to basically say, the Nation of Islam is guilty. We just arrested and imprisoned the wrong members of the Nation of Islam. That's their narrative," said Student Min. Demetric Muhammad. However, the popular and official narrative that the NOI killed Malcolm X is unraveling, he explained.
Student Min. Wesley Muhammad, also a member of the NOI Research Group and serves as a National Laborer, agreed. "They framed these well-known New York Muslims, Norman 3X Butler and Thomas 15X Johnson at the time, well-known Muslim FOI out of New York and to seal the Nation of Islam killed Malcolm X narrative," said Student Min. Wesley Muhammad.
"It's right that we start with an exoneration of those two New York FOI but they were framed not just to do injustice to them. The whole purpose of their framing was to frame the Nation of Islam and in particular the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad for the murder of Malcolm X. So, the next step is a public exoneration of the Nation of Islam and an apology for all the efforts that this government entered into in order to frame the Nation for this crime," said Student Min. Wesley Muhammad.
"Our narrative, which is not a narrative for propaganda purposes, it is just the truth is that the U.S, government is responsible for the assassination of Malcolm X," noted Student Min. Demetric Muhammad.
The enemies of the Nation of Islam whip up this false narrative for another reason, observed Student Min. Wesley Muhammad. "They use the murdered Malcolm X against the living man that they fear, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. The government's posthumous investment in Malcolm after killing Malcolm, they invested in his legacy so heavily, not because of Malcolm X but because of Louis Farrakhan."
(Final Call staff contributed to this report.) | 95, the activist said.
"This is a spiritual war that everyone has to realize is happening. No one saw that coming and were shocked that it happened. But that was global proportions and the man kept God first coming out his mouth," he continued.
"A righteous tribute, and that's not saying that not everybody else's tribute is not righteous, but a righteous tribute for life is when Drake and Kanye stopped beefing with one another, because they realized other entities were driving their myths about the beef," argued Mr. Bradley.
"It's an honor to see two artists of this magnitude put focus on brother Larry Hoover, who could do more good out of prison than in. If the government was serious about bringing crime down, what better person to let out of prison to go back to Chicago to help undo some of the things that has been done in his name," said Student Minister Abdul Malik Sayyid Muhammad, the Nation of Islam's Western Region Headquarters Representative at Muhammad Mosque No. 27 in Los Angeles.
Minister Farrakhan wrote to former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger before the 2005 execution of reformed Crips leader Stanley "Tookie" Williams in the face of a worldwide movement to commute his sentence, saying how much of help he could be. "He's reformed. He's changed. Do not kill him, the same is true about brother Larry Hoover," said Abdul Malik Sayyid Muhammad.
"And not only could he help Chicago, but if they let him out and allow him the latitude and the longitude to do his work, my God, not only will he help fix Chicago, but it will be a sound or shot heard around the world, that the world could benefit from what Allah has done for Larry Hoover, who has evolved," he added.
Chuck Creekmur, AllHipHop.com founder/CEO, too was pleased by the unification forged with Jas Prince and his father J. Prince, the CEO of Houston's Rap-A-Lot Records and a long time champion for Larry Hoover.
The hip hop editor would like to see the messages of more artists who are speaking consciousness and who are politicized match up with their causes to galvanize the masses. "For example, there are Free Larry Hoover merchandise, which is done by Balenciaga, and it's extremely expensive so you know we're not buying those items," said Mr. Creekmur.
Mobilizing people and resources
Tickets for the production sold for $50-200. A reported $40 million was raised and some of the beneficiaries included non-profit organizations committed to helping ex-offenders and the incarcerated, including Chicago-based Ex-Cons for Community, Uptown People's Law Center, and Hustle 2.0.
"There's a very wide ranging audience because both Kanye and Drake have a very diverse audience, of course, seeing that 85-90 percent of hip hop music sales still come from predominantly Caucasian people," said Enoch Muhammad, the founder of Hip Hop Detoxx, which uses a creative synthesis of writing, performance, music therapy, hip hop, and pop culture to teach and improve the lives of young people.
"From what I heard at the start of the concert, it's more than just about Larry Hoover. It's also really about the incarceration rates of Black and Brown and poor people in general, and just the unfair practices that have gone on for decades," he said.
"Our people are so ignorant, they'll ask you 'Why Larry Hoover,' but they won't say a damned thing about the White man who brings the crack and the guns and things into our community," commented Abdullah Muhammad, Nation of Islam National Prison Reform minister. "You've had this man in prison since 1972.
Then you wait all the way 'til '97 and come at him talking about you federally investigated him and he's making $100 million a year? If he was making that much money, as greedy as the lawyers and things in this system are, they would have taken that money and let him out of there!"
"Where's the $100 million at? Ain't none of the disciples that you say are still on the street got none of that money. They're still struggling and trying to find out how to make an investment to take care of themselves and their family," said the Chicago-based Muslim minister, whose mission is devoted to serving the incarcerated.
They don't want us to have 'redemption'
During a Revolt interview in December, Kanye shared how others, including wife Kim Kardashian, celebrities and artists like Jay Z and Meek Mill are fighting for criminal justice reform in different ways.
"That 13th Amendment needs to completely be eradicated," Kanye said. It protects modern-day slavery under U.S. law that abolished involuntary servitude, except for those engaged in "illegal behavior."
"When we shut up and dribble and we rap and we do all this, this thing is still in the Constitution," said Kanye. "That's the reason why it's talks of me and Drake doing the concert to bring light to Hoover," he said.
Mr. Hoover Sr.'s Growth and Development ideology is to help gang members turn their lives around by creating non-profits, providing jobs, giving back what they've taken from and helping to stabilize communities, many noted.
"That's what they don't want. They don't want us to have a positive leader. They want us to not have the redemption," added Kanye in the pre-concert interview.
Updates about the case can be found by following the Larry Hoover Project on Instagram, said his son, who is recorded thanking Kanye for championing his father's fight for freedom on the song "Jesus Lord."
"They came together for a cause bigger than themselves," said Student Minister Ishmael Muhammad, National Assistant to Minister Farrakhan in Chicago. "We want all of our great organizers that are languishing in prison (freed). That brother has spent nearly 50 years in a federal institution, but he's looking at a 150 to 200 years sentence in the state of Illinois," he stated.
"These great men have learned something. Chief Malik or Jeff Ford, Larry Hoover, these are brilliant men. They are like political prisoners," stated Ishmael Muhammad.
Before their imprisonment, approximately five to six street organizations, so-called gangs, existed in Chicago, but to date there are about 900, he noted, citing Chicago police stats.
"It's a lot. Disorganized. All of those street organizations started with a righteous cause and got corrupted! But these men have learned, have grown, and have something to offer in the organization of our community and the organization of young men and women. So, we want all of our leaders that are languishing in prison to be free," said Ishmael Muhammad.
"Kanye and Drake should be commended. That was very great, what they did. And it just shows you what our unity can produce," he said during his lecture, "Redistribute the Pain—Jesus the Ultimate Revolutionary, Part 2," delivered Dec. 12 at the Nation of Islam headquarters Mosque Maryam in Chicago.
"We've got to unite brothers and sisters. We must unite. That's the only thing that will solve our problems. And unite behind the program of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad," Ishmael Muhammad continued.
(Mustapha J.A. Muhammad contributed to this report.)
'Our dollars can be a form of our resistance': How and why we should redirect Black dollars this holiday season
By Michael Z. Muhammad, Contributing Writer
Black Xmas, #BlackoutTuesday, 100 Days of Buying Black, Up With Jesus Down With Santa. These are just a few of the ongoing efforts Blacks around the country are implementing, supporting, and pushing as strategies in the fight for justice, self-preservation, and economic development.
The strategy of "redistributing the pain," a term coined by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is one Black activists, religious leaders, organizations, and ordinary citizens are utilizing throughout the year with many efforts focused on the biggest shopping and spending time of the year, the Christmas holiday season.
Blacks in America continue to lag in most economic indicators facing gaps in homeownership, wages, education, business ownership, and more. Yet amid these very real and grim realities is that the message of empowerment, development and doing for self is also taking root among Black folks.
"We can't talk about the many ways we resist oppression while simultaneously supporting it with our spending," said Dr. Julianne Malveaux. "We can't go running after corporate dollars to support our events while giving them a pass on the ways they support structural racism. We absolutely must use this holiday as a way to withdraw from our cooperation with predatory capitalism," observed the noted economist and author.
Black people can "redistribute the pain" by refusing to spend their hard-earned money with corporations and businesses that uphold the U.S. system of oppression and White supremacy while simultaneously building their own economic, political, educational and community strength. After George Floyd died in police custody in Minneapolis last year corporations quickly issued public statements promising a commitment to racial justice and diversity and denouncing racism. Corporate promises were made, but there is little indication any substantive change has followed in the overall quality of life for the majority of Black people. Police killings, economic and health disparities and the status quo remain. But | 1,928 |
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If you've had a recent autism diagnosis, finding good autism therapy is super important. I hope that this list has helped you get off to the right path so you can start trying out some autism therapies for your child! | .
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Psychotherapy: psychotherapy use a variety of techniques to help children who experience anxiety, depression, OCD, or other psychiatric systems that cause problems for the autistic child.
Floor time therapy: floor time activities derive from the idea that we as parents can help our children by meeting them on their level to expand circles of communication.
RDI therapy: relationship development intervention therapy is a family-based, behavioral treatment designed to address autism's core symptoms by appreciating all perspectives, coping with change and integrating information from multiple sources such as light and sound.
PEC therapy: picture exchange communication is used with nonverbal autistic children to learn to communicate without words so that they can make choices and communicate their needs and minimalize their behaviors so that they can be a much happier child.
Aquatic therapy: using swimming as therapy increases the effectiveness of all other forms of treatment by learning better balance, communication skills, sensory issues, and oral motor skills. You can learn more about aquatic therapy here.
So, what if you're having some trouble deciding?
It's not uncommon to be overwhelmed at all the different options out there and trying to figure out which ones will work best for your family and your health care coverage.
UnitedHealthcare has some great resources to help. With their Quick Care Quiz, you can learn the different health plan terminologies to help you explore the best health care options for you and your family. Insurance terminology can be overwhelming in itself. I know I often find myself confused when it comes time to explore our plans and figure out coverage and copayments. UnitedHealthcare also has an awesome Printable that you can save for quick reference on costs and tips for visiting your doctor. They also delve into helping you find the best medical facility for the type of care you are seeking. When it comes to different types of therapies and medical care there are so many different | 642 |
In a major achievement, India has now been declared free of maternal and neonatal tetanus by the WHO. This is important also because tetanus was seen as a major health concern for the newborn after the elimination of polio a year ago.
As per the WHO, the National Rural Health Mission launched in 2005 was instrumental<|fim_middle|> total neonatal deaths across the country.
The disease usually occurs in newborns through infection of the unhealed umbilical stump, especially when the stump is cut with a non-sterile instrument. As per the norms, maternal tetanus is considered eliminated once neonatal tetanus elimination has been achieved.
The Logical Indian congratulates everyone on this piece of good news and we hope more diseases get eliminated through the dedicated work of our medical staff. | in facilitating this feat. Also, the learning from the polio eradication programme helped the healthcare workers and administration in a big way and tetanus could be targeted with greater ease.
Just 25 years ago, neonatal tetanus, which means tetanus in the newborn, was responsible for 80000 deaths annually and was almost 15% of the | 76 |
You wanted an ironing board so luxe, your little black dress could eat caviar off of it. That's when you discovered this Adjustable Deluxe Ironing Board with Iron Rest. With one look you thought, "You should be bronzed" and in fact, its steel frame is. You can also shift its height up to 36-inch tall, in case you feel like pressing your most luxurious duds in a pair of high heels. And while this stand-up ironing board will help you steam your garments into privileged perfection, it also works on every day work shirts and more ordinary pairs of pants.
This truly versatile, energy saving clothes dryer allows the rising warm air to pass through, drying the clothes in your unutilized ceiling space. Each individual rod is raised and lowered by a nylon cord, for easy hanging separately as needed. The neat, compact design allows it to be installed in many different areas.
This stainless steel fold-away laundry rack gives you ample room to dry your clothes the natural way with 42ft of drying space. Complete with convenient adjustable arm settings, a place to dry shoes or slippers and the versatility to use indoors or outdoors, its a fantastic energy-saving drying solution.
Honey-Can-Do HMP-01403 Dual Compartment Laundry Hamper, Brown/Taupe. A decorative laundry solution for bedrooms and baths, this hamper looks as good as it is functional. Clearly marked "Lights" and "Darks" compartments make sorting laundry a breeze. Full-sized compartments can hold in extra-large loads of laundry with the mesh drawstring top. Sturdy metal frame is removable for storing the hamper flat when not in use. Laminated interior is easy to clean and keeps mildew from forming on the exterior fabric. Keep clothes off of the floor and your space neat and clean with this great-looking hamper.
This multipurpose Foldable Ironing Laundry Centre and Valet from Honey-Can-Do features a built-in ironing board (43-inch L x 14-inch W), dual laundry sorter, iron rest and hanging bar. The thick foam pad and heat-resistant, cotton/canvas cover provide a smooth ironing surface every time. An integrated, steel wire iron rest is the perfect spot to rest a warm iron and prevent scorching. The sorter boasts two removable laundry bags for simple sorting and convenient carrying and washing, incorporating mesh sides for ventilation and an interior coating to resist mildew and odours. The attached hanging bar is great for keeping already ironed garments crisp and wrinkle-free. Rolling casters with locking wheels allow you to move the laundry centre from washing machine to ironing space quickly and easily, and the entire unit folds down in seconds for easy storage when not in use.
Adjustable Deluxe Ironing Board with Iron Rest You wanted an ironing board so luxe, your little black dress could eat caviar off of it. That's when you discovered this Adjustable Deluxe Ironing Board with Iron Rest. With one look you thought, "You should be bronzed" and in fact, its steel frame is. You can also shift its height up to 36-inch tall, in case you feel like pressing your most luxurious duds in a pair of high heels. And while this stand-up ironing board will help you steam your garments into privileged perfection, it also works on every day work shirts and more ordinary pairs of pants.
Adjustable Deluxe Iron<|fim_middle|> significantly cheaper on HomeDepot.com than purchasing from the manufacturer. I'd change the color of the legs and iron rest to silver finish, but there's nothing else I'd want different about this item.
Rated 4 out of 5 by char from It's solid and the features all work easily. Only thing, it's a little too heavy and big. It's solid and the features all work easily. Only thing, it's a little too heavy and big.
Rated 4 out of 5 by nick from Need to put soft rubber feet on the legs so it does not slide. the hard plastic feet do not grip ... Need to put soft rubber feet on the legs so it does not slide. the hard plastic feet do not grip well on bare floors. the legs have a tendency to slide outward making it less stable. I put rubber casters under the feet which helps with this issue on bare floor use.
Rated 4 out of 5 by Annie from I haven't had to purchase an ironing board in a very long time. This one is very sturdy. Just a... I haven't had to purchase an ironing board in a very long time. This one is very sturdy. Just a slight bit of confusion on how it works as there were no directions ( who would have thought I would need directions.....) to set it up. I like the iron holder. Allows me more room to press fabric and I like the shelf underneath to stack my ironing that is either completed or has to be done.
Rated 4 out of 5 by Dan from Really like this ironing board. I like all the height adjustments and the stability. But, I was... Really like this ironing board. I like all the height adjustments and the stability. But, I was disappointed that the table was plastic and I found out the hard way that the convient holder allows the iron to stay really hot. I was ironing a light shirt on the normal setting I always use and melted right through it. I have learned not to put the iron in the holder and all is OK now. | ing Board with Iron Rest is rated 4.2 out of 5 by 15.
Rated 4 out of 5 by Anonymous from Exceptional value! This item offers exceptional value, sturdiness and it is | 46 |
Remember it's natural to be nervous or unsure, so please call us if you feel this way and we can talk you through everything you need to know.
Research the company you are interviewing with (ask your recruiter for any tips, research their website, industry journals, read the job description again). Have some questions to<|fim_middle|> knows what other positions may materilaise in the future?
Don't bring up salary let the interviewer ask you if at all. If they do ask state your full package with any perks.
Even if you think you have been rejected remain positive, so many times candidates have been successful when they thought they had been discounted.
When the interview is finished shake their hand, thank them for their time and convey your interest.
Don't forget to review our 'Questions you may be asked' section by following this link. | ask them.
Arrive 10 minutes before your scheduled time.
Take along a copy of your CV for the interviewer.
Greet the interviewer with good eye contact and a firm hand shake followed by greeting them with their last name.
It can be tempting to relax or slump in your chair or read any exposed information on the desk. Please avoid this and remain focused on the interviewer with good poise and eye contact.
Wait until the interviewer asks you to talk about yourself before you present any information about yourself. In particular do not present any paper work, qualifications etc unless they have asked you specifically.
Project your voice, conveying confidence and enthusiasm when answering questions. Always answer the questions directly do not go off at a tangent. You will be surprised how many positions are lost due to this.
Even if you are not enthralled by the role give them positive feedback, it will give them a good first impression and who | 184 |
Craig Finn
Faith in the Future
Partisan Records/Knitting Factory
Hold Steady! Left-field Superstar Unleashes his Sensitive Side.
I live in something of a bubble according to Son #2 ;as I thought Craig Finn was a lesser known member of Crowded House when I received this disc. Apparently he is the lead singer in a Beat-Combo called the Hold Steady who are popular among the young people. Who knew?
So; with that in mind my review will actually be about the songs included on the record itself with no mentions of his other musical life, of which I know<|fim_middle|> Finn's own writing in whichever direction he decides to go.
http://steadycraig.tumblr.com/
Released 11th September 2015 | nothing.
Listening with a completely open mind I was mildly thrilled with the opening track Maggie I've Been Searching For Our Son. The punchy atmospheric guitars, rhythm section and ultra-tight harmonies sound like they come from the best house band in LA; but it's always Finn's droll and worn voice that keeps me coming back to a deeply dark song.
Even on the first listen through; it was evident Craig Finn is an exceptional songwriter. There's a saying 'The Devil is in the Detail' and that is so very true of Finn's observations in all of his stories.
There's a 'pop sensibility' weaving its way through every song; in a way not too dissimilar from bands like Cheap Trick and the Eurythmics; but it's meant as a compliment because this band make even the saddest and loneliest of these songs very easy on the ear – I'm particularly thinking Newmyer's Roof which echoes both Dylan and those two bands.
One song in particular tickled my 'musical funny bone.' Going To a Show is one of the slower more acoustic tracks here and has the singer taking the role of a lonely gig-goer who has to tread through a sea of mediocrity while dreaming of seeing 'the next big thing' in a tiny club. Hmm; who does that remind me of?
Finn's supreme song-writing skills make every single song here stand head and shoulders above just about everything else I've heard this year (with the possible exception of Jason Isbell) with two songs that could and should be up there on the top table during the Awards season.
Saint Peter (Upside Down) is truly extraordinary in the way Finn takes a Religious story and makes it about everyone of us who has betrayed someone close; either on purpose or accidentally. It doesn't matter because that guilt will carry to the grave.
The other that knocks me sideways every time I hear it is Sarah (Calling from a hotel). Wow! This is a heavy, heavy song worthy of Leonard Cohen. I won't give the 'punchline/ending' away; but you gotta listen very closely from start to finish fishing for clues in the way you would a James Lee Burke or Ian Rankin thriller.
Faith in the Future ends with I Was Doing Fine (Then Some People Died); a surprisingly upbeat song; combining hope, despair, loneliness and even faith itself in a way I've not heard since Steven Patrick Morrissey left the Smiths. Hmm; perhaps that's who Craig Finn reminds me of – an American Morrissey. Perhaps.
Hopefully Faith in The Future isn't just a throwaway sideline for Craig Finn; nor do I want it to be an 'instead of' where his day job The Hold Steady is concerned; but a stepping stone for | 565 |
It was November 8, 1972, the evening of President Richard Nixon's<|fim_middle|>I have many special memories to recall when I am down or unhappy, or ill or lonely. This is one of them. | re election. My husband was head of Nixon's news summary staff – Pat Buchanan was his boss. In the future I would be working for two other presidents, but for now, I was a 'go to' gal for the Republicans, and I was about to have a singular adventure in The White House.
On this evening, I was alone in the Old Executive Office Building, running back and forth to the main white house all night, carrying papers and messages to the employees who would later be bussed to the Shoreham Hotel. There, in front of his family and loyal staff, The President would accept his second term, a landslide victory against George McGovern.
The White House was deserted, except for a lone guard who stood outside the President's office. He was a young man, and he looked quite tired like me, having been there all night, like me. I asked him if I could look inside. He said yes. I asked him if I could go inside, and he just turned his back and yawned. So in I went.
The room was large and beautifully furnished. On one side stood an enormous desk with nothing on top except one book, "The Winds Of War "by Herman Wouk, a famous writer of the times.
Across the President's desk was a huge color television set. There I was, sitting in the President's chair, casually dressed in slacks and loafers, watching him once again accept the position of President of the United States, and in color! A color TV was not all as ubiquitous as it is today. I was also sitting where few (if any) females had sat before, much less anyone other than the President himself. This moment was special.
I stayed there as long as I could – the guard left his post for a snack – which was more than an hour. The bus was bringing everybody back – it's now nearing 1 AM on November 8th – and Mrs. Nixon had invited all of us to a celebration in the White House's family rooms, but I did not go. My night of wonder was complete.
| 426 |
The NFL says Tomlin interfered with a play against the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving.
PIT<|fim_middle|>-21 Jaguars victory. | TSBURGH — Steelers coach Mike Tomlin's ill-timed two-step has cost him $100,000 and could cost his team a pick in next year's draft.
The league fined Tomlin $100,000 on Wednesday for interfering with a play against the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving.
Tomlin was not penalized on the play, though the NFL said Tomlin should have been flagged 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct for nearly colliding with Baltimore's Jacoby Jones during a kickoff return midway through the third quarter of a 22-20 Ravens victory.
The seventh-year head coach called the play "embarrassing, inexcusable, illegal and a blunder" but stressed it was not intentional.
Tomlin was standing on the restricted white border between the sideline and field during Jones' kickoff return. Jones had to swerve to avoid running into the coach and was tackled after a 73-yard return that might have gone for a touchdown if not for the obstruction. Tomlin briefly stepped onto the field before he jumped back.
Tomlin said Tuesday he was "mesmerized" by watching the return on the video board and would accept any repercussions for his actions.
Tomlin's players have defended him, noting it's not unusual for players or staff members to find themselves on the edge of the field during a play. Safety Ryan Clark admitted to standing near the playing surface while watching the Steelers attempt a late 2-point conversion in the final minutes against Baltimore.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger declined to discuss whether the loss of a draft pick would be too excessive but added he doesn't think the furor over Tomlin's near-trip will serve as a distraction for Pittsburgh (5-7), which is still in the playoff hunt.
Tomlin's job is not in jeopardy and he said Tuesday he had not spoken to team owners Dan and Art Rooney II about the situation.
"I would imagine if the Rooneys thought that I was capable of that or they thought my intentions were that, I wouldn't be sitting at this table talking to you guys," he said.
Tomlin makes $5.25 million a season and the fine constitutes less than 2 percent of his annual salary. He is far more concerned about the uncomfortable position he put the league and the Steelers in after failing to get out of the way with any sense of urgency.
The penalty is large for on-field conduct but a coach but is not among the heftiest in league history. The NFL slapped New England coach Bill Belichick with a maximum $500,000 fine in 2007 for spying on an opponent's defensive signals.
New Orleans coach Sean Payton was suspended for the 2012 season for his role in a bounty system that awarded Saints players for injuring an opponent.
Tomlin's predecessor, Bill Cowher, raised eyebrows but was not disciplined in 1997 when he feigned tackling Jacksonville's Chris Hudson as Hudson ran back a Pittsburgh field goal attempt for a touchdown on the final play of the game in a 30 | 634 |
Storm Warning: Gilbert El Niño Melendez is Ready to Strike
April 2013Feature
Photos By Paul Thatcher
For years, people have claimed Gilbert "El Niño" Melendez to be the best lightweight in the world that isn't in the UFC. Finally, he will get a chance to prove it.
It's lazy Sunday at the Melendez household on a sunny day in the Frisco suburb of Daly City, California, and face-punching can wait until tomorrow. The night before, women debuted in the UFC and Oscar coverage starts in a few hours. But for man of the house Gilbert Melendez, it's time to shut out external stimuli. He's made it through another week of punishing training, with eight more to go until he fights for the UFC Lightweight Title. This morning, he watched Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche on his laptop and skipped the rest.
"I fought all week," says Melendez. "I watch the fights, and I start thinking I might fight. Too much anxiety, too much energy spent."
He says this shortly after he trudges into his high-ceilinged living room in jeans and a t-shirt, sporting baggy eyes and a bruise over his nose. His black hair is short and unkempt—forget fighting, he wants breakfast. A run is what he's supposed to do, according to<|fim_middle|> Somewhere along the line, Melendez decided to push himself toward kickboxing…and then MMA.
"I knew that I had talent," he says.
His first two fights were held in a rodeo barn during a four-man tournament on an Indian reservation in Northern California. There was manure on the floor, no athletic commission, and he finished both of his opponents. Afterward, he called up Gilbert Sr., who gave his blessing, not knowing his son had already dropped out three months earlier as a sophomore.
Melendez went on to the pre-Zuffa WEC, where he stopped three opponents to win the promotion's lightweight belt. Shields and Melendez became acquainted with Diaz brothers Nick and Nate, and the foundation for a renowned (and notorious) fight team was forged.
"It was a great time," Shields says. "We were young and trying to make it and having a good time. We didn't get into too much trouble. We were too busy fighting in the cage and chasing girls."
The party went on until 2007, when the UFC bought PRIDE—the first time Melendez's career took a right turn by the industry leader. He went back to Strikeforce, where he had captured the lightweight title in 2006. But on June 27, 2008, talented lightweight Josh Thomson took it in a bout where he appeared flat and outgunned in exchanges. Six months prior, he had lost a decision to standout Mitsuhiro Ishida in Japan.
Melendez realized he was losing a step. He started taking fighting seriously, not cutting corners, showing up for every practice, and hitting every pad with vengeance. He met Keri, and the wild nights dwindled. Sixteen months later, he had avenged both losses and recaptured the Strikeforce Lightweight Title.
"A lot of those misfortunes happened, and good things came out of it," he says. "I lost to Josh, but it was the best thing to help me decide that this is my career. With the ups come the downs, but I wanted to focus on the positive things."
At the moment, Gilbert is standing in the middle of one of those positive things. El Niño Training Center has grown from a cramped mat room with a claustrophobic loft to one of those cavernous places profiled on Inside MMA. He used Craigslist to find the place, which is nestled beside a busy road in an industrial section of San Francisco's SOMA (South of Market) district. A leathered man he calls "Swarm" arrives with Baby, his aging pit bull, who's getting royal treatment from his babysitter.
"I've been on a portion control diet," Swarm says. "I eat half of it, then I feed the rest to Baby. I've lost 18 pounds."
These days, Melendez's scale registers 170 pounds in the a.m. Within two weeks, he'll come to rest at 166, and then he'll start his cut down to 155 pounds. As deprivation goes, it's a small ordeal compared to the 20-pound drops you hear of so often these days, which has lead some to conclude he'd be better suited at featherweight. He did fight in Shooto at 143 pounds, and he considered dropping when Nate Diaz fought Henderson for the title. But his teammate lost a one-sided decision, and he has no plans to take a run at Jose Aldo's belt if he's unsuccessful on April 20.
"I'm going to fucking win," Melendez says. "I'm going to look strong, big, and they're not going to say that. Am I taller than him? I'm a little taller than him."
If it were a contest of height, there would be a new champ. He measures 5-foot-10, which is actually an inch taller than Henderson. So he's right—by no means is he a small lightweight. He's got long arms and skinny legs. He just wears it deceptively, as Henderson's long torso makes him seem taller inside the cage.
"I watch his tape," he says. "He's really slick. We might get into a scramble, and the fucker might do a backflip and land the best choke in the world. That's the kind of guy he could be. But am I, like, scared of his striking? I'm scared of him maybe kicking out my ankle and maybe hurting my leg—those things are on your mind. But am I scared of, 'C'mon, hit me?' Not at all. I don't think he's the Anderson or GSP or Jon Jones of the lightweight division. I think at 155, that torch can be passed quick. But it would be nice to be the guy who does it. It's going to be good TV."
All this talk about Henderson has made him antsy to shadowbox.
The noodles are served in a steaming heap at the Vietnamese joint Gilbert and Keri swear by, but it's the whole shrimp slathered in this brown, sweet-smelling sauce that awakens salivary glands. Eating them whole with the shells on is a sure way to incite a riot in your stomach, Gilbert says. He's gotten the pho, imploring the waitress to bring a plate's worth of limes, which he squirts every which way.
By the time Benson Henderson won the undisputed WEC Lightweight Title in 2010, Melendez already was ranked among the top-10 lightweights in the world. While his UFC counterparts enjoyed the recognition brought by booming business and an overpowered marketing machine, he quietly built a 10-2 record both abroad and domestically, beating Clay Guida, Tetsuya Kawajiri, Shinya Aoki, and Josh Thomson. He won his last seven bouts under the Strikeforce banner, and, during a second run as Champ, defended his belt four times.
Ben Henderson, of course, is no longer a B-level king. He's at the top of the rankings after tearing through the UFC's lightweight division following the loss of his WEC belt to Anthony Pettis, who is expected to meet the winner of the April 20 bout. But while most hardcore fans take no issue with Melendez's title shot, not everybody sees him as a contender. Keri, who's not yet learned to refrain from trolling the Internet for articles about her husband, rants about a writer who recently made the argument that he's neither popular nor accomplished enough to fight Henderson.
"The funny thing is, he tried to get a job at the gym," she says. "Maybe it didn't work out and he held a grudge, because he came in and he was the biggest fan of Gilbert."
A constant presence at her fiancé's fights, she face-palmed a heckler after he beat Thomson last May. A former Muay Thai champion, she thought better of using her fists. But the couple still had a heart-to-heart about keeping emotions in check. As Melendez's star rises, critics are bound to multiply.
Nevertheless, the smear job presents a good opportunity for the fighter to sell the fight. Why does he deserve the opportunity?
"My record and accomplishments speak for themselves," Melendez says. "I think from a business standpoint, Champion vs. Champion is a good thing. Why risk me losing to someone like Gray Maynard? With that said, timing wise, I think I'm there. I'm debatably the number one guy in the world. I'm kind of a mystery man right now, but look at my record. I've only lost twice. I avenged both those losses. Every fight, I've pretty much dominated. When I'm watching Kenny Florian fight Sean Sherk, I was ready. When I see Joe Stevenson fighting for the title—that should have been me. When I see Roger Huerta fighting Kenny Florian to get the shot, I was ready then. I've been ready for all those years. UFC guys have been there for a couple."
The Rolls Royce of beds is some sort of magical melding of memory foam, innersprings, and probably a few unicorn pelts. It is not what the Melendez family needs, yet it's too tempting to pass up. We're at a mattress store near the condo, and Gilbert and Keri hop on for a test run. In a few seconds, he's fighting the urge to snooze. A Tempur-Pedic mattress is just the kind of swag a discretionary bonus might buy, especially now that he's eligible for them in the UFC. Then he gets a look at the price tag: $8,000.
"Whoa! Let's see the shitty one," he says.
Along with a few smacks, Gilbert Melendez Sr. gave him many lessons on frugality—and enterprise. He's one of the few fighters to have monthly sponsorships in an abysmal market—three of them, in fact. His gym is making money, and he and Keri are always on the lookout for new branding opportunities. But a bed the cost of a Kia Rio is a little too rich right now. They settle on a full-size that costs a little more than a grand. After his Octagon debut and wedding, they plan to buy a house.
"I've always put myself in a good place," he says. "I'm ready whether I win or lose, which helps me perform even better. I feel like I've set things up well in my life. I've just got to go out there and do it."
Driving back home, Gilberts talks about a jiu-jitsu tournament that's being attended by a few of his students. Somewhere between the gym and the restaurant and a stop for coffee, he's gotten a text informing him that Henderson is in the audience. It's impossible not to conjure a daydream about Melendez and his Cesar Gracie teammates swarming around the Champ, as they once did to another fighter on national television. Would mean mugs be displayed? Sure. Would fists start to fly? Maybe. Would homies be scared? Never.
Even though it never would have happened, it would have made for great TV.
Eat, Pray, Wrestle: One Man's Quest to Battle the Toughest Wrestlers in India
Last Call – Win the Crowd (and give 'em something they've never seen before)
Robbie Lawler – The Thinking Brawler
Pat Curran – Kill Switch
Chad "Money" Mendes
Anthony Pettis – The Human Highlight Reel | his schedule, but a massage is what he's getting.
"When I start doing two-a-days, you get your body in this zombie tough-mode," he says. "But one day off a week, I never feel like I'm recovered."
Adorable though she is, the little bundle of joy bouncing around the townhouse isn't helping matters. Two-year-old Leylakay Valentina Melendez has her dad's curls and breaks the morning quiet with a Gene Krupa imitation on her kiddie drum set. She's outgrown her crib and taken to climbing into bed at dawn with daddy and mommy, Gilbert's fiancé Keri Taylor. It's cutting into valuable recovery time, so today's task is to buy a new bed she can invade.
"Go Frankie, go!" she blurts during a discussion involving one particular Edgar.
"She's a daddy fan," says daddy. "You're not going to print that, right?"
Eight days prior to challenging champ Benson Henderson at UFC on FOX 7, which will take place less than an hour's drive from his doorstep at San Jose's HP Pavilion, Gilbert Melendez will turn 31 years old. Gone are his days of fighting and chasing tail in a San Francisco frat house beside his best friend, UFC welterweight Jake Shields. He's a father now, with a 7,500-square-foot gym and a wedding to plan. And, lest he forget, a title shot. In other words, he's a long way from Santa Ana, California, where he avoided local gangs and was voted homecoming king.
"I feel like an adult," he says. "My 20s were fun, but I started to hit that 30-year-old point when I was 28. More bills, more thinking about the future. It's more about juggling at this point in life."
He agrees he's come a long way—look at all this domesticity, right? But for all he's accomplished, winning belts in the WEC, Shooto, and Strikeforce, he knows there are miles to go before his recognition catches up with his skill. He's an indie artist up against the major label act (though he's a well-paid independent, guaranteed $175,000 if he takes the belt). But to Johnny Casual Fan, he might as well be a flyweight.
"It doesn't matter what I've done elsewhere," says Melendez. "The guy who's 0-4 in the UFC has more credibility than me. Not that I really care, but for branding purposes, if I can't put UFC outside my gym, I can never brand myself the same to the common person. Someone that's a peer of mine will know, but a little kid with a mommy trying to sign up for the gym or the person in the bar, it's, 'Hope you make it to the UFC.'"
In December, he finally made it. He was sitting in his Toyota Tundra before practice when his lawyer called with the offer to fight Henderson. There had been rumors of a looming opportunity, and they had pushed for the fight. Only a few months earlier, he had looked into a video camera and huffed that he would never migrate to the UFC—contractual jiu-jitsu between Showtime and Zuffa wouldn't allow it.
The lawyer heard silence and a deep breath, and eventually a "Yes." Melendez's mind was racing. Practice was good that day.
"You're like, you got what you asked for, motherfucker," he says. "Now it's time. Let's do it. You think you're going to be happy and emotional, but I'll be a little bit happier and emotional when I win. I've anticipated being here. This is all something I envisioned, even though I had my ups and downs and doubts. But it's not finished. It finishes off with me being the UFC Lightweight Champion. That, or it's a fucking nightmare."
Melendez was born on April 12, 1982, in Santa Ana. His father, Gilbert Melendez, Sr., was from Tijuana, Mexico. Although also Mexican, his mother didn't learn to speak Spanish until they got married. They spoke English in the house and raised him and his two sisters as Americans. To this day, he's fluent enough only to get out of trouble—in East L.A.
Melendez Sr. believed in discipline and might smack his son if he came home too late from a friend's house. But he also pushed Gilbert to make something of himself when his high school wrestling career ended without a state championship.
"He wanted me to be my own man and go figure things out," Melendez says. "I just remember one day when my application for Cal State Fullerton first came in, he opened the trash and trashed it. He said, 'You're a fool if you want to stay here for college. Go somewhere else.' San Francisco seemed like the place to go."
Soon, 20-year-old Melendez found himself at San Francisco State, where he joined the school's wrestling squad. He had declared a major in liberal studies and thought of becoming a teacher. But that plan went out the window when he met Shields, who joined the team his sophomore year. A fast-talking vegan with a gift for picking up girls, Shields introduced him to BJJ black belt Cesar Gracie and San Francisco nightlife.
Something clicked on those mats at Gracie's gym in Pleasant Hill, which offered plenty of time for reflection on the hour-long drive there and back. | 1,146 |
Fyran Pursuit 600GT
By: Norman Holtzhausen
Renowned for building top-quality, stylish and tough boats, Fyran has produced another cracker in its newest model, the Pursuit 600GT.
Like the rest of Fyran's Pursuit range<|fim_middle|> and there was still plenty of fuel in the tank. The boat performed flawlessly, handled well under differing conditions and is suited to a variety of uses.
Would I buy one myself? Without a doubt.
Specifications Fyran Pursuit 600GT Hardtop (Price as tested:$59,589)
Construction: 5mm aluminium (hull) with fibreglass cabin and hardtop
Deadrise: 16o
Engine: Honda 135hp four-stroke
Fuel: 115-litre underfloor tank
Towing weight: 1350kg
Trailer: Hosking multi-roller, unbraked, galvanised
Electronics: Seiwa Baraccuda GPS/Chartplotter, Cobra VHF radio | , this boat is a fusion between aluminium hull and fibreglass superstructure, and the combination delivers the best features of both materials. The hull, built from 5mm aluminium plate, is seriously tough and combined with built-in reserve buoyancy compartments has been CPC-certified as 'unsinkable'.
The fibreglass cabin and hardtop has soft, rounded lines that would be difficult to reproduce in aluminium. Fibreglass is also quieter and warmer than aluminium, and installing aftermarket fittings and accessories to the boat's interior is easy.
A black hull, bright white cabin top and the bold Fyran graphics give the boat a particularly striking appearance. While one should never buy a boat solely on its appearance, this one's looks will easily sway you. The quality of build is carried throughout the boat.
Its layout confirms the Pursuit 600 GT as a serious fishing machine. The small day cabin is balanced by a large open cockpit, with everything well-placed for its intended purpose. The cockpit, with its generous 2.18m beam, has high, broad gunwales.
Apart from better safety in rough seas, the high gunwale also provides good thigh-support while fishing, and it's a comfortable place to sit. It serves as a mounting point for rod holders and other accessories, and a wide shelf runs under the gunwale all the way forward – perfect for fishing rods and other accessories.
Any water or mess in the cockpit drains from the treadplate floor into the bilge and is discharged by a 900gph pump. This also makes the boat easy to clean, with a simple hose-off at the end of the day taking care of any mess. Underfloor is a 115-litre fuel tank, easily enough for a full day's boating. A fuel gauge (not fitted) would be useful.
Hanging off the stern is a 135hp four-stroke Honda outboard, and the generous boarding platform keeps the engine well away from the boat. It's also a great place to stand and fish. This boat was equipped with the optional walk-through transom and fold-down alloy boarding ladder, which makes this an excellent diving platform. The battery compartment is in a central transom locker, with a second, dry locker to starboard.
One of Fyran's custom-designed baitboards fits into two rod holders mounted on the transom. Comprising a powder-coated aluminium frame and a hefty chunk of timber as the cutting surface, it has to be one of the simplest yet most effective bait boards around.
High enough to avoid backache, the design has a trough along the back for knives, sinkers and other gear to roll into – rather than off the board. The cutting surface is sufficiently raised to be able to easily fillet fish, while still catching juices and keeping the boat clean.
Since the cutting board is an insert, one side can be used for bait, and then it can be flipped over to present a clean side for filleting the catch. The unit also has a drain hole that drains well clear of the transom, avoiding a major cleanup issue after the day's fishing.
It's well laid out, with a swiveling plastic seat upholstered in easy-clean vinyl. The soft steering wheel is comfortable, and the throttle falls easily to hand. Throttle action was very light but positive, and was a pleasure to use.
Electronics include the Seiwa Baraccuda chartplotter/fishfinder combination. It's an excellent unit and its 7" screen is clearly visible in bright sunlight. For a first time user, though, it takes a while to scroll through the detailed menus to find the various functions.
The unit's also radar-capable, making it an ideal single-unit solution. There is ample space on the dash to fit a bigger display unit if preferred. A Cobra VHF radio, a comprehensive bank of Honda instruments and a switch panel make up the rest of the electronics. The only real omission from the dash was the previously-mentioned fuel gauge.
Passenger seating is a king-and-queen setup, with the main seat swiveling and the queen seat fixed. Both helm and passenger seats are mounted on polyethelyne pedestals with useful storage space below. Other factory-fitted seating options are also available. Grab handles are conveniently positioned, and both skipper and passenger have bulkhead-mounted footrests.
The hardtop is a great feature of this boat, and provides snug shelter from the elements. A rocket-launcher style rod holder is mounted along the trailing edge, providing storage for six additional fishing rods. The roof is lined, and the large, forward-sloping window provides a useful dash stowage area.
Two bunks are in the day cabin, and although not quite long enough for a serious overnighter, they're ample for a mid-afternoon snooze. The cabin floor is a step down from the main deck. A separate squab hides the optional chemical toilet, and as anyone with a family knows, this feature can be the make-or-break difference between a great day out and a miserable ordeal, so it's good to see it offered in a boat this size.
Cabin sides are lined, and the shelf continues forward through the cabin. An oversize, sensibly-positioned hatch makes it easy to stand in the cabin and access the anchor well. The well has its own half-flap which deflects any waves that may break over the bow. Although an anchor winch is not fitted, the large Rocna anchor was easy to retrieve by hand.
The boat is equipped with an unbraked multi-roller trailer from Albany-based Hosking. With an all-up towing weight of 1350kg, it is well within the ability of most family sedans.
Launching the boat was an easy, single-handed job, thanks to the superb multi-roller configuration. The Honda fired up first go, and we headed out for a serious day's fishing on what proved to be one of the nicest days so far this year.
The glass-calm conditions were no test for the boat's capabilities, but it did mean we were able to open the throttle wide. With four adults and a fuel load of fuel in the tank we were soon pushing 34 knots, and then dropped to a more economical 25-knot cruising speed for the rest of the trip.
Gannet Island proved a productive fishing spot, and we soon 'blooded' the boat with a mixture of snapper, kahawai, gurnard, blue mackerel and a couple of small sharks. Despite four people fishing actively, there was space to spare and very few tangles.
More blue skies the following day, but the wind had picked up, pushing a nasty, metre-high chop. Despite these conditions, which saw us regularly taking spray over the bow, we were able to keep to a reasonable speed of just under 20 knots.
These are the conditions that allow a hardtop to show its true colours, and we remained completely dry and comfortable. A windscreen wiper would have been useful to clear the spray, but despite the lack thereof visibility was good through the huge windscreen.
We nosed into Garden Cove on Waiheke to a slice of paradise. The bay was completely sheltered from the wind and swell, and we eased the boat into the shallows onto the fine sand. An aluminium hull is ideal for this type of use, with no worries about running it onto a beach.
The journey back, with a quartering sea from the rear, again demonstrated the boat's superior handling, and clean-up at the marina involved a simple hose down and flush of the engine.
Although we could not measure fuel consumption accurately, we travelled around 79 nautical miles, mostly at around 4200rpm, over the two days | 1,607 |
https://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/California-s-gay-marriage-ruling-What-does-it-892736.php
California's gay marriage ruling: What does it mean here?
By CHRIS GRYGIEL, SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF
Published 10:00 pm PDT, Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Will a judge's decision on California's same-sex marriage ban have any effect in Washington?
That remains to be seen.
On Wednesday, a federal judge in California overturned Proposition 8 - which banned gay marriages in<|fim_middle|> continues to shine a light on the inequality that same-sex couples face because they don't have access to marriage." | that state.
In 2006 in Washington, the state Supreme Court upheld the state's Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as an act between a man and woman. However Washington does have an "everything but marriage" domestic partnership program for same-sex couples. The new law was approved by the Legislature last year and withstood a referendum challenge to overturn it. The registry - with more than 7,700 couples - is run by the secretary of state's office.
It would be up to the Washington Legislature to reconsider gay marriage, said Dave Ammons, a spokesman for Secretary of State Sam Reed. "Whether a victory in California would prompt the issue to resurface in the Legislature is the next question," he said. "It could also be the subject of an initiative, of course."
Rep. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, a supporter of the state's expanded domestic partnership law, said he doubted the California ruling would do much in the short run. He said there is another case - specifically challenging aspects of the federal ban on gay marriage - that could have a broader impact on the question.
Pedersen agreed the next step toward attempting to legalize gay marriage in Washington would eventually run through Olympia.
"At some point, we will go back and ask the leg and or the voters to consider making the change so that marriage would be available t same sex couples," Pedersen said.
Proponents of gay marriage hope to move a case - either the California dispute over Proposition 8 or another argument - to the U.S. Supreme Court. However Pedersen wasn't sanguine about those prospects.
"Personally I am very skeptical that the U.S. Supreme Court is going to be receptive to a very broad claim regarding gay marriage rights," he said, though he thought the justices may be more inclined to allow individual states to allow same-sex marriages. "But the idea that they would say at this point, or in the foreseeable future, that all states would required to let same sex couples marry is a real stretch."
He said the California case "was important because it | 420 |
Unraveling the nature of coherent beatings in chlorosomes.
Jakub Dostal, Tomáš Mančal, František Vácha, Jakub Pšenčík, Donatas Zigmantas
Coherent two-dimensional (2D) spectroscopy at 80 K was used to study chlorosomes isolated from green sulfur bacterium Chlorobaculum tepidum. Two distinct processes in the evolution of the 2D spectrum are observed. The first being exciton diffusion, seen in the change of the spectral shape occurring on a 100-fs timescale, and the second being vibrational coherences, realized through coherent beatings with frequencies of 91 and 145 cm(-1) that are dephased during the first 1.2 ps. The distribution of the oscillation amplitude in the 2D spectra is independent of the evolution of the 2D spectral shape. This implies that the diffusion energy transfer process does not transfer coherences within the chlorosome. Remarkably, the oscillatory pattern observed in the negative regions of the 2D spectrum (dominated by the excited state absorption) is a mirror image of the oscillations found in the positive part (originating from the stimulated emission and ground state bleach). This observation is surprising since it is expected that coherences in the electronic ground and excited states are generated with the same probability and the latter dephase faster in the presence of fast diffusion. Moreover, the relative amplitude of coherent beatings is rather high compared to non-oscillatory signal despite the reported low values of the Huang-Rhys factors. The origin of these effects is discussed in terms of the vibronic and Herzberg-Teller couplings.
The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015.
The record was previously connected to the following departments: Chemical Physics (S) (011001060)
Subject classification (UKÄ)
Atom and Molecular Physics and Optics
Dostal2014JCP_chlorosome osc fullFinal published version, 923 KB
Dive into the research topics of 'Unraveling the nature of coherent beatings in chlorosomes.'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Diffusion Chemical Compounds 100%
Ground State Chemical Compounds 85%
Excited State Absorption Chemical Compounds 77%
Stimulated Emission Chemical Compounds 73%
ground state Physics & Astronomy 71%
Shape Chemical Compounds 70%
stimulated emission Physics & Astronomy 58%
Dostal, J., Mančal, T., Vácha, F., Pšenčík, J., & Zigmantas, D. (2014). Unraveling the nature of coherent beatings in chlorosomes. Journal of Chemical Physics, 140(11), [115103]. https://<|fim_middle|>herences in the electronic ground and excited states are generated with the same probability and the latter dephase faster in the presence of fast diffusion. Moreover, the relative amplitude of coherent beatings is rather high compared to non-oscillatory signal despite the reported low values of the Huang-Rhys factors. The origin of these effects is discussed in terms of the vibronic and Herzberg-Teller couplings.",
author = "Jakub Dostal and Tom{\'a}{\v s} Man{\v c}al and Franti{\v s}ek V{\'a}cha and Jakub P{\v s}en{\v c}{\'i}k and Donatas Zigmantas",
note = "The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015. The record was previously connected to the following departments: Chemical Physics (S) (011001060)",
publisher = "American Institute of Physics (AIP)",
Dostal, J, Mančal, T, Vácha, F, Pšenčík, J & Zigmantas, D 2014, 'Unraveling the nature of coherent beatings in chlorosomes.', Journal of Chemical Physics, vol. 140, no. 11, 115103. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4868557
Unraveling the nature of coherent beatings in chlorosomes. / Dostal, Jakub; Mančal, Tomáš; Vácha, František; Pšenčík, Jakub; Zigmantas, Donatas.
In: Journal of Chemical Physics, Vol. 140, No. 11, 115103, 2014.
T1 - Unraveling the nature of coherent beatings in chlorosomes.
AU - Dostal, Jakub
AU - Mančal, Tomáš
AU - Vácha, František
AU - Pšenčík, Jakub
AU - Zigmantas, Donatas
N1 - The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015. The record was previously connected to the following departments: Chemical Physics (S) (011001060)
N2 - Coherent two-dimensional (2D) spectroscopy at 80 K was used to study chlorosomes isolated from green sulfur bacterium Chlorobaculum tepidum. Two distinct processes in the evolution of the 2D spectrum are observed. The first being exciton diffusion, seen in the change of the spectral shape occurring on a 100-fs timescale, and the second being vibrational coherences, realized through coherent beatings with frequencies of 91 and 145 cm(-1) that are dephased during the first 1.2 ps. The distribution of the oscillation amplitude in the 2D spectra is independent of the evolution of the 2D spectral shape. This implies that the diffusion energy transfer process does not transfer coherences within the chlorosome. Remarkably, the oscillatory pattern observed in the negative regions of the 2D spectrum (dominated by the excited state absorption) is a mirror image of the oscillations found in the positive part (originating from the stimulated emission and ground state bleach). This observation is surprising since it is expected that coherences in the electronic ground and excited states are generated with the same probability and the latter dephase faster in the presence of fast diffusion. Moreover, the relative amplitude of coherent beatings is rather high compared to non-oscillatory signal despite the reported low values of the Huang-Rhys factors. The origin of these effects is discussed in terms of the vibronic and Herzberg-Teller couplings.
AB - Coherent two-dimensional (2D) spectroscopy at 80 K was used to study chlorosomes isolated from green sulfur bacterium Chlorobaculum tepidum. Two distinct processes in the evolution of the 2D spectrum are observed. The first being exciton diffusion, seen in the change of the spectral shape occurring on a 100-fs timescale, and the second being vibrational coherences, realized through coherent beatings with frequencies of 91 and 145 cm(-1) that are dephased during the first 1.2 ps. The distribution of the oscillation amplitude in the 2D spectra is independent of the evolution of the 2D spectral shape. This implies that the diffusion energy transfer process does not transfer coherences within the chlorosome. Remarkably, the oscillatory pattern observed in the negative regions of the 2D spectrum (dominated by the excited state absorption) is a mirror image of the oscillations found in the positive part (originating from the stimulated emission and ground state bleach). This observation is surprising since it is expected that coherences in the electronic ground and excited states are generated with the same probability and the latter dephase faster in the presence of fast diffusion. Moreover, the relative amplitude of coherent beatings is rather high compared to non-oscillatory signal despite the reported low values of the Huang-Rhys factors. The origin of these effects is discussed in terms of the vibronic and Herzberg-Teller couplings.
Dostal J, Mančal T, Vácha F, Pšenčík J, Zigmantas D. Unraveling the nature of coherent beatings in chlorosomes. Journal of Chemical Physics. 2014;140(11). 115103. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4868557 | doi.org/10.1063/1.4868557
Dostal, Jakub ; Mančal, Tomáš ; Vácha, František ; Pšenčík, Jakub ; Zigmantas, Donatas. / Unraveling the nature of coherent beatings in chlorosomes. In: Journal of Chemical Physics. 2014 ; Vol. 140, No. 11.
@article{d9f43d4ecc7447fca13e02618e399e1e,
title = "Unraveling the nature of coherent beatings in chlorosomes.",
abstract = "Coherent two-dimensional (2D) spectroscopy at 80 K was used to study chlorosomes isolated from green sulfur bacterium Chlorobaculum tepidum. Two distinct processes in the evolution of the 2D spectrum are observed. The first being exciton diffusion, seen in the change of the spectral shape occurring on a 100-fs timescale, and the second being vibrational coherences, realized through coherent beatings with frequencies of 91 and 145 cm(-1) that are dephased during the first 1.2 ps. The distribution of the oscillation amplitude in the 2D spectra is independent of the evolution of the 2D spectral shape. This implies that the diffusion energy transfer process does not transfer coherences within the chlorosome. Remarkably, the oscillatory pattern observed in the negative regions of the 2D spectrum (dominated by the excited state absorption) is a mirror image of the oscillations found in the positive part (originating from the stimulated emission and ground state bleach). This observation is surprising since it is expected that co | 384 |
https://www.registercitizen.com/nationworld/article/French-boy-kidnapped-in-Madagascar-is-released-11979378.php
French boy kidnapped in Madagascar is released
Published 1:10 pm EST, Saturday, February 21, 2015
ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar<|fim_middle|> comes from a family with South Asian roots and may have another nationality in addition to his French citizenship.
The French embassy gave no details about the motive behind the kidnapping or any information about how Anvaraly was released, but said the event was "extremely serious" and that the abduction of French citizens would not go unpunished.
The have been a number of high-profile kidnappings, apparently for ransom, in Madagascar in recent months. The government of President Hery Rajaonarimampianina is under pressure to deal with a perception of rising insecurity in the Indian Ocean island nation. | >> A French boy kidnapped in southwestern Madagascar has been released after being held for three days, the French ambassador said.
The boy is in good health, said French ambassador Francois Goldblatt who announced the release on Twitter Friday evening.
Houssein Anvaraly, 12, was kidnapped outside his school in the town of Toliara on Tuesday. Anvaraly | 75 |
"They Are Looking To Explore How They Can Exploit The Machine From A Mechanical Standpoint," Says Jim Barbee, Chief Of The Division
MH: Most companies today are creating and using content to attract prospects and maneuver them into an active buying cycle. Because content so heavily impacts whether a company gets found and known online, having SEO audit tools built into the systems that marketers are using to create and publish the content (let's look at MA and landing page creation or CMS and blog publishing) is an added benefit. It's additional reassurance that your content is structured, written, and formatted for optimal searchability. Search engine marketing can be considered a hard skill—the frequent algorithm updates and changes in how content is valued—requiring marketers to stay up to date on the latest SEO updates. So, if an SEO audit tool is built into the technologies they use, they can lean on the system to ensure they are getting the most impact out of their content programs.
Major news sites like CNN.com, MSNBC and Wired.com were freely accessible from the PCs. Google could be reached at first, but the caches were blocked, as was Google News. The BBC's front page was accessible, but individual stories were not. Anonymizer.com was blocked.
Check out this before and after slider by the Wall Street Journal.
"There is a general softening in phone demand to contend with as well as expectations of a big upgrade, all of which softens the blow of this quarter's miss," said James McQuivey, a Forrester Research analyst. "If we see Apple downplaying expectations before the next upgrade cycle, it might mean that the company isn't confident it will beat those expectations."
Since the ships will be too large for the Panama Canal, they'll also be used on the Asia to Europe route. That means these ships aren't just record-breakers, but also bets from both Maersk and CMA CGM on the growth of trade between the two regions. Like the Explorer Class vessels, the Triple-Es will all be built at Daewoo Shipbuilding in South Korea.
Unfortunately getting some of the new features working requires some effort. For example, turning Gmail into a standalone app won't automatically display notifications. In order to do that, you'll need to tap into the new JavaScript APIs available for developers.
David Brady, a political science professor at Stanford University who has worked as a political consultant, praised the project but does not think it will ultimately affect the opinions of politicians.
So one day in January 2016, Michael drove with his wife to meet Wolfson and Andries at the Pine Street Clinic in San Anselmo, where they rented space. There, water gurgled in a fountain, a bird twittered in a cage, and the smell of Chinese herbs filled the air. Wolfson, a big garrulous man with white, curly hair and a pronounced limp from several back surgeries, asked about Michael's medical history. As a teen, Michael had had a noncancerous tumor removed from his abdomen. The tumor was acting like an extra adrenal gland, secreting hormones that prevented him from growing and caused him to sweat profusely, often until his clothes were drenched. The surgery was successful, but recovery had been long and difficult, he told Wolfson. He'd been intubated in the intensive care unit for nearly a week.
"They are looking to explore how they can exploit the machine from a mechanical standpoint," says Jim Barbee, chief of the division. That means physical hacks aimed at the coin hopper or the bill reader. Software vulnerabilities like Kane's are nearly unheard of. "I've been here about 14 years, and in my tenure, none pop into mind other than the one that you're referring to," he says. "Possibly one or two others, but it is an extreme rarity"'
Clevert's injunction even exceeds the terms Referee magazine was originally seeking in its litigation; Referee was only attempting to wrest the existing Right Sports domains that have the word "referee" in them.
The movie premieres at South by Southwest this year, and the filmmakers are busy handing out the highly amusing swag as they paper the walls of the Austin Convention Center with posters. (See the Humboldt County trailer.)
The year-old startup is run by 18-year-old entrepreneurs Kevin Petrovic, Rujul Zaparde, and Shri Ganeshram, none of whom are even old enough to rent their own cars yet. Each decided to forgo college (Petrovic was accepted to Princeton, Zaparde to Harvard, and Ganeshram dropped out of MIT) to work on what they saw as an opportunity to connect people spending money on long-term parking and those paying to rent a car. "The three of us were frustrated that there are cars being purchased by rental car companies for maximum capacity, and at the same time there are car owners leaving their cars empty at lots when they go on vacation," says Ganeshram.
[The expander is] a silicone shell that is filled slowly over time with saltwater to stretch the skin and make room for your implant. The expander is placed under [the] chest skin at the site of [the] planned reconstructed breast. A small needle is used to fill the expander with sterile saline. The needle is inserted through the skin to a "fill port" located inside the expander. Gradually over time, the overlying tissues expand.
There were also computer-controlled prosthetic limbs, fabulously intricate robot dinosaurs and a FogScreen projection system made from airborne water droplets.
We presented first for our bus. Our demo ran long, which cut into our biz dev guru Bhavin Shah's time for our company details, but we still covered more business strategy than most groups. Then SpeakerMeter came up and delivered a killer pitch. I was nervous. I didn't expect to lose, but I didn't expect to win, either.
Perhaps this is a common geek quality, but I really like being quizzed. (I also like filling out forms, but that's another post.) As long as the topic isn't totally foreign to me, I always perk up at the prospect of a mini-test of my knowledge. I'm not even necessarily gunning for the top score – I just like to know how much I know, rated objectively.
The Windows-only download is the product of the Tokyo firm Lunascape, which has apparently been developing this product as Japanese-only release since 2004. This is the first English version of the browser, and it's available as a free alpha download.
"This argument that everything needs to be kept secret is not viable because the stuff does get out whether companies intend it or not," he said. "Now two out of the three top companies have leaked their system.
Some commercial application developers, including Microsoft, have slammed open source development, saying that it lacks the necessary controls to define the common programming standards that need to be used across different projects to ensure compatibility.
Sanford said he supported both proposals, particularly the concept of a standard, national notification requirement. Without it, he said, state and local governments could bombard consumers with their own.
This was odd.<|fim_middle|> the first internet service provider in France, Worldnet, and in 2000, he sold the company for $50 million. By then, he had already founded Free, which is now the second-largest ISP in France. Last year, the company launched Free Mobile, which offers unlimited calls, texts and data for just $27 a month, about half the price of incumbent competitors, according to Forbes.
Late last fall, in the gleaming white lobby of Madison Square Garden, uniformed attendants were posted at security stations to make thousands of smartphones stupid. Chris Rock was playing his 10th show in a 12-city international tour, and at every stop, each guest was required to pass through the entryway, confirm that his or her phone was on vibrate or silent, and then hand it over to a security guard who snapped it into a locking gray neoprene pouch—rendering it totally inaccessible. The besuited man ahead of me in line, clearly coming straight from the office, had two cell phones, each of which required its own little bag. The kid behind me groaned that he wouldn't be able to Snapchat his night. The friend whom I'd come to meet was nowhere to be found, and after slipping my phone into the pouch, I couldn't text her to ask where she was. Finally, I spotted her near the escalator. "That was weirdly scary," she said, laughing.
So over the course of one strange week in WIRED's office, that's what I set out to do. Here's how it all went down.
Working with Radiowave.com, MSN Chat Radio allows users to choose from 40 genre-based channels that provide background music for chat sessions.
Such investigations are enormously complicated and frequently point overseas at sophisticated hackers skilled at covering their digital footprints, John Malcolm said.
Advertisers often receive small credits from Google and their other ad-tech vendors when they detect discrepancies, but in this case, for some buyers, the instance of fraud discovered was larger than usual.
Both Pakistan Body Count, run by computer science professor Zeeshan-ul-hassan Usmani, and the Long War Journal, operated by former G.I. Bill Roggio, rely on the same data: local news accounts. But the two sites use startlingly different methodologies to reach their results. Roggio only counts civilian deaths if they're specifically mentioned in the news stories. Usmani figures that all reported "Taliban" are, in fact, civilians. It's a questionable assumption, all-but-discounting the possibility of drones hitting home-grown militants. Nevertheless, the site provides a look at how the U.S. drone strikes are perceived in the country where the Hellfire missiles land. | You'll remember the new coronavirus, distantly related to SARS, which surfaced last year in a slow and not well-disclosed manner (for the back story, see these posts from last September, October, November and December). Since the initial reveal last year, there has been very little information released about the virus and whatever illness it might be causing. The World Health Organization has been monitoring the gradual accumulation of cases, but there has been almost nothing published since last fall. In fact, though teams from Columbia University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to help investigate the new illness, neither entity has published anything since those trips were made. And at the point at which I opened my inbox this morning, the WHO's last update on the new virus had been published on March 26.**
"There's a one-to-one correspondence between a task and the programming environment," he said. "Even simple databases are more complicated."
You will need a Google account to get started, but the application is completely online and free. Creating quizzes is one of the most obvious applications but some people are using Breadcrumb to create data center troubleshooting guides or training guides. By the way, kids will enjoy creating applications, too, because there is virtually no learning curve. So, encourage the kids to create their own applications to help them study, quiz their peers, or even invent new uses for the tool.
In the late '90s, Neil co-founded | 299 |
Citynet - Cisco ISDN Configuration - Voice, Data, Internet Provider.
Summary This document contains an example Cisco ISDN Configuration.
! access-list blocks and ISDN line changes.
! appear as plaintext in the configuration.
! is only available on newer IOS's.
Once you have done that, press [CTRL-z] to exit the configuration. Then, save the configuration by running the copy running-config startup-config command. Finally, either have the router disconnect and<|fim_middle|> enable password line stores the password in plaintext. If an enable secret password and an enable password are both configured, then the Cisco router uses the enable secret line by default.
The table below lists many commands that can be used to troubleshoot ISDN connectivity problems on a Cisco router. Reading the output of the commands is not difficult, but remembering which commands to use can be, so this list below will help you out.
show interface BRI0 Shows the statistics, such as packets sent and received and the number of CRC's on the BRI interface. This is useful in seeing the amount of errors that the BRI interface is receiving. It is best used in conjunction with the clear counters BRI0 command so that the information listed is current.
show dialer Lists the general diagnostic information about an interface configured for DDR, such as the number of times the dialer string has been successfully reached, and the idle timer and fast idle timer values for each B channel. Current call-specific information is also provided, such as the length of the call, and the number and name of the device to which the interface is currently connected.
show isdn active Use to show if a call is in progress and which number is being dialed.
show isdn status Shows the statistics of the ISDN connection.
show ip route Displays the routes known to the router, including static and dynamically learned routes.
debug isdn q921 Verfies that you have a connection to the ISDN switch.
debug isdn q931 Displays call setup and teardown messages.
debug dialer Shows information such as what number the interface is dialing.
no shutdown These commands can be used to disconnect any call in progress and reset an interface.
clear interface BRI0 This command causes the BRI interface to reset itself, re-establish a connection to the switch and then dial-up to the number that it is configured for. | reconnect or power cycle it.
That will remove the old configuration line and put in its place a new dialer number in the Dialer0 interface.
The line vty 0 4 command that was issued put the router into the line that controls telnet logins. Then, the old password was removed. Although this is not necessary, it has been noted that some routers are picky about that step. Finally, the new password was added to the vty line.
The enable secret line stores the password in the router configuration in encrypted format, so even if you can view the running configuration, you will be unable to see the password. The | 131 |
•<|fim_middle|>, as per instructions on the academicjobsonline website. The starting date is negotiable. | Represent industrial partnership activities, when needed, to the public, community, and sponsors through presentations, panel discussions, conferences, meetings and written reports. Minimum Requirements: PhD or equivalent degree in a field of science or engineering. 10+ years of experience working at the interface between university and industry. Experience in Research and Development organizations. Business writing skills and effective communication, leadership, and teamwork skills are essential. Capable of adapting to the changing needs of a research environment. Able to receive direction and to communicate effectively across all research groups in the laboratory. Must work effectively and cooperatively within a team environment. The initial appointment is for two years with the possibility of extension. Applications should be submitted at https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/13193 and should include a cover letter, a CV, a list of publications, a detailed summary of research experience and interests. Applicants must arrange to have at least three letters of recommendation uploaded | 194 |
<|fim_middle|>The Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer program consists of four teams of two educators each who drive cross-country in Subaru Hybrids teaching people how to protect and enjoy the outdoors responsibly. The trainers live out of their cars, camping more than 250 nights a year, and offering programs to the public, youth, nonprofits, government agencies, and other groups about Leave No Trace skills and techniques designed to reduce the impact of outdoor activities.
The team will first meet with Simpson University Outdoor Leadership students to talk about outdoor living skills. Simpson is the only college on the West Coast to offer an Outdoor Leadership major and minor. In its ninth year, the program has graduated men and women who are working as leaders at adventure companies, camps, recreation centers, and more.
Learn more about the Outdoor Leadership program at simpsonu.edu/outdoorleadership. | REDDING, Calif. - The community is invited to attend a presentation by Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers when they visit Simpson University on Wednesday, Feb. 10, to meet with Outdoor Leadership students.
The trainers will speak from 4 to 5 p.m. outside near the climbing wall on the south side of campus, near the softball field. An informal Q&A will take place from 5 to 6 p.m.
| 92 |
Contents Help Random
minicomputer
<computer>
A computer built between about 1963 and 1987, smaller and less powerful than a mainframe, typically about the size and shape of a wardrobe, mounted in a single tall rack.
Minicomputers were characterised by short word lengths of 8 to 32 bits, limited hardware and software facilities and small physical size. Their low cost made them suitable for a wide variety of applications such as industrial control, where a small, dedicated computer which is permanently assigned to one application, is needed. In recent years, improvements in device technology have resulted in minicomputers which are comparable in performance to large second generation computers and greatly exceed the performance of first generation computers.
The processor was typically built using low integration logic integrated circuits - TTL or maybe ECL, thus distinguishing it from a microcomputer which is built around a microprocessor - a processor on a single (or maybe a few) ICs.
DEC's PDP-1 was the first minicomputer and their PDP-11 was the most successful, closely followed (in both time and success) by the VAX (which DEC called a "super minicom<|fim_middle|>, the AP-3, Olivetti's Audit 7 and the Interdata 8/32.
[Others?]
Nearby terms:
Minesweeper, Chess, Solitaire Expert ♦ minicomputer ♦ Mini Disc
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Updated: Sun, 16 Jan 2022 22:26:22 GMT
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Copyright Denis Howe 1985 | puter").
Another early minicomputer was the LINC developed at MIT in 1963.
Other minicomputers were the AS/400, the PRIME series | 38 |
Q: Looping<|fim_middle|> onrendered has finished.
| html2canvas I'm having a bit of trouble trying to implement the html2canvas script in a for loop.
I'm writing a Javascript function that uses an array of data to modify the style of a group of elements, captures the container div as a canvas, converts it into an image, appends it to the document body and then moves on to the next index of the array.
The part where I'm having trouble is at the very end of my loop:
html2canvas(document.getElementById("background"), {
onrendered: function(canvas) {
var imgdata = canvas.toDataURL("image/png");
var obj = document.createElement("img");
obj.src=imgdata;
document.body.appendChild(obj);
}
});
By going through the script step by step I've found that it isn't waiting for the canvas to be rendered before moving on to the next iteration of the for loop, this results in the element I'm trying to capture changing but every image being rendered looking exactly the same (as the final index in the array).
Is there a way to delay the script for a second while the canvas renders? I've tried using setTimeout() and can't seem to find any other ways of delaying the script, I am unfamiliar with how the onrendered part of the code works.
If my explanation is unclear I will prepare some suitable examples soon.
A: Synchronous code mean that each statement in your code is executed one after the other.
Asynchronous code is the opposite, it takes statements outside of the main program flow.
html2canvas works asynchronously so your loop may finish, and i become 20 before executing html2canvas code..
One solution is like this:
for (let i = 0; i < array.length; i++) {
generateCanvas(i);
}
function generateCanvas(i){
html2canvas(..
// you can use i here
)
}
by wrapping the html2canvas code in a function, you ensure that the value of "i" remains as you intended.
A: if you are using react, try async/await.
mark your javascript function as async. Example,
async printDocument(){
let canvas = await html2canvas(printDiv)
// canvas to image stuff
}
visit https://medium.com/@patarkf/synchronize-your-asynchronous-code-using-javascripts-async-await-5f3fa5b1366d for more information.
A: You may want to read about asynchronous workflow (like https://github.com/caolan/async)
In short, try this:
var i = 0;
function nextStep(){
i++;
if(i >= 30) return;
// some body
html2canvas(...
onrendered: function(canvas){
// that img stuff
nextStep();
}
}
}
nextStep();
That is we want to call nextStep only when | 596 |
Feeding the Frankenstein with Alice Cooper
Report by: Daniel Pavlica
Photographs by: Mojca Perdih
Location: Arena Wien, Vienna, Austria
Date: June 24th, 2015
Vienna is awash with gigs this summer, still the visit from none other than Alice Cooper gives extra room for excitement - that is if you prefer the good old shock rock punch in the teeth, wrapped in a blood soaked glove.
Opening proceedings this evening were Bloodsucking Zombies From Outer Space who were on home turf at the Arena. Their brand of horror punk n' roll is somewhat uneven and a bit on the corny side, still it seems the band has something of a following around here, at least judging by the shakes and sways they managed to charm out of the punters.
Two beers and a couple of raindrops later the main event begins. Executing a carefully thought out set featuring songs like "I Love the Dead", "Under My Wheels" and "Poison", Alice is in spectacular form tonight! Starting up with "Hello Hooray", he whips up his congregation with evangelical zeal. Moments later the frenzied hordes are already shaking their heads whilst punching the air as the shock rocker dives into the second number on the bill – "House of Fire". All the gadgets are on display too – character changes roll by emphasizing Cooper's eccentric taste in clothing, a guillotine cutting the man's head clean off and a 10 feet monster bursting on the stage amidst "Feed My Frankenstein". It is full throttle rock n' roll theater, and we love it.
There's something very heartening about Cooper's on stage indomitability. He certainly looks fantastic, his trademark groan is still giving us goose pimples after all the years. And if you add the fact that he's 67 into the equation …it's almost unimaginable. He's got the younger lot to carry some of the load, however. The blazing guitar trio of Tommy Hendriksen, Ryan Roxie and the Iron Maidens femme fatale Nita Strauss trades solos and also does backing vocals through the choruses. The partnership between them has gelled very well as they complement each other perfectly. It all adds depth and richness to the whole performance.
During the two hour set we are also treated to more recent stuff like "I'll Bite Your Face Off" and more obscure cuts like "Go to Hell" and "Dirty Diamonds", all of which are received like old friends. Cooper even conducts a somewhat underdeveloped, but nevertheless enjoyable tribute medley, worshiping at the shrine of Hendrix, the Beatles, the Who and of<|fim_middle|> 11. Welcome to My Nightmare; 12. Go to Hell; 13. Wicked Young Man; 14. Feed My Frankenstein; 15. Ballad of Dwight Fry; 16. Killer; 17. I Love the Dead; 18. Break On Through (to the Other Side)/Revolution/Foxy Lady/My Generation; 19. I'm Eighteen; 20. Poison; 21. School's Out | course the Doors. It all comes as a build up to the grand finale with "I'm Eighteen" and "Poison". The lights go out for a while, and after some seriously restless roaring from the crowd, Cooper returns to the stage to bid us farewell with "School's Out". A night to remember.
Setlist: 1. Hello Hooray; 2. House of Fire; 3. No More Mr. Nice Guy; 4. Under My Wheels; 5. I'll Bite Your Face Off; 6. Billion Dollar Babies; 7. Be My Lover; 8. Lost in America; 9. Hey Stoopid; 10. Dirty Diamonds; | 146 |
Tonight I'm In . . .
. . . Shreveport, after a v. busy day, large parts of which consisted of sitting still, either while driving or during Visitor's Hours.
Tomorrow, it's up to Magnolia for a few hours, during which I have many chores and errands that need doing. We'll see how many I can get through and still get back to Shreveport before dark.
Meanwhile, tonight I'm reading a v. interesting book about pyramids (had not been aware that each Egyptian pyramid had its own name in antiquity); I've skipped ahead to read the section about the Sphinx.
Tomorrow, I'm hoping to start in on a booklet from one of the more notorious entries in the so-called 'Old School D&D Revival', loaned to me by a knowledgable friend. Having not even been aware there was an Old School Revival, I obviously have much to learn.
. . . Dallas, having flown into Love Field tonight. My first time to go through Love Field. Seems to be a nice mid-size airport, smaller I think than Chicago's Midway (which I passed thr to & fro on my way to Kalamazoo last year) but larger than Milwaukee's Mitchell Field (at least, that's my impression of it from a brief late night deplaning walk-through).
Another first was going through Albuquerque, a place I've never visited but which is set amid some really striking landscape, as seen from the air.
Next up: heading on to Shreveport tomorrow. My rental car is a Volkswagon Beetle: another first. Turns out they don't put the motors in the trunk anymore. What's up with that?
Oh, and back home the Green River is at Flood Level 2. That is, the stage where they send all residents in the Green River valley, like us, alerts telling us there's nothing to worry about.
Comforting, that.
current reading: S. S. Van Dine's THE CANARY MURDER CASE (solved by the dilettante-detective playing poker with the chief suspects to discover which has the right kind of personality and mental processes to have been the murderer).
The Geekiest of the Geeks
Thanks to Janice, for pointing out the following link to me, in which THE HISTORY OF THE HOBBIT* heads the list of the geekiest gifts of the season:
http://geekout.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/27/our-geekiest-gifts-this-holiday-season/
Here's what their first contributor, Nikki Rau-Baker, has to say about the book:
"A must for anyone gearing up for the upcoming big-screen version of The Hobbit:"The History of The Hobbit" by John D. Rateliff, covers the beginnings of The Hobbit with such tidbits of information as the original names of the dwarves and the shocking revelation that the leader was initially called Gandalf."
--to which I have just two words to say: Woo and Hoo!
current audiobook: THE WAR LOVERS [2011]**
current reading: THE CANARY MURDER CASE by S. S. Van Dine [1927]***
*the new one-volume edition, I assume -- geeks being early adaptors, they'd want H.o.H. 2.0
**(T.R., Lodge, Hearst, &c)
***a re-reading
Labels: JDR, JRRT, THE HISTORY OF THE HOBBIT
THE HOBBIT trailer considered
Here, courtesy of Richard West and Kristin Thompson, is a better link to a good site to see the new trailer on:
http://www.thehobbit.com/index.html#
Now that I've had a day or two to mull over things, and move beyond the don't-disturb-this-moment feeling, here's my take on this first trailer.
I've seen most of the little teaser mini making-of documentaries, which have done a great job of engaging the audience from the LotR films into this new project and laid a lot of the wilder rumors to rest. But this feels different: the first whiff of the real thing. They clearly want to do a lot in one short piece.
Foremost among them: to convey to fans of the LotR films that this is more of the same. That it's not just another Tolkien movie, but deeply and directly connected to the first. Thus we get to see McKellan's Gandalf, and Blanchett's Galadriel, and above all hear the sinister whispers of Serkis's Gollum. Even small details, like a glimpse of the shards of Narsil, are included -- something really not v. important for Bilbo's story, but no doubt included for the flashback to the moment between Aragorn and Boromir (and Aragorn and Arwen) in the first film: comfort food, so to speak, for the fans of the first film.
Just as important (or, for me, even more important) is establishing the new cast of this new story. We get to see a lot of Bilbo, and get used to the idea (after the initial shock, and some inner resistance) of seeing Freeman's face rather than Ian Holm's. And all thirteen dwarves are thrown at us in rapid succession, so that the full roster of Thorin & Company is presented right away.
Speaking of the dwarves, it looks like there'll be two contradictory things juxtaposed here. Their looks are quite silly (with the old silent-movie beards and moustachios), yet they turn into experienced killing machines in combat. There was some of that in the first films' Gimli; looks like there'll be even more of it here (To be fair, there was some of this in the original Tolkien too).
The exception is Thorin, whose look and behavior seems locked permanently in the serious battle-mode. In the book it comes as quite a shock when Thorin succumbs to dragon-sickness and becomes Bilbo's enemy. In later writings like THE QUEST OF EREBOR and THE 1960 HOBBIT, Tolkien anticipated those developments by including hints that Thorin was going bad, or at least had the potential, all along: anticipating the end result by drastically rewriting the character (and thus unfortunately losing the shock value of the original ending). I suspect that's what's going on here: Dark Thorin isn't the result of the character's going mad in the end but the essential character all along. I suspect he's this film's Boromir<|fim_middle|> with a card game overlaid on it, with an optional roleplaying veneer on top of that. Third Edition, for all its faults, was still recognizably D&D. Fourth Edition, for all its virtues, feels more like an attempt to re-create the experience of playing a computer game. It's kind of like a novelization to a movie: a reminder of something you enjoyed rather than something to enjoy in its own right.
So why first edition? Well, consider that it's the most successful roleplaying game of all time. Millions of people played it obsessively for years. And while a good deal of time has passed since then, there's no reason to think the rules won't still work as well as they ever did. Just as there are some books I loved to read back in the day that are just as good as they ever were when I pull them off the shelf now, there are some old classic games that I still enjoy as much as ever when I get the chance to play them. Which isn't nearly often enough.
Of course, it's also true that there are some things that don't age well; once-favorite books that no longer have the same appeal. When I occasionally mention my enduring fondness for the classic game, I'm often told in response that it's just nostalgia speaking, with the implication that the game only gets better with every new edition.
So, let's see. I've got a group of a half-dozen or so who've expressed an interest in playing. I've picked the adventure and am jotting down notes as to monsters, traps, and treasures they may encounter. And I'm immersed in skimming through the PH and DMG to remind myself of the rules, rather than just rely on my memory (it has after all been a few years). Come Saturday they'll bring the characters they rolled up and we'll see how it goes.
Oh, and The Wife Says: What's Up with all that Tiny Print?* We must have all had better eyesight back then. --JDR
*i.e., in the orignal PH, DMG, and MM.
Labels: Dungeons and Dragons, rpgs
New Lewis Fiction
So, Friday the new issue of VII arrived, containing as its lead article the first publication ever of some early (circa 1927?) fiction by C. S. Lewis, here given the title the "EASLEY FRAGMENT" (THE EASLEY FRAGMENTS wd have been more apt, given that it consists of two disconnected pieces). This is something Lewis scholars have known about for a long time -- three sentences were quoted from it as far back as 1973 -- but it's only now seeing the light of day. It's quite brief: nine pages in Warnie's original transcription in THE LEWIS PAPERS and taking up pages 5-12 & 12-15 in this edition* -- and thus less substantial than, say, THE DARK TOWER (sixty-four Ms pages); more along the lines of AFTER TEN YEARS (fifteen Ms pages and similarly consisting of two disconnected pieces). Even so, I'm impressed with the generosity of the Lewis Estate in allowing this new Lewis story to appear in a scholarly journal rather than, say, in some new edition of complete short fiction by CSL.
As for the piece itself, the first chapter is a first-person account of a Bristol doctor visiting his late father's family in Ulster for the first time not long after the Great War (in which he served in the trenches, while they stayed safe at home wrapped up in their own concerns). Having always taken them at their own evaluation, he learns that they are not at all as they presented themselves in their own guilelessly self-serving accounts in the letters he has occasionally received from them. The fragment breaks off, however, before we actually get to meet them; all we get is a bit of the narrator's background and his long conversation with a self-satisfied cadger of drinks he runs into on the ferry over. So Lewis's "Irish novel" doesn't actually get as far as actually landing in Ireland itself -- though, to be fair, he opens by claiming that 'Belfast' begins at the Liverpool ferry terminal. Lewis's goal is clearly to let unlikeable characters reveal their character flaws through their speech, completely unaware of what a bad light they show themselves in, while the narrator forebears to make comment. Jane Austen cd pull this off; unsurprisingly it turns out the young C. S. Lewis had not mastered the art.
The second fragment is sometime later in the internal chronology of the story and consists of an argument between the doctor and a minister. The doctor's aunt is suffering from a terror of damnation, and the doctor accuses the minister of driving her mad with such nonsense. The minister responds that he considers a concern over salvation or damnation as a sign of mental health, not madness. The scene is not v. interesting as a piece of fiction (too talky; a thin fictional frame for a philosophical debate), but as documentation of Lewis's views it's fascinating. We know that at the time he wrote this,** Lewis was, from all accounts, in agreement with what he presents here as the doctor's point of view (the doctor also resembles young CSL in other ways we need not go into here). And yet we know that within a few years, Lewis had swung around 180 degrees and was fully in agreement with the minister's view. So can this passage be taken as a prefigurement of his shift? Or an example of how totally he switched his deepest held convictions? Or can it be read as occupying some middle ground, a way-station on the path?
The other interesting thing about this fragment is how it fits into the biographical narrative of Lewis as a failed author, which I discuss in my piece on his famous bargain with JRR Tolkien that resulted in THE LOST ROAD, OUT OF THE SILENT PLANET, PERELANDRA, THAT HIDEOUS STRENGTH, THE NOTION CLUB PAPERS, and THE DARK TOWER.*** It was through his discovery of A VOYAGE TO ARCTURUS and THE PLACE OF THE LION, and through that bargain, that Lewis concluded that genre fiction was the right medium for him, while Tolkien though he made a good-faith effort discovered the opposite was true for him: he had to follow his own, sui generis course. So it's interesting to see CSL here try his hand at a sort of local-color fiction, another genre outside the mainstream of his day.
And with this publication, I think we have pretty much all CSL's significant work now in print, except for his unfinished Morris-ian Arthurian romance THE QUEST OF BLEHERIS (about sixty pages) and his philosophical papers (which really shd be published in conjunction with Barfield's interlocking responses.
*between brief headnote, notes, bibliography, and commentary by the editiors (David C. Downing and Bruce R. Johnson), it takes up pages 5-26 of this issue (VII. vol. 28).
**assuming Warnie got the date right, which seems a reasonable enough assumption -- esp. since he was compiling THE LEWIS PAPERS while living w. CSL (as I understand it, they were actually typed in a side-room in Lewis's office at Magdalen), and he cd easily have asked his brother when the work dated from. Were it not for that, I'd have thought it from the early twenties rather than towards the end of the decade.
***cf. my essay appearing in TOLKIEN'S LEGENDARIUM [2000]
Labels: C. S. Lewis, CSL, VII
Reprehensible Behavior . . .
So, I mentioned recently that I'd ordered what I considered a second-tier book on Tolkien -- by which I mean one that might be interesting, but not a must-have given my particular interests. One I'd put off because of the price, but finally decided to get because of the out-of-print price madness I'd seen take place a time or two in the past that I'd rather not get mixed up in.
Turns out I was just a little too late: The book in question (Alison Milbank's CHESTERTON AND TOLKIEN AS PHILOSOPHERS) went out of print between my ordering it on November 5th and Amazon's shipping the rest of my order on the 16th. Checking amazon.com now, I find that $39.93 (pretty much the original price of the book) will now only get you a dog-eared, marked-up copy: 'like new' will run you $141.42 at least. And if you miss this one, the other two 'new' copies are priced at $160.61 and $223.29, while the remaining 'used' copies come in at $135.80 (a pretty bit jump from $39.93), $358.58, and a stunning $900.00. I have no idea who Bordee Books might be, or why they think people wd pay $900 for this book.
As for online book services, ABEbooks came up a blank, but Bookfinder came through with a lot of options. Used started at $43.92 -- which sounded good, until you realize that this is the amazon.com entry and is no longer operative. The next-best used price was $118.78 for the hardcover and $119.49 for the softcover -- though why, give the choice, anyone wd buy the paperback when they cd get the hardcover for slightly less is beyond me. After various amazon.this-or-that-country, the final (and most expensive) used option listed was from A Libris for $362.57 -- again, bizarre, because A Libris also lists it New at $181.45.
Clearly the 'New' book options looked much better at Bookfinder -- that is, until you actually tried to use them. The first one, from Barnes & Noble.com, says they're offering the book for $34.15, but once you actually click on the button and go to the B&N site, it turns out they're offering it for $117.46, $185.78, and $358.58. I don't think this is a bait-and-switch, though, so much as the price being updated as it soared in one place and not in the other. The Super Book Deals listing promises it at $42.36, but clicking on the button reveals that the book is no longer available. The Overstock.com offer of $42.90 simply turns out to be a broken link.
However, there is hope: The Blackwells.com link does work, leading to the book, new, in paperback, for twenty-one pounds. Which comes out to about the same as the original amazon.com price wd have been before they ran out of it.
The real fascination here is the price-gouging of a book that hadn't made any particular stir when it first appeared and now, a few years later, went out of print without the public much noticing. But as I understand it the online book-dealers have some sort of software that alerts them to books that go out of print and in some cases (presumably when linked to authors whose readers are as obsessive as we Tolkienists)* immediately doubles or triples the price on any remaining stock. And then others seems to have a variant of that same software than prices their just a little bit higher or lower than those results. And yet others triple that highest price, apparently in the odd belief that, given the choice, people will prefer the most overpriced of all available options.
As for me, I ordered it from Blackwells -- whom I'm happy to give my business (I've bought books from them before, but only when I was in Oxford on one of my rare research trips over there, never before on-line. Now to wait till it arrives, and see if it was worth all this hooplah.
*the same thing happened a year or two back with Frederick & McBride's WOMEN AMONG THE INKLINGS, copies of which on Bookfinder start at about $100 (i.e., more than double its original price), with one bookseller offering it for $1503.00. And I'm afraid to say Amazon.com even outdoes this, offering a dozen or so copies in the $100 to $200 range but with one dealer asking $1995.06 for his copy.** Unless it's written on mallorn leaves by elven calligraphers, this is grossly overpriced.
**plus shipping. You'd think that might throw that in gratis. You'd be wrong.
Labels: books on Tolkien, overpriced books
The New Arrival: DECONSTRUCTING TOLKIEN (McFaddon)
So, another book to arrive the same time as the Sammons and the Loo (but in a different package) turned out not to be anything like the book I thought I was ordering. According to amazon.co.uk, they were offering a book by Tom Piccirilli (a name new to me in Tolkien scholarship) called DECONSTRUCTING TOLKIEN. From the title, I assumed this was a Deconstructionalist interpretation of JRRT's work, which sounded bizarre enough to be potentially entertaining -- perhaps worthy to go on the same shelf as Giddings & Holland or Eaglestone. I mainly know deconstructionist theory second hand, having suffered through a lot of it while at Marquette (the department there was theory-mad in the eighties; don't know if that's the case today); my own take on it was that it stated the blindingly obvious as if it were profound, and in practice more closely resembled performance art than literary criticism (I'm thinking here in particular of a dubious talk by Gayatri Spivak, Derrida's translator), at a critical symposium Marquette hosted. But I only saw an interesting and insightful application of deconstructionist ideas for the first time this past year at Kalamazoo. That made me realize that the two--deconstructionism and Tolkien-- can actually be brought together and be worthwhile, so I decided to opt for the book.
Turns out it's not at all as advertised. For the first thing, Tom Piccirilli (whoever he is) didn't write it: all he did was contribute a two and a half page introduction. The bulk of the text that follows is by Edward J. McFadden III, who I also hadn't heard of: turns out he's the editor of FANTASTIC STORIES OF THE IMAGINATION, which is described as 'one of the largest fiction magazines in the country'.
Also, it turns out the book has nothing to do with Deconstruction; the author just used the term in the sense of getting back to basics. So too the subtitle (A FUNDAMENTAL ANALYSIS OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS) doesn't have anything to do with Fundamentalism.
As for the book itself, it turns out I'd seen it before, on Doug Anderson's shelves, when I was visiting there last year. It's too bizarre to have forgotten, but any note I made of the title at the time has since gotten misplaced, and at any rate I was certain I didn't have any book on Tolkien by anyone named Piccirilli. As indeed I still go not.
The weirdest thing about this book is not the mis-ascription of authorship by amazon.co.uk but the fact that only about every other chapter is by McFadden. The rest are by an eccentric array of authors: Edgar Poe, H. G. Wells, Jane Yolan, Chaucer, and Lovecraft. McFadden's procedure is to write an essay, then follow it up with a story (e.g., Wells' THE VALLEY OF THE SPIDERS or Poe's WILLIAM WILSON), then another essay, then another story, and so forth. Sometimes the reasons why he includes a particular story are self-evident (e.g. the Wells, which is a sort of "Leiningen & the Ants" except with spiders rather than formians). In other cases, it's nothing short of baffling (Chaucer's THE COOK'S TALE*)
And the book itself? Well, so far I haven't had time to read it, but the bits I dipped into (e.g., the chapter on changes made in Tolkien's story for the Peter Jackson film) seem okay.** I'll try to post an update once I actually get around to reading the thing -- but my first impressions remain that this book'll wind up being on the fringes -- not as far out there as Vander Ploeg,*** but still not one of those that winds up being central to Tolkien studies either. We'll see.
current reading: ON CONAN DOYLE by Dirda
current audiobook: THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET'S NEST by Larsson
*included, McFadden says, to show how Tolkien imitated Chaucer's language in LotR
**quote #1: "picture your greatest literary influence . . . on plastic cups at Burger King"
quote #2: "I don't think that fantasy has been well served by cinema"
quote #3: I could hear the text of the book in my head as I watched the scene"
***this is the one that reveals the Elves are really lizards from outer space. No, really.
Labels: books on Tolkien, JRRT, The New Arrival | .
Which ties into an observation Janice made: this looks more like THE 1960 HOBBIT than it does THE HOBBIT itself.* There are no hints here of the whimsy of the original story, in which the dwarves bring highly impractical musical instruments along for the Unexpected Party, only to apparently abandon them forthwith, given that none of them are ever mentioned again. Jackson & Co. need not be borrowing directly from Tolkien's unfinished re-write, but they're clearly trying to achieve the same goal: recast THE HOBBIT into the style of LotR.
This ties into a point David Bratman made on his blog,** in which he suggested that Jackson is presenting THE HOBBIT as the prequel to LotR. So far as the films go, this is perfectly correct: most people who go see THE HOBBIT in theatres this time next year (and again the year after) are fans of the three-film Jackson trilogy and expect this movie to be just like the earlier films they know and love. That naturally imposes some audience expectations and means the films will probably be quite different from what they might have been like had they been made in chronological order.
---the biggest surprise: no dragon. To have a dragon and not show it is an exercise of restraint I'd not expected.
---the biggest twist: a brief tender moment between Galadriel and Gandalf.***
---the standout moment: the beautiful dwarf-song. Tolkien said Bilbo found it moving; Jackson has found a way to move the audience with it as well. Score One for Team Jackson.****
*Richard West made much the same point in an email today, in which he points out how Tolkien's book famously starts like WIND IN THE WILLOWS and ends more like NJAL'S SAGA, as C. S. Lewis observed long ago; here it's saga all the way through.
**http://calimac.livejournal.com/566380.html
***this is a good example of the kind of unanticipate-able element Jackson likes to throw into his films.
****it's clearly based on the king's song Aragorn sings at his coronation which, if I remember rightly, was Mortensen's own composition; hope he gets a royalty here!
Labels: Hobbit films Peter Jackson
THE HOBBIT trailor
So, as of seven o'clock tonight, the trailer for THE HOBBIT (part one) is up.
There are many places you can see it online; I watched it here:
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=85322
Analysis as to where they are and aren't faithful to the book can come later. For now, it's time to luxuriate in the feeling of seeing this: after years of delay, it's real, and it's coming. One year to go.
I so want to see this movie.
Who's Naughty and Nice (Occupy)
So, I haven't posted on the Occupy movement, mainly because I've had too much to say. I've gathered enough material for three separate posts, but sorting out just what to say about each aspect proved entangled to the point that none of the three actually got posted.
Then, when we were down at the Pike Place Market on Saturday, picking up my father-in-law's Xmas present (which shd go off tomorrow, and get there Thursday), I saw a Santa handing out 'Occupy Seattle' stickers. It reads simply "WE ARE THE 99%" and gives the url for Occupy Seattle .org. I've been wearing it on my jacket ever since.
I mean, if anybody keeps track of who the good guys are, of who's naughty and who's nice as the old song puts it, it's gotta be St. Nick. Plus, for those who are into 'the Reason for the Season', the Gospels are pretty explicit about eyes of the needle and all.
Good enough for me.
current audiobook: THE WAR LOVERS by Evan Thomas [2010]
current book: ANCIENT EGYPT AS IT WAS by CHarlotte Booth [2008; 2011]
Labels: Occupy, Politics
Calendrical (The Long Count)
So, yesterday (Tuesday) the new Mayan Calendar arrived in the mail. I've ordered one of these each year for the past several years now: they're filled with pictures of Mayan ruins, carvings, and artifacts, making them among my favorite wall-calenders ever. Though they have to compete for space on our walls with the Tolkien calendar up in my office and with a simpler calendar we don't mind marking up and writing on in the kitchen. Last year and again this coming one that hasn't been an issue so far as the office goes, with the Mayan art easily trumping Cor Blok's eccentricities.
This year, I was curious how they'd handle 12/21/12, the date at which the "long count" comes to an end. Some folks have made a lot of fuss about this (cf. Y-2k*), as if time itself ends when we reach the end of a measurement of time. I've assumed that, just as a car doesn't suddenly fall to pieces when its odometer reaches 999,999.9 miles, but just turns over and starts again at 000,000.1, so too wd the Mayan calendar.
Turns out I'll have to wait till next year to find out. Opening up the new calendar, and admiring the art therein and the explanation in the front about how the various interlocking Mayan calendar systems work, I discovered when I reached the last page that their calendar for December is unfinished, ending at December 21st (day 13.0.0.0.0 in the long count). After this follows a note about how to order their 2013 calendar ("20% off; . . . offer expires December 21, 2012"--I thought this last touch was a hoot). As an added bonus, the art for that page is the Tortuguero Monument 6 ("the only text in the Maya world known to mention December 21, 2012 AD.").
So, I guess we'll have to wait and see how they handle the start of the New Count. It's rare for a civilization to have a mechanism for marking the End of an Age (as Tolkien wd have called it). The Mayans clearly thought a system that cd cover every date between August 11th 3114 BC and Friday December 21st 2012 was good enough for government work. I tend to agree.
*or, at a slightly less significant but similarly fussy point, folks who insisted the new century and millennium started at 2001 rather than 2000. Or, to harken back a few decades, the dawning of 'The Age of Aquarius'. At least we got a good song out of that one.
Labels: calendars, Long Count, Mayan
1st Edition: How It Went
So, last Saturday we gathered for the long-planned AD&D 1st edition game. We turned out having a relatively small group (for us): four players and myself as DM (it wd have been more, but deadline pressure took out two other players and a last-minute cold struck down another).
How did it go?
Well, I had a blast. As for the players, you'd have to ask them -- but so far as I cd tell, it went well. I know it was slightly weird afterwards to find out that Janice, who'd gone upstairs with her I-Pad when we started rolling the dice, had been able to follow the game through FaceBook postings taking place during the event.
The scenario I chose was B1. In Search of the Unknown, by Mike Carr. As much as I respect Carr's work putting together the AD&D game,* I'd always had a grudge against this adventure, because it's not playable as published. It contains a map, a detailed history of the place, and a description of each room with some background about its original use before the underground stronghold of Quasqueton was abandoned and became a dungeon. What it's lacking are fully keyed encounters.** Instead there are two lists (not tables, or easily divisible by die rolls), one listing monsters and the other treasure, which the DM is supposed to go through and decide where to place. In short, exactly the sort of things you buy a published module in order to have already done for you.
For this adventure, I went through the room descriptions, altering them freely to match the dungeon I wanted to run (this included moving some walls and doors around as well). Most of the monsters from the original I jettisoned; instead, I went through the MONSTER MANUAL and picked out monsters I thought it'd be interesting to use and then placed them throughout the complex. In my read-through, I was reminded of just how many interesting monsters the game system has jettisoned over the years, so aside from a few classics (skeletons, zombies, giant rats) I deliberately skewed my monster selection to include things like a gelatinous cube, green slime, and a unique monster or two. I also added a few specific treasures (e.g., a nearly-depleted wand of magic missiles) that I carefully placed, relying on Carr's list for minor treasure from random encounters. Finally, to shake things up, I decided one of the lair's two builders had been an Illusionist, rather than the Magic-User of Carr's original; that allowed for a number of effects that misled the party from making the most effective response to things they encountered (e.g., not trying to Turn creatures whose undead nature was disguised by illusions).
The player characters were a mixed group: a half-elf cleric (LG), a human paladin (LG), a half-orc Fighter/Thief*** (CE), and a half-elf Fighter/Cleric (CG) whom we half-jokingly decided cd be his sister. No magic-user, which normally wd have put them at a disadvantage, but the presence of two clerics was actually v. much to their advantage, since unknown to them I'd stocked the dungeon primarily with undead (which seemed to make more sense for a long-abandoned complex than the berserkers of Carr's original, who are apparently guards who have hung around for thirty years or so waiting for their bosses to come back). Menaces they faced included
--a corpse infested with rot grubs (too bad they burned it before finding the wand of magic missiles [7 charges] still clutched in one dead hand)
--an apparently endless stream of skeletons who emerged from secret doors near the entryway to attack trespassers and cut off their line of retreat (they finally, after encountering this four times, to spike shut the doors the skeletons used to reach their ambush points).
--a kitchen in which unseen servants were chopping and slicing up the corpse of the last adventurer to come through.
--a dining room, to which the unseen servants delivered the wh apparently had a decapus in it**** who attacked as soon as they entered. Here I did a switch. In its original appearance (in B3), PCs enter a room and see a group of men around a table attacking a woman with knives with apparent cannibalistic intent. But this is just an illusion, covering up the actual menace: a ten-tentacled monster who tries to gobble up the intruders. I decided to reverse that: in my dungeon, they saw the decapus, which here itself was an illusion hiding a room full of eight zombies. A secondary motive, besides creating a tough fight, was to throw off anyone who'd figured out which module we were playing (given that one of the players, Steve Winter, was already working for TSR about the time the adventure I was using was published back in '81), which was after all a classic. By throwing in an iconic monster from a different adventure, I thought it might muddy the waters -- and for those who hadn't played the old adventures it work just fine as a stand-on-its-own encounter.
--an underground garden overgrown by mushrooms. The PCs pulled back without running into any danger here, partly because the cleric's songbird began to tweet in panic as they entered this area, and partly because some of the mushrooms started hopping towards them,which weirded them out.
--a shrine to Our Lady of Darkness, where a summoned servitor offered them healing if they swore an oath to her goddess. The paladin and LG cleric declined; the other two decided to go for it, and both gained a level (1st > 2nd level) but learned that their bodies wd spontaneously animate as undead when they died. This encounter was to insert a role-playing opportunity into the dungeon, as well as parallel the level-bumping power of some magic items and, indeed, one of the magical pools elsewhere in the original module. And of course to give the party increased odds of survival by having character potentially gain an extra level with its attendant hit points, spells, &c.
There were other encounters and places they explored; unfortunately, we ended up with a total party kill when they decided to take on some monsters they cd easily have avoided (having already learned the monsters activated when someone opened the door but did not pursue intruders beyond the room, they entered the room to take them out). Here was another case in which illusion played a key role -- in this case, hiding that the three humans in the room were actually ghouls. Ouch.
The lesson learned? Despite what you may hear, 1st ed. AD&D is really easy to run. It has lots and lots of rules, but you can ignore most of them; most of them are there to resolve specific circumstances, while the core mechanic is really simple. By contrast, in Third Edition you pretty much HAVE to play it the way it's written; the rules are so interlocked that you drop or modify one at yr peril. And of course Third Edition is so complicated that it's rare to even see a stat block with all the details right . . . but that's a discussion for another day.
It also became clear that Third Edition is a much safer world for PCs. In Third Edition, if your character dies, it's because you did something wrong, and then had really bad luck on top of it. In the normal course of play, that shd almost never happen. In 1st edition, death is always just around the corner, and your character can die at any time, not because you made a bad choice but just because of a bad die roll. Consequently, it takes much more skill to keep a character alive in 1st edition, and working your way up from 1st level to 2nd, then 3rd, &c is a real achievement you can feel proud of.
That this arbitrariness is a deliberate part of the system is shown best, I think, by the Potion Miscibility Table (DMG.119). Faced w. the question of what happens when you drink a potion while a previous potion is still in effect, the simplest solution wd be to just say each takes full effect. Not 1st ed. AD&D, which provides a handy table enabling you to determine if one cancels out the other, if one or the other's effects become permanent, or if the imbiber explodes. It helps show that you're in a weird, unpredictable world where the stakes are high and danger is never v. far away. In fact, I suspect that the style of 1st edition role-playing is alive and well today as the basis for most online fantasy games, far more than any later iteration of those rules or its derivatives.
In any case, having whetted my appetite, I want more, and hope I'll be able to organize another game sometime. We'll see. I know another member of the group has volunteered to run a D&D game, using the third edition of the D&D rules (Moldvay's BASIC and Zeb's EXPERT rules). I always played AD&D, not D&D, so I'm really looking forward to it.
*it was Carr, as editor of all three hardbacks (PH, MM, DMG), who seems to have put together the material by Gygax (et al.) into coherent form.
**originally B3. was issued in similar unkeyed format, but Moldvay's re-write fixed that problem, and greatly improved the adventure overall. Unfortunately, B1. was never given the Moldvay treatment; the closest it came was when TSR released the compilation B1-9 IN SEARCH OF ADVENTURE -- which despite its designator omitted B1 altogether, aside from reprinting the maps!
***(he wd have been a Fighter/Assassin but cdn't quite make the pre-requisites)
****cf. B3. Palace of the Silver Princess; it's on the cover (of both the suppressed original and the standard green-cover version).
Labels: 1st edition, D and D, rpgs
So, this weekend I'm running a 1st edition AD&D game. My thinking was: it's been too long since I played my favorite game, which I also happen to believe is the finest roleplaying game ever published: 1st edition AD&D. CALL OF CTHULHU is a fine game, and it's my game of choice these days, but that's mainly because I didn't make the jump from Third to Fourth Edition. I've played Fourth Edition, and enjoyed it, but it was the camraderie around the table I was enjoying and not the rules system. Even after a year or so of occasional gaming in 4e it never really came together for me: it felt like a miniatures game | 3,736 |
<|fim_middle|> long-term ripple effect for your physical, mental and spiritual vitality. Along the way, I'll invite you to consider healthcare options that may be most effective for you to make truly informed healthcare decisions and achieve your health goals.
As a practitioner of Asian medicine, I am also a compassionate counselor whose goal is serving as a neutral sounding board to help you gain an understanding of root cause and what you can do to take charge of your health.
Best of all, you can restore ease and freedom, and have a broader sense of your life and well-being.
To make an appointment in Celo or tele-consultation, or for more information on my services, click here or call 828-536-9030. | Medicine is a world of possibilities. Here, through the lens of Asian medicines, you'll be able to view your health in an empowering, inspiring way. You'll also have a new set of tools and skills to improve your health.
What will over twenty five years of clinical practice and health education do for you? My approach to lifestyle medicine, acupuncture, herbal medicine, mindfulness and movement yields benefits that have a | 83 |
**New times!** Mondays at 10:05 A.M. and 11:00 A.M. (duplicate storytime, please choose one to attend)** Toddler storytime is a great way to introduce your little one to a group experience! Activities include stories, singing songs and fingerplays. Registration is not required.
Calling all preschoolers! Come to the library for stories, songs, finger plays, and a simple craft activity. Storytime is an excellent way to teach young children the skills--such as listening quietly and following instructions--they will need in kindergarten. Registration is not required.
Need assistance with your smartphone, laptop, or tablet? We are now offering one-on-one 30-minute sessions to assist you with your basic technological needs. By appointment only. Please contact the reference desk to make an appointment. As of right now, spots are prioritized to newcomers.
What is your most valuable asset? Your health, retirement, investments, home, finances, income, relatives, friends? Cyber criminals are working hard every day to steal all these things from you. Anyone can be a victim of identity theft, no<|fim_middle|>, presented by a group independent of Crowell Library. For more information, please email CLACspace@gmail.com -T.T.
For voracious readers only! Are you an expert on Harry Potter? Do you bore your friends with your knowledge of Greek mythology and Camp Half Blood? Would you and Junie B. Jones be BFFs in real life? If the answer to any of these questions is "Yes!" and you are in grades 1st – 5th, then you are invited to join us for our Kids Book Trivia Challenge! Participants will work together in teams to answer questions about their knowledge of popular children's books and enter to win prizes! Registration is not required.
A bullet journal combines your to-do list, planner, and diary all in one! Designed for flexibility and creativity, bullet journals can help keep you organized, productive, and focused. Now you and your friends can learn the basics of bullet journaling and design your very own bullet journal! Snacks will be provided. This program is for 6th grade and up. Registration is not required.
1. Jazz and Swing from A to Z 2. Women Who Play Jazz and Swing. 3. The Ella Fitzgerald Story 4. Jazz and Swing on the West Coast 5. The Benny Goodman Story 6. Peggy Lee Presented by the San Marino Public Library Foundation.
Shane, 1953 A wandering gunslinger takes a job as a ranch hand with a family of embattled homesteaders who are beleaguered by ruthless cattlemen. A best picture nominee.
SAT practice test proctored by Revolution Prep. Registration is required.
Something familiar and something new; discover the awesomeness of our city and connect with your neighbors. Program will be conducted in Mandarin. | matter how cautious they are. Sadly, even a newborn or a deceased loved one can be a victim of identity theft. Once cyber criminals have your personal information, they can empty your bank account, max out your credit cards, or even get medical treatment using your health insurance. They can file a tax refund in your name and get your refund. Arming yourself with knowledge and information about these crimes helps minimize personal risk. Presenter Jeff Martinez is a co-founder of Oxford BioChronometrics, a cyber security company that specializes in the next generation of user authentication. He will describe in detail what these identity thieves do, what precautions to take to protect yourself, and what steps to take if you become a victim.
Second Thursdays at 3:30 P.M. Come join us after school for this once a month program where we will use our imaginations to build with Legos! All materials will be provided; the only thing you have to bring is your creativity! Registration is not required.
This is a pilot youth services program in development | 208 |
Prepare competent graduates by providing high quality education.
Conduct quality research that addresses contemporary challenges and advances knowledge.
Identify and meet the needs and aspirations of society.
Provide effective and efficient support and facilities to academic missions and maintain a supportive environment for the university community.
The assessment of the first cycle plan was conducted each year beside quarterly updates for monitoring the progress, detecting and correcting deviations from the plan and taking resource allocation decisions. The annual strategic plan report was submitted and presented to the Board of Regents every year to take action on needed decisions.
During the academic year 2012-2013, the process of preparing the second planning cycle was started. It<|fim_middle|>13-2016 strategic plans and proceed with taking actions to meet their targets. The University shall continue its process on managing the institutional strategic plan by reporting on its performance based on the performance of the units' strategic plans. | was imperative to consolidate the experiences of the first cycle in terms of what was achieved, and challenges faced so that this would feed into the second cycle. QU second Strategic Plan will cover the three academic years (2013-2014 to 2015-2016); having a three year cycle plan was decided to be mapped with Qatar National Development Strategy which will be completed by 2016.
This strategic plan identified long term strategic priorities to guide on developing the key performance areas and objectives for the coming three years. Those priorities focus on nurturing the experience of students, recognizing scholarly excellence, building international recognition of the university, and optimizing effectiveness and efficiency.
Maximize student success in becoming competent graduates by providing high quality education. This performance area has 8 objectives and 25 prime performance indicators.
Address contemporary challenges and advance knowledge through quality research. This performance area has 8 objectives and 12 prime performance indicators.
Integrate Qatar University with the community to support social, economic and cultural development. This performance area has 7 objectives and 17 prime performance indicators. Key Performance area 4: Provide effective and efficient support environment and facilities to the University community. This performance area has 6 objectives and 15 prime performance indicators.
The President presented the new strategic plan to the University community on 19th November 2013. This was followed by follow-up with all units to ensure that they are working accordingly to revisit their initial 20 | 305 |
Jerry O'Connell Says Co-Star Katie Holmes<|fim_middle|>2020 10:12 AM
Jerry O'Connell, Katie Holmes. Photo: CP Images
Katie Holmes has her "mom" game down, says Jerry O'Connell.
The actor spoke to Us Weekly about his new film "The Secret: Dare to Dream" and co-starring with Holmes.
RELATED: Jerry O'Connell Introduced His Daughters To Prince And It Didn't Go Well
"Katie Holmes is really maybe the loveliest [person]," O'Connell said. "Just a few takeaways I got from working with Katie Holmes — obviously [she's] a great actress, obviously beautiful. But a great mom, a really great mom. Actually, like, an inspiring parent."
Holmes shares one 14-year-old daughter with ex-husband Tom Cruise.
"Watching the time Katie took with her daughter when we were at work, you know, it was really inspiring," O'Connell continued. "It made me realize, like, I don't stay in contact enough with my children [when at] work, you know? … Katie is a great person, a great mom. I really enjoyed working with her. We had a fun time."
RELATED: Jerry O'Connell Jokes That He And Wife Rebecca Romijn Roleplay In The Bedroom As A 'Real Housewives' Couple
O'Connell has two children with wife Rebecca Romijn, and he admitted that their marriage has genuinely been tested by the pandemic quarantine.
"I have to say — I'm going to get in trouble for this — when quarantine [began] … I was like, 'I'm not sure how, not only is our family going to make it, but can my marriage handle this?'" he said. "And dare I say, it's been kind of fun. We might just make it."
Celebs Jerry O'Connell Katie Holmes | Is 'An Inspiring Parent'
By Corey Atad. 4 Aug | 16 |
Tag Archives: Fidel Castro
SPECIAL REPORT: HOW CUBA TAUGHT VENEZUELA TO QUASH MILITARY DISSENT
Angus Berwick, REUTERS, CARACAS, AUGUST 22, 2019
Original Article: HOW CUBA TAUGHT VENEZUELA,,,,
In December 2007, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez suffered his first defeat at the polls. Although still wildly popular among the working class that had propelled him to power nearly a decade earlier, voters rejected a referendum that would have enabled him to run for re-election repeatedly.
Stung, Chavez turned to a close confidant, according to three former advisors: Fidel Castro. The aging Cuban leader had mentored Chavez years before the Venezuelan became president, when he was still best known for leading a failed coup.
Now, deepening economic ties were making Cuba ever more reliant on oil-rich Venezuela, and Castro was eager to help Chavez stay in power, these advisors say. Castro's advice: Ensure absolute control of the military.
Easier said than done. Venezuela's military had a history of uprisings, sometimes leading to coups of the sort that Chavez, when a lieutenant colonel in the army, had staged in 1992. A decade later, rivals waged a short-lived putsch against Chavez himself.
But if Chavez took the right steps, the Cuban instructed, he could hang on as long as Castro himself had, the advisors recalled. Cuba's military, with Castro's brother at the helm, controlled everything from security to key sectors of the economy.
Within months, the countries drew up two agreements, recently reviewed by Reuters, that gave Cuba deep access to Venezuela's military – and wide latitude to spy on it and revamp it. The agreements, specifics of which are reported here for the first time, led to the imposing of strict surveillance of Venezuelan troops through a Venezuelan intelligence service now known as the Directorate General of Military Counterintelligence, or DGCIM.
Under Cuban military advisors, Venezuela refashioned the intelligence unit into a service that spies on its own armed forces, instilling fear and paranoia and quashing dissent. Now known for its repressive tactics, the DGCIM is accused by soldiers, opposition lawmakers, human rights groups and many foreign governments of abuses including torture and the recent death of a detained Navy captain.
According to the documents reviewed by Reuters, the agreements, signed in May 2008, allowed Cuba's armed forces to:
Train soldiers in Venezuela
Review and restructure parts of the Venezuelan military
Train Venezuelan intelligence agents in Havana
And change the intelligence service's mission from spying on foreign rivals to surveilling the country's own soldiers, officers, and even senior commanders.
The first agreement, according to the documents, would prepare Venezuelan intelligence agents to "discover and confront the subversive work of the enemy." The second agreement authorized Cuban officials to oversee the "assimilation" and "modernization" of Venezuela's military.
The presence of Cuban officials within Venezuela's military has been known for years. President Nicolas Maduro, Chavez's disciple and increasingly beleaguered successor, said in a 2017 speech: "We are grateful to Cuba's revolutionary armed forces. We salute them and will always welcome them." But neither country has ever acknowledged details of the agreements or the extent of Cuba's involvement.
In March, after U.S. Vice President Mike Pence denounced Havana's "malign influence" on Caracas, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez downplayed the relationship. "I strongly reject repeated and false accusations," he tweeted, "of Cuban military 'training,' 'controlling' or 'intimidating' in Venezuela." Neither Venezuela's Defense Ministry nor its Information Ministry, responsible for government communications including those of Maduro, responded to emails and phone calls for this article. Cuban officials didn't respond to requests from Reuters for comment.
Eleven years after they were forged, the military agreements have proven crucial for Maduro's survival as president, according to security experts, people familiar with the administration and opposition politicians. With Cuba's help and training, the military has stood by Maduro and helped him weather an economic meltdown, widespread hunger and crime, and the emigration of more than 4 million people – more than 10 percent of Venezuela's population in recent years.
In June, Reuters explained how a reshuffling of the armed forces, and proliferation of senior officers, has kept military leadership beholden to Maduro.
Now, the documents laying out Venezuela's agreements with Cuba – and interviews with dozens of current and former members of the armed services, government officials and people familiar with the relationship between Caracas and Havana – show how instrumental Castro's help has been as well.
The transformation of the DGCIM, these people say, has been particularly effective. "The most important mission for the intelligence service once was to neutralize any threat to democracy," said Raul Salazar, a former defense minister under Chavez who opposes Maduro. "Now, with Cuba in charge, the government uses it to stay in power."
Once Cuba began training DGCIM personnel, the intelligence service embedded agents, often dressed in black fatigues, within barracks. There, they would compile dossiers on perceived troublemakers and report any signs of disloyalty, according to more than 20 former Venezuelan military and intelligence officials. The DGCIM also began tapping the phones of officers, including senior military commanders, to listen for conspiracies.
The crackdown has led to hundreds of arrests. At least 200 military officials are currently detained, according to the opposition-led National Assembly. Citizen Control, a Venezuelan organization that studies the armed forces, says the number is over 300.
In a June 2017 report, reviewed by Reuters, the DGCIM accused a soldier, who enrolled in a university considered to be aligned with the opposition, of "ideological and political subversion." Speaking out for the first time, the former lieutenant recounted how he was handcuffed to a chair in a continuously lit room and beaten until two vertebrae broke. "Those days had no end," he recalled. He revealed his story to Reuters on the condition that the news agency use only his first name, Daniel, and not disclose his age.
Since its remaking, the DGCIM's ranks have swelled – from a few hundred agents early in the Chavez administration to at least 1,500 now, according to former military officials.
A recent United Nations report accused the DGCIM of torture – including electric shocks, suffocation, waterboarding, sexual violence, and water and food deprivation. Under Maduro, DGCIM officers have been promoted to senior positions, including the command of his personal security detail. The repression, opposition leaders say, has cowed the armed forces. Juan Guaido, head of the National Assembly, early this year denounced Maduro's 2018 re-election as a sham and declared, with the support of most Western democracies, that he was Venezuela's rightful leader.
But opposition pleas for a military rebellion have gone unheeded. "We have failed," said a senior opposition official involved in attempts to broker talks with military leaders. "We have nothing to offer to convince them."
"A BASTION OF LATIN AMERICAN DIGNITY"
For Chavez, the changes foreseen by the two agreements resonated on a personal level. Castro, whom he had long admired, was the first international leader to embrace Chavez as a rising politician in the 1990s.
Venezuela's military intelligence unit, meanwhile, was run by officers allied with the conservative elite and opposed to Chavez's vision of transforming a country which, despite boasting the world's biggest oil reserves, suffered rampant poverty.
When Chavez's 1992 coup failed, officers from the unit, then known as the Directorate of Military Intelligence, or DIM, were the ones tasked with arresting him. They initially jailed him in one of the same underground cells at the DIM's Caracas headquarters where Chavez would later detain some of his own political opponents, according to several former officials.
Months after his release from prison because of a presidential pardon, Chavez in 1994 flew to Havana, where Castro, in their first in-person meeting, greeted him at the airport.
In Chavez, Castro saw a like-minded leftist leader of the sort that had become rare since the end of the Cold War. In Venezuela's vast oil wealth, Castro saw potential nourishment for a Cuban economy starved by the collapse of its former sponsor, the Soviet Union. With Castro looking on, Chavez in a speech at the University of Havana called Cuba, then in its fourth decade of authoritarian rule, "a bastion of Latin American dignity." He vowed to cure the capitalist "gangrene" afflicting Venezuela.
After the visit, the two men began to speak regularly, former advisors said.
By the late 1990s, high inflation, low economic growth and increased poverty made Chavez's Socialist message attractive to a growing number of Venezuelans. In 1998, he was elected president. Almost immediately, he deepened formal links with Cuba.
In October 2000, Castro traveled to Caracas to sign a series of economic agreements. Venezuela would give Cuba enough oil to meet half its energy needs.
Since then, Venezuela has sent at least 55,000 barrels per day to the island, or more than $21 billion worth of oil, according to government figures and average prices over the period. In exchange, Cuba sent thousands of doctors, teachers and agricultural specialists to help diversify Venezuela's grass-roots economy.
By 2002, many of Venezuela's elite had tired of Chavez. That April, conservative opposition leaders teamed up with military chieftains, including senior DIM officials, and detained him. But the coup, after a massive popular uprising on his behalf, failed within two days.
Back in power, and with Castro's blessing, Chavez placed Cuban advisors within his inner circle to tighten security, according to his former advisors and several former military officials. He began a purge of the intelligence service and other top ranks of the military. He appointed Hugo Carvajal, a lieutenant colonel who had joined Chavez's 1992 coup effort and later headed the DIM's investigations division, to be its subdirector. Within two years, Carvajal became its director general. Carvajal began modernizing the DIM. In an email to Reuters, Carvajal said Venezuela's central bank provided millions of U.S. dollars in cash to the DIM for new technology, including surveillance equipment and a database to centralize intelligence.
The intelligence boss would lead the service for nearly a decade. Now out of office, he has been sanctioned by the United States Treasury Department for allegedly helping Colombian guerrillas. Last April he was arrested in Spain and remains detained in response to a U.S. warrant for alleged drug trafficking.
In the email, sent through his lawyer in Spain, Carvajal denied the accusations.
In July 2007, Chavez named Gustavo Rangel, a loyalist who headed the army reserves, as defense minister.
At his swearing-in, Rangel spoke of the need for "new Venezuelan military thinking" to counter the "real enemy." The "empire," he said, using common Caracas shorthand for the United States, was sponsoring "subversive groups" bent on destroying the revolution.
Reuters was unable to reach Rangel, now retired, for comment.
That December, Chavez lost the referendum on term limits. On television, he vowed a "new offensive" to pursue the goal.
Defense talks with Cuba began. At a meeting in Caracas on May 26, 2008, Rangel and General Alvaro Lopez, Cuba's vice minister of defense, signed the two agreements.
Under the first agreement, Cuba's defense ministry would oversee a restructuring of the DIM and advise on creating "new units" inside the service. The DIM would also send groups of as many as 40 officers to Havana for up to three months of espionage training.
According to the documents, Venezuela would send resumes of training candidates for Cuba to vet. Courses included how to handle "secret collaborators," how to conduct criminal investigations and how to select new intelligence agents.
Most of the training, according to the documents, took place at the Comandante Arides Estevez Sanchez Military Academy in western Havana. At the academy, a cluster of white four-story buildings and parade grounds, Cuban instructors told DIM agents their mission henceforth would be to infiltrate and control the military, according to five people familiar with the courses.
The second agreement created a committee known as the Coordination and Liaison Group of the Republic of Cuba, or GRUCE. The GRUCE, comprising eight Cuban "military experts," would send Cuban advisors to Venezuela to inspect military units and train soldiers.
One former Venezuelan intelligence official recalled training he received by Cuban instructors on a farm in the eastern Venezuelan state of Anzoategui. Instructors, he told Reuters, drilled students with questions about their political beliefs. The DIM, they said, must be the "tip of the spear" in the fight against "traitors."
Chavez, fortified by increases in government spending that boosted his popularity, won a new referendum to end term limits.
In 2011, he changed the DIM's name to include the term "counterintelligence," reflecting its mission to thwart sabotage from within. By then, the new DGCIM was several hundred agents stronger, former officials said.
Fresh from Cuban training, the new agents began infiltrating barracks. "We lived and trained with the troops to monitor them, keeping the bosses informed," another former DGCIM officer told Reuters. "We had an iron grip."
Some agents pretended to be regular soldiers. Others donned their DGCIM uniforms and regularly encouraged soldiers to report on each other. They came to be known as "the men in black," according to several former soldiers. "I'll hand you to the DGCIM," a battalion commander warned would-be rebels, one soldier recalled. Stories of detentions and torture by DGCIM agents, sometimes wearing skeleton masks and balaclavas, spread through the ranks.
"YOU CAN'T FIGHT THE STATE"
Chavez, following four surgeries in Cuba, died in 2013. Castro in a newspaper column called him "the best friend the Cuban people had in their history." Voters elected Maduro to succeeded him.
In 2014, oil prices plummeted. Maduro's effort to spur the economy failed. Hunger and shortages hit even the armed forces. A military doctor told Reuters recently that many enlisted soldiers are underweight, subsisting primarily on pasta and lentils.
As growing numbers of troops sought to desert, the DGCIM grew more aggressive. It expanded surveillance, wiretapping senior officers.
On the top floor of its headquarters, some 40 agents in its Operational Communications Division used a platform called Genesi, according to a former member of the team.
The system, designed by Italian telecommunications firm IPS SpA, allows users to "intercept, monitor and analyze every kind of information source," according to the company's web site.
IPS didn't respond to calls, emails or a letter seeking comment at its Rome headquarters. Reuters couldn't identify an IPS office or personnel working in Venezuela.
In July 2017, Daniel, the Army lieutenant in Caracas, was summoned to his battalion commander's office. Once a Chavez supporter, Daniel had joined the army in 2004 but under Maduro lost enthusiasm and told superiors he planned to leave. He had enrolled in law classes at a local university while still in the military and taken part in some opposition marches. Daniel's behavior, according to the intelligence report reviewed by Reuters, was "counter-revolutionary." The report described the university, whose name Daniel asked Reuters not to disclose, as a school for the opposition.
Upon reporting to the commander's office, Daniel said, three uniformed counterintelligence agents confiscated his phone and said he was needed for an "interview" at DGCIM headquarters.
Daniel said agents transferred him to an underground cell and handcuffed him to a chair. Each day, a man entered and punched him repeatedly. The beatings broke two vertebrae, according to a physician's report reviewed by Reuters. The cell was lit all hours, causing Daniel to lose track of time.
After 20 days, a military court charged him with treason, rebellion and violating military decorum. Pending a trial, he was transferred to another prison. Six months later, after entering a guilty plea, the court released Daniel on condition he remain in the country. He was expelled from the Army.
Daniel returned to law classes, but regrets pleading guilty. "I'm not sure it was the right thing to do," he said, but noted that many who don't enter a plea remain detained indefinitely. "You can't fight the state."
The surveillance has hurt even senior officers.
One case sparked national outrage, forcing the government to recognize DGCIM abuse. Rafael Acosta, a 50-year-old Navy captain, died in DGCIM custody on June 29, eight days after agents arrested him.
Tarek Saab, Venezuela's chief prosecutor, said Acosta was detained for participating in an unspecified "right wing" plot. Acosta's wife, Waleswka Perez, said the accusations were untrue and accused the DGCIM of torture. On July 1, Saab said the government had charged two DGCIM agents with homicide. He gave neither a cause of death nor the circumstances in which it occurred. The charges, Saab said in a statement, followed an "impartial" investigation into the "unfortunate event." Most DGCIM handiwork never comes to light.
In March 2018, five DGCIM agents summoned Lieutenant Colonel Igbert Marin, commander of the 302nd mechanized Army brigade, in Caracas. Marin, now 40 and the father of two young children, for most of his career was a rising star who had excelled at Venezuela's top military academy.
His wife, Yoselyn Carrizales, told Reuters the agents took Marin to the Defense Ministry, where he was met by officials including Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino and Ivan Hernandez, the current head of the DGCIM.
The officials accused Marin of scheming against the government, said Carrizales, who is acting as one of Marin's attorneys. They said they had video evidence of Marin and eight other officers conspiring, she added, but didn't show him the video. Marin denied the allegation, saying that the meeting in question had been merely a gathering of old academy classmates. Indignant, he told the defense minister that such accusations were counterproductive, especially at a time when most of the military was suffering from shortages of food, pay and equipment.
The minister should "leave his office, open his eyes and see how soldiers actually feel," Marin told Padrino, according to Carrizales. Another lawyer defending Marin, Alonso Medina Roa, confirmed her account. Neither Padrino nor Hernandez could be reached for comment.
The agents took Marin and the eight other officers to DGCIM headquarters. Marin later told his attorneys that agents handcuffed him to a chair, placed a bag over his head and filled it with tear gas. His lawyers detailed the alleged abuse to Reuters. A week later, at a hearing Carrizales attended, a military court charged Marin with treason, instigating rebellion and violating decorum. Agents then took Marin away. He remained incommunicado for 78 days.
"I didn't know if he was alive or dead," said Carr<|fim_middle|>3. After the revolution, he served as Cuba's ambassador to the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN). In 1961, he published his Critique: How Cuba's National Culture Emerged, where he argued that black Cubans had played a major role in the war of independence and the establishment of the republic — a fact that the prerevolutionary white racist culture and institutions had erased. Moreover, he claimed that the black Cuban experience was at the heart of the Cuban Revolution's radicalism — accordingly, the struggle against racism strengthened rather than weakened the revolution.
Walterio Carbonell
Thanks to these arguments, Carbonell endured various forms of detention between 1968 and 1974, including compulsory labor. According to Lillian Guerra, after he was released in 1974, he continued to defend his ideas, so he was interned in various psychiatric hospitals and subjected to electroshock and drug therapy for another two to three years. After that, Carbonell spent his remaining years as a little-known researcher at the National Library.
Unlike Carbonell's cases, the repression case of Cuban poet and journalist Heberto Padilla became well known very quickly. In 1968, Padilla won was awarded the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba's (UNEAC) most prestigious prize for his book of poems Fuera del Juego (Outside the Game). But the government objected to Padilla's critical, nonconformist spirit and condemned the work, forcing UNEAC to change its line on it as well.
Heberto Padilla
Ostracized and unable to publish in Cuba, Padilla was arrested for daring to read several of his new poems in public and trying to publish a new novel. He was compelled to confess, in Stalinist fashion, his political sins in 1971. This provoked an international scandal, and a large group of well-known intellectuals sympathetic to the Cuban Revolution, such as Jean-Paul Sartre and Julio Cortazar, protested. In response, the regime banned and withdrew from the country's libraries the works of any Latin American and European intellectual who objected to Padilla's treatment.
In 1968, the government began using repressive to enforce a monolithic cultural line. This shift created the foundation of what was later called the Quinquenio Gris, the five-year period from 1971 to 1976 in which the Castro regime brutally repressed nonconformist expression. In 1971, the National Congress of Education and Culture viciously attacked gay artists and intellectuals, banned gays from representing Cuba abroad in artistic, political, and diplomatic missions, and branded the Afro-Cuban Abakuá brotherhood a "focus of criminality" and "juvenile delinquency." Over those five years, the government imposed "parameters" on professionals in the fields of education and culture in order to scrutinize their sexual preferences, religious practices, and relationships with people abroad, among other political and personal issues.
The late Cuban architect Mario Coyula Cowley insisted that the Quinquenio Grishad in fact been the Trinquenio Amargo (the "bitter fifteen years"), because it had really started in the second half of the sixties. The hope that Castro would have supported Czech national self-determination and the upheavals of revolutionary 1968 to chart an independent, more democratic course for the Cuban Revolution was quickly lost.
Posted in Blog | Tagged Communist Party of Cuba, Economic History, Fidel Castro, Freedom of Assembly, Freedom of Expression, History, Human Rights, Revolutionary Offensive 1968 | Leave a comment
DEATH OF FIDEL CASTRO'S SON 'FIDELITO' REVEALS A DIVIDED FAMILY
By Will Grant, Cuba correspondent, BBC News February 2, 2018
Original article: Fidelito
Traditionally in Cuba, the first son is named after his father or his grandfather. When Fidel Angel Castro Diaz-Balart was born in 1949, he was given the names of both: Fidel after his father, then a little-known but politically ambitious lawyer, and Angel for his grandfather, a penniless Spanish immigrant who had become a wealthy landowner in eastern Cuba.
Mirta Francisca de la Caridad Díaz-Balart y Gutiérrez (born September 30, 1928) and Fidel Castro Ruz,
Fidel, Mirta and Fidelito Fidelito, 1959
Fulgencio Batista, Dictator, 1952-1958.
Batista was from the same area of Cuba as the Diaz-Balart and Castro families – Banes and Biran in what is now Holguin Province. The families were friends. It is said that Batista was at the 1948 wedding of Mirta and Fidel, though I have not seen evidence of that. It is also said that Batista gave the couple a wedding gift of $1000.00 for their honeymoon in the United States. However, I have no proof of this neither. In any case, with the divorce of Fidel and Mirta and the Revolution, the Castro's and Diaz-Balarts became bitter enemies. Indeed the US-Cuba conflict has been pretty much all in the family. (Arch Ritter)
As Fidel Angel grew up, people just called him affectionately "Fidelito". The diminutive nickname stuck, even after his father had become one of the most recognisable faces of the 20th Century, a Cold War icon who divided opinion around the world, and Fidelito himself a respected nuclear physicist.
Despite his fame and notoriety, Fidel Castro remained intensely private about his family until his death in 2016.
It was preparing for the revolution in the early days that he made his first decisive act over his son. Already divorced from Fidelito's mother, Mirta Diaz-Balart, Fidel arranged for his young son to visit him in exile in Mexico where he was planning the overthrow of the Batista dictatorship in Havana. Taking a typically uncompromising position on something that mattered to him, Fidel simply refused to send the boy home to his mother.
Tough act to follow
It wouldn't be the last time Fidel Castro flexed his iron will over family affairs, ensuring that his son would eventually be educated in the Soviet Union rather than reside with his mother in Spain or the US.
It might be hard to recall today just how significant a figure Fidel Castro was at the height of his power and, as such, what it must have been like to be his son.
With Fidelito's death on Friday, comparisons have been made to being the child of a superstar actor or musician. But the reality goes much further because in Cuba, Fidel was everything. He was often the first voice people heard in the morning when they turned on their radios and the last one they heard at night before going to bed. He was involved in every aspect of Cuban life – political, economic and cultural – and he was revered by some almost as a God, if not a kind of prophet.
It was never expected of Fidelito that he would try to fill those enormous guerrilla boots, but the stresses of the constant comparison must have been difficult to live with. Even when he had become a successful nuclear physicist, he couldn't shake off Fidel's shadow. His father even once sacked him as head of the island's nuclear programme for "incompetence", showing he was prepared to wield the axe against his own family if needed when it came to putting the revolution first.
Divided clan
Then there were the other family connections. Never was a family more ideologically split than the Castro Diaz-Balarts.
After his parents divorced, Fidelito's mother, Mirta, moved to Spain. Her brother, Rafael Diaz-Balart, whom Fidel Castro detested, had been a politician in Batista's government. Today, his sons Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart have both been US lawmakers for Florida, representing staunchly anti-Castro positions on Cuba. They have not spoken publicly about the loss of their cousin. They are Fidelito's cousins but neither man has offered their condolences so far, at least not in public.
The Castro clan is, at times, as complex as the family whose lives it somehow echoed in Washington: the Kennedys.
Taboo subject
Similarly beset with the pressures and responsibilities of office from a young age, and the years marked with the occasional family tragedy, the two eldest sons, Fidelito and John Jr Kennedy, might have found they had much in common if they'd ever had the chance to drink a rum and smoke a cigar together.
After his long training in the USSR, Fidelito grew into a highly skilled man, fluent in English, Russian, French and Spanish. He was considered one of the best scientists in his field. His tragic end – taking his own life after efforts were made to treat him for clinical depression – comes just over a year after the death of his iconic father.
Suicide is still a taboo subject in Cuba. Once even considered "anti-revolutionary", it is much more common than generally reported on the island.
Perhaps in the final analysis, Fidelito Castro will be remembered as someone who had tried his best to make his own name, despite the evident weight of the one he was given.
Fidelito Angel Castro Diaz-Balart (left)
Posted in Blog | Tagged Fidel Castro, History, US-Cuba Relations | 1 Comment
New Book: CULTURE AND THE CUBAN STATE: PARTICIPATION, RECOGNITION, AND DISSONANCE UNDER COMMUNISM
Posted on January 2, 2018 by Arch Ritter
YVON GRENIER
Culture and the Cuban State examines the politics of culture in communist Cuba. It focuses on cultural policy, censorship, and the political participation of artists, writers and academics such as Tania Bruguera, Jesús Díaz, Rafael Hernández, Kcho, Reynier Leyva Novo, Leonardo Padura, and José Toirac. The cultural field is important for the reproduction of the regime in place, given its pretense and ambition to be eternally "revolutionary" and to lead a genuine "cultural revolution". Cultural actors must be mobilized and handled with care, given their presumed disposition to speak their mind and to cherish their autonomy.
This book argues that cultural actors also seek recognition by the main (for a long time the only) sponsor and patron of the art in Cuba: the "curator state". The "curator state" is also a "gatekeeper state," arbitrarily and selectively opening and closing the space for public expression and for access to foreign currencies and the global market. The time when everything was either mandatory or forbidden is over in Cuba. The regime seems to have learned from egregious mistakes that led to a massive exodus of artists, writers and academics. In a country where things change so everything could stay the same, the controlled opening in the cultural field, playing on the actors' ambition and fear, illuminates a broader phenomenon: the evolving rules of the political game in the longest standing dictatorship of the hemisphere.
Yvon Grenier is professor of political science at St. Francis Xavier University.
Chapter 1: Revolution and Cultural Will
Chapter 2: Don't Cross This Line
Chapter 3: Jesus Diaz, the Unintentional Deviationist
Chapter 4: The Curator State
Chapter 5: How to Write From Mantilla, Of the Small Heresies of Leonardo Padura
Chapter 6: Faking Criticism
Yvon Grenier, a sharp-eyed observer of culture and politics in Latin America, provides an illuminating analysis of the complex relations between Cuba's intellectuals and the Castro regime. Exceeding the revolutionary rhetoric which has impressed much of the research on Cuba in the past, Grenier looks seriously and rigorously into the state's cultural policy over time, showing how changes in that policy from repression to liberalization and back have not altered the fundamental position of Cuba's artists, writers and political scientists, a position marked by fear, censorship, self-censorship, and the need to perform intellectual acrobatics. A must-read for anyone concerned with the fate of creative imagination and critical thinking in authoritarian states.
Michael Keren, University of Calgary
Everywhere in the world intellectuals, writers, and academics are a different breed who seek participation and recognition from their public and peers as well as their state. In his analysis of Cuba's cultural policy during the Cuban revolution, Yvon Grenier carefully shows that in a communist state that quest is particularly difficult and dangerous. In Cuba, a line was drawn early on between those who work within the revolutionary parameters and gain acceptance, though at times managing to be quite critical (dissonance) and those who work outside of it, meeting rejection and ostracism (dissidence). Yet, through his analysis of the hardships, vicissitudes, and circumstances of the lives of important Cuban intellectuals (such as Jesús Díaz, Tania Bruguera, and Leonardo Padura), Grenier further shows that where the line lies can be rather unclear, leading to some crossing it unwittingly while others place their stories in another century and another place to avoid it. Grenier shows that the political control of the cultural life in a one party state like Cuba results not only in censorship but also in self-censorship. For everyone who cares about the quality of intellectual life in Cuba and elsewhere, this is a book not to be missed.
Silvia Pedraza, University of Michigan
This book is a path-breaking work that convincingly turns the conventional wisdom about the 'cultural policy' of the Cuban Revolution on its head. Most compelling and original is the author's nimble analysis that distinguishes between a set of unwritten but untouchable "primary parameters" and another set of "secondary" and contextually permeable parameters that such cultural actors must constantly negotiate in order to avoid being dealt "out of the game" of Cuban culture as played on the island under the Revolution. The strongest contribution of the book is to change the focus on cultural freedom in Cuba from one that focuses exclusively on the state to one that focuses equally on the ways Cuban writers, artists, and intellectuals negotiate with the state, in search not only of greater creative freedom but also (and ironically) state recognition and promotion.
Ted A. Henken, Baruch College
Posted in Blog | Tagged Communist Party of Cuba, Culture, Dissidents, Fidel Castro, Freedom of Expression, Literature, Opposition, Political System, Politics, President Raul Castro | Leave a comment
"IT'S OVER": HOW I CAPTURED CHE GUEVARA. Fifty years on, Gary Prado Salmón recalls the guerrilla leader's final hours in Bolivia.
By Clare Hargreaves
"'It's over': How I captured Che Guevara", Financial Times Magazine, 6 October 2017. (Gated paywall, but with limited access when registered.)
Courtesy of Larry Willmore and his Blog "Thought du Jour" (TdJ)
To visit the TdJ weblog, go to: http://larrywillmore.net/blog/ — To receive TdJ emails, go to: http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/thought_du_jour/join and follow instructions.
October 8th was the 50th anniversary of the capture of Ernesto 'Che' Guevara in Bolivia. General Gary Prado Salmón, who was the last person to speak with Che, recalls those final hours in an interview with a Financial Times columnist.
*** I [Gary Prado] asked him [Che]: 'Why did you come to Bolivia? One of the things you say in your book on guerrilla warfare is that if any country has a democratic government, even with some problems, it's very difficult to foment revolution there.' (We had a democratic government in Bolivia — President René Barrientos had been elected one year earlier — and we had a parliament, a free press and so on.) He didn't reply, so I asked again …. He said: 'It wasn't just my decision, it was a decision taken on other levels.' 'What levels? Fidel?' I asked. 'Other levels,' …. Of course, it was clear the comand had come from Cuba.
I asked him if he'd heard about the national revolution we'd had in Bolivia in 1952 and he said, 'Yes, I was here.' So I asked: 'Why did you come here to offer people land when we've had a very profound land reform already? That's why no peasants are joining your movement.' He replied: 'Yes, we were wrong about that, we had the wrong information.'
As for Che's achievements, he committed a lot of mistakes here as a guerrilla leader. He contradicted everything he'd written in his books. That's what led him to fail. …. He was good at theory but when the chance came to practise his ideas [in Bolivia], he was a total failure."
Gary Prado Salmón (born 1938) was a captain in Bolivia's elite US-trained 2nd Ranger battalion. He is author of The Defeat of Che Guevara: Military Response to Guerrilla Challenge in Bolivia (Praeger, 1990) and now teaches international relations at a private university (UTEPSA) in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
Posted in Blog | Tagged Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, History, International Relations | Leave a comment
Reporters Without Borders: CUBA, CONTINUING ORDEAL FOR INDEPENDENT MEDIA
Original Report here: https://rsf.org/en/ranking
A self-styled socialist republic with a single party, Cuba continues to be Latin America's worst media freedom violator year after year. Fidel Castro's death in 2016 effectively changed nothing. The Castro family, which has ruled since 1959, maintains an almost total media monopoly and tolerates no independent reporting.
Arbitrary arrests and imprisonment, threats, smear campaigns, confiscation of equipment, and closure of websites are the most common forms of harassment. These practices are ubiquitous and are buttressed by an arsenal of restrictive laws. Unless forced to flee the island to protect themselves or to keep working, the few independent bloggers and journalists must cope with drastic restrictions on Internet access.
FIDEL CASTRO'S HERITAGE: FLAGRANT MEDIA FREEDOM VIOLATIONS
Castro has been hailed as one of the leading figures of the 20th century and father of the Cuban people in many of the thousands of messages that followed the announcement of his death. But behind the revolutionary's romantic image lay one of the world's worst press freedom predators. The persecution of dissidents was one of the distinguishing features of his 49 years in power, and constitutes the harshest aspect of his heritage.
The current situation in Cuba speaks to this. Cuba continues to be one of the worst countries in Latin America for media freedom and ranks 171st out of 180 countries in RSF's World Press Freedom Index. Fidel Castro's brother Raúl, who replaced him in 2007, is now also on RSF's press freedom predator list.
Cuba's constitution permits only state-controlled media outlets. Independent news agencies and bloggers who try to dispute the state's monopoly of news and information are subjected to intimidation, arbitrary arrest and draconian censorship.
As a result, independent news agencies have often had no choice but to go into exile and post their news reports online from abroad. This is far from ideal because Internet access within Cuba is still very problematic (only 5% of households have internet access).
Finally, with two journalists currently jailed, Cuba continues to be one of the few western hemisphere countries where reporters can still be found behind bars. Venezuela and Panama are the other two.
But the situation was much worse under Fidel Castro himself. The father of the Cuban revolution imposed a climate of censorship and used often violent methods to prevent the circulation of any news and information at variance with that provided by the state media.
The persecution peaked in 2003. In March of that year, the authorities arrested more than 75 dissidents including 27 journalists, who were given summary trials and sentences ranging from 14 to 27 years in prison for talking about democracy in Cuba.
They included RSF's then correspondent, Ricardo González Alfonso, who ended up spending seven years in prison. There were several waves of arrests during this period, dubbed the "Black Spring." Unauthorized journalists were targeted and accused of collaborating with the United States if their reporting referred to Cuba's dissidents, human rights violations or the everyday lives of Cubans.
The persecution continued during the ensuing years and in 2007, when Fidel Castro was about to hand over to his brother, Cuba was the world's second biggest prison for journalists, with a total of 25 held. Prison conditions were appalling and torture was often reported by the families of Cuba's detained journalists and dissidents.
Many different methods were deployed against Cuba's independent news providers including arbitrary arrests, beatings and phone tapping. But permanent censorship was one of the constants of the Castro years, both before and after the Black Spring.
Ever since its creation in 1985, RSF has constantly denounced these abuses, using awareness campaigns, protests and international mobilization. Several of our contributors and correspondents have been threatened or imprisoned. They include Roberto Guerra Pérez, who was sentenced to two years in prison in 2005 on a charge of disturbing public order and was released in 2007.
Guerra bravely continued his fight for media freedom, launching an independent news agency called Hablemos Press in 2009. But the Cuban police harassed him and his reporters and repeatedly prevented them from working. After receiving anonymous death threats, he had no choice but to go into exile in October 2016 in order to ensure his and his family's safety.
The battle waged by RSF and many other local and international NGOs must go on so that exile is one day no longer inevitable. But for the time being, the day-to-day existence of Cuba's journalists is still marked by fear and self-censorship.
Cuba's journalists currrently fear that the father of the revolution's death will be accompanied by a new crackdown. This must not be allowed to happen. Instead, it must open the way to a new era of pluralism and freedom of opinion.
Posted in Blog | Tagged Democracy, Dissidents, Fidel Castro, Freedom of Expression, Human Rights, Opposition, President Raul Castro | Leave a comment
IN CUBA, THE POST-FIDEL ERA BEGAN TEN YEARS AGO
Posted on January 24, 2017 by Arch Ritter
January 23, 2017 2.49 am EST
Ramón I. Centeno, Postdoctoral fellow, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)
Original Article: Post-Fidel Era
Ever since Fidel Castro died in November 2016, foreign observers – journalists, political tourists, and the like – have flocked to the streets of Havana. Let's go and see communist Cuba before it is too late! they reason.
What this reaction misses is that Cuba has already changed: the post-Fidel era is a decade old.
My new research, published in Mexican Law Review, shows major shifts in the governing style and ideology of the country. The charismatic leadership that epitomised Fidel's time in power is gone, replaced by a collective arrangement. And Cuba's centrally planned economy has integrated market socialist features.
These changes will likely be accelerated by Barack Obama's recent repeal of the US policy that gave Cuban migrants favoured immigration status – both by eliminating an escape route for dissatisfied citizens and by reducing potential future remittances.
The end of charismatic leadership
When Fidel fell gravely ill in July 2006, he provisionally delegated his dual posts – president of the Council of State and first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba – to his younger brother Raúl, long-time head of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and second secretary of the Communist Party. As Fidel's health further deteriorated, the National Assembly made Raúl president in February 2008.
This move kept succession within the family, but Raúl has rejected any Kim dynasty-style future for the country. If ten years ago Cuba looked more like North Korea than China, today the opposite is true.
Leadership and ideology in surviving communist systems in 2016. Created by author.
Breaking with Fidel's decades-old practice, Raúl recommended to the delegates of the sixth Party Congress in April 2011 that they limit public officials to a maximum of two five-year terms; this soon became the official Party line.
In the short term, term limits meant that Raúl Castro's presidency would end in February 2018, which he has confirmed. In the long term, that raised questions on the post-Castro era. To be sure, in 2013 Miguel Díaz-Canel, a Communist Party insider, was promoted to first vice president of the Council of State – the first time ever that a revolutionary veteran did not hold that position. Technically, according to the Cuban constitution, if the president dies, the first vice-president takes over.
The seventh Party Congress, held in April 2016, nonetheless appointed Raúl Castro to be first secretary. While this does keep a revolutionary veteran in control of a key post after 2018, for the first time the head of the Cuba's Communist Party will not be the same person as Cuba's president.
The rise of market socialism
Market socialism can be defined as "an attempt to reconcile the advantages of the market as a system of exchange with social ownership of the means of production."
As if following this definition from the Oxford Dictionary of Social Sciences, the sixth Party Congress approved that from now on "planning will take the market into account, influencing upon it and considering its characteristics."
This is a clumsy engagement with the market, treating it as an alien from outer space. And it epitomises the current ideological hardships of the Cuban regime. Still, Raúl Castro has overseen the largest expansion of non-state socioeconomic activity in socialist Cuba's 50-year history.
Cuba's National Office of Statistics reports that in 2015 71% of Cuban workers were state employees, down from 80% in 2007, and the number of (mostly urban) self-employed workers has grown from 141,600 in 2008 to half a million in 2015. In a country with a total workforce of five million, this is not a trivial change.
From 2008 to 2014, more than 1.58 million hectares of idle land has been transferred into private hands. That's nearly a quarter of Cuba's 6.2 million hectares of agricultural land, roughly on par with state-owned land (30%).
In sum, the market is no longer the enemy, it's a junior partner in Cuban central planning. The last Party Congress, Cuba's seventh, approved the continuity of controlled liberalisation efforts by turning market socialism into Communist Party doctrine, stating that "the State recognises and integrates the market into the functioning of the system of planned direction of the economy."
The new Cuban polity
The rise of market-socialist ideology emerged, to a substantial extent, from the decline of charismatic authority.
Cuba's next generation of leaders –- expected to take over in 2018 -– will not enjoy the same unquestionable legitimacy as its founding fathers, much less that of Fidel Castro. So the inevitable passing of the revolutionaries still in power today, most of whom are in their 80s, makes the already difficult process of revamping the regime even tougher.
Raúl Castro's challenge over the past decade has thus been not only to make his presidency stand on solid ground, but also to make sure that such a ground endures after he leaves. The question of economic performance was clearly central to that task. Raúl saw market socialism as a way to strengthen Cuba's economy without abandoning its Castro-era ideals. The revolutionary veterans' interest in seeing the system they built survive is unsurprising, and it explains their rejection of any capitalist encroachments. But it remains to be seen how long – and if – this ideological limit will survive them.
Let's return to the earlier chart presenting a comparison of surviving Communist countries at present. It shows Cuba today, after ten years of Raúl, located somewhere in between North Korea (where an orthodox Soviet-style economy is still firmly entrenched) and countries such as China and Vietnam that have seen capitalism restored, and somewhat closer to the latter.
But the difference between "medium" market acceptance and "high" market acceptance is a substantial one. The latter presupposes a comeback of the bourgeoisie – the social class of owners of the means of production, expropriated by Castro's revolution – and thus far this key ideological limit remains strong in Cuba.
Since the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991, many have assumed that the fall of communist Cuba is a matter of when not if. Only by abandoning the focus on "the fall" and understanding how communist rule has survived in Cuba we can grasp that Cuba has already changed mightily.
Welcome to the second decade of the post-Fidel era.
Some Cuenta-propistas, January 2015, Photos by Arch Ritter
Posted in Blog | Tagged Communist Party of Cuba, Fidel Castro, Market Socialism, Politics, President Raul Castro | Leave a comment
MY FAMILY'S TEARS OF JOY AND SADNESS FOR CASTRO'S CUBA
Posted on December 2, 2016 by Arch Ritter
Son of a Cuban émigré, John Paul Rathbone asks what Fidel's death means for the republic's people
John Paul Rathbone, Financial Times, December 2, 2016
Original Article: Joy and Sadness for Castro's Cuba
It has been many years since my family celebrated the usual exile toast which tacitly imagined Fidel Castro's death — "To next Christmas in Havana!"
My mother's family left Havana in the autumn of 1960 — 18 months after Castro came to power — expecting to return soon. But as the years passed, the toast I heard as a child growing up in London grew heavier with irony. By the end of the 20th century, it was repeated only because the repetition was comic. Then, last Friday at 10:29pm, Castro really did die. His younger brother, President Raúl Castro, made the announcement on national television.
I learnt the news on Saturday morning, in New York. My phone was lit up with texts and emails. In Miami, the night before, my niece had rushed out of her apartment in the Cuban district near Calle 8 to join the euphoric crowd. In Madrid, a cousin celebrated in a Cuban dive bar with a hip audience and politics far to the left of his own — and those of the owner, a black Cuban in his early 60s who served the crowd cocktails but kept his satisfaction to himself. From Havana, the mother of a friend left a strange message on his answering machine: "Fidel is dead", and then a long silence before she hung up.
"DEAD" was the bald Miami Herald headline on its special edition. There was little more to say. Cuba has been "post-Fidel" since he retired from public office in 2006 because of ill-health, formally handing over power to Raúl in 2008. One friend who heard the news on Friday night simply went back to sleep. The revelry outside Miami's famous Versailles restaurant soon rang hollow. It was a moment instead for grief, that churning of old emotions whenever a major figure in your life dies.
I called my mother in London. Although she left Cuba several years before the revolution for reasons that had nothing to do with politics, she often returned and had cheered Castro's jubilant rebels and thrown flowers in their path when they had marched into Havana 57 years ago, the dictator Fulgencio Batista vanquished. She claims to have hugged Camilo Cienfuegos, the most-loved rebel leader, that day. But then Castro nationalised my grandfather's store, and soon her parents and siblings and their children left too. "So many memories," she told me.
Camilo Cienfuegos and Fidel Castro, January 1 1958
I returned to Miami on Sunday evening. Driving home from the airport, I asked my Uber driver, a 26-year-old who left Havana four years ago, about his weekend. He was dismissive. "I understand the celebration. It's not of a person's death. It is of the end of someone who has caused so many people so much pain. But nothing really has changed. I stayed at home."
Charismatic defiance
There is still, though, the public weighing of Castro's life, the lengthy consideration of this versus that. Hero or villain?
First, we need a necessary correction of perceptions. Even Cubans who dislike him sometimes take a strange pride in Castro. "Fidel embodied the best and worst of us," wrote Achy Obejas, a Cuban-American novelist, in a New York Times column this week. "We hated his ambitions and loved that he had them. Hang out with a bunch of Cubans, and the minute someone gets imperious, someone else will call her out for the 'little Fidel' in her." It's in every Cuban, really.
Castro (left) is shown in file photo dated May 1963 holding the hand of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev during a four-week official visit to Moscow. Castro resigned on Feb. 19, 2008 as president and commander in chief of Cuba in a message published in the online version of the official daily Granma.
Castro was epic, especially from afar. He seemed to rule forever. He was the Quixote whose defiance of the Yankee monster warmed the cockles of the hearts of the red, the young and the poor. His charisma was inarguable.
There were also the achievements, especially Cuba's lauded education and health systems, and the fight against South African apartheid. His longevity — outlasting 11 US presidents — won him the respect of Latin American leaders. European, African and Asian politicians played court too.
Up close, however, his portrait becomes like the picture of Dorian Gray. There were the summary executions in the early days of the revolution; the stifling ideology that followed; the neighbourhood snooping; and the official discourse with its sledgehammer words like "conflict" and "struggle" but never "prosperity", "reconciliation" or "harmony". There were, and still are, the desperate escapes across the Florida Straits in makeshift rafts, the stultifying economy, the drain of the talented and the young seeking a life for themselves as exiles, and the fact that while Cuba's island population is 11m, another 2m live abroad.
More than anything, though, there has been the terrible breaking apart of families — and Cuba, under all the politics, is a family affair. I think of this analogy. At his height, Castro was the father of the nation — the man who shaped everyone's lives. Yet he was also an abusive father. On Tuesday night, as I watched the state funeral in Revolution Square on the television, I noticed that Raúl never used the word "brother" during his tribute speech. With Castro, it was politics all the way.
FILE – In this April 19, 2016 file photo, Fidel Castro attends the last day of the 7th Cuban Communist Party Congress in Havana, Cuba. Fidel Castro formally stepped down in 2008 after suffering gastrointestinal ailments and public appearances have been increasingly unusual in recent years. Cuban President Raul Castro has announced the death of his brother Fidel Castro at age 90 on Cuban state media on Friday, Nov. 25, 2016. (Ismael Francisco/Cubadebate via AP, File)
Cuba waits
Castro's death at the age of 90 is, of course, one of the most unsurprising news events ever. The obituaries were written long ago. Nothing happening this past week on the island has been improvised either, even if most Cubans had probably not expected to trudge through nine days of state-mandated mourning, with alcohol sales banned.
On Wednesday, after tributes from foreign dignitaries the night before, Castro's ashes were driven off in a cortege on an 870km tour across the island. On Sunday, his ashes will be interred at the Santa Ifigenia cemetery in Santiago, in a tomb next to José Martí's: Castro has thereby sought to appropriate the legacy of the poet and man of letters who is Cuba's most famous independence hero.
Castro's own legacy will be disputed for years. For every argument in its favour, there is a riposte. What is inarguable is that the island is physically crumbling, and the economy in desperate need of investment and funding. Socialist Venezuela, Cuba's closest ally, faces an economic crisis. Soon Caracas may no longer provide Havana with the aid and subsidised oil it needs.
When I last visited Cuba in July, there were blackouts. A euphoria I sensed in February, an expectancy of change triggered by President Barack Obama's historic visit and the prospect of subsequent US rapprochement, had faded. The significant but small economic reforms launched by Raúl have stalled. The generals still control the most lucrative sections of the Cuban economy. When Raúl steps down as president in 2018, as he has promised, the system will probably be much the same as now. But perhaps it will be otherwise.
Cubans also face the prospect of Donald Trump. The US president-elect has threatened to reverse Mr Obama's detente. "If Cuba is unwilling to make a better deal for the Cuban people, the Cuban/American people and the US as a whole, I will terminate the deal," Mr Trump tweeted this week.
It is hard to see the logic of how a return to a US policy that failed when Castro was alive will succeed now that he is dead. Squeezing Cuba again will more likely prompt the turtle to shrink back into its shell. But does Mr Trump really want that for the island nation anyway, even if many Cuban American Republicans do?
It is only a straw in the wind, but Maria Romeu, who concierges yacht charters to Cuba from Florida, continues to take lots of bookings from her largely Republican clients. On a recent Havana trip, the 58-year old Cuban American took four wealthy Trump voters on a city tour where they imagined where the Trump Tower might be built. "They were quite elated and the possibility of not going to Cuba next April did not cross their mind," says Ms Romeu, who adds that the bookings for next summer are intact. "I'm taking their lead."
It is ironic that the death of one of the 20th century's most charismatic nationalists, the narcissistic father figure Fidel, coincides with the rise in the US of another charismatic nationalist, Mr Trump. For some, it is a worrying symmetry; a populist playbook seen before.
"I don't care if Castro is alive or dead. That was already a done deal for me," a family friend wrote on Facebook. "Instead I care about those who still think he was great. That is bothersome, and dangerous, because it is a trap. A trap that can ruin lives — like those who think Donald Trump is great, [believe his promises] and yet you see the train wreck coming."
I left for Cuba on Friday, with no great expectations, but wanting to witness Castro's passing. His death, it seems to me, truly marks the end of the 20th century and also of certain attitudes that already seemed old-fashioned and outdated many years ago.
John Paul Rathbone
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BACKLASH IN CUBA: OBAMA'S HISTORIC VISIT WAS A SMASH HIT IN HAVANA. FIDEL CASTRO WASN'T GOING TO TAKE THAT LYING DOWN.
By Ann Louise Bardach
Politico Magazine, June 10 2016
Original Article: BACKLASH IN CUBA
HAVANA—These days Fidel Castro doesn't often leave his comfortable home in Siboney, a leafy suburb west of this city. But on April 19, the 89-year-old Cuban leader emerged, aides at his side, wearing a royal blue Adidas sports jacket over a blue plaid shirt, and was driven two miles to the immense Palacio de Convenciones. Inside he was greeted by a thousand members of the Communist Party, the ruling body that has been Cuba's sole political party for half a century. They were wrapping up their four-day conference, generally held twice a decade.
Fidel is ailing and officially retired, having incrementally handed the reins of power to his brother Raul over the past decade. But he remains a history buff, a news junkie, and a man keenly concerned with his legacy. And he was not pleased with what he had been hearing.
President Barack Obama had spent three high-profile days in Havana at the invitation of Raul. And the visit, to Fidel's dismay, had been an immense public success, generating as much excitement and buzz on the island as the arrival of The Rolling Stones for a free concert a few days later. While state media treated Obama with cautious distance, there was no mistaking the thrill of ordinary Cubans as the president toured local sights, watched a baseball game, and drove through Havana with his family and entourage. They dubbed the president Santo Obama. "He's more popular than the Pope!" one exultant habanera told me.
If the first state visit by a sitting president in 90 years struck Fidel as an unseemly and undeserved victory lap, there was troubling news as well from the Southern Hemisphere as well. Two of the island's staunchest allies were fighting for their political lives. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was nearing impeachment; Argentina's former president, Cristina Kirchner, was about to be indicted. Indeed, the entire left-wing coalition of Latin America, methodically cultivated by Fidel for decades, was unraveling. The death of Cuba's Midas-like patron, Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, had birthed a feeble successor who is unlikely to survive the next year; Ecuador's leftist president was bowing out, while Castro champion Evo Morales of Bolivia had lost a referendum for another presidential term. Peru and Uruguay had lost their center-left leaders. If not a political tidal wave, a domino effect of sorts was shifting the Southern Hemisphere from left to right.
Fidel Castro, Cuba's Maximum Leader, understood that something had to be done.
Cuba's Party Congress sets the economic and political agenda of the island, and many, on and off the island, had anticipated that this year's conclave would further crack the door open to more reform. As the U.S. and Cuba have navigated their rapprochement, their progress has continuously been buffeted by the alternating agendas of the two brothers: Fidel, the intransigent revolutionary, and Raul, the cautious reformer. Obama hoped that a state visit before the Congress would give a boost to Raul's reform-minded approach, however modest.
Cubans, too, had their eye on the meeting, and many of them expected that the Party would at least start to retire its octo- and nonagenarian ruling elite, the historicos who came up with Fidel and Raul and have been governing the island since. Raul himself had fueled those hopes by urging an age limit of 70 for senior Party officials.
It did not happen that way. Instead the Party's elders, with the blessing of Fidel, spent the first three days of the Congress issuing a series of retrograde edicts and re-establishing their hegemony. Rejecting the retirements of the old guard, they went on to quash reforms intended to rescue the country's moribund economy.
For a finale, Fidel addressed the Congress for the first time since 1997. The date of his appearance, April 19, was not coincidental. It fell on the 55th anniversary of the doomed U.S.-sponsored Bay of Pigs invasion, when Fidel's army vanquished the CIA's ill-conceived coup, captured thousands of U.S.-backed rebels, and utterly humiliated the world's greatest superpower.
The days when Fidel routinely gave furious six-hour orations in olive-drab military garb are long gone. Now with hair white as the sands of Varadero Beach, he did not attempt to stand on his feet. Instead, he was helped to a chair at the center of the dais. "This may be one of the last times I speak in this room," Fidel somberly told the throng.
Although Fidel spoke with a gravelly rasp, those looking to hear conciliatory words were quickly disabused of that hope. "The ideas of Cuban Communists will remain as proof on this planet," he insisted, and their achievements "will endure." And to that end, the firebrand Fidel exhorted those present —charged with setting Cuba's agenda through 2030—"to fight without truce."
"Soon, I'll be 90 years old. Soon I'll be like all the others," Castro intoned as if giving his own eulogy. "The time will come for all of us."
Then the old lion, albeit with a patchy beard and a thinning mane, roared again, one last time: "We must tell our brothers in Latin America—and the world," he declaimed, "that the Cuban people will be victorious!"
In the closed, hermetic world of Cuban politics, Fidel's speech marked a pivot in what has arguably been the country's most remarkable three months since the Missile Crisis of 1962. The ceaseless whiplash includes a ballyhooed U.S. presidential visit, a Party Congress slamming the door on reform, a Fidel valedictory finale, and a series of fresh dramas in the long-running saga of the Brothers Castro.
On June 3, Raul turned 85, to be followed by Fidel's 90th birthday on August 13, a pair of personal milestones that have the brothers keen to cement their legacies. "The Castros are robust and long-lived," boasted Raul on his big day; he also chatted with Russia's Vladimir Putin, who called offering birthday wishes.
As the brinkmanship between the two Castros plays out, it's likely to shape the course of U.S.-Cuban relations for the next generation. In that respect, it was possible to see the Congress as an episode in the long-running drama between two brothers to whom appearances matter deeply. Raul, the internationalist, got to produce the Obama Show. Fidel, the nationalist, won the right to orchestrate the Party Congress and to deliver his response to President Obama's proposal of accelerated reform and cooperation with the U.S.
And Fidel's message was unmistakable: Over my dead body.
This was hardly the step forward the White House had hoped for when it orchestrated its historic, if hastily planned, state visit in March. For Obama, Cuba was his "Nixon in China" moment, a legacy move to close the last chapter of the Cold War in our hemisphere.
It could not have contrasted more clearly with the previous U.S. presidential visit. In 1928, the Republican Calvin Coolidge sailed into Havana Harbor on a battleship. Obama, on the other hand, delivered his first words to the Cuban people before he even debarked from Air Force One. They came, cool, breezy and direct, in the form of a tweet. "¿Que bolá Cuba?" he tweeted, using the island slang for "what's happening?" "Just touched down here, looking forward to meeting and hearing directly from the Cuban people."
Cuban officialdom adopted a noticeably stiffer tone. Despite Obama being the single most important head of state to visit since 1959, Raul Castro—who has personally greeted more than one pope and innumerable national leaders upon their arrival—did not appear at the airport to welcome him. Instead, when the First Family touched down amid an insistent gray rain, they were met by Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, who greeted the president on the tarmac with a cordial handshake.
The government-run media gave a similarly cool treatment. On the eve of Obama's visit, Granma, the organ of the Communist Party, devoted its six thin pages to the arrival two days earlier of President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela, Cuba's principal patron since the collapse of the Soviet Union. In Havana, Maduro was robustly feted, even bestowed a new honorific title, with Raul declaiming that "we will never abandon our Bolivarian revolutionary friends."
Obama's trip had been something of a rush job, as state visits go, and behind the scenes, the U.S. had been on the back foot from early in the process. The date of the trip hadn't been finalized until January. One consideration in the timing was to ensure the visit came prior to the Party Congress, with the White House hoping to be a moderating influence when it convened. But the driving force, according to sources at both State and the Vice President's office, was that the president and first lady very much wanted a family trip, and the March 20-23 dates coincided with spring break at Sidwell Friends School for daughters Malia, who's been studying Spanish, and Sasha.
The trip planning also augmented tensions between the White House and the State Department that dated back to the historic Cuban deal announced in December 2014. The landmark agreement had effectively ended the Cold War between the countries and began the process of normalization: Cuba agreed to release numerous political prisoners and return imprisoned USAID contractor Alan Gross along with a significant U.S. intelligence asset, Rolando Sarraff, in exchange for the U.S. returning the remaining three of the "Cuban Five" convicted spies. Although negotiations like this would normally be led by the State Department, Obama had deputized his trusted aide and speechwriter, Ben Rhodes, to make a deal with Cuba happen. The 18 months of secret negotiations largely bypassed the State Department; only one State veteran, Cuba policy specialist Ricardo Zuniga, who partnered with Rhodes, was fully trusted by Obama's innermost circle, to maintain the secrecy demanded by the administration. Likewise, Cuba's Foreign Ministry, known as MINREX, was exiled from negotiations. The key player on the Cuban side was none other than Colonel Alejandro Castro Espín, Raul's 50-year-old son, a steely hard-liner widely believed to be his father's heir apparent.
The rushed trip also gave the Cubans leverage to shape the agenda, or try to: No meetings with human rights activists, they insisted, and they would decide the guest list, including which U.S. reporters made the cut—a loaded issue with Cuba, which has a long history of barring American reporters who report seriously on the island.
Matters were not looking good, and the press around the reconciliation was getting worse, until Secretary of State John Kerry canceled a trip to Havana in protest weeks before the state visit. Kerry's bluff worked, and from then on, the U.S. got what it wanted. The Cubans reluctantly issued visas for the reporters; the president had meetings with entrepreneurs, dissidents, human rights activists and even held a news conference, all to be recorded by live television coverage.
It is nearly impossible to overstate the impact of President Obama's arrival in Cuba. The shift in outlook was tectonic. In the course of the visit, I heard more than one habanero refer to Obama as "El Negro de Oro"—the Golden Black Man, a flattering pun on "black gold." It didn't hurt that to many Cubans, Obama just looks Cuban; his mixed-race background gives him something in common with the half the island's population that identifies as mulato, black or mestizo today.
The Obama family made the requisite tourist stops, including the city's grand Cathedral, built in 1777 from blocks of coral; they took a walking tour led by Havana's remarkable official historian, Eusebio Leal. Despite failing health and being in considerable pain, Leal gamely guided the Obamas through historic Havana in and around the Plaza de Armas.
The buzz of la bola en la calle—Cuban street gossip—was that the visit had prompted previously unimaginable upgrades to parts of the capital. Every building that the Obama entourage passed had been repainted, and every road his limousine traversed had been repaved. Some streets were still being paved and re-striped just hours before his arrival. "Come visit us," cried out residents of neglected, pot-holed barrios in what became a weeklong running joke, "y llevar el asfalto!" — "and bring the asphalt!"
The culmination of the trip was Obama's exquisitely crafted speech, delivered in downtown Havana's Gran Teatro with Raul Castro and the senior Politburo present, along with an array of invitation-only favored Cubans. "I have come here to bury the last remnant of the Cold War in the Americas," Obama began, thus ending the half century David-and-Goliath face-off that once almost brought the world to its end. The speech, written by Rhodes, hit every note. Millions of Cubans watched, many saying later they were overwhelmed by emotion, as an American president spoke directly to them, not at them.
"I had tears in my eyes," said Marta Vitorte, who watched the speech in her Vedado apartment. A former official in the Foreign Ministry, Vitorte for the past decade has run one of Havana's most popular and upscale casa particulars, or private home rentals. "This is the beginning of the future of Cuba," she gushed.
But for the island's 11-million-plus inhabitants, an even more jaw-dropping moment had come earlier in the visit. On Day Two, Obama had cajoled Raul into participating in a live news conference, taking unscreened questions from American reporters.
Considering Cuba's antagonism towards a free press, Raul's participation was stunning and, no doubt, a spontaneous decision he quickly regretted. The Cuban leader was plainly displeased by a question on human rights by NBC's Andrea Mitchell, but he was infuriated by CNN's Jim Acosta who asked, "Why are there Cuban political prisoners in your country?" Raul visibly bristled, having never endured an unfriendly press query. "Give me the list right now of political prisoners to let go of them," Raul huffed. "Tell me the name or the names … And if there are political prisoners then before night falls, they will be free. There!" (Lists of prisoner names were promptly circulated on social media—none of whom are known to have been released since.)
"Oh my god," said a former Cuban diplomat. "It made Raul look weak. No one here has ever seen anything like that." | AP Photo
As the conference streamed live, Cubans watched a flustered Raul lose his cool, then abruptly end the news conference and march over to Obama to raise his arm in a victory salute. A bemused Obama was having none of it, and let his arm dangle. "Oh my god," said a former Cuban diplomat. "It made Raul look weak. No one here has ever seen anything like that."
Obama's show-stopping appearances could only have mortified Fidel Castro, a public-relations genius, who was keenly monitoring the visit from his home. "Never abandon propaganda—even for a minute," he had counseled compatriots in a 1954 letter. "It is the very soul of our struggle."
Today, for hard-liners of Fidel's generation, la lucha, the struggle, means just two things: keeping the principles of the Revolution alive in Cuba; and keeping themselves alive and in power.
At the very minimum, Obama had rewritten Fidel's carefully scripted drama, in which the U.S. plays the rapacious foe. Suddenly, America seemed far less menacing. As the Cuban novelist Wendy Guerra wrote, in the wake of Obama's visit: "Since you left, we are little more alone, because now we have to find another enemy."
"The enemy always drove the story," says Marilu Menendez, a Cuban exile and branding expert who now lives in New York. "It justified all of [Fidel's] excesses."
Even before Obama left the island, Fidel let it be known that that he took a dim view of the visit. Just days after Air Force One departed, an article appeared in the state-run Tribuna de la Habana that accused Obama of lording over a racist country and "inciting rebellion" in Cuba by meeting with pro-democracy activists. Its headline, roughly translated, "Black Man, Are You Dumb?" was a firebomb. "Obama came, saw, but unfortunately, with the pretend gesture of lending a hand, tried to conquer," wrote Elias Argudín, a government loyalist, "choos[ing] to criticize and subtly suggest … incitements to rebellion and disorder, without caring that he was on foreign ground. Without a doubt, Obama overplayed his hand. Minimally, I can say is … 'black man, are you dumb?'"
Following a wave of blowback, Argudín offered a quasi-apology for "causing offense," noting that he himself was black. In a typically mysterious Cuban chess maneuver, the story was briefly deleted, then reposted on the paper's website, while running in the print edition.
The column was only the first public salvo from hard-liners signaling their distress over the American president's visit. A few days later, Fidel himself published a searing 1,500-word public letter, a full-throated denunciation of the visit and, by implication, Raul, who had hosted it. Entitled "Brother Obama," it ran on Page 1 of Granma. Obama's grand speech (which had begun with a famous line from the beatified patriot José Martí) was derided by Fidel as "honey-coated"—merely by listening to it, he warned, Cubans "ran the risk of having a heart attack." And then Fidel dropped the hammer: "We don't need El Imperio—The Empire—to give us any presents!"
Though Fidel and Raul's lives have been anchored in decades of sibling love, collaboration and feuding, Fidel must have known, or quickly learned, that his public harpooning had gone just a bit too far. And so on April 8, a week before the highly anticipated Congress, Fidel made another unusual outing from his home. Wearing a white blousy sports jacket with a black wool scarf tied around his neck, Castro, aided by a cane, spoke briefly at the school named for his late sister-in-law, Vilma Espín.
Espín had been Raul's wife and compañera in the Revolution from the early 1950s, and had served as Cuba's de facto first lady. But when she died in 2007, Fidel did not attend her funeral. His own illness served as a reasonable excuse, but as one former Cuban official told me in Havana, none of Fidel's family—neither his children nor his wife, Dalia—attended either. The snub deeply disappointed the family-centric Raul, who also serves as the Castro clan's patriarch. Since then, the official said, Raul typically has a weekly family dinner, not with Fidel's brood, but with his in-laws, the Espíns.
So it was impossible not to interpret Fidel's tribute as a peace offering to Raul, in advance of the Congress, where it was imperative that the brothers present a unified front. "I'm sure that on a day like today, Vilma would be happy," Fidel intoned to the schoolchildren in his weakened voice.
Vicki Huddleston, former chief of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, said the brothers knew they needed to project unity. "They do not want it to appear that there are divisions," she said. Veteran Cuba negotiator and U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Roberta Jacobson, suggested that the brothers' brinkmanship was sometimes simply ritual role-playing—a kind of "good cop-bad cop within the Castro family."
The dynamic between the Brothers Castro is of great import to Cubans, of course, and also determines what issues they allow on the table with American negotiators, and at what pace they are willing to address them.
On many issues the brothers are genuinely in lockstep, such as ending the U.S. embargo. While Cuba relentlessly hammers on about "el bloqueo"—the blockade, the hyperbolic term it uses for the embargo—its current prohibitions have been whittled down to a fraction of what they once were. Through executive actions, the Obama administration has lifted an array of trade and investment restrictions. Completely normalized trade and banking will have to wait for Congress to rescind the embargo officially, but whether Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump wins, the Cubans think they will have the requisite votes in Congress to get it done. With GOP Senators Jeff Flake and Rand Paul leading the charge, they expect a vote to come at some point in 2017. But until then, the embargo continues to be useful propaganda about the bully "Empire" to the north.
The embargo can be seen as Cuba's short game. The longer game is Guantánamo—the territory, not the prison. Even more than the embargo, this 45 square miles of Cuba's easternmost province has long served as Exhibit A of the crushing foot of El Imperio. As Raul reminded Obama on Day Two of his visit: "It will also be necessary to return the territory illegally occupied by Guantánamo Naval Base."
While the prisoners held in Gitmo are the issue attracting global attention, for Cuba, they're simply helpful propaganda in its quest to get its land back. America does have a lease, a 1903 deal stipulating that Guantánamo and its deep-water harbors be used as a "coaling station." (The rent is $4,085 annually, and the Castros proudly boast that they never cashed a rent check—although they did cash one in 1959.) Cuba now argues that America's current use of the land is in violation of its lease. "If this was a straight-up landlord-tenant law, the landlord would kick your butt right out," says Jose Pertierra, a Cuban-born lawyer who shuttles between Havana and Washington.
A former Cuban diplomat told me he expects the Gitmo crusade to get louder and more insistent going forward. "We don't really care about the prison," he said, "but [the government] is going to politicize it as a human-rights violation [and] a breach of the lease." In Havana, I asked Ben Rhodes if the Cubans had put Gitmo on the table as a chip. "There are never discussions in which Guantánamo does not come up," he answered.
As talks between the countries haltingly advance, it is on domestic economic and political issues where the internal Cuban factions part company. In the 1990s, with the collapse of their Soviet patron, Raul began to see Cuba's future very differently than his older brother. Raul had studied and visited China and Vietnam, and he liked what he saw: economic powerhouses fueled by competitive capitalism but all under the steely control of the Communist Party.
Fidel, on the other hand, mistrusted any version of capitalism, however dressed up as socialist entrepreneurism. He had railed against perestroika and glasnost and repeatedly warned Mikhail Gorbachev it would be the beginning of the end. (And indeed, it was the end of the Soviets' billion-dollar patronage of Cuba.)
Unlike his brother, Raul has acknowledged cracks in the pillars of Cuba's 65-year-old political system; insiders consider them serious. "There is no more discipline within the traditional ranks," a retired government official told me. "No one wants to belong to the CDR [Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, the neighborhood snitch organs]. No one feels they have to belong to the Communist Party." He added: "Five years ago, if you didn't belong to the CDR or the Party, you weren't going to get a promotion or could get in trouble. But there is no more fear about it."
Likewise, such bastions of the Revolution as the Federation of Women, the Workers Union, and the Young Communists League are losing members, I was told. All these organs that have buttressed the Revolution are in decline, losing momentum as membership oozes away. "Everybody's looking down the road about how to be an entrepreneur or a capitalist," said a man who has turned his home into a casa particular.
For the past two years, Raul has been beseeching allies and trading partners—Russia and much of Europe—to forgive loans and debts incurred over decades, an estimated $51.5 billion, according to Emilio Morales of the Havana Consulting Group. (That figure that doesn't even include debts owed to Venezuela and Brazil.)
And there is a relatively new reality on the island: corruption. "It's a daily event," he said. "If you have money, there's nothing you cannot get," then lowering his voice, "even a visa to leave Cuba."
While Fidel may choose to turn a blind eye to the domestic woes of his country, he is keenly attuned to the fact that there are larger, inexorable forces at work. The Southern Hemisphere is plainly drifting away from Cuba. In 2006, as he lay gravely ill, Fidel could gaze out at Latin America—populated by Lula in Brazil, Evo in Bolivia, the Kirschners in Argentina and his adoring student and patron, Hugo Chavez—and rest serene that fidelismo and Cuba's future were secure. If Fidel had died that year, as he has said he very nearly did, he would have been one satisfied soul.
But 10 years later, he has lived to confront a radically different picture. Cuba has lost all its patrons, except for the dramatically reduced oil shipments from Venezuela. Both Russia and China have set limits on their future largesse. Meanwhile, the U.S. rapprochement is making it inescapably clear that Cuba's economic salvation lies, once again, as it did in the first half of the 20th century, in American investment and tourism—meaning ever-deepening ties to Fidel's lifelong bête noire, the U.S.
So despite the rhetorical saber-rattling, and the alternating star turns of Raul and Fidel, Cuba is going through the only door that, for now, is open: Making friends with Uncle Sam. With no fanfare or pronouncements, U.S. and Cuban negotiators met recently and laid out an agenda for meetings well into the next year covering property claims, trade, environmental concerns and cooperation on narcotics.
In late May, the Cuban government announced that small and medium-size businesses would be legalized. The Party Congress may have repudiated change, but change is happening nonetheless.
Most crucially, there is the daily bonanza of ever-multiplying dollars from U.S. tourism. "More than 94,000 Americans have visited Cuba from Jan-Apr 2016," proudly tweeted Josefina Vidal, a Cuban official who heads the U.S. division of the Foreign Ministry in May, "a 93% increase with respect to same period 2015."
Leonardo Padura, Cuba's most famous living writer, recently tried to explain his country's contradictions. "If you say [Cuba] is a communist hell or a socialist paradise, you're missing all the nuances," he told EFE, the Spanish news agency. "Cuba is a society that apparently has not changed, but it really has."
That assessment could apply just as well to Raul. Both a "reformer" and a "historico" by definition and personal loyalty—having fought alongside Fidel since 1952 and, since 1959, having run the Cuban Army, the country's most powerful political organ—Raul has evolved into a pragmatist of necessity over the past 25 years. At the same time, Fidel has doubled down his resolve to resist reform. And like Cuba, the relationship between the deeply bonded brothers apparently has not changed, but it really has.
At his birthday last week, when Raul was toasted by family and friends after hosting a Caribbean summit, there was much to celebrate—replete with historical ironies. Fidel may have rescued Cuba from the clutches of the U.S., but it is Raul who is rescuing Cuba from Fidel.
Ann Louise Bardach is the author of Cuba Confidential (2002) and Without Fidel: A Death Foretold in Miami, Havana and Washington (2009), as well as the editor of The Prison Letters of Fidel Castro and Cuba: A Travelers Literary Companion. She interviewed Fidel Castro in 1993 and 1994 and met Raúl Castro in 1994.
Posted in Blog | Tagged Communist Party of Cuba, Economic Reforms, Fidel Castro, Obama, Politics, President Raul Castro, US-Cuba Normalization, US-Cuba Relations | Leave a comment | izales.
Marin remains detained, and his wife continues to work for his release. Venezuelan officials haven't publicly commented on the case or shown Marin's lawyers the alleged video. No trial date has been set.
"They fear him," Carrizales said. "He is an obvious leader within the armed forces. That's why they arrested him."
Posted in Blog | Tagged Cuba-Venezuela Relations, Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela | Leave a comment
Posted on May 2, 2018 by Arch Ritter
Boulder, CO: First Forum Press, 2015. 373 pp.
By Archibald R. M. Ritter and Ted A. Henken
Review by Sergio Díaz-Briquets,
Cuban Studies, Volume 46, 2018, pp. 375-377, University of Pittsburgh Press
The small business sector, under many different guises, often has been, since the 1960s, at the center of Cuban economic policy. In some ways, it has been the canary in the mine. As ideological winds have shifted and economic conditions changed, it has been repressed or encouraged, morphed and gone underground, surviving, if not thriving, as part of the second or underground economy. Along the way, it has helped satisfy consumer needs not fulfilled by the inefficient state economy. This intricate, at times even colorful, trajectory has seen the 1968 Revolutionary Offensive that did away with even the smallest private businesses, modest efforts to legalize self-employment in the 1979s, the Mercados Libres Campesinos experiment of the 1980s, and the late 1980s ideological retrenchment associated with the late 1980s Rectification Process.
Of much consequence—ideologically and increasingly economically—are the policy decisions implemented since the 1990s by the regime, under the leadership of both Castro brothers. Initially as part of Special Period, various emergency measures were introduced to allow Cuba to cope with the economic crisis precipitated by the collapse of the communist bloc and the end of Soviet subsidies. These early, modest entrepreneurial openings were eventually expanded as part of the deeper institutional reforms implemented by Raúl upon assuming power in 2006, at first temporarily, and then permanently upon the resignation of his brother as head of the Cuban government.
In keeping with the historical zigzag policy pattern surrounding small businesses activities—euphemistically labeled these days as the "non-state sector"—while increasingly liberal, they have not been immune to temporary reversals. Among the more significant reforms were the approval of an increasing number of self-employment occupations, gradual expansion of the number of patrons restaurants could serve (as dictated by the allowed number of chairs in privately owned paladares), and the gradual, if uneven, relaxation of regulatory, taxing, and employment regulations. Absent has been the authorization for professionals (with minor exceptions, such as student tutoring) to privately engage in their crafts and the inability to provide wholesale markets where self-employed workers could purchase inputs for their small enterprises.
The authors of this volume, an economist and a sociologist, have combined their talents and carefully documented this ever-changing policy landscape, including the cooperative sector. They have centered their attention on post–Special Period policies and their implications, specifically to "evaluate the effects of these policy changes in terms of the generation of productive employment in the non-state sector, the efficient provision of goods and services by this emergent sector, and the reduction in the size and scope of the underground economy" (297).
While assessing post-1990 changes, Entrepreneurial Cuba also generated a systematic examination of the evolution of the self-employment sector in the early decades of the revolution in light of shifting ideological, political, and economic motivations. Likewise, the contextual setting is enhanced by placing Cuban self-employment within the broader global informal economy framework, particularly in Latin America, and by assessing the overall features of the second economy in socialist economies "neither regulated by the state nor included in its central plan" (41). These historical and contextual factors are of prime importance in assessing the promise and potential pitfalls the small enterprise sector confronts in a changing Cuba.
Rich in its analysis, the book is balanced and comprehensive. It is wide ranging in that it carefully evaluates the many factors impinging on the performance of the small business sector, including their legal and regulatory underpinnings. The authors also evaluate challenges in the Cuban economic model and how they have shaped the proclivity for Cuban entrepreneurs to bend the rules. Present is a treatment of the informal social and trading networks that have sustained the second economy, including the ever-present pilfering of state property and the regulatory and transactional corruption so prevalent in Cuba's centralized economy.
While none of the above is new to students of the Cuban economy—as documented in previous studies and in countless anecdotal reports—Ritter and Henken make two major contributions. First, they summarize and analyze in a single source a vast amount of historical and contemporary information. The value of the multidisciplinary approach is most evident in the authors' assessment of how the evolving policy environment has influenced the growth of paladares, the most important and visible segment of the nonstate sector. By focusing on this segment, the authors validate and strengthen their conclusions by drawing from experiences documented in longitudinal, qualitative case studies. The latter provide insights not readily gleaned from documentary and statistical sources by grounding the analysis in realistic appreciations of the challenges and opportunities faced by entrepreneurial Cubans. Most impressive is the capacity of Cuban entrepreneurs to adapt to a policy regime constantly shifting between encouraging and constraining their activities.
Commendable, too, is the authors' balanced approach regarding the Cuban political environment and how it relates to the non-state sector. Without being bombastic, they are critical of the government when they need to be. One of their analytical premises is that the "growth of private employment and income represents a latent political threat to state power since it erodes the ideals of state ownership of the means of production, the central plan, and especially universal state employment" (275).
This dilemma dominates the concluding discussion of future policy options. Three scenarios are considered possible. The first entails a policy reversal with a return to Fidel's orthodoxy. This scenario is regarded as unlikely, as Raúl's policy discourse has discredited this option. A second scenario consists of maintaining the current course while allowing for the gradual but managed growth of the non-state sector. While this might be a viable alternative, it will have limited economic and employment generation effects unless the reform process is deepened by, for example, further liberalizing the tax and regulatory regimes and allowing for the provision of professional services.
The final scenario would be one in which reforms are accelerated, not only allowing for small business growth but also capable of accommodating the emergence of medium and large enterprises in a context where public, private, and cooperative sectors coexist (311). As Ritter and Henken recognize, this scenario is unlikely to come to fruition under the historical revolutionary leadership, it would have to entail the resolution of political antagonisms between Washington and Havana, and a reappraisal by the Cuban government of its relationship with the émigré population. Not mentioned by Ritter and Henken is that eventual political developments—not foreseen today—may facilitate the changes they anticipate under their third scenario.
In short, Entrepreneurial Cuba is a must-read for those interested in the country's current situation. Its publication is timely not only for what it reveals regarding the country's economic, social, and political situation but also for its insights regarding the country's future evolution.
Table of Contents,
List of Charts and Figures
Chapter I Introduction
Chapter II Cuba's Small Enterprise Sector in International and Theoretical Perspective
Chapter III Revolutionary Trajectories, Strategic Shifts, and Small Enterprise, 1959-1989
Chapter IV Emergence and Containment During the "Special Period", 1990-2006
Chapter V The 2006-2011 Policy Framework for Small Enterprise under the Presidency of Raul Castro
Chapter VI The Movement towards Non-Agricultural Cooperatives
Chapter VII The Underground Economy and Economic Illegalities
Chapter VIII Ethnographic Case Studies of Microenterprise, 2001 vs. 2011
Chapter IX Summary and Conclusions
Posted in Blog, Featured | Tagged Book Review, Cooperatives, Cuenta-Propistas, Economic History, Economic Illegalities, Economic Institutions, Economic Prospects, Economic Reforms, Entrepreneurship, Fidel Castro, General Economic Analyses, Paladares, President Raul Castro, Private Sector, Revolutionary Offensive 1968, Self-Employment, Small Enterprise, Taxation, Underground Economy | Leave a comment
1968: A DECISIVE TURNING POINT IN THE CUBAN REVOLUTION
JACOBIN MAGAZINE, May 1, 2018
BY SAMUEL FARBER
Original Article: Cuba in 1968
In 1960, less than two years after having overthrown the Batista dictatorship, the Cuban Revolution was well on its way to implementing the Soviet model. Most people at that time still supported the revolution. Notwithstanding the recurring shortages of consumer goods and the housing crisis, most Cubans had benefited from the newly established welfare state, which insured an austere but secure standard of living.
Buoyed by that support and by the people's enthusiastic response to its resistance to US imperialism, the Cuban leadership pursued its foreign-policy objectives with a revolutionary elan absent in the more cautious and conservative Soviet bloc.
Cuba displayed its anti-imperialism with particular vigor in Latin America, where it supported — and often organized — guerrilla groups set on overthrowing dictatorial governments. Fidel Castro's government devoted extra attention to countries that had severed their ties with Cuba following Washington's directives. That is, Castro's militant foreign policy was based not only on its revolutionary ideas also but on the Cuban state's interests.
This helps explain why Castro maintained friendly relations with corrupt and authoritarian Mexico, the only Latin American country that refused to break diplomatic relations with revolutionary Cuba. In fact, Castro's government abstained from criticizing Mexico's crimes, including the October 1968 Tlatelolco massacre.
Granma, the official organ of the Cuban Communist Party, adopted a purely "objective" journalistic posture when covering Tlatelolco, allowing it to avoid any critical analysis of the political actors behind the massacre. While the Mexican left was denouncing the murder of hundreds of demonstrators, Granma uncritically reported the "provisional" figures provided by the "official sources": just thirty dead, fifty-three seriously injured, and fifteen hundred arrested.
Reasons of state also explain why, after a rough start, Fidel established friendly relations with Franco's dictatorship and why the Cuban revolutionary hierarchy, from its official unions and student organizations all the way to the top, did not support the French May '68 movement. Not only did French President de Gaulle refuse to toe the US line against Cuba, but he had also agreed to continue trade, which had became of crucial importance to the island following the American blockade. As with Tlatelolco in Mexico, Granma limited itself to "objectively" reporting the events of May '68. It strictly avoided making any political inferences or conclusions.
Despite these contradictions, Castro's early foreign policy was governed by a set of revolutionary ideas that aimed to establish systems similar to Cuba's across Latin America. His government supported and organized foco groups on the top-down Cuban model, which produced acrimonious conflicts with the gradualist and pro-Moscow Communist parties in countries like Venezuela and Bolivia. It also caused friction with the Soviet Union itself because Castro's militancy jeopardized the long-standing agreement between the USSR and the United States, which held that the two imperialist powers and their partners would not intervene in each other's spheres of influence.
This tension came to a head in 1967, when Moscow began to significantly reduce its oil shipments to Cuba in hopes of pressuring the island into moderating its aggressive foreign policy. But Castro wasn't swayed. He responded by denouncing the USSR's friendly overtures to Venezuela and Colombia despite their anti-communist repression. He then refused to send a top Cuban political figure to the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Russian Revolution in November 1967. And, at the celebration of the ninth anniversary of the Cuban Revolution in January 1968, he expressly, albeit diplomatically, connected Cuba's tightened oil rations to the slowdown of Soviet delivery. The USSR then suspended its supply of military hardware and technical assistance.
When conflict simmered between a reform-minded Communist government in Czechoslovakia and Moscow, many wondered what the Cuban response would be. For months, Granma published very little about Czechoslovakia, entirely ignoring the reformist Prague Spring and its impact on the international left. This changed, however, in mid-July, when the paper began covering the growing confrontation between Czechoslovakia and the USSR in depth.
Most likely, Castro recognized that the key dynamics of the Czech events had shifted. Originally, protesters were calling for internal reform and democratization, which Castro would not want to have publicized on the island. (Likewise, Granmadid not cover the student movements in Poland and Yugoslavia that had taken place in March and June of that year.) But by July it had become clear that a confrontation between Czechoslovakia and the USSR was coming, one that would bring the issue of national sovereignty to the fore. US imperialist aggression made this question particularly important to Castro, and the conflict brewing between Cuba and the USSR only made the issue more urgent.
Granma focused on the external USSR-Czechoslovakia conflict, excluding the internal dimension, and wrote in some detail about other Communist parties' reactions to the developing confrontation, regardless of which side they supported. It was clear that the newspaper — and by inference Fidel Castro, his government, and the Cuban Communist Party — would not take sides. In fact, it was going out of its way to give equal space to both parties.
But this all changed when Fidel, without having said a word about the conflict, came out in support of the Soviet invasion in August. Granma immediately adopted the Soviet line and started publishing statements from Cuban mass organizations praising Fidel's support of the invasion.Other steps, designed to appease the Soviets and incur favors, followed. Cuba cut back on its support to Latin American guerrillas, and, in the 1970s, it carried out a rapprochement with the pro-Moscow Communist parties in the region by acknowledging that armed struggle represented only one path for revolutionary struggle. In response, these parties recognized Cuba's vanguard role in the hemisphere's anti-imperialist struggle.
This was the beginning of what former Soviet diplomat Yuri Pavlov called the "belated honeymoon" between the USSR and Cuba, which lasted well into the 1980s. In June 1969, the Cuban representative at the International Conference of Communist Parties in Moscow joined the pro-Soviet majority in denouncing China's "sectarian" position. In return, the Soviet Union sent a flotilla of warships to visit Cuba. An exchange of military delegations soon followed. Marshal Andrei Grechko, the Soviet defense minister, went to Havana in November 1969, and Raúl Castro, Cuba's defense minister, traveled to Moscow in April and October 1970. The flow of Soviet arms resumed and then increased, and Fidel Castro approved the construction of a deep-water base for Soviet submarines at Cienfuegos.
Mutual state visits came soon after, and Cuba joined the Soviet-led Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA) in 1972. In that period, Cuba turned to Africa as the main focus of its revolutionary foreign policy. There, unlike in Latin America, it shared Moscow's strategic interests.
While appeasing Moscow, Castro nevertheless preserved his right to disagree with some Soviet policies, making Cuba a junior partner, rather than a satellite, of the USSR. In fact, Castro had staked out this position from the beginning. In his speech supporting the invasion of Czechoslovakia, he not only criticized Alexander Dubcek's "liberalism" but also the USSR's policy of peaceful coexistence with the United States. The Cuban leader sarcastically wondered if the Soviets would dispatch Warsaw Pact troops to help defend Cuba from an attack by the imperialist Yankees.
Full Nationalization
That same year, Castro initiated what he called the Revolutionary Offensive, a project aimed at totally nationalizing the island's economy. The state had already taken over large and middle-sized businesses in 1960, but family-owned operations remained in private hands.
Within sixteen days of the announcement, the official press reported that 55,636 small businesses had been nationalized, including bodegas, barber shops, and thousands of timbiriches ("hole-in-the-wall" establishments). The Revolutionary Offensive gave Cuba the world's highest proportion of nationalized property.
According to Cuban economist Carmelo Mesa-Lago, some 31 percent of these small businesses were retail food outlets, and another 26 percent provided consumer services, like shoe and auto repair. Restaurant and snack shops represented another 21 percent; 17 percent sold clothing and shoes. The rest (5 percent) were small handicraft establishments that manufactured leather, wood products, and textiles. Half of these small businesses were exclusively owner- and family-operated and had no employees.
Shortly after nationalization, the state closed one-third of the small enterprises. The only private activity left in Cuba was small-farm agriculture, where 150,000 farmers owned 30 percent of the land in holdings of less than 165 acres each.
One of the Revolutionary Offensive's goals was to shut down the many thousand bars in Cuba, both private- and state-owned. The regime wanted them closed not because of opposition to alcohol but because it believed the bars fostered a prerevolutionary social ambiance, antithetic to the Castro government's militaristic, ascetic, anti-urban campaigns to forge the "New Man."
These campaigns began in 1963, when Castro attacked homosexuality and cultural nonconformity.. Hoping to emphasize the state's centrality to citizens' lives, he also went after religious dissenters, including Jehovah's Witnesses, Catholics, and followers of the secret Afro-Cuban Abakuá society. Members of these groups were imprisoned in the Units of Military Aid to Production (UMAP), forced labor camps established in 1965 and disbanded in 1968.
The Revolutionary Offensive's nationalization of all small businesses was also intended to provide the state with complete control over agricultural output. Many of the expropriated merchants bought farm products at high prices, reducing the amount available for the state.
In addition, it granted the state more power over the labor force. Absenteeism and job abandonment, generated by the lack of consumer goods, had become a major problem. To combat it, the Cuban leadership drafted a law against vagrancy, which it enacted on March 28, 1971. The legislation ordered all adult men to put in a full day's work and established a variety of punishments ranging from house arrest to internment in forced labor rehabilitation centers. Information regarding its enforcement is unknown.
The Revolutionary Offensive exemplifies Castro's super-voluntarist, "idealist" approach to socialization. The policy equated private property in general with capitalist private property in particular, a misreading of Friedrich Engels'sSocialism: Utopian and Scientific.
There, Engels distinguished modern capitalism, in which individual capitalists appropriate the products of social and collective activity, from socialism, where both production and its appropriation are socialized. Accordingly, productive property involving collective work is the proper object of socialization, not the individual or family productive unit, let alone personal property.
Besides this confusion, the Cuban government was in no position to take over the distribution of goods and services from small businesses — the nationalization program reinforced, instead of ameliorated, the shortage of consumer goods.
The Ten Million Ton Sugar Crop campaign, planned for January 1969 to July 1970, is another example of Castro's voluntarist orientation. This extravagant effort never achieved its goal. Instead, it diverted scarce production and transportation inputs, causing serious disruptions to the island's economy.
As historian Lillian Guerra pointed out, the campaign represented far more than an exercise in voluntarism or "idealism." It aimed not only "to revive the 'júbilo popular' (mass euphoria) of the early sixties and thereby restore the unconditional standards of support for government policies" but, more importantly, "to prove the value of labor discipline and enforce it simultaneously."
Likewise, as Mesa-Lago pointed out, Castro used the Revolutionary Offensive to mobilize as much of the labor force as possible for production, particularly in agriculture, in order to reinforce labor discipline, save inputs, and exhort workers to increase productivity and do unpaid work. In April 1968, the official union confederation recruited a quarter of a million workers to perform farm labor without pay for twelve hours per day over three to four weeks. Some 2.5 million days were "donated" by workers who spent fourteen weeks on coffee plantations.
These campaigns were all launched in response to that decade's economic crisis, one that became qualitatively worse with the criminal economic blockade established by the United States in the early sixties. But the bureaucratic and chaotic top-down administration of the economy generated that crisis.
As Andrés Vilariño, a Cuban government economist pointed out, investment inefficiency was one of the principal causes of declining economic productivity in the sixties. For example, expensive imported machinery sat in warehouses and ports for so long, most of it rusted over. Meanwhile, the inadequate supply of consumer goods, combined with the lack of worker control of the production process and the absence of independent unions, engendered a sense of apathy among Cuban workers. The lack of transparency in decision making, not to mention the inaccurate economic information coming from a lower management class fearful of reprisals for reporting bad news, produced bad planning and waste, often aggravated by Fidel Castro's capricious interventions and micromanagement.
In one telling case, he tried to introduce a new breed of cattle, the F1 hybrid, against the advice of British experts that he himself had brought to Cuba. The project wasted millions of dollars.
New Targets
In 1968, Castro shifted the repression already being deployed on his government's enemies (even critics from the pro-revolutionary left). First, the government eliminated some of the most excessive forms of punishment, closing, for example, the UMAP agricultural labor camps. Second, government policing efforts zeroed in on any political and cultural expression that deviated from the official party line.
A case in point was the old Communist leader Aníbal Escalante. In 1962, he was purged from the government and party and then jailed for his sectarian attempt to accumulate power by excluding revolutionaries who did not belong to the old pro-Moscow Communist Party from government positions. In 1968, he was again purged and jailed, this time on charges of having formed a "micro-faction" within the Cuban Communist Party critical of Castro's economic policies. He was also accused of meeting with Eastern European diplomats in order to gain their support. For Fidel — and his brother Raúl, assigned to officially charge Escalante — this "micro-faction" jeopardized their efforts to impose a single line in the party.
The affair demonstrates the disproportion between the supposed offense and the punishment. Not only were many of Escalante's criticisms of Castro's economic policies correct — especially with regard to the disastrous ten million ton sugar-crop campaign — but no evidence ever indicated that Escalante and his small group were conspiring to remove or overthrow the Cuban government with or without the support of Eastern European diplomats. The group may have been "unpatriotic," as the government charged, but its activities were peaceful and therefore subject to public political debate. Instead, the regime, following the Stalinist tradition, turned it into a criminal case.
Castro had thirty-five of the thirty-seven members of Escalante's group tried by a so-called War Council (Consejo de Guerra), which the government assembled specially to impose stiff sentences. Escalante was sentenced to fifteen years in prison, and thirty-four of his associates were sentenced to terms ranging from one to twelve years. The two remaining members belonged to the armed forces and were therefore referred to the Revolutionary Armed Forces' prosecutor for processing.
By adopting these separate paths, the government implicitly recognized most of Escalante's group as civilians, who were supposed to be processed differently from, and under less onerous rules than, the military. Despite this implicit difference, they faced a War Council, where they earned harsher sentences than they might have received otherwise.
Castro also turned his attention to Cuban dissenters in the cultural realm. In January, 1968, the government opened the Havana Cultural Congress, inviting more than five hundred intellectuals from seventy countries to attend, including prominent left-wing social scientists and historians such as Ralph Miliband and E. J. Hobsbawm, well-known Caribbean and Latin American literary figures like Aimé Cesaire, Julio Cortázar, and Mario Benedetti, famous European writers such as Michel Leiris, Jorge Semprún, and Arnold Wesker, as well as left-wing politicos such as several leaders of the North American SDS and SNCC. The congress, which focused on the topic of political, economic, and cultural anti-imperialism, was ostensibly carried out in an open manner. According to independent observers, all the presentations and resolutions that participants proposed were included without any interference.
Thanks to this apparent openness, neither the foreign guests nor many of the invited Cuban intellectuals suspected that an important group of black Cuban intellectuals and artists — among them Rogelio Martínez Furé, Nancy Morejón, Sara Gómez, Pedro Pérez-Sarduy, Nicolás Guillén Landrián, and Walterio Carbonell — had been excluded.
According to the Black Cuban author Carlos Moore, the group had been meeting to discuss the Cuban government's lack of action against racism, a problem that the revolutionary leaders claimed to have solved with the abolition of racial segregation in the early sixties. In response to a rumor that these intellectuals had drafted a position paper on race and culture in Cuba for the congress, Minister of Education José Llanusa Gobel called them in for a private meeting a couple of days before the event began. After listening to their critiques, Llanusa accused them of being "seditious" and told them that the "revolution" would not allow them to "divide" the Cuban people along racial lines. He explained that the very idea of their "black manifesto" was a provocation for which they would have to recant or face the consequences.
He then barred them from the congress. In addition, each member was subjected to various degrees of punishment. The worst was meted to those unwilling to recant, such as Nicolás Guillén Landrián, the nephew of the national poet laureate and then-president of the Cuban writers and artists union. After the congress, he was repeatedly arrested and later left Cuba as an exile.
Walterio Carbonell, one of the group's leaders, also refused to recant. A Cuban exponent of Black Power politics, he had originally belonged to the old pro-Moscow Cuban Communist Party. Ironically, he had been expelled from that organization for supporting Fidel Castro's attack on the Moncada barracks on July 26, 195 | 5,807 |
This was the last Mendes film I had to see to complete his filmography; I've also completed Cuaron and Jeunet's filmography in the last month. So when I watch this film, I can't help but measure it against the other successes and failures of his career, though I'm quite a fan of him so I use failures only in the most liberal sense as I don't think he's made anything less than "good".
Revolutionary Road falls right in the middle for me, better than the cute but unambitious Away We go and the ambitious but somewhat unsatisfying Jarhead, while not quite matching up to the lofty heights of American Beauty and Road to Perdition (which despite all the violence and robbery, is actually his less dour "Road" film).
My problems, though somewhat slight in the grand scheme of developing a motion picture, prevented me from being fully engaged what was presented on screen. I suppose my biggest issue was how the dialogue was very on the nose. There was little room for subtlety and it wears its themes on its sleeve. The conversations and arguments began to be a bit repetitive, and though this is often accurate as to "real life", where people who don't face their issues end up in an endless loop of the same fights over and over, it doesn't make for the most fascinating of story telling. The problem is exacerbated on account of a brilliant little show called Mad Men being around and doing many of these themes with a subtlety, intelligence, and class that this film doesn't match.
My other major issue is the sheer pessimism of the film. It's obvious that the film seeks to destroy the illusion of romanticism but the depiction of relationships is of such an extreme negative degree, it is as though the filmmakers forgot to include why people even bother with them in the first place. Everyone either fights endlessly or has to find ways to cope with how much they can't stand each other, with rarely a scene of marital happiness. Perhaps I am naive, but it seems a bit disingenuous to me. It would be as if Eternal Sunshine lacked the bits where we see even a bad relationship had good bits. I can't recall that ever happening here. It's pure misery through and through and the only other film I can think of that is like this, is probably Dancer in the Dark, but that tackled more serious dark themes that would warrant pessimism (exploitation of foreigners, corrupt justice systems, etc). This just feels like the venting of someone just out of a terrible relationship.
All that said, the film is strikingly well made. Deakins provides his<|fim_middle|> predictable, where I was uncertain as to how the film would resolve or not resolve its issues.
And somehow, despite all those issues I had, it has stuck with me. I have thought about it all day which, while not altogether a rarity as I try to watch many great films, is a sign of quality. | ever great cinematography, DiCaprio and Winslett are uniformally awesome with DiCaprio giving one of his best performances ever, and Michael Shannon manages to steal the show with just a few brief scenes by turning what could have been a mess of a caricature into an intriguing powerhouse that is both amusing and unnerving all at once. Despite the repetitive nature of the film, it is rarely boring and it is interesting to see the two feed off each other. It is also less than | 98 |
I'm on vacation this week, so I thought I'd reprint this. It is an article I wrote for Pulpit Magazine back in 2007.
Luke 18, Mark 10, and Matthew 19 give us the familiar story of the rich, young ruler. This story is perhaps the most commonly used model for evangelism from the Gospels, and provides a stunning insight into Jesus' approach to evangelism.
Obviously the synagogue ruler did not get saved. This fact is essential in understanding how Jesus models " successful" evangelism. This is not to suggest that Jesus failed, but it does show that the goal of Jesus' evangelism was to expose the motives in the heart, more than it was to convince people to follow him. If anything, this exchange is remarkable because it shows Jesus saying things designed to drive this ruler away.It seems that many of today's gospel presentations are geared to trap someone into a logical corner where reason dictates that they make a commitment to follow Christ (if you want out of hell, if you want a happy life, if you want your hole in your heart filled, just repeat after me). Reason demands that people follow Christ, and God demands that people follow Christ. But Jesus did not appeal to reason or a logical argument when talking with the rich young ruler. Instead, Jesus structured this command in a way that caused the person to ask, "Is Christ more valuable than everything in life?" Most of our gospel presentations<|fim_middle|> he would treasure Christ above the riches of the world. Jesus used the ruler's self-professed obedience to the Law to make a dramatic point: law keeping does not save anyone, but rather treasuring Christ leads to salvation.
People need to know the bad news, that they are sinners, before they know the good news, that Christ died as a substitutionary atonement for their sin, and rose from the grave. But, when Jesus met the rich young ruler, he did not make the issue the Law. It is as if Jesus said to the ruler, "You have kept the Law your whole life? So what? You are lost because you love your life more than you love me."
If I could change modern evangelism in one way, this is it: that we would stop reasoning people to a commitment or decision, and we would start calling people to deny their life, and follow Christ. | ask, "Do you want to go to hell? If not, then follow Christ." Jesus asked, "Do you value me more than everything in the world?"
Jesus used the Law as an entry point into the conversation with the ruler. But, he did not use the Law to lead him to repentance. Remember that when Jesus used the Law, the ruler replied that as to the Law, he was blameless. Jesus did not argue with him. He did not say, "so are you saying you have never lied, not even once?"
Instead, he set the whole discussion of the Law aside, and asked the ruler if | 128 |
"This is not a bewildering programme , because, in all these and more directions, children have affinities; and a human being does not fill his place in the universe without putting out tendrils of attachment in the direction proper to him."
a child should learn these and nothing else.
as he reads and learns more later in his schooling.
"Perhaps the gravest defect in school curricula is that they fail to give a comprehensive, intelligent and interesting introduction to history."
"It is a great thing to possess a pagent of history in the background of one's thoughts. We may not be able to recall this or that circumstance, but, the 'imagination is warmed;'"
"The present becomes enriched for us with the wealth of all that has gone before."
In these<|fim_middle|> her reminders of Bible language, 'Be ye comforted,' or 'Peace, be still.'" | early years of preschool and kindergarten we have not formally begun a history thread in our school time. We have done lots of gentle introduction of the ideas that will lead into Year 1 when we start more formal history. I took a peek through the books we will begin with. My 'peek' turned into me being sucked in and when I looked up most of an hour had passed. A well written tale of history really comes alive and I'm looking forward to reading them with my son.
So during kindergarten and preschool, what have we done for introducing history?
The first thing is our daily Bible reading which gives a child a sense of time from the beginning and lots of lovely stories of the men of old and the tests to their character.
Also we have tried to give our son(s) hands-on, life experiences whenever possible. We cook meals over the campfire occasionally; he rode on horseback, looked through Grandpa's military photo album. We went to History fest reinactments and our town's Mennonite heritage celebration. He canoed on the lake with dad, and is currently caring for a flock of chickens. We hike historic trails and see names and dates carved in the rocks, we walk where indians have walked, visit antique stores, stargaze, float boats in the stream, collect wildflowers, read poetry and stories and watch rabbits and deer nibble in the backyard. All of these things can be related to the lives of people in the past in one way or another and enrich future reading/learning. I'm leaving the relating/tendril/attachment thing up to the Holy Spirit and not lecturing him on the botanical collection of Lewis and Clark or anything like that.
We have begun reading The Childhood of Famous Americans series of history biographies. Grandma and Grandpa took a trip to The Alamo and so we read the one on Davy Crockett (a huge hit here!!) They also took a trip up the cable cars in the Swiss Alps and we looked at their photos, heard their stories and read The Magic Meadow and The Apple and the Arrow.
Another aspect of history that I am excited to begin when he is older, is the Book of Centuries, a timeline mixed with a personal narration of the 'pagent' as we go through it little by little. I hope to purchase this lovely book to hold ours.
I look forward to re-learning some of this alongside him. I can already see these ideas twining out and taking hold like those tendrils, and once we begin to sweep through our more planned and consecutive whole of history, I believe it will just get that much richer in that vivid imagination of his.
"It is a much disputed matter how we shall begin to teach history."
"children should begin with their own times and read history backwards. We want to give reality to history by showing that it is not something remote, to be found in books only; we want to show that the life of each child forms part of history; then we may lead him on to see that the whole world is different for each man that has lived, better for each noble life, and to feel quite early that God has sent him into the world with some work ready for him, and that his business is to do that work."
"To a little child ... we must proceed from the known to the unknown..."
"I venture to think that a child who begins history thus--not at the Creation, nor even at the Christian era, but at his own "nativity"---will get to understand it better than if he tried to survey the world from any other "pin-point" in time."
"The first square stands for the time before he is a year old...the second square for the time when he is one year old, and so we mark the squares accordingly. The first line gives the first decade of life, in the second line we have all the tens, in the third all the twenties... A child very quickly learns to read on a black chart the number corresponding to any square in the century of squares; "
"Later, ...historical events, are added"
The quotes above are from this article I read recently about introducing history to a child. It mentions this idea of a Century Chart; there are examples and also a beautiful little story at the very end.
This is made from 12x12 cardstock. Using a ruler, I drew a one inch grid first in pencil, then with a fine-tipped black marker.
I cut off the excess paper on 2 sides. The grid sheet is attached to some nice scrapbook paper with gold corners.
My son's name (covered up) and the year 2007-2107 (a century) are in the title line.
I might move the graph off-center to make a space on one side for writing other dates of special events.
For now, ours is in a scrapbook page protector, but I'm looking for a frame with a removable back so we can admire and add to it yearly.
I'm looking forward to adding a new photo for the year that has passed at his next birthday. I want to say a little prayer for his upcoming year, when we do. I also hope it causes us to reflect on the passage of time that the chart represents and the changing and growing that have been done.
Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis...."
"Her dark skin, dark brown hair, keen little grey eyes,"
"... -these formed the outward shape of a woman carrying something strange and cherished along her ways of life."
"...The hope was burned deep in her that beyond the harsh clay paths, the everyday scrubbing, washing, patching, fixing, the babble and the gabble of today, there are pastures and purple valleys of song."
"She had seen tall hills there in Kentucky. She had seen the stark backbone of Muldraugh's Hill become folded in thin evening blankets with a lavender mist sprayed by sunset lights, and for her there were the tongues of promises over it all."
"She believed in God, in the Bible, in mankind, in the past and future, in babies, people, animals, flowers, fishes, in foundations and roofs, in time and the eternities outside of time; she was a believer, keeping in silence behind her gray eyes more beliefs than she spoke. She knew... so much of what she believed was yonder- always yonder. Every day came scrubbing, washing, patching, fixing. There was so little time to think or sing about the glory she believed in. It was always yonder..."
"With the baby she called Abe in her arms, Nancy Hanks came to this Rock Spring more than once, sitting with her child and her thoughts, looking at running water and green moss. The secrets of the mingled drone and hush of the place gave | 1,391 |
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Big Buddha is one of Phuket's most revered<|fim_middle|> 20฿ from the entrance. | landmarks.
Layered with beautiful white Burmese marble and standing atop the Nakkerd hills (just in-between Kata and Chalong) at a whopping 45 metres high it is also pretty easily seen from a distance. During our scooter tour of Phuket, we saw the statue and decided that the unique looking object in the distance deserved a much more thorough inspection, and so we rode up the twists and turns of the scenic hills to give it a closer look.
During our time of visiting, the Big Buddha was undergoing quite a bit of construction.
However, as annoying as it was that the scaffolding stood in the way of getting uninterrupted photos, it remained a peaceful site with the noise of bells chiming gently in the breeze and the quiet chatter of tourists as they gazed upon the views, being the only sounds to break the silence.
Whilst the scaffolding was a photographers pain, it didn't complete obstruct the views and in front of the 25 metre base that sits beneath Buddha, or Phra Puttamingmongkol Akenakkiri Buddha if you'd like to use the full name(!) is an open space offering the most amazing 360º view.
The Buddha is an impressive sight, and when combined with its serene surroundings and incredible views of Phuket's towns and coastlines… It's absolutely breath taking.
Side note: As with all Buddhist sites, please ensure when going to visit that you are dressed appropriately, however if you find yourself caught in shorts don't panic as you can rent sarongs for | 314 |
On Thursday I had the opportunity of hosting an after hours event with our local Chamber of Commerce. The Farmville Area Chamber of Commerce has been hosting these events for many years now and it is a great way to bring the local business community together. The Farmville area is lucky to be served by a great Chamber that is so active in the community and serves the local businesses so well.
Often we get so wrapped up in the day to day tasks involved with running a business<|fim_middle|> new connections. The networking that goes on at these events often brings together people who can really help each other make things happen for our businesses and for our community.
Hopefully you have a local organization that brings these types of opportunities to your community. If so I would highly recommending hosting one of these events at your location. It's also a great way to introduce the local business community to your office space. These are people who are usually already settled in the area and have gone through their first local home buying experience so it maybe a while before they have a reason to enter your office. Bringing them into your office space helps make a closer connection with you and your team which may bear fruit for their future realtor needs or if they are asked for a referral! | it can be difficult to take time and network with other business owners in the local area. It's great to get this opportunity every so often to relax and chat with each other. It's an opportunity to reconnect with those we may not have been able to see for a while but also to make | 59 |
When Emily Ratajkowski made the surprise announcement in February that she married film producer Sebastian Bear-McClard in a secret City Hall ceremony, she wasn't entirely showered with congratulations.
"People came after my marriage, like, 'Wow. I give it three weeks.' I'm like, 'What?'" the 26-year-old model said in an interview with Janet Mock for her new Marie Claire cover story.
Ratajkowski, a vocal feminist, continued: "No one can take women seriously on any choices that they make, especially if they're unique to them and they don't play into the way we think women should get married. It's a constant writing-off."
Ratajkowski and Bear-McClard exchanged vows in a civil ceremony in New York City on February 23, in the company of their close group of friends. The low-key nuptials shocked seemed to come out of left field, since the news came weeks after it was speculated that she and longtime boyfriend Jeff Magid split.
There were also no official reports that she and McClard were officially dating, but the couple had known each other for years and were in the same friend group prior to getting romantic, a source assured to People.
Ratajkowski first considered keeping the whole wedding under wraps, but her publicist convinced her to be the one to break the story. The model did<|fim_middle|> model said of the Zara suit she wore on her wedding day. "It really felt like the outfit that was most me, and that made me feel good." | just that—in the most casual way possible—first with a few updates on her Instagram story. "Sooo, I have a surprise, I got married today," she announced in a series of photos.
The newlyweds' wedding story was sweetly unconventional, from Bear-McClard's proposal with a paper clip (yes, really) to Ratajkowski's mustard yellow bridal look.
"When you don't have a real wedding, it's for you," the | 96 |
The processing<|fim_middle|> Copper alloy can be strengthened by melting heat treatment. | property of metal refers to the possibility or difficulty of obtaining qualified products in the cold or hot manufacturing process of mechanical parts, that is, the ability of materials to adapt to the practical production process requirements. Different processing conditions lead to different processing methods and product properties, such as casting, forging, deep drawing, bending, cutting, weldability, hardenability, etc. Process performance is often determined by a combination of complex factors (physical, chemical, mechanical ans so on).
The ability of metal materials to obtain qualified workpieces by casting which measured by fluidity, shrinkage and segregation. Fluidity is the ability of liquid metal to fill a mold. Shrinkage refers to the degree of volume shrinkage during solidification and segregation refers to the inhomogeneity of chemical composition and structure in metal due to the difference of crystallization sequence in the process of metal cooling and solidification.
It refers to the metal material can change the shape without crack performance in the pressure processing, that is the capacity, in the hot or cold environment, metal can be hammer forging, rolling, stretching, extrusion and other processing. Malleability is mainly related to the chemical composition of metal materials.
Machinability refers to the difficulty to become qualified workpieces in the cutting process. Machinability is often measured by the surface roughness, the allowable cutting speed and the abration of tool. This is not only related to the chemical composition and mechanical properties itself, but also related to the cutting process (like tool geometry, durability, cutting speed and feed quantity, etc.). Although there are many factors affecting the cutting performance, but the most important is the nature of the metal itself, especially the hardness, when the metal hardness of HB150~230, the best cutting performance.
Weldability refers to the adaptability of metal materials to welding processing, that's the performance of obtaining qualified welded joints under specified welding conditions. It related to metal welding defect sensitivity and the performance welding joints to meet the use requirements under a certain welding process conditions.
Metal heat treatment is to heat the metal workpiece to the appropriate temperature for a certain time and then cooling at different speeds in different media, by changing the surface or internal microstructure of metal materials to control its performance of a process. Heat treatment mainly includes annealing, normalizing, quenching, tempering, tempering, chemical heat treatment, solid solution treatment, precipitation hardening (precipitation strengthening), aging treatment and so on. The heat treatment performance of steel mainly considers its hardenability(quenching can get higher hardness and smooth surface), containing manganese, chromium, nickel and other elements of alloy steel hardenability is better while carbon steel hardenability is poor. The heat treatment requirement of aluminum alloy is strict and only several kinds of | 566 |
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Team coaching includes personal coaching for each team member, workshops on team building skills, and observation of behaviors in-group settings. Team coaching recognizes that group dynamics need to be coached the same as individual behaviors. Having the ability to see how people behave in a group setting adds significant value to their individual coaching and aids in increasing the effectiveness of team meetings. The strategic planning process is one of the most important activities that a company can undertake. Using our proven process and by providing outside facilitation we are able to help you identify new opportunities and create an action program for achieving real results, not just a written plan.
We provide personal coaching programs for CEOs, Entrepreneurs, Executives and Key Staff members who want to enhance performance, communication and bottom-line results. Individual coaching sessions are done either face-to-face or by phone. Coaching is frequently used when someone is planning to move into a new position, especially if it involves taking on additional management duties. Some of the issues that we coach clients work on are delegation, communication, and management practices, while others focus on achieving a better balance in their life.
Hiring new members for your executive or management team is an important step in your firm's evolution. We offer a proven tool that helps you to uncover a candidate's communication style and motivating factors and to determine their ability to match your company's culture.
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Home › News › Industry
Net-A-Porter unveils sustainability platform
Barbara Santamaria
today Jun 19, 2019
Net-A-Porter is bringing together a selection of sustainable fashion brands under a new platform called Net Sustain. Launching with 26 brands and 500 products, the edit includes exclusive capsules from Stella McCartney, Mother of Pearl x BBC Earth and Maggie Marilyn.
Net-A-Port<|fim_middle|> sustainable edit provides our customers with the knowledge they need, understanding that they can trust that these brands have been carefully reviewed and meet our criteria for inclusion. Our aim is to give a voice to the brands that are truly making positive changes by providing them with a platform to highlight their best practice," said Elizabeth von der Goltz, global buying director of Net-A-Porter.
To celebrate the addition of Net Sustain, Net-A-Porter is launching a campaign captured by photographer Ben Weller and fronted by model Vivian Solari.
Milan Fashion Week Men's: London Calling!
Yuni Ahn exits Maison Kitsuné
Milan heralds longer, more balanced Fashion Week Men
Fall-Winter 2018 Paris
Stella McCartney- Women's Spring/Summer 2020 collection in Paris with interviews
Stella McCartney: Get your rocks off, sustainably
LIFE at LVMH: Antoine Arnault on the luxury giant's new sustainability strategy | er said Net Sustain will offer customers a way to identify the brands and products that meet at least one of five key attributes from the retailer's sustainability criteria. These range from using 'considered' materials and processes to reducing waste in their supply chain.
The Net Sustain platform will live in a dedicated section of the Net-A-Porter site, and its products and brands will receive a badge so that customers know they are part of the ethical edit.
Other brands included in the initial lineup are Ninety Percent, Fisch, Lem Lem, Peony, Veja, Hereu, Nannacay, and Chopard, with more brands and products set to be added throughout the season and over time. Beauty will be added within the next year.
"This is an important milestone in our sustainability journey at Net-A-Porter. We have always wanted to provide our customer with the best products and allow them to make informed choices when shopping on the site. Our | 195 |
Rita Dominic Shares The Best Christmas Song You Could Ever Hear With Us – Video
Actress Rita Dominic has shared with us the best Christmas song you will ever hear and that<|fim_middle|> Dim Your – Bisi Alimi Advises
It's as if they are just trying to make people laugh because you can't even understand what they're trying to say and how serious they were as if they were going to give a splendid performance make the whole video funny and almost everyone who watches burst out with laughter.
It's just to release stress and since it's a holiday as well Rita Dominic decided to make her fans and followers smile which she achieved easily because the video she shared did exactly what she wanted from her fans based on their reactions.
post below;
Source: www.NgGossips.com | eventually got everyone rolling on the floor with how funny it is.
Rita Dominic has been in the Christmas spirit and she tries everything possible to make sure her fans are also on the same level with her which is why she shared this video to put some smiles on their faces and we guess everyone will laugh watching it.
A post shared by Rita Dominic (@ritadominic)
According to her, she's still in the spirit of Christmas and the song she shared will be the best Christmas song one will come across and we can't disagree with her on that because this is the only song that makes everyone laugh.
READ ALSO: Don't Let Nigerians Who Can't Light Their Candles | 137 |
There are several reasons for pruning a tree or a shrub. Why? To remove dead wood, which should be cut back to healthy wood. Also remove small twigs that intersect each other. Removing branches that have flowered gives greater vigour to the new branches that will flower in their turn. You need to remove too strong a concentration of branches in the middle of the plant, preventing air and sunlight from coming through. Pruning achieves a pleasing shape and encourages the growth of more flower-bearing shoots.
Spring flowering shrubs should be pruned at the end of their flowering period. Summer flowering shrubs should be pruned at the end of winter. In practice pruning cuts away the branches that<|fim_middle|> these plants produce a mass of twigs all their dormant shoots growing at the same time. The result is dense, compact, and as one would expect from a hedge a structure which can form a barrier against the wind, passers-by and noise.
Trees and shrubs have different growing periods and habits. To achieve the best results from your hedge, you should know when to prune. | have flowered after the shrub's flowering period.
Sometimes a shrub has not been pruned and has grown considerably. The centre of the shrub is bushy and the branches are tangled. It is therefore necessary to intervene as soon as the flowering period is over. Remove the older branches (the wood on these is darker) and reduce the number of younger branches by half.
To retain the bushiness of evergreen shrubs with fine leaves trim them every spring but only the young wood. Routine pruning of a shrub, whatever the species consists in freeing the centre of the plant, and removing its weak, dead or badly positioned branches. Shortening the branches that are too straight will make them branch out.
Another reason for pruning is to allow plants beside or below the shrub to flower. If you allow your larger shrub to grow the smaller species growth is stunted and their blooms will not attain full potential. An example of this is my variegated Weigela as pictured below. The plants were being squeezed out by the larger shrub and were not blooming profusely, but after pruning you will notice the vast difference.
Most climbing plants manage quite well without any human intervention. Usually the only work they require is training them up a support and removing their old branches every four to five years. Summer flowering clematis requires pruning. In the fall prune clematis back to approximately three feet. This is a tip I found most effective and learned while watching a gardening show. Each year I have faithfully pruned my plant to the three-foot height as recommended and the following summer I am rewarded with a healthy, colourful vine.
Hedges unlike shrubs are cultivated in isolation. Their shoots are pruned back short and at frequent intervals. The result is quickly visible. Instead of putting out long, vigorous, well spaced out branches, | 374 |
Founded in 2010, Design by Ini is the independent design studio of designer Ini Archibong. Archibong's work is characterised by a deep interest in craftsmanship and integrity to his chosen material. His designs are enthralling, confounding and inspiring - inviting viewers to touch beyond the sublime in their encounter. His work draws from architecture, environmental and product design, as well as lifelong passions for mathematics, philosophy and<|fim_middle|> works in Switzerland. | world religions. As a son of Nigerian immigrants to the United States, and a resident of US, Singapore and Switzerland, his diverse personal and professional background underlines his design ethic and ethos. "Ini has become one of America's design 'storytellers', where product and narrative share equal billing", said longtime mentor and collaborator Jerry Helling, Creative Director, Bernhardt Design.
Archibong's work has been exhibited globally at design events and in galleries including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery in Pasadena, Triode in Paris, and the Museo Bagatti Valsecchi in Milan, amongst others.
Working intimately with a variety of materials including glass, marble and leather, Ini's practice is informed by the inherent properties unique to these materials. As a result, leading houses such as La Montre Hermès, de Sede, Ruinart, Christofle, Bernhardt Design and Herman Miller have consulted Archibong's expertise in design and brand strategies.
Archibong graduated from the Art Center College of Design and ÉCAL and has previously been an ICFF Studio and Best of Neocon Award winner.
Archibong currently lives and | 241 |
<|fim_middle|> compulsory subject. | The Department of Chemistry @ SRM Institute of Science and Technology (formerly known as SRM University) is a premier destination for chemistry education and research. The departmenthas wellequipped laboratories andis home to a number of students, faculty and researchers working in various aspects of chemical sciences. The activities in the department cover a vast expanse of traditional as well as interdisciplinary fields. The Chemistry field includes a broad range of scientific disciplines to discover, design, delivery of new technologies and recent developments.
Physics describes how the natural world works through applied mathematical formulas. It deals with the fundamental forces of the universe and how they interact with matter looking at everything from galaxies and planets to atoms and quarks and everything in between. All other natural sciences stem from physics, With all the advancement related to electricity, electronics, flights, space flights etc. Physics is the base from which you build up from. Without physics your tech would be like a house without foundations or supporting beams.
Department of physics @ SRM Institute of Science and Technology (formerly known as SRM University) is with the mission to educate the students with high quality and applicable education, in the various courses running in the curriculum. Overall our aim is to brought up the students with good knowledge of physics to explore their personality in the various technological filed.
The department has at present 15 energetic and dedicated faculty members in many diverse areas of mathematics, and it also boasts of hosting visits of a good number of distinguished mathematicians every year.
Mathematics is the pillar of engineering and technology. It caters to all disciplines of engineering. The Department encourages its staff and students, not only to study mathematics for its own sake, but also to explore the applications of mathematics in engineering and technology.Various topics are explored intensively by faculty in the department of mathematics which include Optimization, Numerical Methods for Partial Differential Equations, Laplace Transforms, Fourier Analysis, Graph theory and its application.
The department has also been actively engaged in organizing conferences, workshops, QIP short term courses and training programmes for both teachers and students.
The department offers opportunities for the education and research in a wide spectrum of areas in Mathematics such as: Algebra and Analysis, Differential Equations and their applications, Discrete Mathematics and applications, Statistics and Operations Research, Mathematical Modeling etc.
The Department of English and Foreign Languages is a part of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology. The Department of English has been an efficaciousentity in efforts to actualize a holistic developmentalenvironment for the students. The remarkable achievement of the department is in terms of successful engineers who are serving the society in diverse capacities in various national, international, central, state and private organizations. It has been persistent at devising an interdisciplinary curriculum and instruction to cater to the desideratum of the present scenario. The Department aims at honing the personality of students by imparting training in languages like English, German and French. To inculcate personal, social, professional, moral, spiritual values and to make them aware about Indian system, Value Education and Indian Constitution are also taught as a | 615 |
IHC rejects bail plea of madrassa rape case suspect
Tree planted at Japanese mission
Chinese official calls for resolving exchange programme issues
China Association of Higher Education seeks strengthening CPEC Consortium of Universities
Our Correspondent November 21, 2019
ISLAMABAD: China Association of Higher Education (CAHE) Vice President Dr Guan Peijun on Wednesday emphasised the need to identify and overcome vulnerabilities in the exchange mechanism for faculty and students.
"We have to further expand collaborative efforts being made under<|fim_middle|> consortium had provided all member universities the opportunity to work together on the issues of bilateral interest.
Earlier, CPEC Director General Dr Safdar Ali Shah shared an overview of the activities carried out under the consortium. He said a Document of Understanding was signed in November 2018 on the establishment of China-Pakistan Joint Research Centre on Earth Sciences while PC -I of the project was close to getting approved.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 21st, 2019. | the CPEC Consortium of Universities," Dr Peijun said at the closing ceremony of the two-day third Annual Conference of CPEC Consortium of Universities held at Jinnah Convention Centre.
He called for working on improving the operational efficiency of the consortium so as to further strengthen it.
Higher Education Commission (HEC) Executive Director Dr Fateh Marri said that Pakistani and Chinese universities collaborating under CPEC Consortium of Universities will together produce ideas leading to the development of both the countries.
"Universities are the nurseries of ideas," he said at the conference held under the theme of Academic Collaboration for Sustainable Partnerships.
The moot reviewed the progress and pledged to reinforce the efforts to achieve the objectives of the consortium.
Dr Marri said the | 147 |
Hollywood composer James Horner, who scored the Oscar- winning film Titanic and its mega-hit theme song My Heart Will Go On, died in a plane crash in southern California on Monday, aged 61, United States media reported.
The aircraft came down in the Los Padres National Forest, a remote area north of Los Angeles, triggering a fire that charred more than an acre of brush, local fire authorities said.
A spokesman for the Ventura County fire service said his private plane, an S-312 Tucano MK1 turbo-prop with two seats, crashed at<|fim_middle|>3, a dramatic film based on the 2010 mining disaster in Chile that is set for November.
He had said in a 2009 interview with the Los Angeles Times: "My job... is to make sure at every turn of the film, it's something the audience can feel with their heart."
His attorney Jay Cooper said he had not heard from Horner since the crash, but could not confirm whether he was on board at the time. "He's an experienced pilot, but I know nothing else," he said. Horner is survived by his wife and their two daughters. | around 9.30am local time. No one else was on board.
Stars from Russell Crowe to Kirstie Alley took to Twitter to pay tribute to him after The Hollywood Reporter and Variety reported he had died.
Director Ron Howard wrote: "Brilliant composer James Horner, friend & collaborator on seven movies has tragically died in a plane crash. My heart aches for his loved ones."
"Incredibly saddened to hear about the loss of James Horner. I grew up loving his work. He leaves behind a spectacular musical legacy," comedy creator Seth MacFarlane tweeted.
Horner won two Oscars for his work on 1997's Titanic, one for the score and one shared with lyricist Will Jennings for best original song - My Heart Will Go On, performed by Celine Dion. The score has sold about 27 million copies worldwide.
He was also nominated for an Oscar six times for blockbuster movies including 1995's Apollo 13 and Braveheart as well as for Field Of Dreams (1989). His most recent Oscar nomination was for 2009's sci-fi epic Avatar, directed by James Cameron. Music for Patriot Games (1992), Searching For Bobby Fischer (1993) and Jumanji (1995) were also composed by him.
He won Best Song and Score Golden Globes for Titanic and his Globe nominations included one for A Beautiful Mind (2001). Other iconic films scored by him include Aliens (1986), House Of Sand And Fog (2004) and The Amazing Spider-Man (2012).
He had scored three films due to be released soon: boxing drama Southpaw starring Jake Gyllenhaal, slated for a July release; Jean-Jacques Annaud's Wolf Totem, due out in September; and The 3 | 390 |
Radiohistoria: On this day in history, Dec. 12, 1901, Guglielmo Marconi sends first transatlantic radio message
Marconi.
Titanic Secrets: Fox Nation deep-dives into the tragic story that inspired James Cameron's masterpiece
The Titanic tragedy holds secrets of epic proportions. Fox Nation's 'Titanic Secrets' busts the myths<|fim_middle|>-dot-dot). But it proved after years of advances by Marconi that radio could make the world a smaller place.
The wireless signal traveled 2,000 miles from a transmitting station in Poldhu, Cornwall, in the far southwestern corner of England, to a receiving station in St. John's, Newfoundland.
Läs mer/källa; https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/this-day-history-dec-12-1901-guglielmo-marconi-sends-first-transatlantic-radio-message
Kategoriserat som Radiohistoria, Teknikhistoria
SSA årsmöte 2023 – "Öland ett centrum för radiokontakter"
Tips: Ribbit | that have long been held at the bottom of the sea and uncovers the truth in this century-long conspiracy. Narrated by Titanic's Billy Zane.
Irish-Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi ushered in a new era of global communications, sending the first radio transmission across the Atlantic Ocean on this day in history, Dec. 12, 1901.
The message was merely the letter "s" in Morse code (dot | 94 |
Radica Shows Loss, Despite 'TV Game' Sales
Officials from Hong Kong based peripheral manufacturer Radica Games, makers of both the Play TV line of all-in-one 'TV games' and the Gamester branded console and handhel...
Officials from Hong Kong based peripheral manufacturer Radica Games, makers of both the Play TV line of all-in-one 'TV games' and the Gamester branded console and handheld peripherals, have announced the company's financial results for the second quarter ended June 30th. During this period, the company reported a somewhat disappointing net loss of $3.4 million, or $0.18 per diluted share, compared to a net profit of $0.2 million, or $0.01 per diluted share, in the previous quarter. This makes the company's net loss for the year to date $2.9 million, compared to $0.9 million for the same period in 2004. In particular, Radica recorded a non-cash charge of $6.0 million for the impairment of the remaining goodwill associated with its video game accessories product line, Gamester. This part of Radica<|fim_middle|> the sales for the same period in 2004, branded sales grew by 73 percent, with U.S. branded sales increasing by 47 percent, European sales increasing by 174 percent and other international sales increasing by 106 percent. Pat Feely, Radica's CEO additionally commented, "Operationally this was the strongest second quarter at Radica in seven years. Our strategy of focusing on electronic entertainment products has hit the sweet spot of the industry. With products like 20Q, World Poker Tour and Cube World, Radica is leading the thriving market for electronic games and gadgets targeted at casual adult gamers. It is not only an exciting market segment for today's market but also one that we believe has strong growth potential for the future." | 's business, which includes PlayStation 2, Xbox, Game Boy Advance and PSP controllers, screen guards, and other accessories, has been declining as the current generation of consoles nears it end, but CEO Pat Feely commented of the company's future in console peripherals: "We still believe in the viability of our VGA business and are hopeful this product line will again achieve acceptable profitability levels in future years." In better news for the company, sales for the quarter increased by 66 percent to $31.1 million, from $18.8 million for the same period in 2004, largely thanks to the growth of the company's TV games, which include the 20Q series. Compared to | 147 |
Massey Ferguson 1100 Service And Repair Manual - 10.2018 / North America / 1 DVD-DL<|fim_middle|>-20 Parts] [Return to the Shed] This picture is a 1948 model. When the deal between Henry Ford and Harry Ferguson fell apart, Harry designed this new model, the TE-20, which was built by the Standard Motor Company in Coventry, England..
Sale Results We send out the sale results notifications in the form of a newsletter within 14 days of the sale taking place. Please follow the link below to register for this service.. At Dunlop Tractor Spares you will find a full list of parts for Massey Ferguson 65 Tractors including badges, intake frames, headlamps, exhaust clamps, nose cones, throttle levers, safety switches, side panels, wheel nuts, steering shafts, oil filters and lots more.. | / Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP / 32 & 64 bit. Massey Ferguson Electronic Spare Parts Catalogue. We supply massey-ferguson and mf tractor workshop Manuals. Workshop Manual for MF165/168 - ORIGINAL MF MANUAL Ref: MF27-2 The manual covers the later type MF165 and MF168 including 6 / 8 speed Transmissions and Multipower.. This document contains the following sections: Book, DVD, Magazines, Instructions, Rare & Secondhand, Sales Catalogue, Transfer & Decals, Odds & Ends Ferguson & MF Book. 009480 A World Wide Guide to Massey Harris, Ferguson & Early Massey Ferguson Tractors by John Farnworth, 248 pages, ISBN 0953373762, $65.00, 1 copy in stock More details.
Fan Blade S.60462 - Replaces 825181M91. 15 1\2in diameter fan fits: (35, 50 both with Perkins Diesel), (TE20, TEA20 both with 80, 85, or 87mm Gas), (TO35 with 23C Diesel), (FE35 with 87mm Gas or 23C Diesel). Replaces 186819M91. Fan Blade, Trapezoidal Bolt Pattern. Bolt Pattern - 1 1\4 between top holes, 1 1\2 between bottom holes, 5\16 holes with 1 1\8 center cutout.. Buy 180576M1 New Massey Ferguson Steering Wheel TO20, TO30, 35, 50, 135, 2135, 20, +: Spare & Replacement Parts - Amazon.com FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases. Antique Ferguson Tractor: Ferguson TE-20 [Ferguson TE | 446 |
We love to tell stories in our house.
One will start and the other continue the kids join in too and we make up some great crazy tales.
Well in the same spirit Laura from<|fim_middle|> all over before he…'died' and that he is truly sorry about the affair. It doesn't matter if he's sorry or not. It happened. My marriage is finished anyhow. I could never trust her again, Laura. She's broken me.
'Oh Tony' said Laura, she was hurting for him, this stranger who had somehow touched her heart.
'I'm going to go now Laura and leave you to talk to Robert. But maybe I could see you again one day?' Tony had a tiny light of hope in his eyes. Laura gave a half smile, 'perhaps' she whispered, for she had no idea what the future would hold.
Tony smiled too, a slow, sad smile, then he left.
There had been so much hurt. Too much hurt.
Laura got up from the bed, she stood straight and tall and braced herself. Robert was going to tell her about his affair, where the hell he had been since the supposed 'accident and why he had pretended to be dead!
She was ready to hear his story. She demanded to hear his story.
She flung open the lounge door and her angry, grief etched eyes met his….
To read the next instalment of the story tomorrow you need to pop over to Emma and three I can't wait to see what happens next.
Becky great writing and it is all becoming clearer.
Anya from Older Single Mum and The Healer recently posted..Let us Tell You a Story – Part 11.
Oh my! You had me biting my lip! what is the story?! Will she get together with Tony?! | Tired mummy of two blog thought it might be fun to write a blog story that way. She began it and one by one a different blogger adds on the next part of the story. Below you will find my bit the next instalment and in order to read all that gone before you just have to work your way through the blog hop below. It's a cracking story and definitely worth the read.
Clare at Seasider in the City passed the baton to me and her final words were…..
She shook herself and took a deep breath. She was not delusional. This was real. She was a strong woman, a survivor she could and would handle this.
She looked Tony squarely in the eye. 'What has just happened and where is Robert?' she said in a clear, controlled voice. It was time for answers.
'You got knocked out Laura,' said Tony gently.'You tried to stop us fighting and somehow you got punched and ended up out cold. Robert is still here. He is in the lounge waiting to talk to you. We're done fighting now. It's over.' Tony looked lost now and resigned, all his anger spent.
Tony shrugged 'Robert says it was | 244 |
<|fim_middle|> | Playing mobile games is a popular form of entertainment these days for both kids and adults. It has been a favorite past time for people who are commuting, waiting for a friend somewhere or for those who just want to keep themselves busy while doing nothing.
At every stage of human history, communication is in the middle of the potential of technological developments. Every new increase in power, decrease in size, or simplification of a data algorithm means that some aspect of communication technology can either inch forward or explode sideways into some new form of being that connects us all for business and personal projects and possibilities.
Technology does a million great things for businesses, and individuals. It keeps you more connected, lets you get more work done from more places, and tends to just make things easier. However, technology has its faults as well.
While not everything that show up at the TechCrunch Disrupt New York 2014 hackathon are truly of value, we do see some interesting things, such as the 3Dioo, which TechCrunch calls a DIY Oculus Rift. That label alone should be enough to catch one's attention, yeah?
You look down at your cellphone and realize that you are already below a 20 percent charge. The phone may have just been charged, but there are several reasons for reduced battery life. From browsing the Web to streaming a movie, your cellphone's charge is greatly improved with a few small changes to everyday habits. | 292 |
Lower Haight
Curbed Cup Elite Eight: (10) Portola vs. (2) Lower Haight
By Sally Kuchar Dec 2<|fim_middle|> asking. | 6, 2013, 4:10pm PST
Described by one of its residents as "a largely unheard of neighborhood," Portola was the most nominated neighborhood by Curbed readers. Emails poured in, and another neighbor dubbed it as "The Best Neighborhood You've Never Heard Of." In addition to the big reopening of the Palega Playground, the neighborhood's also home Burrows Pilot Park and the yearly Portola Garden Tour. Portola's also one of the only places in San Francisco where you can still get a decent home for less than a trillion dollars.
History shows us that the Lower Haight has does extremely well in Curbed Cups of yore. Not only did it fetch the title last year, it also won Neighborhood of the Year in 2011. Will 2013 be another victory? The neighborhood's constantly evolving while still paying homage to its roots. There's an effort to make improve the Wiggle, and residents and fans showed up in August to watch a very famous statue get bulldozed. Homes are also selling for hundreds of thousands dollars over | 226 |
Wilmington CrossFit Relocates;<|fim_middle|> is typically popular among athletes.
"We have a lot of interest from the sports community because they want to recover quickly," DesChenes said. "It takes less than three minutes and is more effective than an ice bath or jumping in the ocean. People like it because it's easier to do and it's less time."
Other demographics in the Wilmington area, however, are starting to try the therapy.
"We have been asked if it's for everybody," DesChenes said. "We have people as young as 11 up to 70 that have used these services. It's not just for physical recovery but also for mental recovery and unplugging from the overstimulation of life."
2019 Homebuilding Market Demand & Pricing
Scott Byers - Majestic Kitchen & Bath Creations | New Cryotherapy Spa Opens
By Johanna Cano, posted Jan 31, 2019
CrossFit Wilmington owner Lauren Linett said they decided to relocate the gym to downsize and make better use of space. (Photo Courtesy of CrossFit Wilmington)
One new business is opening, and one is relocating in Wilmington, both with the goal of providing more options for workouts and recovery in the area.
CrossFit Wilmington, which opened in 2008, relocated to 3112 Kitty Hawk Road from 2020 Capital Drive to downsize and make better use of the space available, owner Lauren Linett said Wednesday.
"There was a lot of unused space in the original building and we wanted to keep the community feel. Moving to a smaller space was a financial decision and we could do more with the space we have," Linett said.
Since moving to the new space, 20 new members have joined CrossFit Wilmington.
CrossFit has been getting more attention as a workout option in the Wilmington area, Linett said.
"People are starting to get more and more interested in CrossFit for their everyday functional living. It's for everybody including older people, younger people in college, moms, grandpas. The word is getting around that CrossFit is a type of exercise that anyone can do, and we are all like a family because we work out together," Linett said.
With the new location open, Linett hopes to hold events for CrossFitters and those interested in joining.
"We plan on hosting multiple community events and plan on hosting a 5K for charities, and light competitions," Linett said. "We will have seminars, clinics and will have free community days where anyone can come try CrossFit for free."
The CRESS Group of Coldwell Banker Commercial Sun Coast Partners helped CrossFit Wilmington locate the new space, and Lynn Harris of Century 21 Sweyer & Associates represented the landlord in the lease transaction.
Separately, a new recovery spa has opened at 5424 Oleander Drive. Aqua Float and Cryo opened in January and offers whole body and localized cryotherapy, salt float tanks, compression therapy, full-body massage and infrared sauna.
Cryotherapy involves the use of freezing temperatures as a form of physical therapy.
The owner, Robert Brady, decided to open Aqua Float and Cryo to provide an all-in-one location for massages and cryotherapy, Cherie DesChenes, who does marketing for Aqua Float and Cryo, said.
"He wanted something close to Oleander and Wrightsville beach," DesChenes said. "He would go to Monkey Junction to get a massage and then to Landfall for Cryotherapy and he thought, 'Can't it be under one roof?' That's why he decided to create his own spa."
Cryotherapy | 576 |
WINGSPAN • January 15, 2020<|fim_middle|> sure this year's book is as inclusive as possible.
"Our main goal is to make sure that everyone shows up in the yearbook at least once and club pictures help us achieve this," photo editor Taylor Bullitt said. " We try to get in as many people as possible in the pictures."
A fire drill Wednesday morning brought the picture taking to a halt for approximately 15 minutes, but new modifications were made this year in order to have the process run more cohesively than previous years.
"We were hoping to make the yearbook picture process smoother and less disruptive," Bullitt said. "It was difficult to make sure that we had full representation of clubs and creating a schedule to reflect this especially since we aren't going to be announcing that schedule as it progresses. I do believe that since there will be no announcement, this year will be more organized and planned. It also leaves students accountable for attending their own club pictures." | • https://libertywingspan.com/43757/campus-life/round-two-of-yearbook-pictures-for-all-clubs-on-campus/
Round two of yearbook pictures for all clubs on campus
Sarah Boutouis
Greg Chatmon, a photographer for Southern Images, took pictures of clubs and organizations all day. All official clubs on campus had their picture taken, and will be given a spot in the Legacy yearbook for the 2019-2020 school year.
Shreya Jagan, Staff Reporter
School picture day was in the fall, but Wednesday was a day for all clubs and organizations on campus to take group pictures for the 2019-2020 Legacy yearbook.
"I like the idea of having club pictures," sophomore Sonja Huntwork said. "Having a photo in the yearbook of all the people that are interested in something seems like a really appealing concept to me.
The yearbook staff is striving to make | 203 |
The<|fim_middle|>**Please note last food orders are available 90 min prior to closing times. On Friday & Saturday the kitchen closes at 11pm.
Chat to us about boozy brunches, sharing feasts, bar bookings and parties in our private lounge. | original Dirty Bones opened in Kensington back in 2014. Launching originally as a street-level gourmet hot dog stand by day and party spot by night, our West London haven has evolved to a subterranean cocktail bar, private lounge and restaurant. Guests are greeted at a pinball machine in our cocktail bar - a quirky hang-out spot in it's own right. Sweep through the converted photobooth to the restaurant or through a retro fridge door to the private lounge (complete with it's own bar and private DJ booth, no less).
Open for dinner and drinks 7 days a week and serving up our cure-all Bottomless Boozy Brunch every weekend, our Kensington crew also host Live Music Nights every Thursday from 8pm.
Drinkers and thrill seekers, check our Cocktail Hour running Monday to Friday from 5-7pm. Weekend party people, DJs spin old-school tracks and party gems every Friday and Saturday from 9pm 'til late*. Book a table in our bar for drinks, or just roll up.
*Kindly note that from 9pm on a Friday and Saturday evening we're an over 21's venue.
| 235 |
Star Wars Battle Action Millennium Falcon | Uncanny!
The Star Wars The Force Awakens Battle Action Millennium Falcon shoots two Nerf darts so you can recreate your favorite scenes. It also includes three figures, including Chewbac<|fim_middle|> | ca, Finn (Jakku) and BB-8. Launch into action and adventure in your favorite universe away from home. Imagine recreating epic battles from Star Wars: The Force Awakens with this Millennium Falcon action figure, featuring a pop-up Nerf launcher, lights, motion-activated sound effects and a fold-out play set. Now you can play with your favorite characters from the movie right in your own home. This Star Wars battle action millennium falcon is suitable for children ages 4 years and up. Grownups too will enjoy being reminded of their favorite battles. Discover the exciting stories of good versus evil in a universe of heroes, villains and aliens. Collect and battle with these and other figures and vehicles from the movie. | 148 |
Carly Rae Jepsen, Brett Kissel set to rock Parliament Hill for New Year's Eve party
Vito Pilieci, Ottawa Citizen
Pop-music sensation Carly Rae Jepsen (above) and country music phenom Brett<|fim_middle|> music will "transport the audience through time and revisit different historical eras of our country over the past 150 years."
Kissel and Jepsen are expected to hit the stage at 10 p.m. before the countdown to 2017 and the traditional fireworks display at midnight.
Shadowy publisher of Canadian medical journals retracts 'steaming pile of dung' Development group unveils future of former CFB Rockcliffe air base | Kissel will help ring in the New Year with live performances on Parliament Hill on Dec. 31. Joshua Paul / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Pop-music sensation Carly Rae Jepsen and country music phenom Brett Kissel will help ring in the New Year with live performances on Parliament Hill on Dec. 31.
The shows will be part of a big New Year's Eve party for 2017, which will mark Canada's 150th anniversary of Confederation, said the Department of Canadian Heritage in a release Monday.
The event, which will be hosted by Isabelle Racicot, an on-air personality with Virgin Radio in Montreal, will kick off at around 7 p.m. with the ringing of bells at the Peace Tower and a singing of the national anthem.
At exactly 8:17 p.m., the government plans to light up the night sky with a spectacular "pyro-musical display" that will see fireworks launched simultaneously from Nepean Point, Alexandra Bridge and Parliament Hill. Accompanying | 217 |
Raptors 905 get in unexpected shootout, lose to Nets
By Blake Murphy
PPhoto credit: Trung Ho / TrungHo.ca
Raptors 905 119, Long Island Nets 125 | Box Score
Assignees: Bruno Caboclo, Alfonzo McKinnie (905), None (Nets)
Two-ways: Lorenzo Brown, Malcolm Miller (905), Milton Doyle (Nets)
Well, that was unexpected.
With Raptors 905 visiting the Long Island Nets on Tuesday, every piece of evidence pointed to a grittier, low-scoring game. While the Nets like to push the pace and the 905 prefer to grind things out, the two sides have one important similarity: They win with defense. They're the G League's only two teams allowing fewer than 100 points per-100 possessions, relying heavily on their ability to get stops to fuel the offense. For the Nets, that means pushing in transition, as their half-court offense may be the worst in the league (they're dead last in offensive rating). For the 905, it's about running off of those misses and settling down if an early look isn't there – they're the slowest-paced team by a significant margin.
That interesting clash of elite defenses and contrasting styles was thrown out the window almost immediately, the teams almost unrecognizable by the end of a raucous 125-119 victory for the Nets. Neither side played to form, with the 905 allowing a poor Nets offense to shoot 54 percent overall and get to the line 23 times and the 905 shooting 49 percent. Both teams scored well above their season rates per-possession, and the statistical battle was pretty even across most fronts.
If there was an advantage gained by flipping the script to an offensive showdown, it went to the Nets, who were better able to dictate the pace here. The game had an estimated 106 possessions, far quicker than what the 905 would prefer. They did well with that tempo, committing just 12 turnovers and surrendering only seven offensive rebounds, but there's value for a team like the Nets in playing the style with which their comfortable, and that seemed to provide them a stabilizing force in the close-out fourth quarter (after pace was a big part of their comeback and takeover across the second and third).
Really, though, this game came down to one otherworldly performance separating the two teams. They shot close to even, they both hit threes and free throws, rebounded similarly, and so on. On this night, the Nets had Milton Doyle and the 905 did not. Doyle was monstrous here, and the on/off numbers tell the story – the Nets outscored the 905 by 21 in Doyle's 39 minutes and were outscored by 15 in the other nine minutes of the game. The 905, despite all of their defensive abilities, had no answer once Doyle got going from outside. He'd ultimately hit 11 threes on 15 attempts, and as the 905 dialed up the attention to try to slow him down, he shifted to facilitating, dishing 11 assists. He'd complete the triple-double with 10 rebounds, corralling 905 misses and sprinting in the other direction to attack a still-setting defense.
Early, it looked like Doyle may not be enough. Even as he cruised to 13 first-quarter points, the 905 were ahead 13. Malcolm Miller had scored 11 points in just seven minutes on perfect shooting, and a Lorenzo Brown-and-bench unit ripped off a 19-3 run that required the Nets to go back to Doyle after only a quick breather. It seemed the game might go to form from there, a soaring <|fim_middle|> rebounds were nice, at least. These games happen, especially on the second night of a back-to-back, but it'd be nice to see him string a few strong performances together. He's been much better about not letting off nights shooting effect his defense, so this is more anomaly than pattern.
Alfonzo McKinnie followed up a terrific showing Monday with a quieter outing here, one that didn't see him shoot the ball well until late. He finished with 13 points on 14 possessions and hit a pair of threes as he continues to flirt with the 40-percent mark from long-range. He also added seven rebounds, two assists, and a steal, and was an even plus-minus in 29 minutes.
Other 905 player notes
Lorenzo Brown did his best to match Doyle in what was a really fun individual battle. Doyle has a pronounced edge as an established 3-point shooter with a much quicker trigger, though, and Brown filling it up from the mid-range and in the paint couldn't quite keep up. He was still the 905's best all-around player with 25 points, 13 assists,a nd six steals, he just lost a rare battle with a point guard who got even hotter here. Hard to win 'em all when a 37-percent shooter goes 11-of-15.
Malcolm Miller was tremendous, easily the biggest bright spot for the 905 here. Hitting 6-of-8 on threes obviously stands out – he's up to 39.1 percent on the year – but he also attacked closeouts well, kept the ball moving within the offense, and came up with a big offensive rebound during a Nets run. He finished with 26 points on just 14 possessions, his fifth 20-plus point game of the season and his third in the last three weeks.
Kennedy Meeks had a nice 11-and-11 double-double with four assists and a team-best plus-8…Davion Berry and Shevon Thompson both scored in double-figures, though the bench as a whole was off it's game here.
Nets notes: Milton Doyle turned in maybe the best G League performance I've seen all year with a massive 42-10-11 triple-double that also included a pair of steals and a pair of blocks. He had help – five other Nets scored in double-figures and former 905er Shannon Scott had a double-double with 10 assists – but this was the Milton Doyle show. He hit 11 threes! This is right there with Brown's 36-11-11 game. Doyle used 31.2 percent of the team's possessions with a 92.3 true-shooting percentage and a 44-percent assist rate. That combination of numbers is unfathomable. Awesome, awesome showing.
The 905 are in New York a while longer before heading to Lakeland for a Saturday game. They return home Monday. A friendly reminder that promo code "REPUBLIC905" will get you a discount at this link all season long.
Related Items:alfonzo mckinnie, Brooklyn Nets, Bruno Caboclo, g-league, long island nets, Lorenzo Brown, malcolm miller, milton doyle, Raptors 905, Shannon Scott, toronto raptors | 905 team that had won 17 of its last 21 opening a big lead early and cruising against even a quality opponent, their defense precluding a comeback. Obviously, that wasn't to be – Doyle scored 10 more in the second quarter and dished five assists, the Nets shot 71 percent in the frame, and no 905 player other than Miller could really maintain a groove offensively. Their early lead had been erased almost entirely by the break.
The third quarter was more of the same. Doyle shifted back to scorer mode and let Shannon Scott handle the point guard duties a bit more, with Jeremy Senglin chipping in off the bench for additional punch. The 905, meanwhile, drew cold from outside, and Jerry Stackhouse went deep on his bench looking for an offensive spark from Negus Webster-Chan, who picked up two quick fouls and didn't get a look from outside. Brown did his damnedest to keep the 905 within striking distance, scoring eight points on three field-goal attempts, but most of the shots he was creating for teammates fell off the mark. Even Miller, red-hot in the first half, was taken out of the game some as the Nets worked to deny him the ball on the perimeter. Were it not for a number of offensive rebounds producing buckets, the 905 may have been out of it entirely.
As it was, they trailed six entering the fourth, setting up an entertaining close-out quarter that at least resembled the teams' usual styles to a degree. The 905 still struggled to score, buoyed instead by an aggressive pressure scheme that goaded the Nets into seven turnovers down the stretch. Brown worked seamlessly between scorer and facilitator, Alfonzo McKinnie showed up with a big quarter, and the 905 did a good job the other way of turning Doyle into something resembling a human. Kamari Murphy stepped up as Doyle drew the additional attention. The Nets' lead grew to 13 at one point before the 905 responded with a 7-2 run, and when it hit 11 again, the 905 battled back with an 8-3 run. They kept chipping closer, even cutting the lead to a single possession with three minutes to go when Brown and Davion Berry connected in short order.
A timeout did little to settle things for Long Island, as Murphy lost the ball out of bounds on the next possession, only for Doyle to get it right back with a steal he took the other way. Brown responded with a steal and a dunk of his own, and the 905 were back within two with two minutes to play. The defense couldn't get that last stop it needed to complete the comeback – Murphy and Doyle sandwiched threes around a Brown charge and a big offensive rebound for the Nets helped them chew up extra clock. The 905 ran out of time from there, a disappointing end after a hot start but the type of competitive game against a quality team – on a back-to-back no less – that should help them learn and get better from here.
Assignment notes
Bruno Caboclo had one of his worst games of the season here, and he wore it a bit as the game went on. Stackhouse capped him at 23 minutes due to an unsightly minus-19 mark, as Caboclo's usual defensive impact never presented itself. He also couldn't get much going offensively, shooting 3-of-12 overall and 0-of-6 on threes while committing two turnovers. The six | 742 |
Some observations on fish migrations in Caprivi, Namibia.
Longitudinal and lateral migrations of freshwater fish were observed in 63 (83%) of the fish of the Upper Zambezi in the Caprivi region, Namibia. The results<|fim_middle|> characids, Schilbe, a few mochokids, cyprinodonts, most cichlid species and both anabantids. Breeding migrations were observed only in Clariasspp and some barbs. All other fish movements seem to be connected with invasions into newly inundated habitat, escape from desiccation, movement back to permanent water or else an upstream or downstream movement away from areas with temporary high densities in an effort to escape predation or seek new feeding ground. An unexpected large number offish species (34) were collected in isolated pools at the edge of the floodplain after the floods had receded. Keywords: freshwater fish, migrations, Upper Zambezi, Caprivi, Namibia. | of 20 surveys showed that longitudinal upstream migrations were undertaken by most small cyprinids, mormyrids, distichodontids, characids, schilbeids, clariids and mochokids but by only a few of the larger cichlids. Similarly, lateral migrations out of permanent waters were common for young mormyrids, some smaller barbs, small | 85 |
Mass (2021)
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An important and raw conversation is about to take place in a local church. The film opens at a church with one of the key leaders arriving and preparing a room downstairs with a table and chairs. Based on the setup alone, we understand there's pressure to ensure the room is set up correctly and perfectly, even though viewers are not advised what is about to occur. Jay (Jason Isaacs) and Gail (Martha Plimpton) enter the room first, requiring a moment together to prepare themselves for what is about to occur. Next to walk in are Richard (Reed Birney) and Linda (Ann Dowd). Both couples exchange small talk, but it's evident that the room feels awkward and tense. Now the door is shut, and the four start a conversation reliving a horrific, painful, violent moment in time.
As you can probably tell, Mass is best described as a heavy drama. Given the style and plot outline, the film is incredibly dialogue heavy and almost feels like a stage play that has come to life on the big screen. This is a directional debut by Fran Kranz, who has previously acted in many well-known projects, including the TV series Dollhouse and the fun horror film Cabin in the Woods.
Right from the word go, viewers understand that something important is about to occur as the church member is stressed over positioning even the smallest items. Once both couples arrive, viewers are taken on a journey through the past and present surrounding a mass shooting. Jay and Gail have burning questions and a desire to understand better what happened on the day. More than that, they hope to gain some type of freedom from this tragedy and their present suffering.
Naturally, given the talent on-screen, there are some incredible performances here, especially from actors Jason Isaacs and Ann Dowd. Both of these actors truly surprised me with the delivery of their characters. The film is dialogue-heavy, and some moments consist of lengthy monologues, creating a stage play-like feel. The story is gripping, and once viewers gain a greater understanding of the situation, it's easy to become invested in both couples and emotions as they share their perspectives. Both couples share compelling points of view that always feel convincing, touching, and raw to the bone, leaving viewers in awe and silence. Pacing, for the most part, is great, and upon my first viewing, I didn't feel the almost two-hour runtime because I was so involved in all the drama.
For the most part, the filming style is great, especially in the first act. Moments of tension and line deliveries are all captured wonderfully, and there are shots here that truly allow actors to shine as they deliver heartfelt moments of either frustration or hurt. However, around the second act, I found the filming style became questionable as the camera at various times was shakier, bumpy, and lacked smooth focus during key moments, including when characters were speaking. Perhaps, this style was done to show the conversation had suddenly become more heated and dramatic, but as a viewer, I found this sudden change in camera work highly distracting, disappointing, and unnecessary. Thankfully, this changes again as the story heads towards the third act and finale. The ending also<|fim_middle|>)
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Mortal Thoughts (1991)
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Coffee & Kareem (2020)
After failing to bring in a prisoner to justice, officer Coffee (Ed Helms) isn't having much luck. His fellow police officers pick on him daily which he's getting sick of but thankfully the one thing that is going well in Coffee's life is his relationship with a woman...
Set in rural Texas, No Country for Old Men tells the story of three key characters in the one film. Our first character is Llewelyn (Josh Brolin) who discovers the aftermath of a shootout which appears to be from a major drug deal gone wrong. Llewelyn... | carries one or two moments that feel ever so slightly vague, but this is minor as the main conclusion ends strongly and clearly and is highly impacting.
Overall, delivering a powerful and touching story about tragedy and loss, Mass shines strongly with unforgettable performances and a touching, gripping, excellent script. Pacing for the majority is also great. Even though it's dialogue-heavy, I found myself highly invested in the four leads and passionate about knowing the outcomes and the finer details relating to the past situation. As a directional debut from Fran Kranz, there's a lot to admire here, and the achievements are most certainly admirable and applaud worthy.
Last Call (2019)
Beth (Sarah Booth) is having a frustrating evening. While driving to her night job as a janitor, she receives word about her twelve-year-old son who has yet to come home from going to the cinemas with a friend. She frantically contacts her babysitter while also trying...
Mike Manning – Slapface (2021)
Walkden Entertainment (aka Peter Walkden) had the honour and pleasure of chatting with #MikeManning, the actor and producer of the upcoming #Shudder Exclusive #Slapface (2021). Available from February 3rd! https://youtu.be/4vpkjjBEjns 31st January 2022 Presented by...
The Seed (2021 | 286 |
The British landscape is not being used to its best advantage according to a new report from environmental economists at the University of East Anglia (UEA).
Research published today in the journal Science shows that allowing land use to be determined purely by an agricultural market, which is distorted by multi-billion pound subsidies, will result in considerable financial and environmental costs to the public.
It shows that a shake-up in the way EU subsidies are given out could greatly improve the way UK farm land is managed.
While the research has looked specifically at the UK, the same methods could be applied to any area of the world with similar results for many countries.
Land use in the UK is dominated by agriculture which accounts for almost three quarters of the total surface area. Payments to farmers in subsidies exceed £3billion per year, or nearly half the total annual value of UK agriculture.
The research team looked at half a million land use records and found that at present, UK land use represents poor value for society relative to that subsidy level. But a refocusing of payments could substantially improve the situation.
Alongside tangible financial costs in the form of subsidies, the researchers assessed the economic value of other costs, such as poor opportunities for recreation and high emissions of greenhouse gases associated with present land use. They also took into account the impact of declining wild species and biodiversity caused by intensive farming.
Looking to the future, they weighed up the consequences of alternative land uses and assessed a range of alternative scenarios going forward to the year 2060.
• Land use policy based on market prices alone results in decisions which lower overall values at national scale.
• Potential improvements in land use planning would generate social gains sufficient to more than compensate for any associated losses.
• Substantial improvements could be achieved through relatively modest changes in land use.
• Targeted measures would greatly help conserve wild species, while only marginally reducing market profitability.
• Converting comparatively small amounts of farm land into open access recreation space will yield a modest loss in farm produce value while generating a far greater value from increased recreation, with greatest benefits close to urban areas.
Prof Ian Bateman from UEA's School of Environmental Sciences led the research project. He said: "There is a good case for subsidising farmers to produce the things we want which are not paid for though market prices - and that includes better habitats for biodiversity, high quality recreation areas and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
"We we worked out an economic value for each of these 'non-market' items to help us create a much more detailed economic picture of land use in the UK.
"We looked ahead to 2060 and took into account other factors that may impact farming such as changing policies, environmental regulations, market forces, changes in farming technology and climate change, which could altering the growing season and amounts of rainfall.
"We found that a conventional market dominated approach to decision making will reduce the overall values from the landscape in many parts of the country. However, taking into account these non-market environmental benefits or costs of land use would lead to net financial gains nationally, due to reduced pollution, enhanced recreation and urban greenspace, and improvements in biodiversity habitats.
"It is absolutely vital that impacts which are difficult to put a price on, such as a loss of biodiversity, should be incorporated into land use policy. But no single policy<|fim_middle|> Haines-Young, R., Hulme, M., Kontoleon, A., Lovett, A.A., Munday, P., Pascual, U., Paterson, J., Perino, G., Sen, A., Siriwardena, G., van Soest D., and Termansen, M is published in the journal Science on July 5, 2013. | will be optimal everywhere. Our findings show that a targeted approach to decision making is the best approach.
The research was funded by the UK National Ecosystem Assessment (NEA) and its Follow-On program (which are together supported by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)); and the Social and Environmental Economic Research (SEER) project.
'Bringing ecosystem services into economic decision making: Land use in the UK' by Bateman, Ian J., Harwood, A., Mace, G.M., Watson, R., Abson, D.J., Andrews, B., Binner, A., Crowe, A., Day, B.H., Dugdale, S., Fezzi, C., Foden, J., Hadley, D., | 190 |
Every year my Personal Training clients get to experience different forms of holiday inspired workouts<|fim_middle|> all of Santa's Eight Tiny Reindeer at the end of the workout, then you definitely get labeled as a well-conditioned Rudolph! Santa will be proud. | , so join in with us for Santa's Eight Tiny Reindeer Plyometric Workout!
Plyometrics are jumping exercises. They increase your metabolism, strengthen your cardiovascular system, boost the number of calories you burn and stimulate your neurological system more than repetitive cardio activities like stationary biking, rowing or walking. They are a great bonus to throw into your workouts but progress slowly even if you are well conditioned as they are a unique challenge to your body. You can quickly overdue it or injure yourself if you do plyos for too long of a period of time. Start with 30 seconds (as in the workout below) and work your way up to longer periods of time (45-60 seconds) over the course of a several weeks as you allow your body to recover from each work out properly.
Are jumping movements too tough on your joints? Then opt to do them on a rebounder (mini trampoline). If that's not an option, follow the program below using a cardio machine such as a treadmill, bike or elliptical for the allotted amount of time of exercise to rest intervals. If you are just beginning your fitness program give yourself longer periods of rest and work to decrease your rest period over the course of several weeks. Don't be a cotton headed ninny muggins and try to kill yourself with intensities you could do easily 10-20 years ago when you were super fit. Be kind to your body and in return your body will love you for it. Trust me, if you are consistent in your efforts and follow the right guidance you'll be killin' it in no time my Plyometric Princes and Princesses!
And, if you can still name | 345 |
The Parks and Recreation Department offers many programs to seniors age 55 and above.
This club is for persons age 55 and above and meets at the Georgia K. Battle Center. It offers travel, workshops, lunches and much<|fim_middle|>5 a.m. A fee is charged. | more. It meets the 3rd Monday of each month at Georgia K. Battle Center. Call Ella Clarke at 252-939-3352 for more information.
Adults over 50 meet at the Galaxy of Sports Skating Center every Tuesday from 7 - 10 p.m. with live entertainment. A fee is charged. Please call Melissa McCoy at 252-939-3347 for more information.
Lenoir County residents age 55 and above are entitled to a free membership. The Mock Athletic Skills Facility includes a walking track, treadmills and other cardio and resistance equipment. For more information, contact call us at 252-939-3232.
There is a small entry fee and registration is required. Contact Melissa McCoy at 252-939-3347 for more information.
Water Aerobics is held at the Woodmen Community Center's pool on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:1 | 214 |
Gorgeous and bright 2BR/2BA in the heart of Main Street! Modern living in one of Vancouver's most desirable neighbourhoods, this beautiful west facing unit feels as spacious as a house. Featuring an open concept kitchen/dining that opens into an elegant and bright living area complete with a fireplace. Functional floorplan means both bedrooms come with walk-through closets, ensuite bathrooms and separate balconies. Cooks kitchen features stunning quartz countertops, loads of storage, built-in wine rack and stainless steel appliances. Pet and rental<|fim_middle|> just steps to Main St's amazing restaurants and shops.
Rental Restriction: Rentals Allowed; Pets Allowed w/ Rest.
Inquire about 304 - 3333 Main Street, Main, Vancouver East now! | friendly, this building features a community garden, amenity room and bike storage. Centrally located on a major bus route means just minutes to downtown/skytrain and | 34 |
West Madison succeeds in reaching $26,000 fundraising goal
West Madison students work on crafts last school year. (CONTRIBUTED)
MADISON – West Madison Elementary School successfully met its $26,000 fundraising goal, thanks to diligence of students and their families, faculty and administrators.
"For the smallest school in Madison City Schools to raise and meet our goal of $26<|fim_middle|> raise the funds to help their school. "Each year, we focus on what needs to be improved and from there determine how much we need to raise," Enderton said.
"We have the best principal, Dr. Daphne Jah, and assistant principal, Kathy Miller, ever," Enderton said. "They sure know how to get the students excited and motivated for our fundraiser and (demonstrate) great spirit."
Anyone can join PTA, which includes parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and other relatives, she said.
Wyche earns full-tuition scholarship from Cameron Education Foundation | ,000 is awesome," PTA President Angie Enderton said. "We're grateful and thankful for everyone involved."
Each year, West Madison conducts one major fundraiser. "With the help of Boosterthon, our chairperson and the volunteers, as well as staff, faculty, students and their families, we did meet our goal," Enderton said. "We had some awesome sponsors, too."
"As PTA President, I could not have done this alone or take any credit for anything," Enderton said. "Without the team I have and the amazing volunteers, this would not have been possible."
Enderton acknowledged fundraising chairperson Ben Schwartz and his team of volunteers for "an absolutely amazing job."
Other PTA officers at West Madison are vice president of volunteers Michele Gay, vice president of programs Suzanne Richards, treasurer Ricki Schwartz and secretary Ashley Peeden.
The PTA as a team — not just a board — votes and agrees on a fundraiser. The PTA sometimes sends out a survey to parents to gather opinions about the type of fundraiser that they prefer.
"Then, we propose the idea to our principal, Dr. Daphne Jah, and she gets the final say. If Dr. Jah doesn't like the idea, we come up with another idea," Enderton said.
PTA members determine what measures can help them | 270 |
Welcome to USPA NATIONWIDE SECURITY
As seen in Forbes Magazine, USPA Nationwide Security is a US-based security guard company with a focus on providing security services, bodyguards, fire watch, armed guard protection and traditional watchmen. A women-owned security firm who donates 50% of all profits since 2005.
A Nationwide Security Service
USPA Nationwide Security is a traditional security guard & fire watch company, part of the network, under the umbrella of USPA International, a dedicated close protection service operating in 16 countries providing bodyguard services, close protection convoy security and path-finding services in high risk zones. USPA is the parent company to Kingsman Philanthropic Corp., a nonprofit funding and performing rescues of women and children from domestic violence and human trafficking since 2005. 50% of all profits from USPA are donated to Kingsman to assist women and children. Our<|fim_middle|>3000+ highly-experienced security guards who are trained to handle security matters such as securing dignitaries, businesses, dealing with terrorism situations, abductions and numerous others. Whether you in need of security guards for yourself or company, you should choose to hire USPA International Security. USPA International is a for-hire Security Guard Company. Providing licensed armed guards, bodyguards and security guards. Security guard company, security guards, armed security officers. Here's why we are the best choice for security guards: Professional security guards. We don't just provide security guards but also make sure they are highly-trained and experienced in handling firearms, identifying security threats and dealing with them. Our guards are also capable of providing mobile patrol services when necessary. We also provide security professionals who specialize in protecting children from possible threats such as kidnapping. Our portfolio speaks for itself. We are a reputable security guard company with our past clients ranging from well-known business executives to celebrities and government officials in New Jersey and other parts of the US. Our security guards have provided protection in some of the most respected establishments. We are more than happy to offer you the same quality services that we have offered our clients in the past. Exceptional service: Right from our customer service, we ensure our clients are treated professionally and courteously. It is a common misconception that security guards should be rough and uncourteous in order to instill fear in potential threats. This is far from true and we train our guards to treat the client's customers and visitors with utmost respect. The presence of armed guards in your establishment will not make your customers feel afraid. Instead, their presence will be reassuring and make your customers feel safe. Certified and licensed security professionals: We only employ security professionals who are certified and licensed to provide security services. Before we send out our security guards, we require them to undergo the Certified Contractor Program. Before we send guards to your premises, we sit down with you and discuss your needs so we can best understand which type of security guard suits you best. Affordable security services: A lot of people are deterred from seeking security services because they are afraid they will not be able to afford them. At USPA International Security Guard Service, we are committed to ensuring our services are affordable to those who may need them. We know that everybody needs to feel safe and protected at all time. This is why our security services come at affordable costs. We not only provide you with the best armed guards for hire we ensure that you don't leave a hole in your wallet while at it. Whether you are hoping to secure your property or keep your loved ones safe, it is of paramount importance that you hire only the best. Your safety, and that of your family or business, is of utmost importance and should never be gambled with. That is why you should choose the best security service, and this happens to be USPA International Guard Services for Hire. USPA International Security: the company to call when you are looking to find a security service or security driver.
Nationwide Fire Watch Service
USPA Nationwide Security Firewatch Security Services are utilized for an array of situations when a fire watch Company is needed. Our Fire Guards and Fire Safety Directors can can be called in for Emergency Fire Watch when a fire suppression system is down. We also provide scheduled firewatch during hot work firewatch situations when welding, crushing and other hot work is being performed and the fire marshal requires a fire watcher to protect the premises. We also provide firewatch security guards for events and firewatch service when your premises has been damaged by a fire or smoke condition. As a nationwide security and Firewatch company, we have offices in all 50 states, and we can provide a firewatch guard usually within 60 minutes of receiving your phone call, 24 hours a day in our emergency dispatch center, which is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. Call (800) 214-1448 for the #1 Rated Fire Watch Service in the USA since 2005 - providing firewatch service, emergency fire guards, fire safety directors, hot work firewatch, and other security guard services.
Warehouse Security Services
USPA Nationwide Security has been providing warehouse security officers for large depots, logistics companies and shipping facilities since 2005. From customer services security greeters in the corporate buildings to access control security guards in warehouses and gate houses. Armed warehouse security officers for cash rooms and providing armed protection for active shooter threats. USPA Nationwide Security has verifiable references, handling warehouse facility security, CCTV and ancillary security services for warehouses nationwide. | collaborative and efficient approach to security services helps our clients reduce costs, manage risk and create a safe working environment. Our values define how we work with our security clients as they are a main reason for our success. The USPA brand has grown from a one-man security guard service on Long Island in 2005, to a multi-national security guard firm operating in all 50 states and in 16 countries. USPA Nationwide Security sets the standard in the industry by which other firms and security guard companies have measured and emulated their own policies and procedures.
WE PUT VALUE BEFORE PROFIT
We're in the security vocation to protect people, and it's why we've grown so quickly. Repeat business is where our profits come from over time. That's why we:
Lay All of Our Cards on The Table
We are straight to the point when it comes to what you need to protect your family, business, assets and we always cut the fat where and when needed. Trust and transparency are the building blocks to a long-term relationship. Call us today for a free security consultation.
Our success has been built on the trust we've earned since 2005. We work hand-in-hand with our clients to solve complex security challenges in ways that minimize risk. Our world-class security experts become part of our clients' security team, innovating with them and putting the right technology in place to protect their families, businesses and assets.
USPA is the parent company to Kingsman Philanthropic Corp., a nonprofit assisting women and children with domestic violence escapes and human trafficking rescues since 2005. Year after year, 50% of every dollar earned at USPA is donated directly to Kingsman, including the proceeds from all security guard services. USPA also has a Fire Watch Division, which performs thousands of licensed fire guard details all over the USA. At USPA Nationwide Security, our core services are security guards, bodyguards, armed security officers, event security, estate security and fire watch services. At USPA International Security, our core services are convoy security, pathfinding services, secure transport service, technical surveillance countermeasures and kidnap recovery services.
Top Rated Security Guard Services
USPA Security is part of the network of security firms owned by USPA international. Providing security guard services, armed security guards,
bodyguards, fire watch, watchmen and close protection services.
USPA is the leading provider of fire watch services performed throughout the United States and abroad. We believe the essential obligation of every security guard on fire watch can be broken down into 5 important steps:
Disaster Recovery Services
USPA is a Nationwide company with International resources spread throughout 16 countries. Our policies and procedures enable the recovery and continuation of vital technology infrastructure and systems following a natural or human-induced disaster.
Uniform Security Division
Security Guards institute, enforce and coordinate security policies and procedures to safeguard and protect the security of company's assets, personnel, customers and visitors. Conduct Fire Watch, monitor and investigate incidents requiring utilization of investigative procedures and enforcing company security rules and regulations.
Bodyguards & Executive Protection
Since 2005, the Executive Protection Division provides immediate response to threats against corporations, employees and private individuals. USPA offers close protection officers (bodyguards) on a worldwide basis. Our security operations center is staffed by trained personnel
USPA can assist in reviewing your company's security and safety programs and provide insight to lessen your liability exposure. We can set up your security program, evaluate property security services, prepare security manuals, provide employee training, and lead regional or national seminars for your company.
Interview / Interrogation
Loss Prevention Interviews, Specialized Interviews related to Criminal Matters, Internal Investigation Interviews, Title 9 Infraction Interviews, Employment Interviews for Sensitive Positions, Polygraph Services by Certified Forensic Physiologists
Our Specialists are active members of various internationally recognized associations, such as, the High Technology Crime Investigators Association, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and Information Systems Audit and Control Association
Pre-Employment Background Checks and general Private Detective Duties. Our Network of Individually Licensed Private Investigators specialize in cheating (spouse) infidelity cases, child custody, locating missing persons, surveillance and cold case investigations. Individual Licensed Private Investigators (detectives) available nationwide
Our staff consists of Process Servers, Licensed Private Investigators, Licensed Bodyguards, ABA Trained Paralegals and support staff
Message from our Founder Welcome to the USPA brand!
As you navigate the pages of this website, I hope you take a few minutes to read some articles and interviews in our press section, which express the values and capabilities which make our security company an outstanding provider of protective services and a solid place to build a security career.
We provide security and protective services with a human touch. We have earned the trust and respect of U.S. and foreign governmental clients for one simple reason—we put value before profit, and then we give away 50% of our earned profits. Our personnel are experts in their fields of operation, from close protection officers and pathfinding services abroad, to general security, fire watch and close protection services internationally, our employees and contractors bring a strong service ethos to everything they do.
Nationwide Security Guard Service (Security Watchmen) for Hire
Security Protection Service
USPA Security Guard Service offers a unique service that allows small and medium size businesses to share the costs of security services. Our firm affords both commercial and residential clients the opportunity to access several types of protection including, but not limited to: property inspections, mobile patrols and guard services during non-business hours, at a low cost. By sharing the costs of a security presence with other surrounding businesses, you can effectively deter criminal behavior and reduce your chances of elevated insurance premiums through decreased claims and asset protection. To assist in prevention, deterrence and recognition of theft related activities, our highly trained security agents will patrol your property in clearly marked vehicles during non-business hours. If any criminal activity is evident, our security guards will notify local law enforcement immediately.
Many small businesses and homeowners believe that the costs of security watchmen and protection services are too high for them to afford. By sharing the costs with surrounding owners, the price per day becomes minimal. Don't hesitate to call USPA today, and get a free consultation designed to meet the needs for you and your business environment. USPA Security Guard Company will tailor a specific, low cost security solution program utilizing mobile patrols for you and your businesses neighbors.
Park Security
USPA Security Service is dedicated to ensuring that our parks are a safe and enjoyable place for public use. USPA Security Officers strive to meet the safety needs of the community through persistent efforts toward crime reduction and security, and by collaboration with law enforcement agencies to forge and improve community involvement and use of our parks and beaches. USPA Security Guard Company management has particular experience in park law enforcement administration.
Hotel Security Service / Doormen
Fears of further terrorist attacks have impacted the hotel industry. Guests elect to abstain from venturing into the larger cities because of the lack of effective security measures being utilized. Like a domino effect, vacancy rates rise and hotels tend to slash their security budgets. USPA offers a cost effective and comprehensive solution for the optimal use of budgetary allowances slated for the protection of the hotel's guests. Together with our corporate partners, we are able to create a feeling of community once again in your hotels.
Security Bike Patrol
USPA Security Guard Service has found Bicycle Patrol to be very beneficial. Our Bicycle Security Patrol Operatives are accessible to the public and it promotes close community relations. The Bicycle Patrol Division focuses on being a visible deterrent to crime and an approachable source of assistance and information for our clientele and their associates. Bicycle Security Guard Patrol Operatives, on their bikes, can see over the heads of most pedestrians and over most vehicles. The bikes also provide speed and mobility through crowded or narrow streets. Security Bike Patrol Operatives are utilized to work closely with business owners and citizens to help develop solutions to insure public safety during special events and in the everyday task of providing uniformed security guard services. The flexibility, approachability and problem-solving interaction of the Bicycle Security Patrol Service is consistent with USPA Security Guard Service's focus on Community Policing.
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 82% of all home burglaries were committed by forcible entry, the majority of those burglaries occurred during periods of owner absenteeism. USPA Security Guard Service Estate Security Service & Property Management service provides absentee owners with the piece of mind in knowing that their home or investment property is well protected while they are not present to watch over it. Most people would agree that their property is most vulnerable to intrusion and vandalism during absentee periods. However, many homeowners do not take the initiative to protect themselves and continue to leave their properties unattended for significant periods of time. In addition to increasing the probability of becoming a victim of vandalism and burglary, these absentee periods can also create opportunities for suspects to enter the properties in order to initiate assaults on the owner once he/she returns, particularly for high-profile individuals. As a way to provide added value to our Estate Security service, US Protection Agency has developed a comprehensive Property Management program. In addition to external surveillance, our firm offers a comprehensive management package to seasonal residents. Our Property Management Program includes:
Alarm Response Security and representation (Armed or Unarmed Security Guards)
Uniformed security guards on-site when outside laborers are on premise.
K-9 Security Service
The main function of the Canine Security Division is to patrol and assist the Executive Protection and Event Security Divisions as back up, as well as, aid in any situation, which necessitates the utilization of a canine. The Canine Security Guard Division is sometimes called upon to assist in searches for missing persons, property and other items.
The canine security unit is currently comprised of two canines and their handlers. The dogs and handlers spend more than 400 hours in training to develop the special bond required to serve as reliable partners. The dogs are also trained to detect the odor of controlled substances, conduct tracks, searches and apprehensions.
Executive Protection / Bodyguards and Close Protection Security Services
Looking for an experienced bodyguard or close protection security team? USPA Nationwide security employs over 5000 close protection operators (bodyguards) (inclusive of contractors and security officers, both employees and security contractors). Our International Network of bodyguards (executive protection agents) handle clients from CEO Protection, Celebrity Bodyguards and Executive Protection Agents (Personal Security) for Dignitaries. We are licensed, bonded and insured bodyguards.
At USPA Security Guard Service, one of our core functions is to provide discrete protection while employing state of the art methods of tracking, monitoring, and intervening as necessary, without interfering with our clients' professional or private affairs. This is established primarily with our Executive Protection Agents.
Our personal security agents are of the highest caliber in our organization. Each security agent is selected after an extensive process of elimination by our recruitment section. All security agents are in excellent physical condition, and are required to maintain their athletic appearance throughout their tour of duty in the Executive Protection Division. Among our agents are military Special Forces personnel and exceptionally trained and distinguished law enforcement officials.
The Executive Protection Division provides immediate response to threats against corporations, employees and private individuals. USPA Security Guard Company offers close proximity protection on a worldwide basis and Cannabis Industry Security Guard Service. Our operations center is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by trained security personnel. Among some of this division's responsibilities are:
Discrete Bodyguard Service (plain clothes security protection officers)
BDU Bodyguard Service (private security guards in black military style uniform)
Armed Transport Service (armed security guards to transport you and your valuables)
Residential Protection Details (security for estates)
Fire Watch Security Guards (Firewatch officers emergency service – Fire Marshal Approved)
Corporate Protection Details (security guards for business and corporate buildings)
Prisoner Extradition (armed security officers for hire to transport prisoners)
Aviation Security Service (security related to executive travel)
Event Security and Watchmen
In order to better serve our clients, USPA Security Guard Services has partnered with private jet charter companies to provide executive level travel.
Looking for Security Watchmen or Fire Watch Guards?
USPA International Security is a licensed security guard company that aims at providing its clients with state-of-the-art security solutions for different situations depending on the clients' needs. We have | 2,544 |
Quinte West, home to 43,000 residents, can be found in an area of Eastern Ontario that is well known for its natural beauty, as well as its deep historical and military roots. The City, including its four wards of Trenton, Frankford, Murray and Sidney, is located<|fim_middle|>e region is rich with different housing options.
we celebrate in our community. | in the heart of the Bay of Quinte Region at the mouth of the World Famous Trent-Severn Waterway. The exquisite natural features are complemented by a strong, vibrant, and diverse economic base.
With its unique mixture of both rural and urban landscape, the City lends itself to an interesting blend of agricultural, industrial, commercial and retail sectors. Mixed into that is the compliment of 8 Wing/CFB Trenton, the largest Canadian Air Force Base and the largest employer in the Bay of Quinte Region, which the City of Quinte West maintains a great partnership with.
An ample selection of public facilities, parks, trails and sports fields are the heart of our Community and play host to both competitive and non-competitive sports. Numerous City-led and Community festivals and events take place each year. Attractions like the National Air Force Museum of Canada, the City's new Trent Port Marina and the Batawa Ski Hill showcase Quinte West as a Natural Attraction in all four seasons.
we understand that you will need help in getting settled.
region to help you get established.
The Bay of Quint | 222 |
Home › Englist Post › I like discussion!
I like discussion! Almost everytime I discuss with others, I feel that I learned a lot.
Today's TA workshop is a kind of retrospective. It's a great chance for me to know others'<|fim_middle|> more thorough. | understanding / difficulties / feelings / experiences / considerations / complains of Test Automation and so on. I have never experienced such perspectives on TA.
I'd like to have the chance to discuss with foreigners. Nice opportunity to know lifes other than myself, about their thinkings, their habits and characteristics, etc.
Discussion brings me new ideas, new understandings, new knowledge and many others, makes me to think my past, to concluse my experiences, analyze my suppositions, update my targets or visions.
Also I'd like to share my experiences, thinkings, handy tips to others – my friends, my colleagues and other amiable people.
The style of discussion is quite important, I prefer to have the argument at the beginning, we are strongly for ourselves' opinions, then it's easy to locate the communication gaps, then we work on them. Later it's better to have a willing heart to contribute, try to find ways to solve problem. Then at last, it's better that everyone agreed to take actions even who still have opposite opinions, people have to face to the same direction to fight again impediments.
More discussions! I like it!
Find me for discussion, my friends, you're welcome! Let the discussion to be more fierce and | 251 |
#28 Nile Kinnick
Nile Kinnick's greatest accomplishments were to be in an arena far removed from the athletic fields on which he starred.
Many forecast a sterling political career for the Phi Beta Kappa halfback who spurned professional football for law school after his graduation from Iowa in 1939. He sadly never got a chance to fulfill those aspirations after being killed when his World War II fighter plane crashed into the Caribbean Sea during a training flight in 1943.
Many consider Kinnick's speech while accepting the 1939 Heisman Trophy one of the event's most eloquent.
"I thank God I was warring on the gridirons of the Midwest," Kinnick said, "and not on the battlefields of Europe."
Born in Adel, Iowa, Kinnick moved with his family to Omaha in 1934. In his one year at Benson High School, Kinnick was all-state second team in football and All-Nebraska in basketball.
Kinnick returned to Iowa for college and played on teams that went 2-13-1 as a sophomore and junior. He then led a dramatic turnaround as the 1939 Iowa "Ironmen'" went 6-1-1, including upsets of national powers Notre Dame and Minnesota.
The Iron Man of the Ironmen, Kinnick rushed for 374 yards and passed for 638 and 11 touchdowns<|fim_middle|>15 players, pulled off the upset.
Kinnick was No. 26 in the inaugural Nebraska 100 list in 2005. See more about the 2005 list » | — on 31 completions. He punted, played defense and rarely left the field, playing 402 consecutive minutes before being knocked from a game with a separated shoulder.
Kinnick won the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell and Walter Camp Awards after the 1939 season and was named the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951, was named Iowa's greatest player in a fan vote in 1989 and was picked as a defensive back on Sports Illustrated's all-time team for the first 100 years of college football.
The stadium at Iowa was renamed in his honor in 1972, and in 2007, the school unveiled a statue of Kinnick near the stadium's main entrance. The stadium at Omaha Northwest is also named after Kinnick, and in 2007, he was a member of the inaugural class inducted into the Omaha Sports Hall of Fame.
Quick facts about Kinnick
Played for: Omaha Benson High and Iowa Hawkeyes
Best moment as an athlete: In a 7-6 win over Notre Dame in 1939, Kinnick unleashed a 63-yard punt against a heavy rush, pinning the Fighting Irish on their 6-yard line late in the game. Kinnick punted 16 times that day as Iowa, using only | 302 |
Egypt have qualified for a World Cup for only the third time in their history – but will their main man be fully fit?
Honours: AFCON 1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010.
It all came down to a final matchday showdown against Congo, and, as had been the case in a superlative year, Mohamed Salah produced the goods when it mattered to ensure Egypt qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1990.
Salah had given his side a 63rd minute lead even though Egypt still looked tentative in a tense match with opponents who had yet<|fim_middle|> since been nomadic, with spells with the Georgian national team, Aris Thessaloniki F.C. and Orduspor.
He took the Pharaohs to the final of AFCON in 2017, where they lost to Cameroon, and also was the architect of their first trip to a World Cup finals since 1990.
This is Egypt's third trip to a World Cup, and they will harbour hopes of progressing beyond the Group Stage for the first time in their history, having been drawn in a favourable group that also contains Russia, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay.
The Pharaohs' World Cup record currently reads four games played, zero won, two draws and two defeats.
Their match against Russia, should other results go as expected, will decide who qualifies second from the group. The fitness of Salah, their talisman and reference point, will obviously have a large bearing on their progression.
They could face Spain and Sergio Ramos in the round of 16, which, given Ramos' coming together with Salah during the Champions League final, could prove a highly charged encounter. | to win a match at the bottom of the group. A defensive blunder had let him in, to the relief of the home crowd, but Egypt's dreams threatened to turn into a nightmare when Arnold Bouka Moutou equalised, firing past 44-year-old goalkeeper Essam Al Hadary with three minutes left.
The home side, though, won a 95th minute penalty which Salah converted to secure the trip to Russia.
Salah has emerged this season as a genuine world-class star. He finished the season as the Premier League's top scorer, its best player and a record breaker (his 32 goals were a record in a 38-game top-flight season). Furthermore, he was instrumental as he led an unfancied Liverpool team to the Champions League final. Egypt will hope that the forward can translate some of that magic to the international scene.
However, his fitness for the tournament is still in some doubt having suffered a serious-looking shoulder injury in the Champions League final. While he has been named in the squad, doubts persist over the extent to which his shoulder has recovered.
"I sent a message to Mourinho and told him to monitor Ramadan at Stoke. He is a brilliant player, and he can play for Manchester United," said Martin Jol, who coached the Egyptian at Al Ahly.
Sobhi, 21, struggled to impose himself at a pretty abject Stoke side but has excelled for the national team, with whom he made his debut as a 17-year-old back in 2015. He now has 19 caps for the Pharaohs, where dovetails with Salah at the forefront of the Egypt attack.
Cooper, 62, took Valencia to two Champions League finals at the turn of the century but his career has | 366 |
Everyone<|fim_middle|> 5' X 8', every letter and line is crisp.
Cheap way to improve the look of my bedroom. | at the office loved it!
After letting it unroll and peel off and stick to itself five times, I enlisted the help of two other adults and we managed to almost get it peeled off without a hitch. Bring help, it has a mind of its own. Also, we were crooked. Séamus loves it.
This was a bit tedious to install but after reading and watching "how to" videos and some pre planning the mural went up pretty seamlessly-literally and figuratively. It is a great impact piece and I am proud to have my own Banksy.
This was surprisingly easy to put up and it looks great. Trying to align each panel perfectly takes a few tries but since you can peel it off and restart it's no problem. Take your time and it will look great.
I am planning to buy more for other places around my house.
After reading the reviews, I had my doubts. But the instructions (which ARE included) were very clear. To me, it is DEFINITELY a 2-person job. But with two people, the application was straightforward.
I have to admit that we decided early on NOT to attempt to line up the 4 panels. We instead went with a 1.5 inch gap between each panel (as others did) and it looks great. I think, with the level of detail on a global map, it would have been tough to line up every border and coast and latitude line. Applying the map as 4 separate panels (rather than trying to make it look like one continuous panel), eliminated that concern.
Also, the 'pixelation' issue has been solved. At | 330 |
Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI
Z-axis Tunneling Microscope Experiments
Dates: June 26, 2023 to June 28, 2023
When a particle is incident upon a potential barrier of height U, its wave function ψ(x) predicts the probability that it will tunnel through the barrier. For electrons in solid state materials tunneling across a vacuum gap to or from a metallic electrode, the tunneling probability is exponentially dependent on the gap. The solution to the time-independent Schrodinger equation of a simplified 1-D model of tunneling across a vacuum barrier of width is:
where φ = U - E is the work function of the material, and is the electron energy. A bias voltage Vbias across the barrier results in a sustained tunneling current. The Bardeen model for tunneling gives a tunneling current:
where ρmetal and ρsample are the electronic densities of states of the metal electrode and sample, respectively. T(E,Vbias,Δz) is the transmission probability at electron energy E. For sufficiently small bias voltages and constant metallic density of states, the differential conductance is proportional to the sample density of states:
In practice, the metallic electrode can be fashioned into a sharp tip to probe the local electronic density of states anywhere on the sample surface. The scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is a device designed in this way that can also raster scan the surface and achieve high resolution imaging. When the STM tip is fixed, however, it is still able to perform interesting science: observation of the exponential dependence of the tunneling current on the tip-sample spacing (Δz) and information about the electronic density of states from the differential tunneling conductance (dI/dV)
A simpler device that can perform these measurements is the z-Axis Tunneling Microscope (ZTM). The ZTM limits tip motion to the z-axis (tip-sample separation), using a single piezo stack as the actuator. Absent are the x-y scanners and feedback loop present in the STM.
The tip and sample are placed near the pivot of a two-slab approach body, using the mechanical advantage to slow the approach. The tip needs to be brought to within 1 nm of the surface without crashing. A stepper motor advances the fine micrometer screw. After each step, the z-piezo stack extends to search for the sample. A small current-voltage pre-amplifier circuit—capable of detecting tunneling currents as small as 10 pA—is attached to the top slab. In experiments, the current is recorded while sweeping either the bias voltage (I-V) or the piezo voltage (I - Δz). The device can be plugged in to existing college/university infrastructure. We use NI DAQ devices controlled by LabVIEW to apply bias voltage, apply piezo voltage, and sense tunneling current.
The simplification and cost savings expand access to more undergraduate students interested in studying electronic tunneling and electronic structure. The device allows more experimentation in solid state physics at the undergraduate level. Students can observe the exponential dependence of the tunneling barrier width, measure the material work function, and obtain local electronic density of states data to observe qualitative differences in metals, semiconductors, and more. Students can also gain experimental skills familiar to the condensed matter physicist: I-V acquisition, noise reduction demands for pA-nA currents, vibration isolation, and signal processing. Advanced students could acquire dI/dV directly via a lock-in amplifier. Programs that implement the ZTM with a software controller (i.e., LabVIEW) can use the data as impetus for student creation of signal processing programs.
The immersion will consist of three phases:
1. Assembling the components of the ZTM body, cutting tips for tunneling, and discussing DAQ options. Considerations for safely approaching the tip depending on DAQ options.
2. I-V acquisition. Qualitative comparisons for different samples (for example: highly oriented pyrolytic graphite, Au, Si). Considerations for data<|fim_middle|>. For those using LabVIEW, the controller VI used at the immersion can be taken back to their home institutions.
Joshua Veazey is an assistant professor of physics at Grand Valley State University, where he teaches advanced lab and introductory physics. He received his Ph.D. in physics from Michigan State University, and his B.S. in physics from the University of Rochester. Josh's research interests include electronic structure and electromechanical behavior of materials at the nanoscale. He enjoys involving undergraduate students in this research, and in the development of advanced lab apparatus.
Dr. Joshua Veazey, Email: veazeyj@gvsu.edu | processing.
3. I-Δz acquisition. Fitting and evaluating an exponential model to the data. Extracting the work function, and sources of systematic error in ambient conditions.
Cost of developing the experiment:
Samples and material costs for construction come to about $500. Adoptees may opt to use the device in existing DAQ infrastructure at their home institutions. The DAQ devices used at the immersion are approximately $6,000, but similar results may be achieved with DAQ devices costing as low as $400. The tradeoffs for the least expensive DAQ devices would be lower sampling rate and longer wait times to safely approach the tip | 134 |
Our business started in 2012 with two vans, Molly and Emily but our passion for classic cars started many, many years before that. In 1987 we managed to find a rather forlorn E Type Jaguar (they all were back then) and over the intervening years, juggling jobs, house moves and having a family, Pat and I managed to restore it back to its former glory. That was a marathon project but gave us the appetite to do another!
Conveniently our eldest son John announced he would like a classic VW Beetle for his 18th birthday and, being the dutiful parents Cherub arrived, a 1967, 1500cc and was restored in record time (well it felt like it after the E-Type). The VW bug was<|fim_middle|> passion and resources to restore, maintain and run this fleet to ensure reliable, high specification vehicles for you to enjoy (we certainly do)! | now in our blood and soon after we acquired Billy our 1302S Beetle. After experiencing redundancy in 2011 we hit the trail to find our first campers. The rest, as they say is history.
After Molly and Emily started their self drive careers, we consolidated for a couple of years and then we were able to add two Split Screen campers, Lucy and Jessie to the fleet plus (in several boxes), Mr Benn another Split Screen camper. In 2014 we added a second wedding bus Rose, restored to the same specification as Lucy and we had our fleet of 6 vans, Eleanor (The E Type) and Billy. Our son John joined us in 2015 to help out with maintenance and restoration and we now have our youngest son, David on board, helping us with our graphics and IT demands.
As a family business we have the | 183 |
Declining cost barriers, the availability of cloud storage and telematics will likely increase predictive analytic adoption rates, according to Dan Donovan, assistant vice president of Claims Solutions at Verisk Insurance Solutions.
Though predictive modeling has been used for some time to thwart fraud, he said, it was mainly used by larger carriers.
"A lot of that had to do with the cost of predictive analytics, the lack of data science teams that existed within the companies themselves…the IT requirements and cost to support analytics in large data environments," Donovan explained.
In those instances, he said, custom models were built specifically for a carrier's dataset. At the time, the models needed to be hosted on the carrier's premises.
"Carriers were very reluctant to let any data outside of their own firewall that might contain personally identifiable information or personal health information," said Donovan.
The other issue, he said, was that initially insurers didn't understand predictive analytics and how to operationalize the output.
Over time, as cost barriers declined and insurers hired data scientists and began using the cloud, insurers could see the benefit<|fim_middle|> data that will likely deter soft fraud.
Wearables may impact fraud even more, he said, describing a case where a heart monitor's data was used to prove an individual may have been involved in an arson. According to an Associated Press report, police say data recorded by a man's cardiac pacemaker helped lead to his indictment on charges of aggravated arson and insurance fraud in a fire at his Ohio home. Police say the man gave statements inconsistent with evidence obtained during the investigation. They say he told them that he packed some belongings when he saw the fire, threw them out of a window and then carried them to his car. Court records show a cardiologist reviewing the man's pacemaker data said his medical condition made it "highly improbable" to have taken all of the actions he described. | of utilizing predictive analytics affordably.
The types of fraud that predictive modeling can identify and predict is limitless, he said, noting that it's anything that data can be applied to, starting from the from point of sale.
In addition, any book of business can benefit from predictive analytics and fraud scoring, he said.
"From a claim standpoint, it's limitless to the lines of business and the coverage types that you can apply analytics to," Donovan said.
Predictive analytics have been applied to some lines of insurance more easily than others.
For example, auto physical damage and bodily injury has seen the greatest uptake in predictive analytics, Donovan said.
"There's been an increase in interest in homeowners' property claims for fraud, but that's been very slow on the uptake," he said.
The use of the Internet of Things (IoT) and telematics is a game changer to combat fraud, said Donovan.
Both offer | 184 |
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La Serena at the Heights
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La Serena at the Heights may collect statistics about the behavior of visitors to its website. La Serena at the Heights may display this information publicly or provide it to others. However, La Serena at the Heights does not disclose your personally-identifying information.
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Although most changes are likely to be minor, La Serena at the Heights may change its Privacy Policy from time to time, and in La Serena at the Heights' sole discretion. La Serena at the Heights encourages visitors to frequently check this page for any changes to its Privacy Policy. Your continued use of this site after any change in this Privacy Policy will | 885 |
The Community Garden at Farmers Park is just one of the many ways we support a healthy, sustainable lifestyle for residents of our luxury apartments while giving back to our community.
Individual garden plots provide space for individuals, groups and families to grow their own fresh organic vegetables.
The Gardens also play host to a bounty of activities that benefit all of our neighbors throughout the Springfield area.
On June 3, everyone is invited to take part in the invigorating Yoga Love 5K benefitting Harmony House. Throughout the year, the interactive Cloud House sculpture beckons residents and visitors alike to get in touch with nature and connect with simpler times.
Show your love for Harmony House and get energized by this yoga-infused non-competitive run on Saturday, June 23 at Farmers Park.
The 5K run begins at 8 a.m. and culminates with<|fim_middle|>'s our vision to create and cultivate a thriving, life-long network of local gardeners. It's a great way to encourage wise care and enhancement of urban land in Springfield, link community-owned gardens with local food systems and foster environmental stewardship as a way of life.
Want to learn more about the Yoga Love 5K, Cloud House, or the benefits of our Community Gardens? Interested in joining Farmers Park as a resident of our luxury apartments?
Get in touch with us today. We look forward to sharing more information with you about our Community Gardens and welcoming you to our sustainable, mixed-use community.
We're growing a community of like-minded movers and doers. Want in? Be the first of your friends to know what's up at Farmers Park every month.
We're building a more connected Springfield, so you can have your cake and eat it too. | a graceful vinyasa flow where you can soak in the beauty of the Farmers Park Community Gardens.
All proceeds from the $30 race fee, minus the cost of your Yoga Love 5K tank or t-shirt, goes to Harmony House, with special emphasis on the Children's Program.
If you want to volunteer and make this yoga 5k an extra special event, contact jasmine@swanndermatology.com for details.
Created by Massachusetts artist Matthew Mazzotta, Cloud House creates a poetic experience that reacquaints participants with the natural resources that sustain all life on Earth, including our own.
Step inside the nostalgic wooden barn that echoes with the simplicity of Ozarks farm life, sit back in one of the old fashioned rocking chairs, and feel the gentle sound of rain falling from the curious cloud suspended above onto the old-fashioned tin roof.
Then watch as raindrops water the fresh mint growing in wooden planters in the windows on either side of the house.
Located in front of the Farmers Park Community Gardens, Cloud House is a simple interactive structure echoing our eternal connection to the natural world.
Community gardeners at Farmers Park care for and harvest organic vegetables and herbs from one of 13 separate garden plots. Shared spaces like pathways, a garden box and gathering spaces are cared for by all members.
As our gardeners have discovered for themselves and many studies have found, community gardens enhance neighborhood quality and residents' health.
Jill Litt, Associate Professor at the University of Colorado School of Public Health, says that people of all ages, races, socioeconomic circumstances and educational backgrounds can benefit from community gardening participation.
For one thing, gardeners are more likely to get enough fruits and veggies. In addition, the garden setting creates cultural, sociological and ecological connections among neighbors.
At Farmers Park, it | 366 |
Donald D. Warren, 86, made his final curtain call on January<|fim_middle|> Pueblo. Don was an active member of Central Christian Church where he was an elder and taught Sunday school. | 2, 2009. Survived by his wife of 49 years, Judy Warren; children, Diane (Richard) Lindberg of Colorado Springs, Donna (Keith Schmidt) Carpio of Pueblo and Christian (Anne) Warren of Pueblo West; grandchildren, Katelyn Carpio, Zachary Warren and Trevor Warren; numerous nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Minnie Warren; two brothers; and one sister. Don was born Sept. 12, 1922, in Denver. He served in the U.S. Army during WWII as a medic for the 134th Combat Battalion. Don graduated from Capital College of Pharmacy, Denver, attended Princeton University and graduated from the University of Colorado School of Pharmacy. While Don was in Denver, he played with the Big Bands and had a band at Elich Gardens. In Pueblo, he was a pharmacist at the Colorado State Hospital for 14 years and at Parkview Hospital for 12 years. Don was an avid trout fisherman. He enjoyed their second home in Lake City and was involved with the Lake City Community Band as well as the Cabin Fever Players in Lake City. He also acted in many plays for the Impossible Players in | 262 |
Restaurant review: Slug and Lettuce, Spinningfields, Manchester
14 August, 2016 20 September, 2018 Adam Lowe
Listen to me scream: William Gibson's Alien III, a sort-of review - 9 June, 2019
It's been a long time since I've been to Slug and Lettuce. Maybe 16 years. It's not that I have anything against Slug and Lettuce, but actually it's because it's not somewhere I would think of going. I was pleasantly surprised arriving at Slug and Lettuce in Spinningfields.
We were seated at a nice table in the window, overlooking the river, where our order for drinks was taken. I ordered a Mojito Royale and my colleague ordered a large glass of white chardonnay. We quickly glanced over the menus that were laid in front of us. The cocktail menu listed 2-for-1 cocktails all day every day. That was a welcome addition but also a licence to treat, so we advise due restraint on work nights…
Slug and Lettuce also has 50% off food on Mondays, which makes it a veritable bargain – the prices at Slug and Lettuce are exceedingly good value anyway. In fact, it was this good value aesthetic, despite good service and a decent menu, that would endear us to the restaurant.
The cocktails were great for the price – which is heartening, given the sloppy drinks sometimes hastily served up during cut-price cocktail hours. Presumably, the fact there is no cocktail hour (the drinks are always this price) means there's no mad rush on drinks to hamper quality, and standards stay consistent.
My opening Mojito Royale was refreshing and well muddled. It's always surprising to see what restaurants call a mojito these days. Often, wait staff moonlighting as mixologists overmuddle their mojitos which makes them taste dull and leafy instead of fresh and cool, and, appearance-wise, the bashed mint leaves in such lackadaisical liquid offerings turn brown and unappetising. In this case, Slug and Lettuce passed the test – mine was a well presented and tasty cocktail, perfectly quaffable for the price, and a sparkly start to the night.
The pornstar martini, however, really took things up a notch. I was very surprised by this. The deeply indulgent, creamy froth on top and the fruitiness at its heart, paired with the gorgeousness of the prosecco to wash the pallet in between sips, was the perfect concoction and made for a great alternative to a dessert. Restaurants of Britain: more cocktails like this, please.
For my starter, I opted for North African adventure. I ordered a dish of Moroccan lamb with couscous, chickpeas and tomato relish. My colleague instead ventured to the American South with fried chicken goujons and a barbecue dip. Although we opted for separate parts of the world, we shared a positive experience.
The Moroccan lamb came with a decent portion of goats cheese (it was neither skimpy not overpowering) and just a little hint of cous cous. I was worried that the chef might go wild with the cous cousin ratio, and that this starter might leave me feeling overly full up prior to my main course. Sometimes high street restaurants have a bad habit of making up for poor meals by giving you too much of the cheaper ingredients such as the carbohydrates. Luckily this wasn't the case – there was just a little bit of couscous and a lot more of the goat's cheese and chickpeas. The lamb itself was very tasty and the portion size was decent. Topped with the subtly spicy Moroccan tomato relish, this was a really nice combination of ingredients and a very satisfying starter.
When my colleague's Southern Fried Chicken arrived, it too the form of large, crispy goujons. I would say that each goujon was maybe a third to<|fim_middle|>. My colleague did think that it was tastier overall than KFC, and he actually preferred it, so what do I know? I think it's fair to say the batter was more crumb than crisp, but with plenty of crunch in any case.
Both of the starters came with a light salad garnish which I will say appeared to be pretty much exactly the same on both plates. It's interesting that we noticed this, because when our mains came, we noticed again the same familiar garnish. This isn't a complaint so much as it's a curious oddity which I thought I'd mention. Maybe the side salad stores were depleted due to a busy day.
For my main course I ordered the pan-seared salmon fillet with Thai-style noodles. My colleague had ordered the epic Asian burger. There was a prompt service between clearing out starters and bringing our mains, which is always a good thing if you're on a busy working lunch or you have an itinerary to keep to.
The first thing I noticed about my salmon fillet was, again, the portion size (a common theme indeed). As with our starters, there was rather a lot of food on my plate – and that's always a good thing. It did not look quite as nice as the picture in the menu, but then again these things never do. I did notice that the noodles were quite a lot softer than they appear to be in the picture. They were probably on the mushy side of overdone. They were not intolerable but neither were they something to write home about either.
The salmon fillet itself, however, was succulent and flavoursome. It was crispy on the outside and cooked all the way through. If I came again, I'd probably request for it to be crispy on the outside and ever so slightly pink and moist in the centre, just as a personal preference. It can be quite difficult to get that right and many diners would prefer their fish cooked throughout, so again this is just a matter of personal taste (and a recommendation if your tastes match mine – it always helps to ask for food exactly how you want it beforehand). There was, however, a tad too much of the sweet chilli sauce. Actually I'm being generous here, rather like the chef. The sauce was a little bit overwhelming. Much less would have been far nicer – in fact, they could have just put a little drizzle on the salmon itself and then put a little serving on the side for you to add your own. That would have been much better, but again it's a point I'd raise upon ordering next time, just in case.
My colleague's burger was whopping. A beef patty topped with pulled pork, in turn topped with duck spring rolls, and bound up in a big brioch. Instead of chips, the Asian Burger was served with prawn crackers. Although a hefty heaping of food, he absolutely loved it. He wolfed the whole thing down, despite the fact that we were pretty full from the start as already. I attribute this to the fact the heavier potato fries you'd expect with a burger were switched, perfectly, with the much lighter prawn crackers. It worked on two levels: letting the burger itself take centrestage and allowing space for a starter or dessert.
Overall the entire meal (two starters, two mains, two cocktails and a glass of wine) would set you back just over £30, taking all the discounts into account. Even without the discounts, you'd only be looking at maybe £40-50 for two people. That's exceptionally good value. The service was very good – the servers were keen but they don't harass us. They were friendly and they were very helpful.
The whole affair felt rather laidback, quick and easy – which is perfect for the clientele, which largely comprised an after-work crowd, and a couple of families taking their adolescent kids for a summer holiday treat.
Slug & Lettuce Spinningfields, Unit 5 Block A, Inwell Square, Spinningfields M3 3AN.
Images by Drew Wilby.
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Restaurant review: The Grill on New York Street, Manchester
How fashion can empower women
18 May, 2019 17 May, 2019 Vada Voices
Fashion remains an art form. Only when you learn how to use fashion to suit yourself will it empower you and give you the confidence to stride out into the world like a boss. (Read more) | a half of a whole chicken breast. That meant that my colleague had at least one and a half full chicken breasts lightly battered on his plate. Again, that made for a very decent portion, and a tasty one at that. The batter was perhaps a little dryer then I would have liked and not as moist as, say, KFC | 68 |
2018 AMAs: How to Watch, Who's<|fim_middle|>7 AMAs!
American Music Awards | Performing and Everything Else You Need to Know
By Elizabeth Stanton 3:58 PM PDT, October 4, 2018
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images
The 2018 AMAs are heating up!
It was announced on Thursday that Jennifer Lopez will be performing at this year's American Music Awards, debuting a new single from her film, Second Act.
And since we are less than a week away from the big show, ET is here with everything you need to know.
When are the AMAs?: The 2018 AMAs will air live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 8:00 p.m. EST on ABC.
How Can I Follow Along With ET?: You can catch ET's red carpet coverage of the AMAs right here on ETonline.com. You can also follow all the action on Twitter (@etnow), Instagram (@entertainmenttonight) and our official Facebook page. Tune in to Entertainment Tonight on Wednesday (check your local listings) for all the post-AMA coverage!
Who's Hosting?:Black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross returns as host for the second year in a row.
Who's Performing?: Jennifer Lopez joins previously announced performers Cardi B, Camila Cabello, Mariah Carey, Carrie Underwood, Dua Lipa, Ciara, Missy Elliott, Shawn Mendes and Taylor Swift, who will be kicking off the show with her new single, "I Did Something Bad," and making her first awards show performance in three years.
Who's Nominated?: Drake and Cardi B both scored eight nominations this year, followed by Ed Sheeran with six, and Taylor Swift with four. Swift and Cardi are both in contention for Favorite Female Pop/Rock Artist, with Swift once again up for Album of the Year, facing off against Drake, Imagine Dragons, Post Malone and her pal, Sheeran.
For a full list of nominees, click here. And for more on last year's ceremony, check out the video below!
Taylor Swift Will Open the 2018 American Music Awards, Her First Awards Show Performance In 3 Years
Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran Take Best Friends Hike to Celebrate Their Competing AMA Nominations
Ciara, Missy Elliott and Dua Lipa to Perform at 2018 American Music Awards
Best, Worst and Weirdest Moments of the 201 | 507 |
Q: Can there be Neutrino and antineutrino oscillations? I don't know have rigor knowledge in neutrino oscillations. I just know that there<|fim_middle|> source of your problem.
| is not a definite mass state for a definite flavor Just like with spin where you might have eigenstate $|+\rangle_z$ but that would not have definite spin angular momentum in $x$ or $y$ direction.
For two-level system, We can see the mixing of the state with
$$\begin{pmatrix}
\nu_e\\
\nu_\mu
\end{pmatrix}=\begin{pmatrix}
\cos\theta& \sin\theta\\
-\sin\theta& \cos\theta
\end{pmatrix}\begin{pmatrix}
\nu_1\\
\nu_2
\end{pmatrix}$$
If we start with $\psi(0)=|\nu_e\rangle $ then at later instant of time
$$|\psi(t)\rangle =U(t)|\psi(0)\rangle =U(t)|\nu_e\rangle=U(t)[|\nu_1\rangle \cos \theta+|\nu_2\rangle \sin\theta]=e^{-iE_1 t/\hbar}\cos\theta|\nu_1\rangle +e^{-iE_2t/\hbar}\sin\theta|\nu_2\rangle $$
One can find the transition probability $P(\nu_e\rightarrow \nu_\mu)$.
Is there oscillation between neutrino and antineutrino states? I don't how to work with neutrino and antineutrino. How to represent an antineutrino state? According to Wikipedia, It says, they are denoted by the complex conjugate. Is that mean bra vector $\langle \nu_e|$?
A: There is an additional intricacy involved when discussing antineutrinos. Roughly speaking there are two possible ways of introducing mass terms for Fermions in QFT: We can have either Majorana or Dirac Fermions.
All charged Fermions need to be Dirac Fermions since for Majorana Fermions particle and antiparticle coincide i.e. cannot have opposite electric charges unless they are neutrally charged.
For neutrally charged particles such as Neutrinos, Majorana mass terms are a plausible option. There are actually several good reasons why Neutrinos should indeed be Majorana Fermions. On the one hand, the seesaw mechanism could then be used to produce extremely light left handed neutrinos and (yet unobserved) very heavy right handed neutrinos. This naturally explains the small neutrino masses that we observe. On the other hand, if the neutrinos were Majorana Fermions, then they would provide Lepton number violating processes. These can be relevant for Lepto- and Baryogenesis as is explored for example in Common origin of baryon asymmetry, dark matter and neutrino mass.
The difference between Majorana and Dirac Fermions can often lead to confusion - especially if it is not explicitly stressed in the literature that you are using. So maybe this is also the | 613 |
Banish colds, flu, and H1N1, and boost your immune system this winter with these natural remedy foods.
Tall and sturdy, sunflowers seem to radiate good health -- and the seeds of these native North American flowers deliver on that promise. Two tablespoons give you more than a third of your daily<|fim_middle|> the infection war, depend on this antioxidant (which your body converts to vitamin A) to function properly. In addition, vitamin A protects the thymus gland, the body's production site for T-cells in children. Roasted, pureed, or fried (as pictured here), there's no need to hold back: For the most part, the body converts the amount of A it needs.
Cultivated for more than 1,000 years, these meaty, tender Chinese mushrooms have long served as both food and medicine. They owe their reputation as immunity boosters to a type of carbohydrate called beta-glucans. Unlike other immunity nutrients, beta-glucans don't create or regulate cells within your immune system. Instead, they act as a kind of decoy, boosting your body's immune response. When you eat shiitakes (or other beta-glucan-containing foods), your immune system reacts as if a harmful substance is present and kicks into high gear to protect you. In a 2004 animal study of swine influenza virus, the group given beta-glucans before infection developed a much milder case of the flu than those untreated. While the swine flu virus studied was not the same strain as the human H1N1 virus, the results show promise for beta-glucans' ability to prevent and treat the flu.
Pictured here, roasted shiitakes are served with garlic (a fellow superfood) and herbs atop rustic Italian bread.
Other beta-glucan superstars: yeast, maitake mushrooms, barley, and oats (particularly the bran).
Brown and fuzzy on the outside, green and luscious on the inside, kiwifruit takes the prize for vitamin C. Considered the go-to resource for staving off illness, C can help increase your resistance to disease and keeps your defenses strong. Just don't wait for the first sign of infection to start fueling up; studies show that taking large doses of C once a cold begins does not shorten its length or severity, but a regular dose of 75 to 90 mg per day might.
Pictured here, kiwis, lime juice, and chopped jalapenos make a delicious relish for this shrimp dish.
Note: Vitamin C is easily damaged by heat and water. Try to consume C-packed foods raw or barely cooked.
Regarded as one of the most potent cold and flu fighters, garlic combats a rogues' gallery of invaders, including bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses, thanks to the presence of polysulfides, a class of sulfur compounds. Ajoene, for instance, inhibits the growth of a broad range of microbes, including Staphylococcus aureus (a cause of staph infections) and E. coli. Garlic's most dynamic compound, allicin, blocks enzymes that help viruses spread. Allicin lies dormant in a clove until it's cut, chewed, or crushed.
Although garlic is often enjoyed roasted (as pictured in this soup), you can maximize its benefits by eating it raw -- or mince a clove and let it sit for a few minutes before cooking. | requirement of vitamin E. This vitamin helps you resist the flu and upper-respiratory infections by boosting production of T-cells, a type of white blood cell that fights infection.
Pictured here, sunflower seeds are stirred into an autumn greens salad dressed with whole-grain mustard, maple syrup, and cold-pressed sunflower oil.
Other E superstars: almonds, wheat germ, hazelnuts, and peanuts.
Everything about these tender, rich-tasting nuts (pictured at top right) is larger than life, from the 150-foot trees they grow on to the amount of cold-fighting selenium they contain. (A single Brazil nut has 95 mcg -- nearly double the amount you need in a day.) Your body uses selenium to produce those infection-thwarting T-cells, which in turn destroy bacteria and viruses. Studies show that this antioxidant instigates the good bacteria in our intestines to attack bad bacteria and parasites like E. coli.
Don't go on a feeding frenzy, though. Too much selenium can be bad for your health; a small handful of nuts every few days is all you need.
These bumpy, briny bivalves inspire strong feelings: Gourmands revere them; squeamish eaters avoid them. If you're in the second camp, you may want to reconsider. High in protein, iron, and calcium, and one of the most environmentally friendly types of seafood you can buy, oysters also stand out when it comes to zinc. Six oysters provide 32 mg of this essential mineral -- four times the recommended daily amount. Zinc is so crucial that a deficiency in this mineral causes your body to function as if it's older than it really is.
Pictured here, oysters are cooked in an antioxidant-rich stew made from sweet potatoes and leeks.
Other zinc superstars: beef, crab, pork, chicken, cashews, beans, fortified cereals, and other grain products.
If you're looking for a side dish packed with flavor, you can't beat a sweet potato -- in season during the fall in most climates and winter in warmer climates -- and few foods rival it for beta-carotene content. The lining of your lungs and digestive system, the front lines of | 460 |
Exodus 19:1-19:6
On the third new moon after the Israelites had gone forth from the land of Egypt, on that very day, they entered the wilderness of Sinai. Having journeyed from Rephidim, they entered the wilderness of Sinai and encamped in the wilderness. Israel<|fim_middle|>, which you shall cele...
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: These are My fixed times, the fixed times of the Lord, which you shall proclaim as sacred occasions. On six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there sh...
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the Israelite people thus: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe complete rest, a sacred occasion commemorated with loud blasts. You shall not work at your occupations; and yo...
Leviticus 23:23-32
When a man has an emission of semen, he shall bathe his whole body in water and remain unclean until evening. All cloth or leather on which semen falls shall be washed in water and remain unclean until evening. And if a man has carnal relations with ...
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: These are My fixed times, the fixed times of the Lord, which you shall proclaim as sacred occasions. On six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there shal...
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: This shall be the ritual for a leper at the time that he is to be cleansed. When it has been reported to the priest, the priest shall go outside the camp. If the priest sees that the leper has been healed of his scal...
The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying: Speak to the Israelite people, and say to them: When any of you presents an offering of cattle to the Lord, he shall choose his offering from the herd or from the flock. I...
Leviticus 1:1-13
If his offering to the Lord is a burnt offering of birds, he shall choose his offering from turtledoves or pigeons. The priest shall bring it to the altar, pinch off its head, and turn it into smoke on the altar; and its blood shall be drained out ag...
Leviticus 1:14-2:6, from Parshat Va Yikra.
Leviticus 1:14-2:6 | encamped there in front of the mountain, and Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, "Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob and declare to the children of Israel: 'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Me. Now then, if you will obey Me faithfully and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all the peoples. Indeed, all the earth is Mine, but you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words that you shall speak to the children of Israel."
Leviticus 23:1 - 23:22
This reading is from the special Torah reading for the first two days of Sukkot. The complete Torah reading for these days is Leviticus 22:26-23:44 and Numbers 29:12-16. These are the set times of the Lord, the sacred occasions | 216 |
For the last several weeks, we've all watched destruction unfold as hurricane after hurricane has ravaged Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Puerto Rico and other locations in the Atlantic and Caribbean.
Harvey arrived on August 25, pummeling the Texas coast with high winds and over 50 inches of rain and displacing tens of thousands of residents. Quickly after came Irma, flying through the Caribbean and Puerto Rico on September 6 before hitting Florida, where it left 15 million people without power. News outlets are full of advice on how to stay safe during a hurricane, but what about after the storm has passed? Here are some tips on how to stay safe once the hurricane has passed.
Beware of debris. One of the first things we want to do<|fim_middle|> broken glass, and treacherous chunks of buildings and commercial signs.
Do NOT drive through standing water. This means in parking lots, roads and bridges. It may be hard to believe, but a car can get carried away in as little as a foot of water! Additionally, deep water can stall your engine and leave you stranded.
NEVER use a generator inside your home, even with the doors and windows open. Carbon monoxide is one of the biggest killers after a storm!
Watch out for wild animals. Snakes, rodents, insects, wasps—these animals might be seeking higher ground after the storm and they can be dangerous.
Don't drink your water. Flooding can bring waterborne bacterial infections. Treat all water as if it's infected until you can get an inspection.
Stay safe out there! Turn on your radio so that you can listen for emergency bulletins and updates with the latest storm information. | after a huge storm is get out and assess the damage. But after such high winds and extensive rain, streets are often strewn with hazards. Make sure to be extremely careful outside and extra wary of downed power lines, fallen trees, | 48 |
T The purpose of this study were: 1). To analyze the data variables of transformational leadership in PT. X 2). To analyze<|fim_middle|> from the value of Pearson Correlation (0349). This indicates that the better the level of transformational leadership applied to the management, the performance of the organization will increase as well.
Dibuat oleh : Tim IT Perpustakaan Pusat - 6.1440 sec. | the data variables in organizational innovation PT. X 3). To analyze organizational performance variable data in PT. X 4). To analyze the relationship between transformational leadership on organizational innovation in PT. X 5). To analyze the relationship between transformational leadership on organizational performance in PT X. Research using purposive sampling method sampling. The data used are primary data and secondary data. Test the validity of this research is based on the construct validity and analytical methods used are simple correlation models. Based on these results, the conclusion can diambili is transformational leadership has a relationship (sig. <0.05) and positively related to organizational performance in PT X. The magnitude of the relationship can be seen | 142 |
"Enid" is a song by the Canadian alternative rock group B<|fim_middle|> stated in Barelaked Nadies (probably jokingly) that the video was originally supposed to be a parody of the film Delicatessen. One of the video's gimmicks is that the film keeps cutting without the camera being moved, resulting in the band members disappearing and reappearing and moving around in shots. Also in the room are TV screens, showing the band playing in other locations, such as Kensington Market and St. James Park.
The song was nominated for Single of the Year at the 1993 Juno Awards, although it lost to "Beauty and the Beast" by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson.
Personnel
Steven Page – lead vocals, moronic intro synth
Ed Robertson – acoustic & electric guitars, bionic intro synth, backing vocals
Jim Creeggan – double bass, backing vocals
Andy Creeggan – cuíca, piano, backing vocals
Tyler Stewart – drums
Lewis Melville – pedal steel guitar
Nic Gotham – baritone saxophone
Gene Hardy – tenor saxophone
Chris Howells – trumpet
Tom Walsh – trombone
Michael Phillip Wojewoda – tambourine, teutonic intro vocal
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
1992 singles
1992 songs
Barenaked Ladies songs
Reprise Records singles
Songs written by Ed Robertson
Songs written by Steven Page | arenaked Ladies. It was written by Steven Page and Ed Robertson and released as the lead single from their 1992 debut album, Gordon. The song was successful in their home country, reaching number two on the RPM Top Singles chart to become their highest-charting single until "It's All Been Done" reached number one in 1999. "Enid" was Canada's 28th most successful song of 1992.
Background and content
The song's title was inspired by Enid Egers, a waitress at Spanky's Pub in Moncton, New Brunswick. The band found it interesting that "Enid" spelled backwards is "dine." Although she was the source of the title itself, the main thrust of the song is about Steven Page's first girlfriend.
The original studio version has been described as one of the most complex recordings of the band's earlier career by Steven Page in the liner notes for Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits. It includes a horn section, pedal steel guitar, a cuica and a pastiche of Depeche Mode as an intro (the voice in which is that of producer Michael Phillip Wojewoda).
Music video
The music video was made in 1992 and was the band's second official video. It features the band playing in a room with a red-white-and-blue ball theme, similar to the Gordon cover. The band | 291 |
Ensembles & Lessons
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About Providence College
Admission to Providence College
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William Longo
wlongo1@providence.edu
Smith Center for the Arts G06
D.M.A. - University of Miami
Brief Biography:
William Longo is the Director of the Music Technology and Production program at Providence College, where he also teaches courses in jazz studies, music theory, and composition.
A versatile composer and arranger, Longo's works have been performed and recorded by notable jazz and popular artists, including Bruce Hornsby, Steve Miller, Jon Secada, Cyrille Aimée, and Nicole Henry. In 2014, Longo received the USAFB Sammy Nestico Award for his composition, New Day, which was premiered by The Airmen of Note, the premier jazz ensemble of the United States Air Force. In addition to his work as a composer, Longo also works as a conductor, recording and mixing engineer, and producer. Please visit williamlongomusic.com to learn more about his latest projects.
Prior to his appointment at Providence College, Dr. Longo served on the faculty at the University of Rhode Island, where he taught courses in Jazz History and Applied Jazz and Contemporary Composition. In addition, Dr. Longo was previously an instructor at the University of Miami, where he taught courses in the departments of Studio Music and Jazz, and Music Theory and Composition. An active educator<|fim_middle|> Longo completed his D.M.A. in Jazz Composition at the University of Miami and has earned degrees from the University of Connecticut (B.A.), Queens College (M.A.), and the University of Miami (M.M.). In addition, Dr. Longo is an Avid Certified Pro Tools Instructor and is authorized to teach official Avid courses and administer Avid certification exams at Providence College.
Music Technology and Production; Jazz and Contemporary Music Composition; Jazz Studies; Music Theory
Catherine Gordon
Elizabeth Heath
Sang Woo Kang
Michael Kregler
Eric Melley
Krishan Oberoi
JoAnn Thomas
Catherine Gordon, Ph.D. – Chair
cgordon@providence.edu
Cheryl Barry
cbarry@providence.edu
1 Cunningham Square
Providence, RI 02918 USA
Contact Providence College
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If you are having trouble viewing or accessing these web pages, please email our Web Accessibility Coordinator | during his eight years in South Florida, Dr. Longo also taught courses in Media Writing and Technology at Florida International University and Miami Dade College.
Dr. | 32 |
The parishes of St Mary the Virgin and St John the Evangelist in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, seek an energetic, outgoing priest with an enthusiasm for community, to lead us in a new vision<|fim_middle|> excellent national transport links.
We are one church in three locations, sharing in the same evangelical convictions. Coming from a wide variety of church backgrounds, we believe that the Bible is the revealed word of God and make it central to our Church life.
Are you being stirred to join us? We are an evangelical, charismatic, multigenerational church seeking a dynamic vicar to help us grow spiritually and increase our impact in the local community and across the city. We are looking for someone to lead us in the next phase of our mission and calling from God.
We are seeking a Priest in Charge to join us in our three parishes of Breadsall, Morley and Smalley, situated just north of Derby. The area offers easy access to the beautiful Peak District, as well as excellent national transport links.
St Andrew's Community Church family are seeking someone to join us building God's Kingdom in Dronfield Woodhouse, a large private housing estate with excellent potential for growth and community service. Our vacancy is for a Team Vicar within the Parish of Dronfield with Holmesfield Team ministry with special responsibility for St Andrew's Community Church.
The Parish of St Andrew's, Langley Mill is located on the Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire border in the Diocese of Derby and offers a genuinely exciting opportunity for someone to work in a growing parish with lots of different branches of outreach work already in place.
St. Paul's and St. James' have a long history of Anglo-Catholic worship and are looking to appoint a priest of the Society of St. Wilfred and St. Hilda for these two thriving parishes, which are under the patronage of the Bishop of Ebbsfleet. | furthering growth of faith and the innovative use of our two churches in our mixed economy market town. This area offers easy access to the beautiful Peak District as well as | 33 |
With additive manufacturing - such as 3D printing - growing in adoption, especially in high-tech industries such as aerospace, we speak to Ray Bagley, Director of Product Management at Spatial to build an understanding of the fascinating trend.
In this interview Ray examines how subtractive manufacturing - the mainstay of manufacturing processes for decades - differs from additive manufacturing and what the latter offers in terms of new benefits and challenges.
Ray BagIey: In subtractive, you start with a hunk of material and remove material from it bit-by-bit until you reach the final shape. Removal can be done by milling, turning, drilling, erosion, grinding, or hammer and chisel.
In additive manufacturing, you start with nothing and add material bit by bit -- only in the places desired -- until you reach the final shape. There are many different additive technologies, but typically a single machine uses only one of them.
Interviewer: Could you provide specific subtractive manufacturing examples?
Ray BagIey: The most common example of subtractive manufacturing is machining. A CNC mill has a rotary tool in it and it cuts away metal. And CNC (which stands for Computer Numerical Control) allows that to be programmed by computer so you can do fancy shapes and do things repeatably over and over. Milling is the most common subtractive operation.
Turning using a lathe, where you spin the part into a stationary cutter, is the second most common form of subtractive manufacturing, while erosion and grinding are used for removing smaller amounts of material. There are a lot of subtractive approaches and methods, but milling and turning are the most common.
Interviewer: What are the major benefits that additive manufacturing provides that subtractive doesn't?
Ray BagIey: In subtractive manufacturing, air costs money. Meaning, anywhere that material has to be removed from the original stock costs cycle time and thus money.
Complexity is limited to what can be removed; it is quite easy to design shapes that cannot be made with any combination of subtractive methods.
In additive, complexity (and air space) is free but material is expensive. Organic shapes, internal passageways, lattices and many other shapes that are amenable to printing, but can't be machined.
Interviewer: In what situations does it make sense to use each?
Ray BagIey: Additive is best when you have a sparse design - like a lattice or skeleton - that has a low ratio of material to total volume or perhaps shapes that are very complex and difficult or impossible to machine.
Subtractive is better when the amount of material to remove from the stock is relatively little. A block with a few holes or features is typically much cheaper to machine than print.
Interviewer: What roadblocks does additive manufacturing have to overcome to become more widely used?
Ray BagIey:<|fim_middle|> of these process effects on material properties is key to bringing additive manufacturing into the manufacturing mainstream. | Predictability and control.
Today it's challenging for someone to buy a 3D printer and start printing parts reliably. You must learn how to correctly prepare parts for printing, apply supports, print successfully without major defects, minimize post-processing and control the physical properties of the result.
Most people go through an awful lot of experimentation or failed prints before they can reliably print new designs. More and more of this expertise should be built into software, which would shorten the time before reaching productive use for a new machine or process and increasing the productivity of established machines.
Process and material control is another. If you buy a block of Ti-6Al-4V titanium and machine it into a part, you'll know - with a high-level of confidence - what to expect from that material's mechanical properties.
But if you buy the same material in powder and print a part, the final material properties - considering the multiple melting cycles during printing, porosities, and more - are drastically more uncertain.
Characterizing and standardizing all | 205 |
Every now and then you run across a person who lights up your world. Someone that has that indescribable ability to lift your spirits with just a few words on a page. When God allows a person like this to cross your path it makes you briefly understand how it all works. How we are all connected. How there is order in the Universe and how wonderful life can be if we simply acknowledge the beauty of a random meeting. It restores your faith in all things. Whenever this happens to me, I make sure to tell the person that they have affected my world in a positive manner.
Kathy is such a person to me. It all started by me reading a few Facebook quotes from her and that lead to me clicking on Kathy's website, The Growing Conversation. Then I<|fim_middle|> her on twitter and Instagram. Then Kristi and I went to hear her speak at The City Winery a few weeks back. Her words are healing, empowering, true and brilliant. She uses stories from her own life to inspire you to believe that you can get through this crazy experience called life. She is funny, enlightening and real. At the very, very least she can bring a smile to your face. This conversation of Kathy's is about being happy in a place that is truly imperfect and to embrace that imperfection and grow from that. Feeling pain in a way that you grow from the hurt versus push it aside and be doomed to relive it a year later. Embracing pain, joy, loss and everything that crosses your path.
I could go on and on. Take some time and spread some Love today for someone in your life that has made a difference. That is my goal with this post today. Kathy you made us smile when we needed a smile. That is a precious gift that did not go unnoticed. I am sure there will be many more. | followed | 1 |
THE #1 PRO<|fim_middle|>utting. | BLEM ~ Kids oversleeping on school-mornings.
~ WHY is this happening?
Ask your kid what's getting in the way of them hopping out of bed on time. Late night movie? Giggling with a sleepover guest? Dreading the day? Bed too darn cozy?
~ WHAT needs to happen?
Depends on the WHY doesn't it. Too late to bed? Re-establish bedtime. Giggling guests? Maybe no mid-week sleepovers. Dreading the day? Is there something stressful today or is every morning tough? One stressful morning you can problem-solve quickly, but a pattern of not liking school needs more. (Watch for a post about this.) Bed too darn cozy? Indeed! This kid needs to work their discipline muscle!
~ WHOSE problem is it?
Remember parents, this is your child's life. For kids in primary and intermediate school, getting up and heading off to learn is their job. Having them climb into their own life begins with getting out of bed. (See HOW below for ideas to make this more fun). If older teens are resisting school at this point, check in. Are they just reluctant because it's not fun but they know they'll see school through? Or might they be experiencing a very real emotional response to an environment that is not suited to their learning? (Watch for a post on "Rebellious Teens").
~ HOW to make it better?
This entry was posted in Children and tagged back to school, back to school problems, children and school, every conversation matters, how to problem solve with kids, how to talk to kids, kids oversleeping, my kid sleeps late, my kid won't get out of bed on February 4, 2013 by gemma | 356 |
With pavement you have many ways to manage assets from tracking attribute data, historical information, entering inspections, and controlling maintenance. Cartegraph has two ways to inspect Pavement, Cartegraph's Standard inspections or for asphalt and concrete roads—Pavement Condition Index (PCI) inspections.
PCI is a numerical indicator that rates the surface condition of pavement. The PCI provides a measure of the present condition of the pavement based on the distress observed on the surface of the pavement, which also indicates the structural integrity and surface operational condition. It provides an objective and rational basis for determining maintenance and repair needs and priorities. Continuous<|fim_middle|> of Engineers). | monitoring of the PCI is used to establish the rate of pavement deterioration, which permits early identification of major rehabilitation needs. The PCI provides feedback on pavement performance for validation or improvement of current pavement design and maintenance procedures.
An enterprise license is required for PCI inspections.
USACE (United States Army Corps | 58 |
We all lead very busy lives these days. There is rarely a person I talk to that isn't trying to get all their chores/activities/duties done that day. Whether it is work related, spouse related or keeping up with the kids and all their activities, sometimes the day just becomes<|fim_middle|> seconds and repeat 3-4 times through. Workout completed.
You are now ready for the day. Go get em….. | a blur.
Then, before you know it, the day has ended and you have yet to get your exercise program in. I often find my day the same. I know for me that the only plausible time to get in a workout in first thing in the morning. I tend to work long hours and I know myself that there is no way I am going to go and exercise after working a 12-14 hr day.
One of the best things you can do is learn about yourself. It is neither right nor wrong when you choose to exercise. But, 80% of the exercise game is deciding when you are most likely to be successful about getting in your exercises.
For example, if you know that once your day starts it is game over with time for exercise, then the most logical solution is to set time aside in the morning before the demands on your own time take over. Yes, it might mean you need to get up a little earlier, but you must set your priorities. And, that extra 20 minutes of sleep is going to do nothing to keep you healthier if you miss your exercises all together. Neither is it going to help you keep your weight under control.
If your choice is early morning, there is no need to go out to a gym. You can do a quick workout at home in the privacy of your own living room and in your PJ's if you choose. So here we go….
Warm Up: Marches on the spot – 25 each leg. Get those arms swinging and march quickly.
Arm Circles – make big circles with both arms – 15 to the front and 15 to the back.
Body Weight Squats – start with arms at side. As you squat, swing arms out in front. 15 reps.
Floor Bridges – lie on your back; knees bent. Squeeze glutes (bum muscles) & push hips up. 15 reps.
Push Ups – find a counter or table at hip height. Hands on counter. Step back onto balls of your feet. Slowly lower yourself to the counter until chest touches. Make sure you take your hips with you as well. Push up to straight arm. Repeat 10 reps.
Rear Lunges – Start with feet together. Step back with one foot and slowly lower knee straight to floor. Return to starting position. 8 reps on each leg.
Plank (Isoabs) – Lay on your stomach. Prop yourself on your elbows and toes. While still on the floor, squeeze your glutes and push yourself off the floor. Pause for 3 seconds and slowly lower to the floor. Repeat 10 times.
Perform this circuit through once. Rest 30-45 | 556 |
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