question stringlengths 14 1.69M | answer stringlengths 1 40.5k | meat_tokens int64 1 8.18k |
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A few minutes ago it was reported that Les Paul, the man who put the juice in electric guitar, has died at the age of 94. Paul's name wasn't just synonymous with guitar design — his name was actually on millions of guitars that aspiring musicians, rock superstars and everyone in between used at one time or another, and reached nothing less than the stratospheric heights of pop culture meaning in that "Les Paul" is actually now a vernacular noun.
Born Lester William Polsfuss, Paul also invented multitrack recording and overdubbing, techniques that have now been key to myriad seminal recordings for more than half a century. We have three biographies on Paul, including the one excerpted below.
Ever since he had started to play the electric guitar, Paul had dreamed of a different sound than the instrument had produced thus far. Electric guitars of the 1930s tended to produce short blasts of sound, actuated by the player's plucking of the strings and then decaying in much the same way an acoustic guitar chord would. As he played in large dance halls, Paul experimented with ways of creating a more sustained sound. He realized that the sound decayed partly because it was diffused by the soundbox, so he tried filling in the hollow body of the guitar. ""I chucked rags in it. I poured it full of plaster of Paris. I tried everything with the guitar to try to get it to not feed back and not sound like an acoustical box," he told Jim O'Donnell of the Rock and Roll Journal. The plaster of Paris idea seemed promising but resulted in an unacceptably heavy guitar. He began working on further refinements during off hours at an Epiphone guitar factory on 14th Street in New York City, while taking time off after an accident in which he received a severe electric shock from a radio transmitter.
Finally, in 1941 Paul constructed a guitar he called the Log, made from a solid four-by-four piece of wood. He noted with satisfaction that he could plug the guitar into an amplifier, pluck a string, go out for a meal, return to his workshop, and hear the note still sounding. Paul is often recognized as the inventor of the solid-body electric guitar. The claim is difficult to evaluate, for guitars were evolving rapidly at the time, and other invent<|fim_middle|> Moving to Los Angeles in 1943, Paul quickly attracted the attention of other guitar designers such as Leo Fender.
This chord's for you, Les.
Source: "Les Paul." Encyclopedia of World Biography Supplement, Vol. 28. Gale, 2008. | ors were pursuing similar paths; the Rickenbacker company had manufactured a solid electric lap steel guitar as early as 1934. But Paul's Log, onto which he soon glued two wings from another Epiphone guitar to make it look more guitar-like, was undoubtedly a major step in the development of the modern electric guitar. | 68 |
The International Journal of Stress Prevention and Wellbeing is a peer reviewed journal.
Stress research: Stress prevention: Stress management: Stress at work: Stress and education: Stress and management: Stress and health: Stress counselling: Stress management training: Health education: Health Promotion: Stress and coaching: Stress and leadership:<|fim_middle|>being.
The journal will also publish keynote papers, conference reports and book reviews. It will list relevant conferences in stress prevention and wellbeing field.
The lead professional body sponsor of the journal is the International Stress Management Association (UK). ISMA (UK) is a registered charity and the lead professional body for workplace and personal Stress Management, Wellbeing and Performance. | Locus of control: Type A behaviour: Coping strategies: Change management: Relaxation: Meditation: Mindfulness: Psychophysiology: Biology: Neurobiology and neuroscience of stress: Well | 38 |
HUBRIS AND STUPIDITY: TRUDEAU DOES IT AGAIN
Posted on July 11, 2020 by Frank A. Pelaschuk
Public office is the last refuge of the incompetent. – Boies Penrose
They are proud in humility, proud in that they are not proud. – Robert Burton
Justin Trudeau had it made. He became prime minister largely on his good looks, youth, charm, and oozing, simply oozing, sincerity. He was going to make a change with huge, loudly declared glorious promises, one of which, if followed through, might have<|fim_middle|> But when they repeat the mistake again and again, it is a habit and cannot be tolerated. Instead, we must take stock, look more closely at ourselves and our motives as well as at those running for office; we must vote with our minds questioning all the promises and challenging all the appeals to our biases keeping in mind those who, at the very least, have done their best not for themselves but for those who have placed trust in them.
Posted in Canadian Politics, Political Commentary and tagged conflicts of interest, Margaret Trudeau, scandals, Trudeau, WE charity. Bookmark the permalink. | changed Canada, parliament and the political landscape for the better forever. For those who wanted to believe in fairy tales, he was Prince Charming, the real deal, the man of vision, the man one could trust to accomplish great things.
Not surprisingly, that was will-o'-the-wisp wishful thinking, the chimerical promise of the snake oil salesman. The big promises, one in particular, Electoral Reform, did not materialize, being lure to the braggadocio's strut, the blowhard's false promise of a hope so many yearned for believing it a remote possibility only to be left with the bitter aftertaste of betrayal upon having it proved true yet again. The pain of disappointment must surely have been acute for those who trusted him perhaps because they really believed in him and in the promise, believed in his claims of feminism and support of human rights, of finally healing the rift between First Nations peoples and Canada. He would help make Canada a better home for all. If so, how much sharper the ache when, put to the test, he walked away from promise after promise again and again beginning with his triumphant declaration that 2015 would be the last first past-the-post election ever and then, upon realizing the keeping of that promise would not allow him the outcome he so desperately wanted, he himself set about to undermine and kill the dream none had called for but fervently wanted saying of its death, "the public had lost interest". It wasn't true but we all knew then, or should have, what kind of man he was.
He's a feminist. He's told us that often enough so why didn't I believe him? Perhaps it's because of the revelation of his groping a female reporter at a music festival when he was twenty-eight. Or it could be his failure to respond on two separate occasions when asked by reporters to comment on the taped recording of Trump trumpeting his misogyny saying only, "Everyone knows I'm a feminist". Well, I don't know that. Saying so doesn't make it so. We know he is tolerant, anti-racist, and yet has attended events on more than one occasion in black face. No, I don't believe Trudeau is a racist, but I do believe him very, very foolish.
Too, his stand on human rights is of great concern. He believes in them as sincerely as Stephen Harper when Harper initiated the Saudi Arabia LAV (light armoured vehicle) deal. Just as did Harper, Trudeau ignored such concerns in spite of UN sanctions and Canada's own laws regarding international trade with errant nations abusing human rights and Saudi Arabia is one such abuser and in a major way. When taking the moral high road is perceived as imperiling Canadian business interests and Canadian jobs, the moral high-road rarely merits more than lip service by such as Harper and Trudeau. With Harper, there was no surprise in this; he made no pretense of interest or concern in human rights while Trudeau campaigned on the promise of human rights being in the forefront. And then he got elected. If hypocrisy and shamelessness are requisites for a successful career in politics, Trudeau appears particularly adept in the practice of both.
While no liberal and certainly contemptuous of conservatives, particularly those from the Harper era still infecting the political pool, I nevertheless had hoped for the best from Trudeau without believing we would get it. I could understand his draw and why so many fell for it; I just could not trust what I heard and saw. Sadly, upon taking office as Prime Minister, Trudeau very quickly confirmed my suspicions of him. Straw and empty charm. He believes his own press: he is loved by all and can do anything. Even so, the trail of broken promises in the wake of his first term did have a negative impact on his re-election bid allowing him a narrow victory with with a minority government.
With all his baggage, I do believe Trudeau wishes to be the man we want him to be: caring, empathetic, sincere, decent, decisive, competent, and successful both as individual and as PM, one who actually will make meaningful contributions to Canada. But, for him, I believe, such traits, which he appears to confidently possess, are merely intellectual adornments, masks to be donned for whatever the occasion accompanied, as always, by the indicators of sincerity, furrowed brows and pursed lips; caring, empathy, and even sincerity cannot be learned but are characteristics bred to the bone. I don't believe they are intrinsic to Trudeau. There is about him a coldness and calculation that should make those around him wary. He will throw them to the wolves as ruthlessly and as easily as he discarded liberal senators within weeks of taking office when he declared them no longer liberals. It was the loud, grand, even bold, gesture but meaningless and offensive in the publicness of the dismissals. Of his character, it was revealing; not only did it appear to me a particularly cruel way to do what he did, but the exultation he displayed following that was unseemly, his declaration to the world: I can be tough and ruthless as any man! He must have been thinking of Harper. But the move was blind achieving nothing. As easy to have a stranger declaring one cannot love whom one does.
For Trudeau, there is more interest in the public perception of his image than the fact of it. He is not a bad man, I believe, at least not wholly, but he is too absorbed in the imagining and the work of convincing the pubic of himself as a good person than in the practicing of it. He will pander to all the touchstones that he perceives the public supports as good. If it catches the public's attention as worthwhile and supportable, Trudeau is certain to be there. He is a politician, after all, with the unerring instincts of the predator honing in on the prey.
So, all the more puzzling his behaviour and involvement in the three breaches of conflict of interests that we know of. How could a man so smart be so stupid? Or am I giving him too much credit?
There was his acceptance of the free helicopter ride for family and friends from the Aga Khan while on a Christmas vacation. For years the Aga Khan's charitable foundation has received millions from Canada and, following that trip, was promised even more.
Then we have the SNC-Lavalin scandal when Trudeau, a true believer in the "rule of law", sought to subvert it to save SNC-Lavalin, a Quebec-based company, from a possible conviction for various criminal acts including bribery and obstruction of justice. Because of that interference, the Attorney-General, Jody Wilson-Raybould, the first indigenous woman to achieve this post, was forced to step down because she would not help the company avoid prosecution. This led to the resignation of another extremely competent MP, Jane Philpott, in solidarity of her colleague. So much for his support of First Nations individuals, of feminism, and of the "rule of law". For that imbroglio, he "refused to apologize for fighting to save Canadian jobs" because that was his job. Yes, it is, but, more importantly, his job is also to ensure the integrity of the courts and uphold "the rule of law" which he clearly sought to undermine and yet always references when it suits his needs.
But the liberal government's decision to sole source $900K to the WE charity to which Trudeau, his wife, mother and brother have close ties, may be the one straw too many as the Ethics Commissioner launches yet another investigation into Trudeau's shaky ethical world. Worse, for the liberals, the scandal has ensnared yet another high-profile candidate, the finance minister, Bill Morneau, whose two daughters have worked for the same organization. For both men, issues of ethics seem to be particularly irksome. When questioned whether he or any member of his family had financially benefitted from the ties, Trudeau, as did the charity, founded by Marc and Craig Kielburger, initially denied any such benefit only to recant that a day later claiming there had been an accounting error. Margaret Trudeau and Alexandre, Justin's mother and brother received close to $300K from the charity.
That there was no public bid for the contract, Trudeau claiming the WE organization was the only charity capable of distributing the money to student volunteer workers for up to $5K beggars belief. The United Way, for one, has been around for a lot longer than the organization founded by Trudeau friends. That Trudeau did not recuse himself from the selection process by civil servants also forces one to ask: What was Trudeau thinking? Did he really believe no one would question this? Said Alex Wellstead, spokesperson for the PMO, "What is important to remember is that this is about a charity supporting students." No. What is important to remember is that Trudeau and Morneau did not recuse themselves from that selection decision which liberals claim was the recommendation of public servants. What is important to remember is that Trudeau, Morneau and members of their family have close, at times paid, ties to the charity. What is important to remember is that the selection process was neither open to public bidding nor transparent. And, while it is true that the WE charity refused to accept the funds, that decision was made only following the loud public outcry of disbelief and fury.
I cannot say I believe Trudeau to be a man of integrity. He may wish to be and he may wish us to believe he is but I have witnessed little evidence that convinces. From the first as Prime Minister, he and his colleagues have been plagued by issues of integrity often ignoring and skirting around questions regarding their many numerous and secretive fundraising endeavours at private homes or suggestive of conflicts of interest. Trudeau is flawed but not in the way that induces sympathy or even understanding. He seems to have been made drunk by the adoration of others who have fallen under a spell without understanding there appears to be no real there there. A straw man, he appears to need to be loved and yet would have, as he has demonstrated, little difficulty in throwing those very people who adore him, to the wolves if need be. In that way, he has much in common with Stephen Harper. But I believe Harper understands and accepts exactly who and what he is. Trudeau's halo has long been tarnished and bent, yet he carries on convinced he is the one who has the attention of the public. He does. Covid-19 has allowed him to shine simply by throwing out billions of taxpayer dollars to the public, to businesses and to charities. Too, with the public preoccupied by the pandemic and all the attendant problems, he might have believed no one was paying attention. He tossed the coin and took his chance. This may be his undoing.
Maybe the career choice of politician requires risk-taking. That's a good thing when not foolhardy. Maybe the career choice also requires fluidity in matters of integrity, decency, and the ability to experience shame. If not the case, why have so few in recent years possessed so little of any of these traits? Is it truly all about the main chance?
While I do not share Anne Frank's generous view of mankind ("In spite of everything, I still believe people are good at heart"), I don't accept that entry into politics requires a propensity for dishonesty and/or self-enrichment. No one can be perfect but they can strive for it in the choices they make. One can talk of being ethical and of possessing integrity; that is Trudeau. Or one can be ethical and act with integrity. I prefer this camp. Unfortunately, those folks are long gone or no longer hold office. Deeds matter more than words. Ethics and integrity, honesty and decency, pride and humility are not cards to be called up or discarded to suit one's time or needs. They should flow in the character of the individual as smoothly, as easily and as comfortably as blood through the veins. That is an ideal but that is what we should all strive for and demand of our politicians.
There is too much venality in politics. Trudeau is just another example of the poor choices we make again and again. Politicians and voters do make mistakes. | 2,500 |
School of Medicine Education Building
School of Medicine Research Building
Clinical Skills & Simulation Suite at Orbach Library
School of Medicine Education Building II
Multidisciplinary Research Building (MRB)
Webber Hall
Campuswide Research Facilities
Opened in 2012, the School of Medicine Education Building includes a 100-seat lecture hall, 10 patient examination rooms, problem-based-learning classrooms, a medical simulation laboratory, and administrative office space. The building received LEED-Silver certification in from the U.S. Green Building Council in January 2014.
The School of Medicine Education Building is home to:
Medical Simulation Laboratory.
A 100-seat lecture hall.
10 patient examination rooms.
Small-group discussion rooms.
Administrative offices, including the dean's office.
The three-story, 58,000-square foot School of Medicine Research Building is energy-efficient and advantageously designed to maximize space. The building incorporates high-level environmentally sensitive mechanical plans maximizing the use of natural ventilation, natural lighting, and other energy conservation measures. Scientific features of the building include open laboratories balanced by a significant component of individually-assignable laboratory support rooms, an equipment corridor model for shared instrumentation, and rooms for tissue culture, bioinformatics, autoclaves, microscopy and cytometry instrumentation.
The School of Medicine Research Building provides<|fim_middle|> for the characterization of proteins and protein modifications including several mass spectrometers (such as a new GC-TOF mass spectrometer), X-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance, and an optical facility with a wide array of instrumentation including ultraviolet, visible, near infrared, FTIR and Laser Raman.
Bioinformatics Core Facility
Provides state-of-the-art bioinformatics and cheminformatic resources for large-scale comparative genomics, data mining, systems modeling and drug discovery. A wide range of modeling workstations, high-performance servers and supercomputers (Linux cluster) with several hundred scientific software tools are available for these tasks.
Central Facility for Advanced Microscopy and Microanalysis
The facility serves as a research, service and consulting laboratory for microscopic characterization (SEM, TEM) and contains two transmission electron microscopes and a scanning electron microscope for electron beam characterization of biological tissues.
Noel T. Keen Hall Genomics Core Instrumentation Facility
The facility contains a variety of tools supporting research in genomics and gene expression. The facility is equipped with research instrumentation for DNA sequencing, analysis of DNA libraries, and gene expression (quantitative PCR and phosphor/fluorescence imager) as well as a state-of-the art, high speed fluorescenceactivated cell sorter (FACS Aria) for cell separation and analysis.
Microscopy and Imaging Core Facility
Providing confocal microscopy, the facility contains a comprehensive suite of confocal microscopes for three-dimensional imaging of cells and cell structures, as well as a laser capture micro-dissection system that allow a detailed analysis of specific areas within complex tissues such as tumor tissue within a normal organ.
W.M. Keck Proteomics Laboratory
For proteomics mass spectrometry, the proteomics technology core is equipped with state-of-the-art mass spectrometers such as Q-TOF and Q-STAR that are complementary in system configuration for high sequence coverage and can perform high throughput peptide sequence analysis with high sensitivity and mass accuracy.
Stem Cell Core Facility
Constructed with funding from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), this core facility contains resources for cell culture, molecular biology and cell imaging. A variety of services and training is offered by the Academic Coordinator who manages the facility.
Statistical Consulting Collaboratory
Provides statistical consulting and modeling to support decision-making in a variety of fields, such as survey sampling, quality control, product design and marketing. | academic offices, research laboratory and support space for both biomedical sciences and clinical sciences faculty.
Architecture and landscape of the building feature a progressively green design that incorporates natural day light, minimum air change rates, chilled beams for lab space cooling, elimination of lab air re-heat and reduced pressure-drop HVAC systems.
Each research laboratory incorporates flexible and readily expandable laboratory planning modules that will accommodate new technologies or programmatic demands over the life of the building.
Research support space includes:
Fluorescence-activated cell sorting room.
Cell culture rooms.
Controlled temperature rooms.
Imaging rooms.
Autoclave room.
Bioinformatics space.
Biosafety Level 3 Laboratory, the only such facility on the UCR campus.
Academic offices and support space includes:
Faculty offices.
Postdoctoral and graduate student space.
Office support areas.
Conference rooms/scholarly activity areas.
Opened in 2021 and located in the basement of the Orbach Science Library, the Clinical Skills and Simulation Suite is part of the UCR School of Medicine's Center for Simulated Patient Care and is a state-of-the-art simulated patient training and education center that provides a secure, risk-free environment for current and future health care professionals to acquire and to perfect their skills. It consists of mock exam rooms, emergency room and intensive care simulation spaces, as well as small lecture spaces.
The School of Medicine Education Building II is scheduled to be completed in mid-2023. Located immediately south of the current SOM Education Building and east of Boyce Hall, the LEED platinum-certified facility will have approximately 57,000 assignable square feet within 90,000 gross square feet. The design features an urban downtown theme that includes outdoor seating, terraces, and landscaping that will complement the existing buildings around it.
In addition to lecture halls, small classroom and office space, the facility will also have an outdoor plaza that can be used for events.
Opened in 2019, the Multidisciplinary Research Building (MRB) is a 179,000-square-foot facility that supports up to 56 faculty investigators conducting research in areas including life sciences, chemical sciences, medicine and engineering. Located near the intersection of Aberdeen and North Campus Drives, the facility is the first LEED Platinum-certified project.
Herbert John Webber Hall
Herbert John Webber Hall houses the laboratories and offices of the current faculty in the School of Medicine Division of Biomedical Sciences. Originally constructed in the 1950s, with a number of laboratories since renovated, the building also contains faculty laboratories in the department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology.
These specialized research and instrumentation facilities, available to faculty researchers across the UCR campus, represent an important foundation for the School of Medicine and will work to support further expansion of biomedical research on campus.
Analytical Chemistry Instrumentation Facility
The facility is equipped to provide mass spectrometry and contains a variety of research instrumentation | 607 |
Home / News / Car Tech
Grand Theft Auto V First Trailer: Video
Nelson Ireson November 2, 2011 Comment Now!
Just minutes ago, Rockstar Games released the first teaser video for Grand Theft Auto 5, and it looks like it's going to be good. Cinematic scenery, chaotic action, and plenty of hot cars to steal,<|fim_middle|>-electric powertrain to enter production in 2022, deliver 368 horsepower
Stunning Hyundai Prophecy concept to spawn Tesla Model 3 rival
Nelson Ireson - Senior Editor
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The trailer itself is narrated by the main character, explaining why he decided to move to Los Angeles, where the game is set. Along the way, we get to see a sampling of the action, including the car-centric transport of the City of Angels.
While it's not a driving game per se, it looks like it'll hold a lot of content to keep the average gearhead interested as they move around the city and wreak havoc, including Astons, Range Rovers, Audis, and more.
Let us know what you think about the game and its cars in the comments below.
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Grand Theft Auto 3: 10 Year Anniversary Edition: Full Review
BMW hydrogen | 163 |
The familiar saying "as goes California, so goes the nation" seems to apply to the many states that have been unable to invest in infrastructure improvements because they are crushed by debt and shrinking revenues. Will California and energy project developers continue to invest in energy infrastructure in 2010 given the limited availability of private capital, shaky state finances, and shifting regulatory climate?
How's this for an overused statement: The U.S. is in the middle of an infrastructure crisis. That is hardly news, but it is true. What is news, however, is that the pressure to repair and expand our nation's inadequate infrastructure is now being addressed through a variety of new financing mechanisms and the passing of new legislation. The jury is out as to whether such efforts can be successful given today's tight financial markets, but it's a start.
"Dollars and Dirt: A Goodwin Procter Symposium on Infrastructure Development and Financing Opportunities," held on September 30, 2009, explored the prevailing thoughts on infrastructure financing and approaches. The seminar featured two panels of experts who examined the current state of infrastructure financing and construction. The first panel discussed working with local governments and maximizing infrastructure opportunities in California against the current legislative backdrop; the second explored approaches to financing infrastructure, including traditional land-secured financing, private sector investment, and Build America Bonds (BABs).
The consensus at the conference was that the U.S. is also in the middle of another Great Recession. Every economic indicator from retail spending to the stock market is pointing to a jobless, muted recovery. The unemployment rate rose from 9.8% to 10.2% in October. The current Great Recession has depleted taxes and other municipal resources. Road improvements and maintenance are not being undertaken because funds are just not available. Raising taxes in California remains an unpalatable option given the high unemployment rate and existing tax burden compared to other states (Figure 1). California's average annual property tax payment leads the western states at $2,278 (compared to $1,133 for Arizona and $1,445 for Nevada) but remains less than the average $3,076 in New York and $2,974 in Massachusetts.
California's approach to enhancing infrastructure has been to take the matter to the voters. California citizens expressed a desire to move infrastructure projects forward in November 2006 when voters approved over $42 billion in general obligation bonds. Those bonds were for funding transportation improvements and repairs, expanding local transit, upgrading freight transportation corridors, repairing levees, and ensuring safe drinking water and current water supplies. In November 2008, City of Los Angeles voters approved Measure R, committing a projected $40 billion to traffic relief and transportation upgrades throughout Los Angeles County over the next 30 years. However, the expenditure of funds did not really start until after passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). ARRA, passed in February 2009, took a long-awaited first step to rebuilding our public systems by allocating $51.2 billion to "core infrastructure investments."
According to California Treasurer William Lockyer, who spoke at Dollars and Dirt, the fundamental problem California faces is that the state has grown so fast and neglected infrastructure investments for so many years that current infrastructure cannot accommodate the anticipated 50 million people who will be living in California by 2020. Stark deficits exist, and the traditional methods of financing infrastructure construction are not working in the short term, as there is no available capital to put into the system for construction.
Lockyer stated that California will continue efforts to pass general obligation bonds. But general obligation bonds and the associated debt service will only add to California's $38 billion structural deficit. Lockyer estimated that 10% of the state's liabilities are dedicated to debt service, meaning that 10% of all dollars from the state's general fund are going to pay debt service on existing obligations rather than being put into the system for capital improvements. It was the treasurer's hope and desire that the state build into the budget process more long-term planning and capital expenditure priorities so that infrastructure spending is not an afterthought. From BABs to California Senate Bill No. 375, which focuses on transit-oriented development, there are major efforts to bring infrastructure to the foreground.
There was, during Dollars and Dirt, mention of the legislative initiatives passed by the State of California to assist with public-private partnerships and infrastructure construction.
There are good examples where a streamlined financing model shows promise. For example, one of the measures in the<|fim_middle|>9, established the California Transportation Financing Authority (CTFA) to assist transportation agencies in obtaining financing, primarily through issuing bonds backed by specified sources of revenue, to construct transportation projects. In doing so, AB 798 allows the authority to permit agencies to impose tolls for use of facilities constructed. This bill establishes the CTFA within the Office of the Treasurer and specifies the membership of the seven-member authority. The CTFA's objective is to increase transportation capacity or improvements in a manner consistent with the state's greenhouse gas reduction goals, air quality improvement goals, and natural resource conservation goals through the issuance of bonds that are backed by specified transportation-related revenues.
These local credit pools and the mandate of the CTFA create a streamlined process that may prove effective for infrastructure. Financing and planning decisions are made at the local level through a centralized hub, allowing local agencies to figure out what they want to do with respect to the policies to create a new credit that they can use to help accelerate financing and development.
California Senate Bill No. 4 is another measure that should help put infrastructure in place. It was signed into law in February 2009. This bill provides limited expansion of design-build contracting authority to additional state facilities and to redevelopment agencies. The bill authorizes up to 15 design-build transportation projects, under prescribed circumstances, and allows the California Department of Transportation and local and regional transportation agencies to enter into an unlimited number of public-private partnership agreements until January 1, 2017. Additionally, redevelopment agencies are authorized through January 1, 2016 to use design-build contracting for building projects in excess of $1 million.
Dollars and Dirt recognized the big pools of money available for financing infrastructure projects. For example, Kathleen Brown, former California state treasurer and now Goldman Sachs' public finance managing director, stated that the focus has shifted toward infrastructure as an acceptable investment for pension funds, private equity players, and real estate investment trusts (REITs). Furthermore, the municipal market is paying renewed attention given the federal government's Build America Bonds Initiative. According to the panelists, CalPERS and CalSTERS (pension funds) are beginning to make significant allocations, as are many private and public pools of money.
It was made clear that the capital markets are beginning to rekindle. Last year financing for any asset class, let alone large-scale projects, was difficult. Now, particularly for deals under $1 billion, banks are coming back into the market. The expectation is that banks will be back in the infrastructure space next year and into 2012.
The panelists also discussed the correct pricing of infrastructure deals two to three years ago versus today. Bernard Carroll of Macquarie argued that, both domestically and globally, older deals were not priced correctly. Funds were buying infrastructure assets at real estate cap rates that were extraordinarily low, assuming growth rates that were extraordinarily high. The correct risk-adjusted return is in flux.
A political consensus is developing that certain large-scale public/private projects are probably doable. In 2004, $4 billion were raised for global infrastructure funds; in 2005, $8 billion. Between 2006 and 2008 $90 billion were raised — $37 billion in 2008 alone. Not a lot of that capital was expended. That probably leaves about $40 billion or $50 billion sitting on various funds' balance sheets today.
There are now 92 infrastructure funds, most of them first-generation ones (funds that are investing in infrastructure for the first time). One of the challenges facing these funds is what each fund's investment characteristics will look like. Some are short-term focused. Some are more long-term focused. Some will only invest in "hard" infrastructure assets such as toll roads. Some seek to buy a utility or waste management company that has been less-than-optimally managed. These funds team with operators to right-size and capture efficiencies, seeking an exit in three to four years. However, the return-on-investment hurdles are typical private equity returns in the high teens to 20% per annum.
The opinion of conference attendees was that, although there are many options available to increase funding for infrastructure, there are really only four viable options (Figure 2).
Private sector investment in infrastructure is expected to rise in 2010, with one-third of respondents expecting an increase of at least 10% over the amount of private sector investment in 2009.
Energy infrastructure is expected to receive the most capital investment over the next two years, followed by transportation infrastructure (Figure 3).
Infrastructure investment is generally expected to create jobs, with 64% of respondents forecasting long-term job creation and 30% forecasting more limited construction jobs.
The greatest impediment to increased infrastructure investment is the lack of a consistent political agenda (Figure 4).
The question now becomes, How is money to be deployed? There do seem to be assets that are attractive to the marketplace and a need to raise cash on the municipal level. It appears that AARA and several state Senate and Assembly bills have primed the pump for new infrastructure investment. One important policy question is whether federal, state, and local governments can effectively prioritize spending in short order to further the deployment of stimulus money for infrastructure. Private capital is also ready to invest in infrastructure where returns meet high hurdles. Only time will tell whether private capital and public investment will ultimately stand side-by-side as infrastructure funding sources.
—Lewis G. Feldman (lfeldman@ goodwinprocter.com) is the Los Angeles chair and senior partner in the Los Angeles office of Goodwin Procter's Business Law Department and a member of the Real Estate, REITs & Real Estate Capital Markets Group. | Golden State, California Assembly Bill No. 798 creates new local credit pools for transportation financing. AB 798, signed into law on October 11, 200 | 40 |
Why partner with Kids Football League?
KFL games will be played on area high school fields, including home games at MCHS.
Safety - Kids will learn the fundamentals through age based training with Safety as the top priority through the NFL Heads Up Program.
New Equipment - Since this is the first year of the new program. Athletes will be using all new equipment and uniforms.
Coach Certification through USA Football, NFL Heads Up program and Clinics taught by area High School coaches.
National Volunteer Screening to ensure kids are exposed to the right role models as coaches and volunteers.
Everyone Plays no matter what age group. Affiliation with the NFL through USA Football to give coaches, parents and players a wealth of resources to enhance the youth football experience for<|fim_middle|> County, Owensboro Catholic High School and Owensboro High School).
Kids will be rewarded for their Academic Success off the field with KFL's Academic Program.
Character Development through affiliation with Kidcentric Sports (www.kidcentric-sports.com) and Fellowship of Christian Athletes (www.fca.org).
KFL will adopt a Community Project to emphasize volunteering and giving to local community.
Questions? Call McLean Co Football Commissioner Tab Cook at 270-302-6427 or the McLean Co Cheerleading Commissioner Tabatha Cook Clayton at 270-836-6694. | all parties involved.
Endorsed by local High School Coaches (McLean County, Apollo, Daviess | 23 |
Placing a market execution order is widely used in the forex market. It is the most simple way of opening a trade. By completing this method, you are opening a trade at the time of<|fim_middle|> "Buy by Market" to submit your order to be executed at the best available price.
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Modern Italy
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The family, sexual morality and gender
identity in the communist tradition in
Italy (19211956)
Maria Casalini
Dipartimento SAGAS (Storia, Archeologia, Geografia, Arte e
Spettacolo) , Universit degli Studi di Firenze , Firenze , Italy
Published online: 26 Jul 2013.
To cite this article: Maria Casalini (2013) The family, sexual morality and gender identity
in the communist tradition in Italy (19211956), Modern Italy, 18:3, 229-244, DOI:
10.1080/13532944.2013.812377
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Modern Italy, 2013
Vol. 18, No. 3, 229244, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13532944.2013.812377
The family, sexual morality and gender identity in the communist tradition
in Italy (1921 1956)
Maria Casalini*
Dipartimento SAGAS (Storia, Archeologia, Geografia, Arte e Spettacolo), Universita degli Studi di Firenze,
(Received 25 September 2011; final version accepted 11 June 2013)
Downloaded by [East Carolina University] at 02:04 05 August 2013
This essay will compare the model of the communist family during the era of Palmiro
Togliattis partito nuovo, beginning with the famous svolta di Salerno in 1944, with
the model outlined when the Italian Communist Party (PCdI) was first founded in 1921.
The sources used vary, spanning memoirs, literature, the press and autobiographies of
political activists. The aim of this essay is to expand the research on the communist
tradition; to examine the characteristics of both its theoretical thinking and pedagogic
structure; to explore the nature of its propaganda; and to study the individual
experiences of activists.
Keywords: Italian Communist Party; Palmiro Togliatti; cultural studies; family
history; gender
The period from 1921 to 1956 represented an era of extraordinary change for communism. The
rise of Fascism was the epilogue to the period of struggle that followed the First World War. The
consequences of the Second World War led to a change not just in the strategy of the party, but in
the structure of the PCI itself. The party of professional revolutionaries had become a mass party
and its first priority was to validate itself in the eyes of the public as a democratic force. It aimed
to achieve hegemony over not just Italian society but Italian culture as well (Martinelli 1995).
In line with a change in identity and with the increasing predominance of the auditorium as a
propaganda vehicle, the structure and use of language in the PCI was also destined to change.
The model of the family, which will be explored in this essay, could not remain the same as the
model that existed in the years following the First World War. Both have inconsistencies, but
when compared they seem to contradict each other completely. The complex policies designed
by the party of Bordiga and Gramsci and the break from socialist tradition required a structural
reform of the family institution, in line with the directives of the party guided by the Comintern.
The partito nuovo of Togliatti, on the other hand, came to view the nuclear family not only as a
focus for communist propaganda, but also as the basis of a future society.
Most research concentrated on the identification of the key literature, not on the analysis of
its content. The wealth of the sources available and the strong ideological beliefs that
characterised the approach to political history in Italy, at least until the 1980s, contributed to the
*Email: maria.casalini@unifi.it
q 2013 Association for the Study of Modern Italy
230 M. Casalini
extraordinary blossoming of the study of the PCI. The ideological debate, the organisational
features and the relationship with the Soviet Union have always been the main focuses for
research. These were usually examined through congress resolutions and official stances held
by the party: Paolo Sprianos work epitomises this approach, a historiography of the activists
(Spriano 1971 1976). The 1990s signalled a new stage of study; Stephen Gundle
experimented for the first time with a cultural approach to the history of Togliattis partito
nuovo. He also made extensive use of memoirs of and interviews with communist activists
(Gundle 1995). From this moment on, the construction of the collective mentality of the
comrades and the analysis of their individual experiences became the centre of attention
(Fantoni 2011). From this point of view, Boarellis work is very important. He concentrated his
research on autobiographies, edited by activists under the guidance of the Communist Party
(Boarelli 2007). Bellassai placed at the centre of his study, Communist Morality, the question
of gender and an analysis of the structure of family relationships in the language of the party,
in the immediate post-Second World War years (Bellassai 2000). My research intends to go
further, beyond the dramatic censorship of 1956 (Casalini 2010): in this essay I will take a
different road in order to research the clear transformations as well as the substantial continuity
that characterised the universal mentality of Italian communists in the years following the First
and Second World Wars.
From Soviet Russia with love
You are young, you love each other. Everyone has the right to happiness. Therefore live your life . . . .
Do not fear marriage, even though under capitalism marriage was truly a chain of sorrow. Do not be
afraid of having children. Society needs more workers and rejoices at the birth of every child. You do
not have to worry about the future of your child; your child will know neither hunger nor cold . . . .
Communist society takes care of every child and guarantees both him and his mother material and
moral support. Society will feed, bring up and educate the child. At the same time, those parents who
desire to participate in the education of their children will by no means be prevented from doing so.
Communist society will take upon itself all the duties involved in the education of the child, but the
joys of parenthood will not be taken away from those who are capable of appreciating them.
(Alexandra Kollontai, Communism and the Family, Komunistka, No. 2, 1920, and in English in
The Worker, 1920)
This vague statement, as ambiguous as it is triumphalist, represented the post-revolutionary
Russian philosophy of the family in the eyes of Italian socialists, on the eve of the Livorno split
in 1921 that led to the creation of the PCI. To what extent these views on the future of the family
and of sexual morality were actually held and discussed by the intellectuals and members of the
Bolshevik intelligentsia it is difficult to say. Contemporary translations were not on the agenda,
since very few people outside Russia spoke the language. Even Trotskys pamphlet, which was
promptly translated into English in 1923 and published by Methuen under the title Problems of
Everyday Life, was translated into Italian only in 1971. Only a few of Kollontais writings,
probably selected at source, were widely circulated. Despite these limitations, echoes of the
debate that placed the subject of relations between the sexes at the centre of moral education in a
socialist state were heard in Italy. If nothing else, they confirmed the fundamental belief of all
those of varying positions about the inevitable extinction of the family in Soviet Russia
(Waters 1995, 276; Carleton 2005).
In the hard-line vision of the Livorno secessionists, the revolutionary break that was so
important strategically must also influence private morality. Nor was the subject of sexual
morality uncommon in the socialist milieu of the time. The publication in 1884 of Engels
Modern Italy 231
Origins of the Family, Private Property and the State, in which the family is primarily described
as a means of perpetuating private property (Engels 1968), was followed in 1892 by a translation
of August Bebels famous work, Woman and Socialism, which was later to inspire Lenin
himself. The social-democrat leader had already devised a method of freeing women from
domestic chores thanks to the socialisation of social services. The familys function in ensuring
inheritance of wealth would have already been eliminated at the birth of the socialist state:
freeing women from domestic servitude would then deprive the family institution of its practical
function (Bebel 1891; Lenin 1971).
Therefore, the Bolshevik debate on the extinction of the family was based on ground that
had already been covered. Sexuality, the structure of the family and birth control were frequent
topics of discussion among socialists, while always being considered subjects for men only,
and women were never allowed to participate. It is therefore completely unexpected that the
memoirs of a woman would impinge upon the debate between comrades (and even then, only a
restricted circle of rigorously selected believers). Tina Pizzardo was an exceptional character,
the woman with the raspy voice, the great love of Cesare Pavese, as well as the historical
girlfriend of Altiero Spinelli. Her life appears to be completely different from those portrayed in
the (few) female autobiographies available to us those of Camilla Ravera and Teresa Noce
(Ravera 1973; Noce 1974). Without a doubt she was an exception in the communist experience.
Her self-portrayal defected from the party line and challenged the obligatory conformity of the
communist leadership in the years following the Second World War. This has shielded it from
inevitable reinterpretation.
In order to discuss freely, remembers Tina, we would take long walks outside the city in a group of
friends; in one of our directionless conversations Luiban jumps up and declares that commun<|fim_middle|> the sexes would have remained the cornerstone of the young
PCdI: it was therefore useless to waste too much energy on small talk about a premature analysis
of socialist morality, as the Turinese loved to do. Even on the burning issue of children the
preference was to resort to the vague formula based on the new pivotal role of the state. So the
collective education of children seems to be the only firmly agreed principle that characterised
the life choices of the comrades during the clandestine years. Children of activists experienced
long periods of absence and stays in improvised refuges, like the former cement plant in
Fontainebleau, run by Madame Bouda, where the children of Togliatti, Montagnana and other
communist leaders lived. Nella Marcellino, who once stayed there, recently recalled the
Often you forget that every activist that risked their freedom in Italy or chose asylum had loved ones,
a mother, and often children. Even though it was painful, most people understood the choice. If a
comrade claimed that he could not take part in political work, because I have a family, dad would
invariably reply, Gramsci also has a wife and children. This generation of activists suffered . . .
long separations. The children, especially if they were small, suffered a lot. These children, even if
no one ever remembers them, were perhaps those most affected by the consequences of Fascism.
(Marcellino 2009, 17)
For party members everything that was regarded as private life came second, and the innovations
of the party leadership and the mass party in the years following the Second World War would
be most evident here. Above all the image of women would be profoundly changed. The brief
illusion of equality that followed the Liberation had ended. Female activists were required,
first, to play a reassuring role for the other women and so, in contrast to the comrades of the past,
they would return to their roles as mothers (as well as wives). The biographical notes of the
communist candidates for the Constituent Assembly are revealing. It seems that a fundamental
requisite for women running for election was to present themselves to the Italians as women of
the home, whose first task was to look after their children (Le mamme romane voteranno per
Nadia Gallico Spano e Marcella Lapiccirella, LUnita, 16 May 1946)). Marina Sereni was
described by LUnita as an affectionate mother (Un esempio per tutte le donne, LUnita, 31
January 1952). In reality, even the women activists of the partito nuovo, as Nadia Spano
remembered, would have been forced to place the interests of the party above the interests of
their private lives, but this was known only to a limited circle of activists (Gallico Spano 2005).
For a happy family, peace and work
The years following the Second World War can be described as an ode to maternity. The public
role of the family found itself at the centre of political debate. It was not the PCI that initiated
this, but the Christian Democrats (DC) when they announced their crusade to restore the home.
In the 1946 general election the DC presented the Catholic vote as a necessary duty for the
defence of the family (R. Gatti, Donna, devi salvare il focolare e laltare, Il Settimanale per la
Donna, 26 May 1946; C. Salvi, Una calamita dopo tante altre: dibattiti sul divorzio, 10 17
February1946). This message was directed mainly at the female electorate, whose vote was
uncertain, and they became a decisive battleground for the two political forces. Inevitably the
tone of the controversy was heated and whilst the streets were plastered with posters with
dredged-up images of communists stealing children from the arms of their mothers, the partito
nuovo tried in every way to reassure the Catholic electorate. For this reason, in the Constituent
Assembly, the communists actually voted in favour of Article 7, which ratified the Lateran Pacts
that guaranteed, as described by Rita Montagnana, total indifference towards the issue of divorce
(Montagnana 1945, 4 5).
Since the lives of both Togliatti and Longo (to mention only the most important leaders of
the party) seemed to openly contradict the principle of the insolubility of marriage, it is difficult
to say how many of those in the PCdI really believed in and adhered to the official stance held by
the party at that time. It is clear that all the parties tended to support the stability of the family
institution in Italy in the post-Second World War years in order to guarantee a mass following
(De Luna 1994, 754 757). Supporting the family institution was an important objective for the
Communist Party for another important reason: the ties between a father and son were seen as
the principal method of increasing support for the party. This has led sociologists to describe the
party as self-generating (Accornero, Mannheimer and Sebastiani 1983, 187).
The PCIs support for the family was not only expressed in defensive terms. A series of
initiatives were carried out to reinforce family cohesion. The Feste dellUnita assumed the
characteristics of countryside festivals aimed at bringing parents and children together, while
the Week of the Female Comrade was organised around the slogan protection of the Italian
family (Pasti 1979). The Day of Family and Peace, organised in 1949, was nothing more than
the elaboration of the slogan for a happy family: peace and work of the second congress of the
Italian Womens Union in 1947 (Noi Donne No. 17, 15 October 1947; Casalini 2005a, 194, 237).
These organisational methods aimed at women seemed to be often directed at the wife: the
wife of the emigrant, the wife of the prisoner, the wife of the miner etc.
If the goal was to support, on a traditional level, the version put forward by the Church and
shared by the majority of Italians, in which the family was a hierarchical institution with naturally
predetermined roles, the model proposed, at least in theory, appears to be a type of family
morality. The communist interpretation of the family (in which the female role was pivotal) was of
an institution that was banned from the party and which carried the harmful and selfish implications
of bourgeois individualism. However different the historical context, the theory does not seem so
different from that of Gramsci, whose thinking, as has been noted, even though re-elaborated,
would have asserted the fundamental national character of the tradition of the partito nuovo.
In 1944 Togliatti stated: When a women enters into political life she does not necessarily
lose her femininity or her attributes as a woman, a wife and a mother (Per la participazione
della donna alla vita nazionale, Noi Donne No. 3, September 1944 and Togliatti 1965, 39). The
home, already enveloped in an atmosphere of solidarity, became for the communists of the
partito nuovo too the natural habitat for women. To safeguard the image that was projected
mainly in the private sphere, women were given the task of organising a different type of
politics, the politics of daily life as defined by Luciana Viviani, which centred on the
participation in and care of children (Viviani 1994, 107). On the strength of this truism, shared
by Catholics and communists, the welfare system adopted by the First Republic would be based
on the principle of family roles assigned by the head of the family (Saraceno 2003, 163; Ferrera
2006, 39 43). Nothing was more evident than the fact that work, intended to bring happiness
to the family in the famous slogan of 1947, was to be reserved for men, while women, just as at
the beginning of the nineteenth century, remained as the guardians of peace, which was seen as a
natural offshoot from their maternal vocation (Gabrielli 2005, 131). The Noce/Di Vittorio bill
concentrated on the issue of maternity and, linguistically, assimilated housewife into the
category of worker. It proposed a law that defended maternity for working mothers, but
actually presented housewife as an occupation, which is very different to Fascist legislation (Il
partito comunista per le lavoratrici madri, Quaderno dellattivista No. 10, September 1947;
T. Noce, Una sola legge per tutte le lavoratrici madri, Noi donne No. 22, 4 July 1948).
The post-war years were portrayed as the golden years for the housewife, both outside and
inside the party: Italys female employment rate had never been so low and the presence of the
housewife amongst the members of the PCI had never been so high.3 Husbands would often
sign up their wives without them knowing, which was a practice that even the official statistician
for the PCI, Celso Ghini, criticised in Quaderno dellattivista (Piu attenzione al reclutamento
fra le donne, No. 5, 1 March 1952). Therefore, it is difficult to determine how much the data on
party membership actually reflect the level of female consensus.4 We can, instead, easily deduce
the type of relationship that existed between husband and wife in many communist families.
For many female comrades, political activism in the ranks of Togliattis party should have
been an experience of subjective growth and political awareness which, bolstered by the
Liberation war, would have resulted in a series of demands for more equality (R. Montagnana,
La donna nella lotta antifascista e nella ricostruzione, LUnita, 9 May 1945; Che cose il
sindacato libero, Noi Donne, 25 October 1944). In spite of this, from 1946, even left-wing
women were abandoning the equality battlefield in order to support the policy of separate
spheres assigned to them by the Secretary (Casalini 2005a, 88). Private life, from what we can
understand, reflected the party model of gender roles. Both in the family and in the party,
womens autonomy in respect of their male comrades (whether as the income-provider or as an
ideological teacher) seemed to be very limited. The example of Grazia Tagliapietra is symbolic
of this: one of the few armed female partisans, depicted in 1943 as tall and serious, with an
alpine cap . . . and a long 91 rifle in hand, she was compelled, as soon as she married the
functionary Giuseppe Gaddi, to put on once again the clothes of the invisible and silent angel of
the hearth (Casellato 2004, 68).
The images that can be found in the sources, even though for the most part invented, are
tailored to suit popular expectations and to reflect the collective mentality. This makes them
illuminating in studying the construction of gender identity and the family model. There is no
doubt that while the image of a communist paradise overcrowded with saints is a stereotype,
it also complies with common sense. Although the model was always that of the nuclear family,
if we read between the lines the image of patriarchy appears to be more important. It is not a
coincidence that in Il Gioco dei Regni, Emilio Serenis daughter describes him as a patriarch
(Sereni 2007, 348), while the family of Papa Cervi, the protagonist of the memoirs used in a
widespread propaganda campaign in the mid-1950s, was a true patriarchal family (Cervi 1955).
Similarly, even though she realised that it was outdated, Ines Pisoni immediately sensed the
best kind of family feeling in the Muccinellis large farmhouse near Ravenna, where she was
sheltered during the Resistance years (Pisoni 1990, 162).
Variations on the Sereni model
In spite of the trademark Soviet elements (Serebrennikov 1945), in the concept of woman all the
weight of socialist tradition seems to resurface, dripping with positive philosophy, as well as
perfectly in line, incidentally, with Lenins pronouncements in 1917 (Wood 2000, 38). The
dominant model remains in essence that of the good shepherd: the working man who, on
returning home, finds himself inevitably in endless arguments with his wife, who protests
because he has gone on strike and makes a fuss to prevent him from going to the party meeting
(Casalini 2005b). And the task of converting her to socialism was never easy. At times women
could make your hands itch, observed Concetto Marchesi, participating in the debate opened by
Ruggero Grieco in Noi Donne on the subject of domestic violence (Marchesi, Nemmeno con un
fiore, 11 October 1953; Bellassai 2000, 113).
Certainly, Emilio Sereni did not use such rough manners to convert Marina (Xenia
Silberberg) to his secular religion. But I giorni della nostra vita has been dwelt on too often in
elaborating exegeses on the sacred text of the activist couple (Sereni 1955; on the stereotype of
communist masculinity see also the novel by Arpino 1958). Certain aspects disclosed in the
memoirs of Ines Pisoni are even more interesting. Mi chiamero Serena is also an anti-Fascist
story; Serena, like Xenia, did not know anything about communism, she also from a lower
level worshipped His image, that of the Communist, the Real Man.
What is truly striking is the longevity of this model, so durable that it appears timeless and
unchanged even after 30 years. The canvas of history, however, is different, and Mario,
compared with Emilio, appears even more saint-like, as he dies a martyr.
After having read Marina Sereni, and having learned from their daughter Clara that the text
was revisited and corrected in an ad hoc manner by her father, I thought I knew the quintessential
communist male; god-like and heroic (Bellassai 2000, 209 210; Casalini 2010, 255 257. For
the Russian dimension, see Petrone 2002, 172 193). But it was not like this. The Mario of Ines
dominates the Emilio of Xenia. No one nowadays would fall in love with Emilio, but some
women would not be able to resist the charms of Mario, a communist hero in the Hollywood
tradition. Handsome, surly, but a lover of women: masculine, but faithful and sincere; as
sensitive and respectful as he was fearless; ready to give his life for others.
I defended as best I could my small private world, in which I was convinced of true ideas and
things, but . . . he brought me irresistibly and, at times, with violence, to discover the contradictions
and to become conscious of my petit-bourgeois mentality . . . he thrilled me with intense logic and
the profound sense of truth that I found in all his arguments . . . . I spoke little . . . he would look at me
with that light in his eyes; he who had known how to give me, right from the moment we met, the
certainty of having met a real man, a man who you could give your life to without ever regretting it
. . . I still dont know how much my new direction came from my conscience or from my feelings for
him. (Pisoni 1990, 27, 33, 44 45)
Although he was hardly one of Winckelmanns perfect male sculptures, the communist male was
still an ideal stereotype. It is no accident that Mario says to Ines you are too feminine when, at
first, he wants to keep her out of the partys clandestine organisation (Pisoni 1990, 55, 67).
However, the ideal could also become real, as in the case of Rosy and Tonino, whose weighty
correspondence is a rare pearl that has been brought to light by Laura Rossi (291 letters written
between 1951 and 1953, in Rossi 2010, 157). He was a working-class communist from Genoa
and she was an educated Catholic from Romagna:
Our future life will be interwoven by physical and moral ties. You must grow, meet the world and
escape from the leaden casing that weighs you down. I love you so much, openly and faithfully . . .
you should be to me as I will be to you. You should participate in my hobbies, in my walks and in my
reading. You really will be my very own little wife.
Here Tonino expressed all his egalitarian zeal and this is how Rosy responds:
You have become my only goal, my every thought and my every desire revolves around you. I will
give you all of myself, absolutely, and I will always and only be your woman, as you desire, I will
follow you wherever you go, talking to you continually about us . . . . Now I have faith in life and . . .
I owe everything to you.
Other men, other women and other families
However, not all communists were like Tonino. First-hand accounts from young party cadres
show, on more than one occasion, an attitude towards the opposite sex that is quite different from
his. All of them shared with Tonino the same belief that men were superior, but generally their
openness to dialogue was different, i.e. very limited. In the autobiographies of students from one
of the party schools in Bologna, in the early 1950s, it is not unusual for a comrade to admit that
he considers women as merchandise, as a simple instrument of pleasure (Francesco B.).
Leaving aside the idea that a democratic couple based on such attitudes is not very
convincing, we should remember that for the party leaders the family meant something quite
different from the belief of the masses: in party schools the reigning model, at least until 1956,
was still that of the professional revolutionary. If on a propaganda level the communists
continued to sing hymns to the unity of the family, for the activist the first priority was political
work. The party believed that selfish actions of parents should broaden into a wider solidarity:
La Madre, a book that circulated widely among Italian communists in the post-war years,
summarises this theory.
Moreover, those who entertain the notion that communist political language is coherent
would be rather confused if they read the documents from the Association of Pioneers (API), the
PCI organisation aimed at the youth. The same family that elsewhere is described as an oasis of
good feeling is here depicted in sombre tones. The backwardness . . . the lowering of the spirit
of life, the unemployment, the lack of adequate social provisions . . . [mean that] in the
proletarian family children are inevitably abandoned to themselves or subjected to a restrictive
authority, characterised by the rules of archaic conformity, argued the API Secretary at the
national congress in 1954 (Pagliarini 1954, 61). For the new generations only an education of
collective spirit, like the one taught in the USSR, continued to be considered educational
(Attwood 1999, 115 125; Fitzpatrick 1999, 142 163).
Even the portrayal of the Pagliarini family, so different from the official stance of the partito
nuovo, makes up only one of the components of an ideology that appears to be multi-layered.
It is difficult to fully understand it and above all it is impossible to verify how the models
proposed from on high were actually received by the lower echelons of the party. The limit to
how much we can know remains insurmountable: a private memory simply does not exist.
Both in written accounts and in interviews now as then we can only catch the occasional
glimpse. To conceive of a personal dimension to existence was a sin in the Communist
Church. Therefore, even the interviews with the workers in the 1950s, like the autobiographies
compiled in the party schools, or the recent collection of oral accounts, are limited, in general, to
providing information about family origins: sometimes they describe in detail the first meeting
with their future spouses, but they do not reveal anything about the couples daily life (Vallini
1957; Caiti and Guarnieri 1996; Zavattini 2007).
The only thing we know for sure is that the communist family appeared to be a single-parent
family. Not that other husbands were particularly present within the domestic sphere, but for
communists the political responsibilities, in the union and in factory meetings, were
extraordinarily pressing and were prioritised above the family. The activists real family
remained the Party. I was always out and about! . . . I was away during the day, at night,
continually and therefore the time I could dedicate to my family was very limited, states
Ferdinando Benatti, union militant in the CGIL in Modena, while Franco Pasini, who was busy
with the party and in the union, remembers having endless arguments . . . [with his wife] because
I was never at home . . . . For me the party was everything! . . . even now I am never at home!
says Renato Botti (Bertuccelli 2004, 99, 433, 162). The accounts are monotonously similar.
The absence of the father and husband did not mean that women would have more control at
home. In fact it meant the opposite. My impression is that, in open contradiction with the image
of Togliattis supportive family (and the egalitarian model of the USSR), if anything it
reinforced the role of the patriarch. It was as if subjection to the party, as well as giving the
communist a beneficial sensation of relief from the evils of life (Mafai 1996, 52 53), invested
the father/husband with a kind of reflected authority, measured in part by the obedience of his
wife. Gender roles remained unchangeable and, paradoxically, at a time when women were
finally becoming citizens, it appeared even more urgent for comrades to control their votes,
which they thought were at risk of being manipulated by the priests. Even at the beginning of the
1950s, the Vie Nuove PCI weekly paper continued to play this tune: women must obey the
husband in all ways, after they have sworn their faith at the altar (Fedelta anche nel voto, in Vie
Nuove No. 21, 25 May 1952). The Catholic Church said the same thing, though in this case
exceptions were considered; in the privacy of the voting booth women should, if necessary,
disobey their husbands and vote according to their own conscience for the Christian
Democrats, naturally. In this way they would save their souls (Magnani 1992, 203).
Analysing the family in the communist tradition is very complicated; slogans are contradictory
and overlapping, and they are often at odds with the unacknowledged but long-established and
profound tradition of thought in the working-class movement. The Great and Second World
Wars had a different effect on gender relationships; this contributed to the substantial correction
of the 1920s concept of the family by Togliattis PCI. The two wars, in Italy as in France, were
followed by a period when traditional gender roles inside the family were re-established
(Thebaud 1999, 12 25), but the two post-war contexts had diametrically opposite impacts on the
perception of gender relations (Higonnet and Higonnet 1987). The trench war had separated
men from women and, as Mosse has observed, it caused a strong resentment towards wives and
girlfriends who had been spared the horrors of trench warfare (Mosse 1998, 67 68; Fussell
2000, iii). The Second World War, on the other hand, was a completely different experience,
which stimulated a spirit of solidarity between the sexes. It is well known that this was a war with
more civilian than military victims; when death fell from the sky directly on the cities it united
the destinies of men and women. In the political and institutional void that followed, the family
represented for Italians, and not only for them, the only trustworthy point of reference.
For this reason the golden era of the family was celebrated throughout Europe (Lawrence-
Zuniga 2003), and the new families did not seem so different from those of the past. For a party
whose main objective had become to increase consensus, the way it looked at the asymmetric
structure of the traditional Italian family, in the context of the years following the Second World
War, was, at least formally, completely different from the revolutionary ideas of the past.
Even in the USSR, the approach to the subject of the family had undergone radical change in
the 1930s (Hoffmann 2003, 97). If in the previous decade the Italian communists had debated the
texts of Kollantai, in the years following the Second World War Makarenkos A Book for
Parents was the vademecum for all communist parties, worldwide (Makarenko 1950). The
family did not appear any more as an obsolete institution, a product of the capitalist system of
production that was therefore destined to a natural dissolution in a socialist state. It was seen as
the best method of integrating the individual into the state.
The differences, in conclusion, that separated the world-view of the young Livorno
secessionists from the Stalinist PCI activists in the years following the Second World War are
macroscopic. However, definitions of relations between the sexes in general and the concept of
the family in particular overrode the differences: it seems that some elements of continuity
between the old and new parties existed. In both periods, for example, there was a gap
between official theory and popular propaganda.
On the one hand, at the ideological level the party claimed to support sexual equality, typical
of early socialist thinking and subsequent Soviet theory. On the other hand, during interventions
in practical questions in Italy, strong differences appear in the delineation of gender roles, which
are now based on the family model from the workers movement, promoting the image of the
male breadwinner (Rose 1997, 193 210). In the years following the First World War the official
stance was very critical of the unfair competition that women created for men in the job
market, while continuing to glorify the role of the mother. In the years following the Second
World War, after having hushed up, in the space of a few months, the demands put forward by
groups in defence of women workers rights, the partys full energy was directed towards the
protection of motherhood.
The parallels between the two phases seem clear. Moreover, there seems to be substantial
duplicity between the behaviour model generally adopted by the leaders of the party and the
model that was propagated among the party members. In the 1920s a restricted circle of
intellectuals debated a new concept of the family and sexual morality that aimed at radical
change in the relationship of a couple, while a more reassuring message was reserved for the
masses, telling them, if a little vaguely, that the family structure would be safe in the communist
society of the future. Similarly, after the Second World War the PCI developed its organisational
structure to become the party for the family, but the leadership cadres remained professional
revolutionaries (Martino 2008, 45). As with the old PCdI, for the party leaders and cadres the
role of the family was substantially downgraded. The real family was the Party and the main goal
of the Party continued to be, until the second half of the 1950s, to educate the new generations.
Translated by Rachael Kerr
1. Furthermore, the portrayal of herself that can be found in Diario di Trentanni seems very similar to the
story of Rossana Rossanda (2005): together they are the only glimpses of private life during childhood
and adolescence before the life choice, after which there was only true politics.
2. On the productive character in Soviet society, of the simple role of the mother and on pronatalism, see
among many, Hoffmann (2000); Neary (1999); Davies (2001).
3. On female workers, see Bettio (1988, 52). As regards membership of the PCI, from 33.5% in 1946, the
housewife membership rose by 11 percentage points in a year; in 1947 it had risen to 44.2% (in 1951 it
would be 50.2%) (Istituto di Studi e Ricerche Carlo Cattaneo, 1968, 359.)
4. In 1945 women constituted 15.62% of the members; in 1946, 19.48% and in 1948, 22.18% (Ghini,
Notes on contributor
Maria Casalini is Associate Professor of History at the University of Florence. She is the author of a
number of books and articles on post Second World War Italian social history: Le donne della sinistra
1944 1948, Rome: Carocci, 2005; Tra guerra e dopoguerra. Donne e uomini nel movimento operaio,
in Mondi femminili in centanni di sindacato, edited by G. Chianese, 43 95, Rome: Ediesse, 2008;
Famiglie comuniste. Identita pubbliche e vita quotidiana nellItalia degli anni Cinquanta, Bologna: il
Mulino, 2010; Ritratti di famiglia nellItalia degli anni Cinquanta. Luniverso comunista, in Famiglie del
Novecento. Conflitti, culture e relazioni, by E. Asquer, M. Casalini, A. Di Biagio and P. Ginsborg, 165
181, Rome: Carocci, 2010; Da Cavour a Lina Merlin. Prostituzione, identita nazionale e ruoli di genere, in
Snodi pubblici e privati nella storia contemporanea, 2012, No. 9: 18 44. She is currently working on a
study of the construction of gender in Italian cinema during the period of transition from Fascism to the
First Republic.
Accornero, A., R. Mannheimer, and C. Sebastiani, eds. 1983. Lidentita comunista. I militanti, la struttura,
la cultura del Pci. Rome: Editori Riuniti.
Arpino, G. 1958. Gli anni del giudizio. Turin: Einaudi.
Attwood, L. 1999. Creating the New Soviet Woman. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Bebel, A. 1891. La donna e il socialismo (1879). Milan: Kantorowicz.
Bellassai, S. 2000. La morale comunista. Pubblico e privato nella rappresentazione del Pci. Rome:
Carocci.
Bertuccelli, L. 2004. Una generazione militante. La storia e la memoria dei sindacalisti modenesi. Rome:
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Bettio, F. 1988. The Sexual Division of Labour: The Italian Case. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Boarelli, M. 2007. La fabbrica del passato. Autobiografie di militanti comunisti (1945 1956). Milan:
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Caiti, N., and R. Guarnieri. 1996. La memoria deirossi. Fascismo, Resistenza e ricostruzione a Reggio
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Cervi, A. 1955. I miei sette figli. Rome: Edizioni di Cultura sociale.
Davies, S. 2001. A Mothers Care: Women Workers and Popular Opinion in Stalinist Russia, 1934
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De Luna, G. 1994. Partiti e societa negli anni della ricostruzione. edited by F. Barbagallo. Vol. I. Turin:
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Di Biagio, A. 2002. I bolscevichi e la famiglia eurasiatica. Passato e presente 57: 118.
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Fantoni, G. 2011. La mineraria lavori o lasci lavorare: Myth and Memory of a Labour Struggle in
Tuscany. Modern Italy 16 (2): 195 208.
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Ferrero, F. 1978. Un nocciolo di verita. Milan: La Pietra.
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New York: Oxford University Press.
Francesco, B., Autobiografie, 155. Istituto Gramsci dellEmilia Romagna.
Fussell, P. 2000. La grande guerra e la memoria moderna. Bologna: Il Mulino.
Gabrielli, P. 2005. La pace e la mimosa. LUnione donne italiane e la costruzione politica della memoria
(1944 1955). Rome: Donzelli.
Gallico Spano, I. N. 2005. Mabruk. Ricordi di uninguaribile ottimista. Cagliari: AM&D Edizioni.
Ghini, C. 1982. Gli iscritti al Partito e alla FGCI 1943 1979. In Il Partito comunista italiano. Struttura e
storia dellorganizzazione 19121979, edited by M. Ilardi and A. Accornero, 269 Milan: Feltrinelli.
Ginsborg, P. 2002. Le politiche della famiglia nellEuropa del Novecento. Passato e presente 57: 45 47.
Gundle, S. 1995. I comunisti italiani tra Hollywood e Mosca. La sfida della cultura di massa (1943 1991).
Florence: Giunti.
Higonnet, M. R., and P. L. R. Higonnet. 1987. The Double Helix. In Behind the Lines. Gender and the
Two World Wars, edited by M. R. Higonnet, et al. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Hoffmann, D. L. 2000. Mothers in the Motherland: Stalinist Pronatalism in its Pan-European Context.
Journal of Social History 1: 35 54.
Hoffmann, D. L. 2003. Stalinist Values: The Cultural Norms of Soviet Modernity (1917 1941). Ithaca:
Cornell University Press.
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Italia, Vol. II: Lorganizzazione politica del Pci e della Dc. Bologna: Il Mulino.
Lawrence-Zuniga, D. 2003. Le condizioni materiali della vita familiare. In Storia della famiglia in
Europa. Il Novecento, edited by M. Barbagli and D. L. Kertzer, 134 Rome Bari: Laterza.
Lenin, V. I. 1971. Lemancipazione della donna, (collection of writings 1899 1922). Rome: Editori
Riuniti.
Macciocchi, M. A. 2000. Duemila anni di felicita. Diario di uneretica. Milan: Il Saggiatore.
Mafai, M. 1996. Botteghe oscure addio. Comeravamo comunisti. Milan: Mondadori.
Magnani, F. 1992. Una famiglia italiana. Milan: Feltrinelli.
Makarenko, A. 1950. Consigli ai genitori (1937). Rome: Edizioni a cura di Italia/Urss, Noi donne.
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should not go to prostitutes (victims of the bourgeois society etc.).
Is love free? No, if it is thought of like drinking a glass of water when you are thirsty. Yes, if it is true
A discussion on the meaning of true love; everyone said what they thought: to wish another person
well; spiritual harmony; respecting the women for what she is, lets not forget it our campaign; to feel
unhappy when you are apart; ties that are not eternal, but not fleeting either.
On the subject of freedom we all agreed it meant not subordinated to bourgeois conventions.
Overall it seems that free love meant marriage with the right to divorce on request for both women
and men.
. . . Affairs, if there is the possibility, are allowed, but only with women who want to, who agree to it
but never from a commercial motive . . . . It is unacceptable to seduce virgins . . . .
These rules would reach comrades in Rome: translated into Roman slang, they would provoke
belly-laughs and unrepeatable comments. They called us the puritans of Turin. (Pizzardo 1996,
25 26)
Amongst the Romans, an important example is Velio Spano, the future outstanding leader in
the PCI and an intimate friend of Tina. His portrayal by her as a professional revolutionary and
as extremely unprejudiced towards relations with the opposite sex appears not by chance to
contradict the image of the faithful husband and exemplary father described in the years
following the Second World War by his wife, Nadia Gallico (Gallico Spano 2005).
The fact that in those years many casual affairs took place among party members, including
Camilla Ravera, indicates that they held a rather elastic conception of the family (Palumbo 1985,
158).1 Autobiographies often contain unreliable information and communist autobiographies
are by no means exceptions to this rule (Pennetier and Poudal 2002, 247 265). The only certain
observation that can be made is that the level of openness on the subject of sexual relations
differs between those who left the party, Felicita Ferrero and Maria Antonietta Macciocchi, and
those who remained within the party apparatus (Ferrero 1978; Macciocchi 2000). To find firmer
ground, and above all to understand the many uncertainties and contradictions that exist between
the family question, the activists and the message that they wanted to transmit to the outside
world, we must analyse the contemporary communist press.
All the communist newspapers in the early 1920s published articles on the subject of the
family and sexual morality. Both LOrdine Nuovo (which carried Camilla Raveras permanent
column aimed at women) and LAvanguardia, the youth newspaper, occasionally took an
interest in the subject of the family and sexual morality. Some interesting articles on the topic
appeared in Il Soviet, published in Naples under the leadership of Amadeo Bordiga, and in
Azione Comunista, the Florentine newspaper founded by Spartaco Lavagnini. Obviously the
newspaper that paid the most attention to the subject of relations between the sexes was
Compagna, the communist womens newspaper. The tone of the newspaper seemed to reflect the
different views of Clara Zetkin and Alexandra Kollontai. On the one hand, it called women on
behalf of the Comintern to fight alongside their companions for the right to work (Zetkin, La
donna proletaria e il regime capitalista, Compagna, 28 May 1922); on the other hand it
perpetuated the idea of the utopian dream of total liberation from the chains of domestic life
and sexual repression. It was a well-devised agenda in the abstract, but in reality it was
inconclusive and increased the inconsistencies between the ideology, inspired by the Soviet
model, and the simple teaching that was aimed at the Italians (for inconsistencies also in
Bolshevik ideology and practice, see Wood 2000).
Before the revolution
The key elements in the construction of the theory put forward by the communist press in the
early 1920s derived from its total separation of the Soviet family (the socialist family in the post-
revolution future) from the Italian family. In the minds of the professional revolutionaries the
future would see complete equality between the sexes, even if this could only be achieved in a
utopia. However, in the national context, the direct opposition to capitalism and the false
emancipation it offered women led to a stance that had an unmistakably reactionary flavour.
Not only was the socialisation of domestic chores relegated to a post-revolutionary future, but
the insistence on the fact that capitalism engendered sexual inequality even led to the denial that
non-domestic work could be a first step on the path towards womens emancipation. When it
became available to women, the factory experience became simply a double exploitation.
Whatever their activity, women workers could not escape ending up like a machine without
thoughts, increasing the emptiness and aridity of their world, while in the past, although
restricted and closed up in the home, the female personality could in some way express itself, in
a spontaneous and intimate freedom; in this way they participated in the collective life. This is
the conclusion that LOrdine Nuovo came to in 1921 (La rivoluzione sociale e le donne, 2
June).
In short, the theoretical position stressed that the capitalist regime offered no hope for
women; in fact, it increased their inferiority. In reality, in the background of this general
interpretive analysis there was a sense of urgency with regard to the present. Reading between
the lines, the main characteristic of the PCdIs language seems to echo the intense competition
between men and women typical of the workers movement in the difficult economic
circumstances following the First World War. This language tended to use truly misogynistic
terms. According to the communist press, women were guilty of having contributed to the war
industry as passive weapons of the bourgeoisies against the interest of their class (F. Ferrero,
Constatazioni e insegnamenti, Compagna 22 August 1922) and bore responsibility for the low
income of men; Italian women remained tormented by their unconscious actions, a condition
more common among the subspecies that centuries of subservience have irredeemably reduced
to a state of idiocy (R.G., La sottospecie donna, Compagna, 27 August 1922; Lindo, La
donna, Azione Comunista No. 9, 4 March 1922). In other words, to reference Elizabeth Wood,
Italian women appeared systematically trapped in the cliche of the Russian baba (Wood 2000,
38 39, 217).
Victims of ignorance and superstition, and unfamiliar with communist language, for women
the doors to true knowledge remained closed. Even though the work had been always
represented by socialist propaganda as the first source of emancipation, in the Communist press
it assumed an image completely negative, in which the emphasis was on its damages on women;
this leitmotiv, paradoxically, appeared alongside claims that women had the right to be
employed in all areas of the industry that are not harmful (Il lavoro delle donne nei sindacati,
Compagna, 15 December 1924). While La Difesa delle Lavoratrici, a socialist womens organ,
after a break during the war returned to highlight the value of work in the fight for female
emancipation (V. Ardena, La donna e la disoccupazione, 3 June 1922; A. Baratono, La lotta di
sesso, 18 February 1922), Azione Comunista expressed itself in these terms:
Removing her from within the confines of the home, rendering her independent from men . . . the
emancipation that the bourgeoisie wanted to honour . . . has masculinised women; it has
dishonoured the family, the joy of motherhood . . . . Women need a spiritual education . . . not to
encourage . . . rebellion against the will of men, but to give them a true life lesson . . . to make her
conscious of her role as the mother and as a housewife . . . so that everything in the home is
harmonious and generates serenity in the spirit. (Fannie, La vera educazione, No. 4, 28 January
If the newspaper had not, shortly afterwards, published articles on Sexual relations and the
communist regime that discussed absolute equality between men and women, work as a
source of independence and fulfilment for women, freedom to marry whom they chose and the
collective education of children, you might have thought that it was an underground publication
of Azione Cattolica (Azione Comunista No. 5, 4 February 1922). In reality it demonstrates the
clumsy reproductions of the contradictions in the Bolshevik language, whereby the objective of
total equality between the genders seems to be supplemented by maternal tones and the
celebrated references to domestic life (Wood 2000, 62, 111, 144 145).2 In short, one has the
impression of abstract words glorifying both the role of the female worker (in Soviet society) and
the role of the mother (R. Maier, La donna nella societa comunista, Compagna, 15 December
1924; C.R., Le madri operaie, 16 April 1922; B.B., Maternita, 19 March 1922), grafted
uneasily onto statements determined by the main thrust of trade union strategy, which always
aimed to achieve a family salary for the male working classes (Seccombe 1993).
Any demand that had a flavour of equality or a vague feminist tone was judged outdated.
Men and women have in life their own roles . . . it is a matter of placing them both in conditions
that allow them to carry out, show and use these values, wrote Camilla Ravera (Ravera 1973,
97 115). For the party, for the moment, this was enough. Until there had been a radical
transformation in the productive relations it would not be possible to alter the family dynamic or
revise gender roles. This was essentially the belief of the PCdI.
In order to meet the desire of the male proletariat to free itself from female competition and
at the same time safeguard, in theory, the principle of equality between the sexes, as in the
previous century, the PCI preferred to fight for equal pay (De Luna 1995, 94). In order
simultaneously to lay down the tactical premise of the inevitable revolutionary break with
capitalism, the recommendations of Gramsci apparently already anticipating in essence the
reflections in his Prison Notebooks were to extend the analysis of popular culture and to adapt
to the female outlook, attempting to translate into Italian terms . . . the arguments of Lenin
(Ravera 1973). For a population that was traditionally perceived to be family-centred the
prospect of a Russian-style extinction of the family seemed unacceptable in Italy and it was
debated only amongst the select few. Therefore, communist reflections on the family seemed
right from the start characterised by a clear-cut divide between, on the one hand, the model
shared by party leaders and cadres, and on the other, the principles proposed to the masses.
Discussing the future of the family
You cannot discuss the true communist morality with the masses, who do not look beyond
their own nose is the conclusion of Francesco Maletto in his column in LAvanguardia: they
would not understand us and they would denounce us as immoral. It is better, therefore, to
renounce any non-conformist expression and to adjust, at least formally, to bourgeois morals,
differentiating, however, between what is indispensable and what is hypocritical. The concept
of marriage as true ties of love, rather than a simple economic commitment, which it is
reduced to in capitalist society, is in his opinion the best way of representing marriage to the
Italian people (La morale dei comunisti, LAvanguardia No. 20, 28 May 1922). The only
opinion on the dissolution of the family in the Soviet context to be published by the communist
press in those years was that of the Frenchman Marcel Cachin, who was at the time the editor of
LHumanite, as though only a foreigner could be allowed to express himself explicitly and
irreverently on the family institution (Discorso di Cachin alle donne comuniste francesi,
LOrdine Nuovo, 24 February 1921). For its part, the young communists newspaper maintained
that the destruction of the family demanded by the Russian communists was nothing but a myth
(R.G., La famiglia proletaria, Avanguardia No. 17, 7 May 1922).
According to Paul Ginsborg, there was always a great difference between the Western and
the early Bolshevik interpretations of the relationship between parents and children (Ginsborg
2002). It appears that when faced with the many uncertainties that seemed to pervade the
debate within the party, the PCI gave the Italian public the reassuring version that confirmed
the solidity of the family institution. LOrdine Nuovo chose to promote the image of the Soviet
Union as a paradise for mothers and children and the Neapolitan newspaper also supported
this idea. They claimed that ease of divorce did not indicate the decline of the family, and that
women should not be worried by it, because the right to work and the solidarity of the
collective safeguarded them. They argued that it was capitalism that was destroying
the family: as work for women increases, the family disintegrates . . . children are abandoned;
the home is transformed into a cold place. Reality was actually the exact opposite of what
many people might have thought: only a socialist society was actually able to ensure the
survival of the family institution, freed from tormenting financial worries and inequalities
between spouses (La famiglia e il lavoro salariato delle donne, Il Soviet No. 24, 21 August
1921). In other words, only the bourgeois idea of the family had to be voted into extinction, not
the family in the traditional sense, as an emotional union between man and woman, naturally
intended for procreation.
Do not fear, working mothers, that communist society wants to take your young sons away
from their parents, tear children from their mothers, notes Alexandra Kollontai in the pages of
LOrdine Nuovo. At the same time she specifies that the task of creating the new man will not be
entrusted to the old-fashioned, egotistical and miserable family . . . but to the appropriate
communist institution, where children will spend most of their day. With respect to the sad
reality of the working-class family in a capitalist regime, where women are forced to look for
work outside the home because the wage of their husband is insufficient . . . and the children are
abandoned to themselves, the advantages of the great universal working family appear
obvious (see also I circoli infantili, Il fanciullo proletario, 10 September 1922). The new
family, she continues, when marriage is free from calculation and speculation will become a
free association based on reciprocated trust and respect, which will ensure happiness and
harmony (La famiglia e la societa comunista, LOrdine Nuovo 11 August 1921;
Leducazione dei fanciulli, Il Soviet No. 26, 4 September 1921).
This is not so different, at least on the surface, from the family described by Gramsci in 1918,
when he spoke about it as an institution that would survive as a moral entity (Un compito
morale, Il Grido del Populo, 9 February 1918). There are as many ambiguities in the theories
about the future of the family institution as in the definition of the family. For example, the
Bolsheviks, in their romantic definition of the term as described by Preobrazhensky, placed
marriage, the life of the couple, at the centre of their theoretical reflections (Di Biagio 2002); for
Gramsci, on the other hand, it was the exercise of an educators moral duty for men and women to
give life to the creation of the nuclear family that would be the basis for future society. He was
therefore openly against the irrational blind faith in the powers of the state, and against those who
wanted to deprive the family institution of its most authentic function, to bring up humans and to
provide civil education. For this reason, according to the leader of LOrdine Nuovo, it was
necessary to open a dialogue with the masses about the principles of socialist teaching.
But in this case it was not his argument that prevailed. Even after Livorno, the differences
with the supporters of Bordiga were not completely resolved and within the party the stronger
voice was that of Cesare Ravera, who thought that any concessions on the subject of the social
superstructure were a criminal indulgence in utopianism (Utopie morali, LAvanguardia No.
17, 7 May 1922). The effect of the economic transformation introduced by the socialist system
on the subject of relations between | 3,844 |
Martin Freeman, Fenn Wright Partner and Head of both the Fisheries and Rural departments, takes a broadly optimistic view of business to come in 2013, following the best year ever for the Fisheries Department, largely due to the successful disposal of the Cemex angling portfolio.
Fenn Wright<|fim_middle|> good levels of activity in the first weeks of the year, and by the optimistic view expressed by high street lenders Halifax, who predict 'broad stability' continuing throughout 2013.
Fenn Wright's New Homes Manager Maria Montgomery foresees no diminution in demand for new homes in 2013, particularly those on small and select sites under construction by reputably local developers.
"It is quite apparent from the positive number of mortgage valuations carried out throughout the year that mortgage funds are available provided the purchaser has a reasonable deposit and satisfactory status," Andrew Crayston says. | Signature builds on firm foundations - It's been a cracking start to the year in Fenn Wright's new up-market residential department 'Signature' with several new enquiries from buyers looking at properties up to the £2m mark.
One way or another the Government might get its way and force through the a wave of new planning permissions for housing development, but whether this will translate into 'new houses for all' is another matter, says Roger Hayward, Senior Partner and Head of Development at Fenn Wright.
Fenn Wright managing partner Alan Williams is encouraged by | 110 |
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Macduff Shellfish to be acquired in £98.4m deal
by Elliot Preece
Macduff Shellfish Group ("Macduff"), one of Europe's leading wild caught shellfish processors, has entered into an agreement for 100% of the assets of Macduff to be acquired by Canadian-based Clearwater Seafoods ("Clearwater") for £98.4m from the Beaton family and Change Capital Partners, the specialist pan-European private equity fund.
Based in Mintlaw, near Peterhead in Scotland, Macduff has factories in Mintlaw, Stornoway and Exeter and owns and operates 14 mid-shore scallop harvesting vessels from its Dumfries facility<|fim_middle|> its global sales, marketing and distribution footprint into Macduff; a company that already possesses a talented management team, excellent resource assets and a strong presence in Europe, the world's largest and most valuable seafood market. Our companies have been building a working relationship for more than three years and we are confident Macduff represents a highly attractive investment with a strong strategic fit for Clearwater."
Steven Petrow, Partner at Change Capital Partners, said: "When we invested in Macduff in 2011 there was a compelling opportunity to transform the business through international expansion and strategic acquisitions. Thanks to our highly successful partnership with the Beaton family and Management we have delivered on all fronts and are incredibly proud of Macduff's achievements. This has been a very successful investment and we are convinced that the next chapter in the company's history will be very exciting."
Macduff was advised by Burness Paul, KPMG and Anderson Anderson & Brown.
Struggling retailer Tesco announces drop in profits
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Asda to take a cautious approach to Black Friday 2015 | . It employs approximately 400 people at the seasonal peak, specialising in scallops, langoustine, whelk and crab.
Nova Scotia-based Clearwater is one of North America's largest vertically integrated seafood companies, employing approximately 1,400 people, delivering premium wild seafood including scallops, lobster, clams, coldwater shrimp, crab and groundfish.
The deal brings Macduff access to new markets, investment and opportunities for growth. For Clearwater, the acquisition of Macduff provides access to market leading supply in key markets and channels along with a well-established brand, UK-based harvesting and processing expertise, a strong management team and a talented workforce.
Under the deal Macduff will retain its name and operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Clearwater, sharing resources and best practice between the businesses. Current Chairman Euan Beaton will become President of Macduff and Managing Director Roy Cunningham, will assume the role of Vice President.
Euan Beaton, Chairman of Macduff Shellfish, said: "Having reached our goal of building a £52m business, we had one suitor in mind which shares our vision and values to enable us to accelerate our growth on a global scale. With a similar vertically integrated business model, sustainability at its heart, sound employee practices and strong relationships with fishermen but operating on a much bigger scale, Clearwater is an ideal fit for Macduff.
"This deal is great news for our operations in the UK, bringing investment and access to new markets within an extremely successful and respected business. It provides learning and development opportunities for our staff as we share best practice with Clearwater and it gives fishermen access to more markets."
Ian Smith, CEO of Clearwater said, "The acquisition of Macduff brings together two of the world's leading and fastest growing vertically integrated wild shellfish harvesters. The transaction will allow Clearwater to integrate its vessel management and sustainable harvesting practices, innovative processing technologies along with | 400 |
The Challenge of Receiving
One of our grant recipients sent us this interesting letter about being on the receiving side of generosity.
Over the years, I've had the great good fortune to be the recipient of Khyentse Foundation's generosity in the form of several scholarships for long-term retreat. These scholarships actually made the difference between being able to go into retreat or not, so I am enormously grateful. Generosity is such a deep and interesting topic. On the path, we are often encouraged to extend our generosity in so many ways, through service, time, financially, through wisdom if we help others in a teaching capacity, and so on. Although it is often challenging and provocative to extend ourselves in a generous fashion, most of us would probably agree that generosity is its own best reward. Conversely, being on the receiving end of generosity may seem to be relatively easy, since we're getting something. No-brainer right? —obviously, the recipient is benefited. But receiving has its own challenges.
I've often found myself on both sides of this equation, and I can honestly say that for me, it's much more comfortable to be on the giving side than receiving. Whether it's the pride of independence and self-sufficiency or the discomfort of owing others, or any number of other reasons, the fact remains: It can be very difficult to accept others' generosity. And this is even more the case when one finds oneself in circumstances or has chosen a lifestyle that requires financial<|fim_middle|> was encouraging any kind of a freeloader mentality, nor encouraging one to feel entitled. He was pointing out a well-camouflaged ego trait and turning it on its head by suggesting something that ordinarily would be seen as a weakness—accepting help. I'm still working on it.
Readers may also be interested to read author Henry Miller's letter to Anais Nin about the Beautiful Osmosis of Giving and Receiving | assistance from others. Regularly. Ouch. But in my experience, there is a great interdependence at work in the giver/receiver interplay. Its never a static thing, with oneself continuously in one role but not the other.
I've always prided myself on being an extremely independent person, self-sufficient and not relying on others to the extreme. And yet now, as a full-time retreatant with no savings, I am utterly dependent on others' generosity. Over time, I have learned more about the link between sponsor and retreatant, how each is equally benefited in the long run, and that has helped ease the discomfort. But more than anything else, one thing has become painfully clear: There is a lot of "me" in certain types of so-called independence, and I've had that in spades.
Of course, the teachings encourage us to become free of sticky or unhealthy kinds of dependency, to become truly independent. But this is perhaps a deeper kind of independence than the one I prided myself on. Such genuine independence, from any kind of belief that things are real, seems markedly different from the "I don't need anything from anybody and I can go it alone" kind of independence.
Some years ago, my teacher was chiding me about this "independency habit," as he called it. He said, "You have to learn how to be more comfortable accepting generosity from others; that itself is a kind of generosity." I've contemplated that for a long time. I don't think he | 309 |
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John Campbell Shairp (30 July 1819 – 18 September 1885) was a Scottish critic and man of letters.
Life
He was born at Houstoun House, Linlithgowshire, the third son of Major Norman Shairp of Houstoun, and was educated at Edinburgh Academy and the University of Glasgow.
Shairp gained a Snell exhibition to Balliol College, Oxford in 1840. In 1842 he won the Newdigate prize for a poem on Charles XII of Sweden, and took his degree in 1844. During these years the "Oxford Movement" was at its height. Shairp was stirred by John Henry Newman's sermons, and admired the poetry of John Keble, on whose character and work he wrote an essay; but he remained faithful to his Presbyterian upbringing. After leaving Oxford he took a mastership at Rugby School under Archibald Campbell Tait.
In 1857 Shairp became assistant to the professor of humanity in the University of St Andrews, and in 1861 he was appointed to that chair. In 1868 he was presented to the principalship of the United College, St Andrews, and lectured from time to time on literary and ethical subjects. In 1877 he was elected Professor of Poetry at Oxford in succession to Francis Hastings Doyle. He was re-elected to the chair of poetry in 1882, and discharged his<|fim_middle|>Oxford Professors of Poetry
19th-century British journalists
British male journalists
Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford
19th-century Scottish poets
Scottish male poets
19th-century British male writers | duties there and at St Andrews until the end of 1884. He was a friend and correspondent of the Scottish poet and composer, Mary Maxwell Campbell, who lived at St Andrews.
Shairp died at Ormsary, Argyllshire.
Works
In 1864 Shairp published Kilmahoe, a Highland Pastoral, and in 1868 he republished some articles under the name of Studies in Poetry and Philosophy. A course of lectures was published in 1870 as Culture and Religion. In 1873 Shairp helped to edit the life of his predecessor James David Forbes, and in 1874 he edited Dorothy Wordsworth's Recollections of a Tour in Scotland.
In 1877 Shairp published The Poetic Interpretation of Nature, in which he discussed science and poetry, and Hebrew, classical and English poets. In 1879 he contributed a life of Robert Burns to the "English Men of Letters" series. Lectures from his Oxford Professorship were published in 1881 as Aspects of Poetry. In 1888 appeared Glen Desseray, and other Poems, edited by Francis Turner Palgrave.
References
Further reading
W. A. Knight, Principal Shairp and his Friends (1888).
External links
Attribution
1819 births
1885 deaths
19th-century Scottish writers
Scottish poets
Academics of the University of St Andrews
Principals of the University of St Andrews
Scottish literary critics
| 338 |
Tag Archives: CDs
Blue Öyster<|fim_middle|>MO Top Albums of 2016.
As always, there were some really good albums that just missed the cut: Marillion's F.E.A.R. Megadeth's Dystopia, Winterfylleth's The Dark Hereafter, Eternal Champion's The Armor of Ire, Allfather's Bless the Earth with Fire and Vektor's Terminal Redux to name just a few. They're all great albums that are totally worth your time and money.
But… there can be only ten!
THE HMO TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2016
NUMBER TEN: Gojira – Magma
The French band's sixth album Magma found them simplifying and streamlining their challenging and hard-hitting tech-groove. Tunes like Silvera and Stranded are memorable and thrilling with genuine crossover appeal. And it's a grower with an emotional resonance that earned many repeat listens… and a place in the top ten.
NUMBER NINE: The Wounded Kings – Visions in Bone
The Wounded Kings make their second appearance in the yearly HMO Top 10 with this impressive slab of doom. Sadly, it looks like it will be their last as the band split shortly after its release. But they went out in style. This is a mature and accomplished album with great performances. Massive riffs, classic soloing and chilling vocals from returning vocalist George Birch.
NUMBER EIGHT: Inquisition – Bloodshed Across the Empyrean Altar Beyond the Celestial Zenith
No surprises on the black metal duo's seventh album. Just riffs. Layers of riffs. Infinite riffs. Thrashing, icy and breathtaking riffs. And a big long album title! Bloodshed Across the etc… is a transcendent experience: the cosmic maelstrom of riffs and the hypnotic croaking vocals of Dagon producing an immersive, gripping and mystical listening experience. Oh, and did I mention there are riffs?
NUMBER SEVEN: Blood Incantation – Starspawn
Gloriously old-fashioned death metal right down to the AAD symbol detail on the back cover. This harks right back to the genre's grimy, primitive glory days: labyrinthine Demilch-style riffing and gonzo Trey Azagthoth soloing. But the band put their own extraterrestrial stamp on the style, giving the cavernous riffing an otherworldly quality through inventive use of effects and interludes. A remarkable debut.
NUMBER SIX: Abbath – Abbath
Few black metal legends command as much goodwill and affection as the former Immortal frontman. And, based on the quality of his self-titled solo debut, that looks unlikely to change. This is an icy and militant statement of intent from the ousted singer/guitarist. Epic tales of legend and war, served up with his inimitably grim vocals and a veritable battlefield of inventive riffs. An epic triumph and one of the year's most flat-out entertaining records.
NUMBER FIVE: Cobalt – Slow Forever
Cobalt pulled off a hat-trick of impressive feats with Slow Forever. They managed to successfully replace a key member (Charlie Fell coming in to replace departed vocalist Phil McSorley), they managed to satisfyingly follow up their faultless, classic 2009 album Gin, and they also managed to release a double-album with no filler on it. Fucking show-offs! Literate, raging, savage black metal with a dusty, sunbaked hint of Americana.
NUMBER FOUR: The King is Blind – Our Father
Released in January, this impressive and manly melting pot of extreme metal was the album to beat for most of the year. And it managed to secure the number four spot: no mean feat for a debut album in such a strong year as this. Our Father has a thoughtful, esoteric concept served up with a varied and cathartic total metal drubbing. And if their new track Throne of Skulls is anything to go by, there's still plenty more where this came from.
NUMBER THREE: Anaal Nathrakh – The Whole of the Law
This is a total nightmare merry-go-round of screeching, howling, screaming, mechanistic black metal. It's a terrifying aural assault, but the impossibly versatile vocalist Dave Hunt (aka V.I.T.R.I.O.L!) serves up melodic hooks to die for on tracks like Hold Your Children Close and Pray for Oblivion, In Flagrante Delicto and Extravaganza! The most enjoyable migraine you'll ever get.
NUMBER TWO: Mithras – On Strange Loops
Death-metal-in-space! Seems to be a thing this year. But whereas Blood Incantation's Starspawn went for the primitive old-school approach, On Strange Loops is visionary and progressive. It's blasting and intense with sublime musicianship, but the real winner here is the writing and arrangement of the album. You just know a ton of thought and care went into this. There's so much depth, the songs flow together beautifully and… my god… it's full of hooks!
NUMBER ONE: Darkthrone – Arctic Thunder
Everyone can blather on about influences, genres, their old style, their new style and so on. But the fact is that whatever Darkthrone do, they sound like Darkthrone. On Arctic Thunder they sound even MORE like Darkthrone. This is raw and vital. A raging thunder of pure, unadulterated metal, blackened by a chill arctic wind of frosty misanthropy. Cohesive, consistent, fucks not given. The best Darkthrone-style band in the world at their best. And there's nothing better than that.
HMO TOP ALBUMS BY YEAR
2016: Darkthrone – Arctic Thunder
2015: My Dying Bride – Feel the Misery
2014: Voices – London
CDsDebut AlbumsTop Albums of 2016
Album Reviews, Genre, Heavy Metal, Reviews
Blaze – Silicon Messiah (Review)
Blaze – Silicon Messiah (2000)
I loved Blaze Bayley in Wolfsbane but because I didn't enjoy his stint in Maiden I never really thought of him as a "metal" guy. To me, he was at this best when he was painting the town red and lighting up the night with a little kiss. That was the Blaze I liked. So when his first post-Maiden outing Silicon Messiah proved to be a dark, very-metal affair I just passed on it. Not his forte.
I was wrong. Sixteen years later, spurred on by reading positive reviews and the return of Wolfsbane, I have added Silicon Messiah to my collection. It's remarkably good. A proper underdog album if ever there was one. It's downbeat, dystopian drop-D riffing is definitely of its time (think Brutal Planet, Magica etc…) and the opening tracks raise a worry that it's all going to be a bit samey. But the album soon lightens up. Born as a Stranger, the galloping The Brave and Man on the Edge-esque The Launch are all extremely enjoyable, anthemic power metal tracks. The album just gets better and better as it rolls on and culminates wonderfully in Stare at the Sun: a gripping, goosebump-inducing epic. And, although tracks like The Hunger are chuggier and samier, their slower pace gives Blaze room to emote. He's massively likeable throughout, delivering a vocal performance full of character and commitment.
So double dumb-ass on me for writing the man off. Turns out he is very-metal after all. He even manages to show Iron Maiden a thing or two with this anthemic and addictive album. It's thoughtful and well-executed, topped off with a great vocal performance of considerable charm and charisma. That's the Blaze I like.
[Blaze – Born as a Stranger]
https://heavymetaloverload.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/04-born-as-a-stranger.mp3
15th Anniversary Edition (w/ 3 bonus tracks) from Blaze's site
2000CDsDebut AlbumsPower MetalReissues
Album Reviews, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Genre, Heavy Metal, Mini-Reviews, Progressive Rock, Reviews
Schammasch – Triangle (Review)
This review was brought to you by the number "3"
Schammasch's Triangle is high-concept stuff. The Swiss group divide their latest album into stages with three themed CDs (The Process of Dying, Metaflesh and The Supernal Clear Light of the Void). The three discs each run to 33 minutes and all signify a stage of a spiritual journey. The concept is enhanced by the wonderful box set package and its eye-catching, symbolic imagery (by the talented Ester Segarra). It all screams masterpiece! Well, apart from the music. The album has a befittingly grand production but the music of Triangle is a chore. The first disc is a sub-Behemoth slog and the third disc, while it has a pleasant cinematic ambience, goes nowhere fast: five tracks where the final two would have had the same effect. The second disc is more successful. Its Monotheist-style evil, glassy prog and mysterious chants offering up the album's hookiest passages. But there's just too much padding throughout. And treating each disc as a separate album doesn't help either when two of them are such a slog. The scale of the project keeps me returning to it, hoping it will finally click, but after coming away from another listen feeling nothing I have to finally accept that Triangle is just overlong and unrewarding. It looks and sounds incredible but there are not enough engaging moments to justify an hour and 40 minutes of my time.
[Schammasch – Metanoia]
https://heavymetaloverload.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/2-03-metanoia.mp3
2016Box SetsCDsNew Releases
Album Reviews, Classic Rock, Genre, Hard Rock, Mini-Reviews, Reviews
Danko Jones – Live at Wacken (CD/DVD – Review)
September 29, 2016 Heavy Metal Overload 19 Comments
Wacken Roll
I love a good live album and I love "classic" rock but rarely come across magnificent examples of either these days. And a good live classic rock album is even rarer! So I was hoping that Danko Jones' latest release Live at Wacken would deliver on both accounts. I've only ever heard a few songs of his and never been blown away. It's all a bit too much like a jeans advert. But I hear a lot of people say he (they?) are great live. On the basis of this set I can imagine that's probably the case but the excitement only partially translates to CD/DVD. It's got a great sound and jovial atmosphere. The band is loose and frontman Danko is in charming form, clearly enjoying being the loverman rocker at Europe's Metal Mecca. But for all their self-professed "mean power chords" there's not much in the way of decent riffs or songs. But the energy, witty raps and cheery vibe are winning and some Misfits-style pop punk numbers like the excellent The Twisting Knife add melodic substance in amongst all the two-chord dating-manual songs. It's likely to be the only Danko Jones I will ever want or need but it's enough of a good time to be worth holding on to. Like their festival slot, it's fun for the afternoon but they'll need to do better to score any hot night-time action.
[Danko Jones – The Twisting Knife]
https://heavymetaloverload.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/04-the-twisting-knife.mp3
2016CDsLive AlbumsMusic DVDsNew Releases
Album Reviews, Classic Rock, Genre, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, NWOBHM, Reviews, Saxon, Series
Saxon – Solid Ball of Rock (Review)
Saxon – Solid Ball of Rock (1991)
The 90s were a challenging time for classic metal acts but, for Saxon, the decade got off to a promising start. The "10 Years of Denim & Leather" back-to-basics tour rejuvenated the band. Aiming to carry the momentum into the studio, the band signed with Virgin Records and headed to Germany to record their comeback album Solid Ball of Rock.
Released in 1991, Solid Ball of Rock finds Saxon returning to a heavier, err… ballsier style. It opens with its title-track and most enduring classic: the band taking Bram Tchaikovsky's Jerry-Lee Lewis inspired rock n' roller and giving it an AC/DC-grade kick up the arse (with a cool nod to The Sensational Alex Harvey Band in its Faith Healer-esque intro). It's followed by the equally thrilling Altar of the Gods. Bolstered by the writing contribution* and forceful playing of new bassist Nibbs Carter, it's a belter of a track with an aggressive, metallic approach that recalls the classic days of Power & the Glory while also pointing the way forward to the band's future power metal leanings.
It's an encouraging opening but doubt sets in with Requiem (We Will Remember). The album's only single, it maintains the feel-good vibe but its sentimentality, U2 jangle and "whoa-ohs" don't sit well with me. But it proves to be the album's only real wobble: the remaining tracks alternating between straightforward, open-chord rock n' roll like I Just Can't Get Enough and I'm On Fire and top-notch galloping Priest-y metal like Lights in the Sky and Baptism of Fire. The rock n' roll tracks are a bit disposable by Saxon standards but have an enjoyably bouncy vitality while the metal tracks add crucial depth and grit with the epic, enigmatic Refugee adding class to the album's late stages. It's a strong combination of styles and a cohesive collection.
Back Cover – Demon reissue with bonus tracks
The overall sense with Solid Ball of Rock is of a band rediscovering their spark and spirit. Sticking to the basics but simultaneously mapping out new directions. The album did great business for the band and, although there were still challenging times ahead, Solid Ball of Rock is a pivotal Saxon album: a joyous, rocking reboot.
*Nibbs' remarkable dominance of the writing credits here turns out to be an exaggeration. With litigious former managers breathing down Saxon's neck they protected their royalties by crediting most of the songs to Nibbs: the only member of the band with no links to their past contracts. Crafty buggers.
Mah copy
[Saxon – Altar of the Gods]
https://heavymetaloverload.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/02-altar-of-the-gods.mp3
1991CDsClassic AlbumsReissues | Cult – Mirrors (Review)
August 7, 2018 Heavy Metal Overload 25 Comments
Blue Öyster Cult – Mirrors (1979)
Blue Öyster Cult had hit it big with 1976's Agents Of Fortune but they were starting to sound like they were going through the motions by the time of 1979's Mirrors. The slick Tom Werman production and generic songwriting displays little of the band's usual esoteric adventurousness. The pastiche Moon Crazy should never have seen the light of day and the title-track has some woeful lyrics: "Pretty girls have a love affair/with their eyes and their shining hair". The AOR approach mostly results in decent but forgettable tracks like Lonely Teardrops but does at least manage to offer up one Cult classic in the wistfully pretty single In Thee. The album is on stronger footing when the band finally starts to sound like the BÖC of old on The Vigil and I Am The Storm, a great cosmic pairing that livens up the second half. Definitely a lesser effort compared to its predecessors but Mirrors has just enough going for it to be worth a look.
[Blue Öyster Cult – The Vigil]
https://heavymetaloverload.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/06-the-vigil.mp3
Pretty boys have a love affair, with their eyes and their shining… hands?
1979AORCDsColumbia
Death Metal, Doom Metal, Genre, Mini-Reviews, Reviews
Dead Congregation – Sombre Doom EP (Review)
December 28, 2016 Heavy Metal Overload 19 Comments
Dead Congregation – Sombre Doom (2016)
Fans of 2014's excellent Promulgation of the Fall would have been hoping for more than just two tracks from these Greek death metallers this year but their new EP Sombre Doom satisfies with quality over quantity. Opening with a howling dead wind of feedback, the first track Redemptive Immolation is grave and doom-laden with a thick, dark atmosphere. After the oppressive opener, the up-tempo battering of Wind's Bane comes as a relief but is still rich in ghostly gloom and haunting guitar. The songs and riffs aren't the most original but Sombre Doom is all about the vibe and the execution: this reeks of rain, death, evil and graveyards. Proper death metal if you ask me, and one of the best EPs of the year.
2016CDsEPsSingles
Black Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Genre, Heavy Metal, Lists
The HMO Top Albums of 2016
Roll out the red carpet! Let the champagne flow! Yes, it's time for the H | 593 |
As we enter A.D. 2008, let us seek the faith of Abraham, who God led into a new land to establish him there as a blessing to the nations. As Abraham set his face to the western horizon, his<|fim_middle|> to a mountain that I will show you" and offer up his beloved son. On that mountain Father Abraham discovered what every true believer has discovered: God is faithful to those who put their trust in Him. Our God provides all our needs on the mountain of His choosing, through the sacrifice that God Himself provides.
His mercies are renewed daily. His faithfulness endures forever. May the New Year confirm this reality in our lives as we face new horizons by faith.
Good point. Much of the Bible, if not all, shows how today's tragedy only points the way to a glorious future.
The Sun rises and sets. We can't change its course.
The Lord gives and takes. We can't change this either.
Yet faith trusts that the uncertain is not uncertain to the LORD. And faith trusts that the Lord is good and sovereign in all things. | heart must have been heavy. His father, Terah, had died in Haran, leaving his territory and inheritance to Nahor, Abraham's older brother. Even before this, Abraham had experienced the loss of his oldest brother, Haran, who died in Ur.
Nahor's gain of the inheritance, according to the right of primogenitor, would serve God's purpose later in the formation of the tribes of Israel, but Abraham could not have known this. He headed west with a heavy heart, the anxiety of an uncertain future, and a mustard seed faith that allowed him to hear God's call to move forward.
By this faith Abraham responded to God's call to "go | 139 |
Hills maintains profits despite revenue dip
Distributor reduces labour and third-party costs
Eleanor Dickinson (ARN) 26 February, 2019 10:26
David Lenz<|fim_middle|> on digital transformation, operating expenses and customer service levels, strong customer and vendor management and its health business would lead to improved trading profit by the end of the financial year.
Read more JCurve Solutions posts half year loss following sales 'headwinds'
"We saw strong performances from our health, Hills connection solutions, enterprise SSIT and IT business areas, which underpinned our improved [first half year] performance," CEO and MD David Lenz said.
"What was also encouraging is these business areas grew versus prior year. However, we still had challenges in certain parts of our distribution business which need to be improved and impacted our first half results."
"In order to ensure we deliver continuous business improvement we will undertake a strategic review in Q4 to ensure we have the correct structure, processes and systems in place to deliver sustained and improved profitability."
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Tags distributorSydneyHillsSeven Hills | (Hills)
Credit: Hills
Hills has maintained its profit after embarking on a period of cost-cutting involving reduction of labour and contractor costs.
The distributor continued its black trajectory from the end of the 2018 financial year with a net profit after tax of $242,000 for the half year ending 31 December.
Although profit was 40 per cent lower than the financial year's $400,000 closing amount, it marked a reversal of the $748,000 loss for same corresponding period last year.
In the first half year of 2019, the Sydney-based distributor's revenue declined by three per cent to $132.2 million. However, operating costs were reduced by $3.1 million.
The majority of the cost-savings came from reduced labour costs. Hills told shareholders it had reduced contractor costs, bonuses and commissions, and salary and wages and was transitioning away from a third-party logistics model, saving it $2.9 million.
Property expenses however increased as the distributor exited a number of locations and migrated its warehouse operations from the third-party provider to a new national distribution centre in Seven Hills, New South Wales (NSW).
Meanwhile, the company attributed its revenue decline to changes to the audio-visual vendor portfolio and challenges within the small to medium business (SMB) sector of its security and surveillance business.
As a bright spot, Hills said its health business revenue grew by 25.7 per cent and it was now eyeing expansion into New Zealand.
Looking ahead, the company said its focus | 331 |
<|fim_middle|>. | During a divorce in Florida, the property is divided by the Equitable Distribution principle. This means that separate property is kept separate, while marital (jointly held) property is divided equitably. This can mean an equal or unequal division of assets for both parties.
Equitable Distribution - Non-marital property belongs to the spouse who earned it, while marital property will be divided equitably between the two parties. The court will consider various factors when determining equitable distribution.
Community Property - Money earned or property acquired during a marriage belongs equally to each spouse, regardless of who earned it. The same principle will also generally apply to debt acquired during a marriage.
What Factors do the Florida Courts Consider for Equitable Distribution?
The 2018 Florida Statutes outline the various factors that the court will take into consideration when determining how to equitably divide marital property in a divorce.
Some states follow the Community Property principle, but most states (including Florida) follows the Equitable Distribution principle. If you are going through a divorce and would like to learn more, don't hesitate to contact The Law Office of Jody L. Fisher to schedule your consultation! Our family law attorney can provide insight and guidance specific to your case | 243 |
Truth in Audio Welcomes Celestion as a School Sponsor
Las Vegas, NV (May 20, 2019) — Truth in Audio (TIA), the company comprised of accomplished live sound veterans which provides unsurpassed educational opportunities in the live sound industry along with information from manufacturers on cutting edge technologies and products, is very pleased to announce that Celestion, one of the world's premier suppliers of professional […]
MSMedia ⋅ May 20, 2019
Las Vegas, NV (May 20, 2019) — Truth in Audio (TIA), the company comprised of accomplished live sound veterans which provides unsurpassed educational opportunities in the live sound industry along with information from manufacturers on cutting edge technologies and products, is very pleased to announce that Celestion, one of the world's premier suppliers of professional loudspeakers and compression drivers for sound reinforcement applications, has partnered with the group as a school sponsor.
Truth in Audio is a company that provides both new and experienced live sound students with unique educational opportunities, taught by some of the most accomplished professionals in the industry today. Founder and President Bernie Broderick, with a long career working for some of the industry's most prominent loudspeaker manufacturers (Adamson, L-ACOUSTICS and EAW,) founded TIA as a company to provide rich educational opportunities in the live sound industry as well as a conduit to connect manufacturers technologies and products with the industry. TIA offers students the unique opportunity to stay current with the industry's leading techniques, trends and best practices, and a means to keep abreast of the latest in manufacturer technologies. TIA<|fim_middle|> the live sound industry's most accomplished veterans, including FOH engineers, monitor engineers, systems technicians, product designers and leading pro audio business executives to provide content for the curriculum, providing historical perspective, as well as a very broad cross-section of personal interpretations of the live sound craft.
"Truth in Audio looks forward to a great partnership with Celestion, a company with a rich history of designing and manufacturing loudspeaker drivers and components, who continue to develop cutting edge technology," says Truth in Audio Founder and President Bernie Broderick. "The new AxiPeriodic drivers from Celestion are a perfect example, having used them in our Green Monster Project. We look forward to sharing this and other advanced technologies with the students in our live sound programs."
Performing the role of two speakers in one, the Celestion Axi2050 is a high power, high-output driver which reproduces a maximum frequency range of 300Hz-20,000Hz without the need for a midband crossover. The Axi2050 delivers an exceptionally coherent signal, particularly in the critical listening band and an extended frequency range; enhancing clarity and speech intelligibility, as well as reproducing music more dynamically and with greater coherence. In contrast to most existing high-sensitivity, wideband drivers which are designed with two separate diaphragms, the Axi2050 uses a single, large diameter, sculpted, circumferentially axiperiodic, annular titanium diaphragm. This breakthrough technology enables the device's remarkable wideband output, as well as providing a number of other significant advantages.
"We look forward to working with the talented Truth in Audio team," adds Ralph Nichols, Celestion VP of Business Development, North America. "This is a great opportunity to work with a uniquely qualified organization to educate the current and future generations of sound engineers and promote the passion of live sound audio, as well as educate them about our new technologies and create even further awareness of the Celestion brand."
About Celestion
With worldwide headquarters in Ipswich, England, Celestion design, develop and manufacture high-quality professional audio loudspeakers and compression drivers for sound reinforcement; as well as premium guitar and bass guitar loudspeakers. These world-renowned speakers are used onstage and in clubs, theatres and other venues the world over. Contact Celestion at: info@celestion.com and visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/celestion.
www.celestion.com
About Truth in Audio
Truth in Audio (TIA) is a unique training academy which joins forces with manufacturers and highly accomplished live sound veterans as well as industry manufacturers for educational training and promotion of new technologies. A mobile academy, TIA travels throughout the USA and Canada in specifically designed mascot vehicles and collaborates with local rental companies to offer technical training at scheduled events. TIA's mission is to become a rallying point for live audio, and also offers various services to its sponsors, including its International Product Evaluation Program (IPEP). The TIA team is adept at evaluating and testing new technologies and products, assisting manufacturers in bringing them to the live sound marketplace.
www.truth-in-audio.com
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https://www.instagram.com/truthinaudio/
Celestion Named a Truth in Audio Sponsor
Symetrix SymNet Radius 12×8 Dante Networked Audio DSP Delivers Present and Future Audio Expansion for Wisconsin High School
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Audio-Technica Serves as the Exclusive Microphone and Headphone Sponsor for High School Nation's 2017 Tour
The Networked Audio Track at the 135th Audio Engineering Society Convention Explores the Future of Audio Connectivity | brings together the contributions of many of | 7 |
Offers fresh sushi and other Asian cuisine such as fried rice and egg rolls.
Click here for a menu.
Brings a bit of New Mexico to the Plaza with tamales, enchiladas, and other flavorful dishes.
Serves gyro sandwiches and salads, hot dogs,<|fim_middle|> dirt on what's happening in the parks. | and Greek side items and desserts.
Authentic Liège sugar waffles with a choice of delicious toppings.
The Porch at Schenley is a full-service restaurant located in the Plaza's northwest corner near the Hillman Library. Porch is a partnership between the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and Eat 'n Park Hospitality Group and was designed to complement the green space of Schenley Plaza in both structure and style. The menu offers selections of delicious scratch-made foods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as weekend brunch. Other features include a takeout window, a green roof where ingredients will be grown seasonally, and a children's garden and stage area. To learn more about Porch and to view the menu, visit their website here.
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Los Angeles Unveils Dashboard to Measure Sustainability Efforts
Chief Data Officer Abhi Nemani says the city's dashboard is connected to ambitious environmental conservation plan, and engages and impacts residents in various ways.
by Jason Shueh / April 9, 2015
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has big sustainability plans for the city, depicted above, are just a few of his ambitions to reduce green house gas emissions and increase conservation. Lacity.org
Many cities have a sustainability plan, but few have a dashboard to tally progress and keep tabs.
On April 8, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti released a sustainability plan and performance dashboard that's envisioned to secure the municipality's limited resources. The city branded the 105-page booklet as "the pLAn" and attached it to a dashboard that tracks economic and environmental goals.
Measurements heavily monitor water usage, a critical city challenge, and display imported water purchases, average per capita water usage, and the percentage of locally sourced water – currently at 15 percent and aimed to be 50 percent by 2035.
Encapsulated in the pLAn's short-term goals, earmarked for completion by 2017, is a push to establish a 65-st<|fim_middle|> of income on rent — by 10 percentage points by 2025, while cutting greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.
"Furthermore, I intend to use the pLAn as a tool to manage the city," Garcetti said, promising annual pLAn evaluations and budget priority. "Reviews of our department general managers will incorporate whether they are meeting the goals of the pLAn."
In an interview with Government Technology, Los Angeles Chief Data Officer Abhi Nemani credited L.A.'s leadership and support team for the dashboard's rollout. Here's what he has to say about the initiative.
GT: What prompted the launch of L.A.'s sustainability dashboard?
Nemani: The pLAn dashboard was created by Mayor Garcetti's Sustainability team, which is led by our Chief Sustainability Officer Matt Peterson. In particular, Ted Bardacke [the deputy director of sustainability] and Sarah Randolph [a project coordinator] led the development of the tool. The dashboard is modeled off of the city's broader performance dashboard that was launched in June 2014, and tracks performance city-wide on key metrics around the mayor's Back to Basics agenda.
Both dashboards were built using Socrata's GovStat platform — and are tied directly to open data. That means that users can not only track the metrics, but also explore the data behind, as you can see on the data.lacity.org home page.
GT: Relative to transparency, accountability and city innovation efforts, what does the dashboard represent for you?
Nemani: As the mayor mentioned in the announcement, "This isn't a plan you put on the shelf; this is a plan of action." The Sustainable City pLAn includes clear, specific and important commitments the city is making to achieve our sustainability goals, which we are already starting to put into place — in fact, just today [April 9], the mayor announced our "Save the Drop" campaign for water conservation. I am a firm believer in the notion that if you can't measure it, it didn't happen. The dashboard gives us a platform to measure, track and assess our progress, and it does so in a way that's transparent and accessible to the people the pLAn will serve: the residents of Los Angeles.
Beyond that, the mayor's Executive Directive for the Sustainable City pLAn includes a expectation that all data relevant to the plan be made open and freely available. We expect to continue to publish open data that active citizens can use and collaborate with us to help achieve the plan's goals.
GT: How do you think the dashboard engages and impacts L.A. residents?
Nemani: The L.A. Sustainability plan extends beyond other similar initiatives undertaken by other cities in that it not only covers environmental issues, but also housing, transportation and the economy. All of these issues are central to the lives of Angelenos — and in all of them, it's not just the city that plays a role, but residents themselves. With the dashboard's transparency into the city's progress, we hope it empowers them to adopt the plan themselves and get involved in the effort.
GT: Does the sustainability dashboard have potential to drive sustainability metrics in other cities?
Nemani: The dashboard was built using the software-as-a-service GovStat platform for Socrata. While not open source, it is reusable for other cities. We are eager to work with and learn from other cities using such tools to promote data-driven sustainability.
Open Data Dashboard Helps Track Sustainability in AustinChief Data Officer Abhi Nemani Leaves Los AngelesDashboard Software Helps Parks District Boost Performance
Jason Shueh former staff writer
Jason Shueh is a former staff writer for Government Technology magazine.
Open Data Dashboard Helps Track Sustainability in Austin Chief Data Officer Abhi Nemani Leaves Los Angeles Dashboard Software Helps Parks District Boost Performance
MORE FROM Data | ation bike-sharing system, create 20,000 green jobs, add 1,000 electric vehicle charging stations and more than triple the city's solar power — installed capacity is currently at 132 megawatts with a goal of 400 megawatts.
Long term, Los Angeles has an equally ambitious agenda with multiple deadlines. Garcetti said he believes the city can increase its solar power to provide for 400,000 homes by 2035. Likewise, the city is working to decrease rent-burdened households — households that pay 30 percent or more | 130 |
Skills-based hiring: this new approach to hiring could spell the death of the CV – here's what you need to know
Written by Lauren Geall
As Stylist's digital writer, Lauren Geall writes on topics including mental health, wellbeing and work. She's also a big fan of houseplants and likes to dabble in film and TV from time-to-time.
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Skills-based or de-biased hiring considers an applicant's skills and abilities as opposed to past experience or achievements.
For decades, the first step in applying for a new job has been getting your CV in order. While most companies will have several interviews or testing stages after the initial application, the skills and experience you're able to demonstrate on your CV are typically used to whittle down the hundreds of potential candidates to a select few.
But just because the system has been in place for a long time, doesn't mean it's not flawed. While CVs do provide employers with a good indication of the level of experience someone does or doesn't have, they also fail to take into context many of the factors which could be at play in that candidate's life, such as a need to take a break from work due to illness, an inability to afford unpaid work experience or a lack of opportunity.
These kinds of experiences don't make anyone less suitable to do a job, but they may affect the perceived 'quality' or 'impressiveness' of a CV – making it a lot harder for that candidate to progress and prove themselves at interview.
This viral tweet is a timely reminder of why you shouldn't have to justify gaps on your CV
At a time when many businesses are (rightly) taking steps to boost diversity among their workforce and remove unnecessary barriers in the hiring process, conversations about whether or not CVs are a useful way to find new staff are beginning to surface. And that's what's led to the creation of a new kind of hiring process called skills-based hiring, which is being championed by the de-biased hiring platform, Applied.
Already adopted by organisations including Penguin Random House, Comic Relief and Harper Collins, skills-based or de-biased hiring focuses on a candidate's skills and ability to do a job rather than their CV, academic background or 'cultural fit'. It<|fim_middle|> 'gut instinct'."
Sundaram continues: "Prepare for work sample questions and get ready to respond to hypothetical case studies and carry out job simulation tasks (for example, running a mock client meeting or doing a sales pitch). These questions test for skills learned through experience, rather than hiring people based on what they look like on paper."
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Copyright © 2010–2022 Stylist | also includes significant changes to the application process for potential candidates, as there's more of a focus on assessments and tests to ensure you have the skills you need to carry out the role.
Speaking about the impact skills-based hiring has had on their hiring process as a whole, a spokesperson for Penguin Random House explained: "Applied is a tool we use as part of our inclusive hiring strategy at PRH and is typically used for company-wide programmes, such as our positive action traineeship The Scheme and Summer Internships where we're looking to recruit on potential rather than experience."
Skills-based hiring places less emphasis on CVs and more on an applicant's skills and abilities.
They continued: "Applicants' responses are anonymised and assessed against a standardized set of structured questions, which are then assessed by multiple raters, with the highest-scoring applicants invited to take part in learning and selection events. It's part of a wider focus we have on ensuring we embed inclusive ways of working throughout the recruitment process, as we work towards achieving our goal of representation in all teams, at all levels."
While skills-based hiring is still kind of rare (especially as you move up the career ladder), chances are it's going to become a lot more popular over the coming years – and that means you'll need to familiarise yourself with how best to excel in this kind of environment.
To help you get started, we asked Khyati Sundaram, CEO of the de-biased hiring platform Applied, to tell us more about how you can prepare for a skills-based interview. Here's what she had to say.
Don't rely on your CV
Because CVs are less important in a skills-based process, you'll want to make sure you're able to highlight your skills and relevant experience in other ways.
"CVs don't count for much in a skills-based hiring process, because proxies on a CV (such as previous employers or academic background) can lead employers to make assumptions about a candidate's abilities which aren't at all accurate or predictive," Sundaram says.
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"Instead of talking about what you've done up until now, a skills-based hiring process will require you to apply what you know to questions and scenarios directly relevant to the role you're applying for. You should still make sure your CV is up to date and free from typos – but don't expect to lean on it or talk about what's written on it very much during your interview."
Prepare to answer 'work sample' questions
Instead of demonstrating your experience through tasks and roles you've completed in the past, skills-based interviews use 'work sample' questions to uncover whether or not you have the core skills you'll need to complete the role you've applied for well.
"Work sample questions take parts of a job and turn them into hypothetical tasks," Sundaram explains. "The philosophy behind them is to simulate the job as closely as possible and test for core skills, rather than making assumptions about what a candidate is good at based on what they've told you."
Sundaram continues: "To prepare, read the job description carefully and write down the specific skills required for the role. For example, for a marketing role key skills might include running a paid social media campaign or drafting key messaging. Brainstorm everything you know about each of these core skills and think about how you might apply your knowledge within the context of the company you're applying to.
"You could even ask a friend or trusted colleague to create some mock 'work sample' questions for you to practise, based on the skills required."
Work sample questions are an important aspect of skills-based interviews.
Understand the difference between 'core values' and 'culture fit'
Instead of looking at how you'll fit in with the rest of the staff, a skills-based hirer will be interested in finding out about your core values, and whether they align with the mission of the business you're looking to work for.
"The difference between 'core values' and 'culture fit' is really important in skills-based hiring," Sundaram explains. "Assessing for 'culture fit' is dangerous as a company's culture is likely to reflect the dominant demographic, meaning anyone who doesn't fit the 'norm' isn't likely to get hired due to unconscious bias.
"Rather than trying to show that you'll be good fun at Friday drinks, immerse yourself in the company's values and prepare to talk about how these align with your own. Be yourself and show how and why you believe in what the business stands for – this will tell your prospective employer a lot more about how you'll perform and add value, and how likely you are to stick around."
Prepare for a structured interview
The main difference between a structured interview and a 'normal' job interview is that you'll be asked the same questions as every other candidate in the same order – so you won't get specific questions about your past roles or experience.
"The idea is to standardise interviews so that apples can be compared to apples – structured interviews mean talented candidates from outsider backgrounds get a fair chance to show off their skills, as well as candidates who've struggled to gain experience to date due to hiring bias," Sundaram says.
Video interview tips: how to prepare for a virtual job interview, according to the experts
"Structured interviews are fairer and more predictive than unstructured interviews, and mean you no longer need to worry about being disarmed by trick questions, informal chats or an employer's | 1,120 |
Knights maul Mass Bay 98-47 on Sophomore Day!
Warwick, R.I. – February 23, 2015: The CCRI Knights men's basketball team hosted the Buccaneers of Mass Bay Community College Wellesley Hills, MA to the Vincent A. Cullen Fieldhouse on Saturday. The Knights dominated the game from the opening tip until the final buzzer to win by the final count of 98-47. With the victory the Knights improve to 13-13 overall and 10-2 in Region XXI play. Saturday was also 2015 men's basketball sophomore day where they honored their six sophomores who were playing in their final weekend game for the Knights. The honorees were: Keshaun Cothran (New Haven, CT), Johnson Weah (Monrovia, Liberia) Austin Gagan (Coventry, RI), Tri-Captain Jerome Harris (Hartford, CT), Tri-Captain Malieke Young (Providence, RI), and Tri-Captain Anthony Jernigan (East Hartford, CT).
CCRI jumped out early and never looked back as the defeated the Bucs 98-49. The Knights defense stymied Mass Bay and their transition offense ran the fast break to perfection as they took a commanding 56-23 lead into half time. CCRI came out of the gate quickly again in the second half to start the half with a 10-0 run. From there, Head Coach Rick Harris went to his bench early to give several of the players some well-deserved playing time. All 14 Knights got into the game and 13 players made it to the scoring column.
Leading the way was sophomore Tri-Captain Anthony Jernigan with a double-double consisting of 21 points<|fim_middle|> in every facet of the game. It was a great way to send our sophomores off on Sophomore Day."
The next game for the Knights will be tonight when they will host the Rams of the Naval Academy Preparatory School from Newport, RI at 5:30pm at the Vincent A. Cullen Fieldhouse. | with 10 assists, sophomore Tri-Captain Malieke Young hit for 11 points including three 3-pointers with four assist and sophomore Tri-Captain Jerome Harris added nine points with a 3-pointer and two steals. Sophomores Austin Gagan and Johnson Weah added six points apiece while sophomore Keshaun Cothran added three points including a rim-rattling fast-break dunk. Freshmen Marshall Nelson (Perth, Australia) added 11 points with three 3-pointers and freshman forward Mahda Brewah (Dover, DE) added five points and hauled in a team-high nine rebounds.
After the game Coach Harris commented," This was our best effort of the year. We played well | 152 |
Not necessarily, warns Richard A. Easterlin, an economist at the University of Southern California, in his new book, Growth Triumphant: The Twenty-first Century in Historical Perspective. Easterlin concedes that richer people are more likely to report themselves as being happy than poorer people are. But steady improvements in the American economy have not been accompanied by steady increases in people's self-assessments of their own Happiness. "There has been not improvement in average Happiness in the United States over almost a half century----a period in which real GDP per capita more than doubled," Easterlin reports.
The explanation for this paradox may be that people become less satisfied over time with a given level of income. In Easterlin's word: "As incomes rise, the aspiration level does too, and the effect of this increase in aspirations is to vitiate the expected growth in Happiness due to higher income."
Money can buy Happiness<|fim_middle|>20% more income to be perfectly happy.
Needs are limited, but not greeds. science has developed no cure for envy, so our wealth boosts our Happiness only briefly while shrinking that of our neighbors. Thus the outlook for the future is gloomy in Easterlin's view. "The future, then, to which the epoch of modern economic growth is leading is one of never ending economic growth, a world in which ever growing abundance is matched by ever rising aspirations, a world in which cultural difference is leveled in the constant race to achieve the goods life of material plenty, it is a world founded on belief in science and the power of rational inquiry and in the ultimate capacity of humanity to shape its own destiny. The irony is that in this last respect the lesson of history appears to be otherwise: that there is no choice. In the end, the triumph of economic growth is not a triumph of humanity over material wants; rather, it is the triumph of material wants over humanity." | , Easterlin seems to be saying, but only if one's amounts get bigger and other people aren't getting more. His analysis helps to explain sociologist Lee Rainwater's finding that Americans' perception of the income "necessary to get along" rose between 1950 and 1986 in the same proportion as actual per capita income. We feel rich if we have more than our neighbors, poor if we have less, and feeling relatively well off is equated with being happy.
Easterlin's findings, challenge psychologist Abraham Maslow's "hierarchy of wants" as a reliable guide to future human motivation. Maslow suggested that as people's basic material wants are satisfied they seek to achieve nonmaterial or spiritual goals. But Easterlin's evidence points to the persistence of materialism.
"Despite a general level of affluence never before realized in the history of the world." Easterlin observes, "Material concerns in the wealthiest nations today are as pressing as ever and the pursuit of material need as intense." The evidence suggests there is no evolution toward higher order goals. Rather, each step upward on the ladder of economic development merely stimulates new economic desires that lead the chase ever onward. Economists are accustomed to deflating the money value of national income by the average level of prices to obtain "real" income. The process here is similar----real income is being deflated by rising material aspiration, in this case to yield essentially constant subjective economic well-being. While it would be pleasant to envisage a world free from the pressure of material want, a more realistic projection, based on the evidence, is of a world in which generation after generation thinks it needs only another 10% to | 347 |
We haven't gotten the amount of snow that's been forecasted but Kade's school<|fim_middle|> it quickly. And I think he really liked all the Dorito commercials during the Super Bowl. | was closed today because the owner was worried about the possible lake effect snow we could get. Wednesdays Kade stays at school until 2 and I usually have a busy day running errands and doing other things he doesn't like to do with me. Today he got to tag along on my busy day. First we went to the post office to mail a package. Then we went to the library, which is what we do after I pick him up. Then I had to get a few things from Walmart. We dropped off our things and grabbed some lunch items and had lunch with Mickey at work. Kade was happy about this "errand" and kept talking about playing that "ball" game, meaning fuss ball or foosball.
We enjoyed our lunch, finishing with some Valentine cookies. Yumm. Then Mickey and Kade played a little fuss ball. Kade was a little loud during the game but I think most of the people enjoyed him. We stopped at Mickey's office so he could shoot some hoops and play with cars and airplanes. (You would not believe how many toys Mickey has in his office.) We said our goodbyes and headed home. But that wasn't the end. We dropped off the lunch stuff and went to JoAnn. I'm looking for some fabric for an order and didn't find what I wanted so we went to the near by Hobby Lobby too. We left empty handed there also. We got home to rest for a few minutes before having to get Meg. During all our running around Kade made the comment of having a busy day. I told him that if he would have had school he would have missed it all. I don't think he would have wanted to give up his lunch with Mickey though. Who doesn't like being the center of both parents' attention?
We never did get the lake effect snow. In fact most of the morning the sky looked like this.
And for the record I paid Mat the ten dollars she "won" from me on Sunday.
That was a lot of fun! Kade really does enjoy my workplace and I must say we are pretty lucky to have the things we do. It's funny I've never seen it typed out as "fuss ball". That makes me think of a crying ball. I've always referred to it as foosball, but of course you're not wrong. I just didn't realize it could be spelled that way.
Love the picture of the sky.
I'm exhausted just reading about your day. Sorry we missed you at the library; we went after lunch.
I forgot to mention that Kade missed his Valentine party. He wasn't too happy about that but got over | 545 |
INFOBITS is an electronic service of the Institute for Academic Technology's Information Resources Group. Each month we monitor and select from a number<|fim_middle|> at the forefront of academic technology development and implementation. A partnership between the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and IBM Corporation, the IAT strives to facilitate widespread use of effective and affordable technologies in higher education. | of information technology and instruction technology sources that come to our attention and provide brief notes for electronic dissemination to college and university educators.
THE SCIENTIST is a biweekly newspaper for scientists and the research community. It is circulated internationally to researchers, administrators, and policy makers in academia, industry, and government. It covers current issues and events that impact the professional research environment--including funding legislation, new grants, employment and salary trends, career advancement opportunities, ethics and conflicts of interest, representation of women and minorities in science, and the interplay of industrial, academic, and governmental research.
It is now available electronically--in full text and free of charge--on the Internet. Issues from November 1992 onward are available.
INFOBITS is published by the Institute for Academic Technology. The IAT is a national institute working to place higher education | 170 |
Which Of Taylor Swift's Famous Besties Took The Stage On Her 1989 Tour?
Taylor Swift invited music and fashion world friends to the stage for the Detroit stop of her tour.
Taylor Swift's 1989 tour is already one for the books with bright, sparkly outfits, large stage sets, and a roster of songs you've been singing all year. But during her latest tour stop in Detroit, she upped the ante by inviting a couple of friends to join her for the party.
The show took a rock turn when Taylor added Dan Reynolds from Imagine Dragons to sing his group's mega hit, "Radioactive." Taylor described part of their duet as a "RAGE FEST" and from the looks of these pics, she's not wrong<|fim_middle|> to be the proudest friend ever & dance and sing with all of you amazing people!!!!!!!!!!" Gigi wrote enthusiastically on Instagram. "Your love and passion will NEVER GO OUT OF STYLE."
By now, we've come to expect superstar surprises from Taylor. What's in store for upcoming tour stops? | .
Taylor also added a little supermodel power with her "Bad Blood" costars Martha Hunt (aka Homeslice) and Gigi Hadid (aka Slay-Z).
But rather than bring them out to reenact the now-iconic music video, she invited the two fierce fashionistas to strut down the stage's catwalk for "Style." Totally fitting!
"I got | 76 |
Wherever you spend your summer days lazing — by the lake, pool, ocean, or just perched on a lawn chair in the backyard — make sure you have a beach towel in tow to keep you protected from the hot ground and to dry you off from a midafternoon dip. We picked 11 fun designs to show off a bold and beach-ready style.
"Luxurious" is probably not the first descriptor you're looking for when shopping for beach towels, which is why this nautical-striped pick will take you totally by surprise. Crafted of 100% cotton, this oversized towel is far spongier and more absorbent than other types. It even boasts a 630 GSM (that's "grams per meter") weight, rival<|fim_middle|> bar or to stick your toes in the water — this totally 'grammable towel will help keep your staked-out spot from being snagged.
Whether you're lounging away in a tropical paradise or in the urban jungle, stay cool and stylishly minded with this luxe Martinique-inspired beach towel, adorned with leafy palm fronds.
Make waves with this round, tassel-accented beach towel. It sports a sunny shade paired with preppy stripes, and the terry-cotton material is perfectly plush for all-day lazing.
This chic beach towel looks right at home draped over a lawn chair, or even spread out on the prow of a yacht. (Hey, we can dream, can't we?) The interconnected, art-deco-style typography brings an upscale edge to your most relaxed moments. | ing the plushy factor of your bathroom towels. For under $40, we'd say this is a real bargain for a premium-quality product.
As much as we love spending all day at the beach, toting home soggy and sandy towels has a way of really dampening the fun. This microfiber beach towel may be on the thinner side, but its quick-drying, sand-repelling material makes for a practical beach-bag accoutrement. They're available in a variety of vibrant colors in either a 63- or 78-inch-long size, and they even come with a convenient carrying case!
Just keep in mind that microfiber will cling to whatever it's tossed into the laundry with, so be sure to separate this towel from your delicates when it comes time to wash it.
No need to send your sentiments through snail mail — a quick snap of this Ban.do beach towel gets the message across loud and clear. Wherever you're spending your summer days, it makes a soft and cozy companion.
This quirky-cool cotton beach towel from Ted Baker is in the running to become our favorite surf-side accessory of the season. Its generous 36-by-72-inch size provides a comfy and spacious place to spend the dog days of summer.
This reversible Pendleton beach towel is incredibly plush, and its extra-large size is plenty roomy to wrap up with by a beachy bonfire. Its geometric design offers a style-forward, minimalist take on the relaxed boho vibe.
This tutti-frutti towel from Lacoste may be preppy, but it sure pops against a sea of bland beach blankets. Made of thick, super-soft cotton, it's just the right size for solo sunbathing.
When you simply can't spare another vacation day, spending your weekends laying out in your own backyard is the next best thing. Make the patio feel a little more like paradise with this pineapple-shaped beach towel from SunnyLife.
Keep your peace of mind as you run to the snack | 410 |
Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/quantf/v9y2009i5p581-595.html
Capital allocation for credit portfolios with kernel estimators
Dirk<|fim_middle|> http://www.tandfonline.com/RQUF20 . | Tasche
Determining the contributions of sub-portfolios or single exposures to portfolio-wide economic capital for credit risk is an important risk measurement task. Often, economic capital is measured as the Value-at-Risk (VaR) of the portfolio loss distribution. For many of the credit portfolio risk models used in practice, the VaR contributions then have to be estimated from Monte Carlo samples. In the context of a partly continuous loss distribution (i.e. continuous except for a positive point mass on zero), we investigate how to combine kernel estimation methods with importance sampling to achieve more efficient (i.e. less volatile) estimation of VaR contributions.
Dirk Tasche, 2009. "Capital allocation for credit portfolios with kernel estimators," Quantitative Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(5), pages 581-595.
Handle: RePEc:taf:quantf:v:9:y:2009:i:5:p:581-595
File URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14697680802620599
Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
Acerbi, Carlo & Tasche, Dirk, 2002. "On the coherence of expected shortfall," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 26(7), pages 1487-1503, July.
Carlo Acerbi & Dirk Tasche, 2001. "On the coherence of Expected Shortfall," Papers cond-mat/0104295, arXiv.org, revised May 2002.
Gourieroux, C. & Laurent, J. P. & Scaillet, O., 2000. "Sensitivity analysis of Values at Risk," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 7(3-4), pages 225-245, November.
Gouriéroux, Christian & Laurent, J.P. & Scaillet, Olivier, 1999. "Sensitivity Analysis of Values at Risk," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 2000002, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES), revised 00 Jan 2000.
Christian Gourieroux & Jean-Paul Laurent & Olivier Scaillet, 2000. "Sensitivity Analysis of Values at Risk," Working Papers 2000-05, Center for Research in Economics and Statistics.
Christian Gourieroux & J. P. Laurent & Olivier Scaillet, 2000. "Sensitivity Analysis of Values at Risk," Econometric Society World Congress 2000 Contributed Papers 0162, Econometric Society.
C. Gourieroux & J.P. Laurent & O. Scaillet, 2000. "Sensitivity analysis of values at risk," THEMA Working Papers 2000-04, THEMA (THéorie Economique, Modélisation et Applications), Université de Cergy-Pontoise.
Paul Glasserman & Jingyi Li, 2005. "Importance Sampling for Portfolio Credit Risk," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 51(11), pages 1643-1656, November.
Sandro Merino & Mark Nyfeler, 2004. "Applying importance sampling for estimating coherent credit risk contributions," Quantitative Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 4(2), pages 199-207.
M. Dietsch & C. Welter-Nicol, 2014. "Do LTV and DSTI caps make banks more resilient?," Débats économiques et financiers 13, Banque de France.
Guangwu Liu, 2015. "Simulating Risk Contributions of Credit Portfolios," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 63(1), pages 104-121, February.
So Yeon Chun & Miguel A. Lejeune, 2020. "Risk-Based Loan Pricing: Portfolio Optimization Approach with Marginal Risk Contribution," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 66(8), pages 3735-3753, August.
Thomas Siller, 2013. "Measuring marginal risk contributions in credit portfolios," Quantitative Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(12), pages 1915-1923, December.
Leitao, Álvaro & Ortiz-Gracia, Luis, 2020. "Model-free computation of risk contributions in credit portfolios," Applied Mathematics and Computation, Elsevier, vol. 382(C).
Karabey, Uǧur & Kleinow, Torsten & Cairns, Andrew J.G., 2014. "Factor risk quantification in annuity models," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 34-45.
Dietsch, Michel & Petey, Joël, 2015. "The credit-risk implications of home ownership promotion: The effects of public subsidies and adjustable-rate loans," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 103-120.
Takaaki Koike & Mihoko Minami, 2017. "Estimation of Risk Contributions with MCMC," Papers 1702.03098, arXiv.org, revised Jan 2019.
Laurent, Jean-Paul & Sestier, Michael & Thomas, Stéphane, 2016. "Trading book and credit risk: How fundamental is the Basel review?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 211-223.
Corporate risk management; Copulas; Applications to credit risk; Applications to default risk;
All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:taf:quantf:v:9:y:2009:i:5:p:581-595. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.
For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: (Chris Longhurst). General contact details of provider: | 1,448 |
In breaking fashion news, pop diva Katy Perry has officially announced plans to unveil her own footwear line. According to Women's Wear Daily, the 31-year-old Rise songstress will be collaborating with Global Brands Group. Called Katy Perry Footwear, her upcoming eponymous collection will stay<|fim_middle|>"It's been a creative goal of mine to be a real contributor in the affordable fashion space," she stated. | true to Perry's signature quirky and rainbow-hued style.
WWD reports that the footwear line will include a variety of sandals, sneakers, stilettos and pumps. Slated for a Spring 2017 launch, the collection will be carried at select retailers and also available online. All the shoes in the line will be priced between $59 to $299.
With Perry being easily recognized by her love of funky patterns, over-the-top accents and sparkle, this collection is sure to be an eye-catching one. In an official statement to WWD, Global Brands Group president and North American chief marketing officer Jason Rabin described the decision to partner with the star.
"In addition to being one of the biggest music icons of today, Katy Perry is an incredibly talented and creative individual, whose style and confidence speak to women around the world," he said.
| 176 |
Energetic promoter of the public understanding of science Professor Lawrie Challis, Emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of Nottingham and one of the UK's leading physicists, is an independent expert in the field of radio frequency radiation, with a particular focus in recent years on the possible links between mobile phones and health.
His involvement in the health effects of non-ionising radiation began in 1999 when he became Vice-Chairman of the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones and Health.
Since then he has taken a prominent national role as an advocate and facilitator of more research<|fim_middle|> over 5 decades. He's still going strong and is a most worthy recipient of a Fellowship.
Thus I have pleasure in presenting Professor Lawrie Challis, OBE, this most distinguished person, for admission to our highest honour of Fellow of Liverpool John Moores University. | in this area, and at all times steadfastly maintaining an objective and independent stance, repeatedly stressing that his concern is about public health, not the wishes of Government or the profits of industry.
Lawrie Challis was born in the 1933 in the Kent town of Ramsgate. After being evacuated to Somerset during the War, he studied at Chatham House Grammar School in Ramsgate. There he excelled in the sciences and progressed from school to Merton College, Oxford, to study Physics in 1951.
He graduated with a First Class honours degree in 1954 and stayed on as a Senior Scholar and had his first experience of lecturing which he greatly enjoyed. He then spent time researching at the Clarendon Laboratory, Oxford, where he obtained a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1958.
In 1959, he moved to the University of Nottingham to take up a post as Lecturer in Physics. By 1971, he was appointed to an established chair in Low Temperature Physics, and in 1994, he succeeded to the prestigious Lancashire-Spencer Chair of Physics.
He has published over 230 papers, he has held visiting appointments in Australia, France, New Zealand and the USA, and he has been involved in the organising of international conferences in many countries, including Japan, the USA, Germany, Hungary, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, and Russia.
Throughout his career, he has been an energetic promoter of the Public Understanding of Science, giving many lectures to schools and university science societies.
Particularly noteworthy has been his campaign for proper recognition of George Green who was born in 1793 in Nottingham. He was a mathematical physicist, well-known to physics students world-wide for Green's function and Green's theorem. He was a windmiller for much of his life and had little formal education before the age of 40, making his academic achievements all the more impressive. Lawrie Challis led the campaign to restore Green's derelict windmill and to establish a hands-on science centre in the mill grounds.
On retirement, Lawrie Challis became Emeritus Professor of Physics, and later a Leverhulme Emeritus Fellow, at the University of Nottingham and has remained as busy as ever.
In this role as an expert advisor on mobile phone mast safety, he has acknowledged that transmitters have still not been proven to be safe, and he has successfully campaigned for more funding for research in this area from government and from private industry.
The possible health risks incurred by using mobile phones themselves are of more concern to Prof Challis who says, "I am more worried about having a phone two centimetres from my head than a nearby mast". And he is even more worried by the level of mobile phone use among children, and argues that more needs to done towards educating youngsters about limiting the time they spend on phones.
Although officially retired, Lawrie Challis's work-life balance doesn't seem to have changed that much. He has however relocated to deepest Devon, where any precious spare time is spent sailing and walking with his wife, Jennifer. Professor Challis is a most distinguished academic who has sustained an outstanding contribution to Physics for | 663 |
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HubSpot Company News | 2 min read
HubSpot Surpasses 100,000 Customers and $1 Billion in Annual Recurring Revenue, Celebrates the Companies Using its CRM Platform to Scale
Written by Ellie Flanagan @ellieqflan
HubSpot, the customer relationship management (CRM) platform for scaling companies, announced today that it has surpassed 100,000 paying customers and has reached $1 billion in annual recurring revenue, marking two important milestones in the company's nearly 15-year history.
HubSpot was founded on the idea that the way people shop and buy had changed, and that companies needed to adapt to that change by creating valuable content and experiences that lead to long-term relationships with customers. While HubSpot began with the inbound methodology and a marketing automation app, it has now expanded to a powerful CRM platform that helps companies align their marketing, sales, and service teams to create delightful customer experiences. The platform is supported by more than 600 integrations, a thriving solutions partner network, and hundreds of Academy courses that are all based on HubSpot's belief that companies that align their success with that of their customers grow better.
"My co-founder Dharmesh has a saying, 'success is making those who believed in you look brilliant.' These milestones are a massive testament to each and every customer who has believed in us over the past 15 years; we owe our success to you," said Brian Halligan, co-founder and CEO of HubSpot. "As I reflect on the past year, I'm deeply humbled that so many companies have chosen HubSpot to help them innovate and adapt during this time of unprecedented uncertainty and change. Our customers are building the next normal, and I'm excited to continue to work alongside them to create a better future."
This announcement follows a year of significant growth for HubSpot as<|fim_middle|>
Marketing Plan Generator
Free Business Templates
Industry Benchmark Data
Software Comparisons Library
All Partner Programs | the company has expanded its offerings to meet the needs of scaling companies. Notable announcements from 2020 include:
The relaunch of the company's Marketing Hub Enterprise and Sales Hub Enterprise offerings, marking the most significant expansions of HubSpot's enterprise-tier products to date.
The introduction of marketing contacts, a new pricing model that allows customers to only pay for the contacts they want to market to via email or ads.
The launch of CMS Hub, a standalone content management system that represents the company's fourth product hub.
To celebrate this milestone, HubSpot is also recognizing customers who used the company's platform to scale in 2020. Despite the uncertainty and financial hardship that many companies experienced, HubSpot customers saw a 40% increase in website visits in 2020, and average monthly deal creation per portal grew approximately 10% compared to the beginning of the year. From mental health and finance to business collaboration and entertainment, these companies have continued to innovate and to help their own customers adapt to the next normal.
"When the pandemic hit at the beginning of 2020, we shifted our focus towards creating valuable content for our customers to help them navigate tremendous uncertainty and new modes of work, talent sourcing, and hiring," said Doug Ellinger, CMO at Workable. "HubSpot's platform made it easy to create and share resources with the companies and individuals that needed them the most. We know we'll be able to continue to rely on HubSpot as we enter our next phase of growth."
Learn more about the companies using HubSpot to grow better here.
Originally published Feb 11, 2021 4:15:00 PM, updated April 22 2021
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Mainly used to enable quick access to a building, automated entrance doors are a beneficial<|fim_middle|> large panels and operate either manually or electrically in a vertical motion to allow minimal disturbance to any surrounding items or vehicles. However, the bonus with these doors is that the opportunity for windows or door access to be included within them is available, making them more versatile than some of their counterparts.
As with several other models mentioned above, sectional doors are also a good option for those looking to reduce their energy consumption as they possess outstanding thermal qualities that can help to maintain both hot and cold temperatures. Here at Zenith doors, we offer insulated and insulated glazed sectional doors, both of which work well in a range of industrial environments.
While we have covered just some of the different types of industrial doors here, there are several more that could prove perfect for your business. To find out more about our industrial doors, south west, get in touch with us today using our online message form or browse our extensive range online today. | option for businesses with a heavy footfall. Functioning through a sliding mechanism, not only can these doors open wide and make it easier for both staff and customers to transport large or heavy objects in and out of a building, but they also enable easier access for those with disabilities or mobility problems.
Automated doors can be of single or double leaf construction and installed by our NVQ qualified team for both internal and external usage. Read our blog to discover more about how automated doors could benefit your business.
Mainly used to enable access to larger industrial buildings such as business units or warehouses, roller shutter doors are made up of a selection of horizontal slats that are vertically hinged together to form a solid door. They can be operated electrically or manually and are one of the most secure door designs available on the current market due to the fact that they often only permit access via remote control or motion sensor. As well as offering a number of different benefits, these doors are also ideal for those operating a busy working environment as they can be opened and closed quickly and efficiently and cause minimal obstruction.
Here at Zenith Doors, we offer a range of roller shutter doors including fire rolling shutters, 75mm lath roller shutters and insulated lath roller shutters, each available with added safety features including safety edge, photocells, radio control, radar detector and induction loops.
Essentially the opposite of roller shutter doors, folding shutter doors consist of vertical panels that are usually made from galvanised steel and linked together by large steel hinges. The door is hung from a lintel mounted heavy duty top track by double rollers fitted to alternative pickets and functions horizontally by opening and closing via a folding motion.
Depending on where they are situated, our folding shutter doors can be installed as bi-parting doors or doors that bunch either side when opening. With the choice of manual or electrical operation, the versatility of these bulky but effective doors makes them an excellent option for industrial business owners.
A popular option for businesses looking to be more energy efficient, rapid roll doors operate at an exceptional speed and consequently, help to conserve heat or cold air inside a building. While their fast, vertical operation is one draw of these innovatively designed doors, their durability also makes them one of the most suitable door types for industrial environments as they are both sturdy and long-lasting.
Not only can our rapid roll doors help businesses to reduce their energy consumption by preserving certain temperatures through their insulating properties, but they also work to prevent cross-contamination, enable a flow-through of traffic and help to lessen noise pollution from both inside and outside sources. They are also available in a variety of colours, meaning no matter what type of business you are, you're sure to find a rapid roller door to suit you!
While not as robust as other industrial door models, PVC curtains are a lightweight and less expensive alternative that still provide protection for both products and staff. Consisting of overlapping heavy gauge strip, PVC curtains are hung from the top of doorways and can be used in conjunction with other external doors to provide an insulating yet flexible barrier that, unlike many other industrial entries, permits two-way visibility.
As well as protecting staff from dust, draughts, fumes and spray, PVC curtains also assist with energy conservation, making them a great option for those who want to reduce their energy usage yet can't afford a more expensive model, e.g. rapid roll doors. Additionally, the transparency of these curtains is also a plus as they enable those working in an industrial environment to see each other, permitting better communication and enabling transactions to occur more safely.
Not too dissimilar to roller shutter doors, sectional doors are made from | 741 |
Happy Christmas: Movie Review
A look<|fim_middle|> Movie Review | at the line between immaturity and maturity with charming characters.
Happy Christmas is an oddly mature look at immature people as they approach a happy time in people's lives – Christmas. Kelly (Melanie Lynskey) and Jeff (Joe Swanberg) is a happily married couple with a young baby. Jeff's younger sister, Jenny (Anna Kendrick), just went through a break-up and is coming to stay with them in Chicago. She isn't particularly happy, but she does have a certain happy-go-lucky nature to her. 2014
Screenplay by: Joe Swanberg
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey
Melanie Lynskey and Joe Swanberg in HAPPY CHRISTMAS,
a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
Part of the simple efficiency to the film is the basic character types – Kelly is the stay-at-home mom frustrated with the stay-at-home part and that she doesn't have a job to go to. Jeff is the ultra-supportive husband who goes to work and brings home the bacon. Jenny is the irresponsible, floundering twenty-something who has no structure to her empty life. Why? Because she doesn't want kids; she doesn't hate them but she doesn't want one herself.
At first the film has a look and feel reminiscent of the HBO show Girls. Probably because it co-stars Lena Dunham and features 20-something girls who are more focused on parties, alcohol and sex, rather than their career. But this works for the film due to the many negative and positive characteristics that Jenny has. And Dunham's few scenes are surprisingly very funny – including trying to pick up and carry a drunk and passed out Jenny who is asleep on somebody else's bed.
Jenny is very immature, tends to think of herself before anybody or anything else, but she's not intentionally malicious or self-important. She can be responsible, but she's never had to put somebody else before herself. The selfless and mature Kelly, on the other hand, judges Jenny and judges Jeff just for being related to her. She also fails to see how her personal pedestal doesn't actually make her a better person. This is what Swanberg has started to excel at is creating basic character types, giving them all negative and positive characteristics and just let the film unfold around them.
Lena Dunham, Anna Kendrick and Jude Swanberg
in HAPPY CHRISTMAS, a Magnolia Pictures release.
Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
The film is very minimal in style and very little happens other than the main characters interacting with one another. The dialogue is also meant to be realistic and natural including lots of "um"s and "uh"s. It can be a very off-putting style, but I was intrigued by Kendrick's hilarious portrayal of the simply damaged Jenny, and Swanberg's Joe who is trying to straddle the line between the very different sisters-in-law.
There are some great moments of humour that the film uses to propel the film and its characters forward. Kelly's job away-from-home is that of a novelist and the completely inexperienced Jenny is going to help her become more successful. The medieval fantasy erotica novel which Jenny convinces her to write is hilarious, and the realization that the novel would actually be worse than it sounds makes it even funnier.
Happy Christmas isn't quite as universal and compelling as "Drinking Buddies," but the entire ensemble, particularly Kendrick, is just as charming. For a funny, not as straight but very simple, look at clashing sisters-in-law and the line between maturity and immaturity, the film should work well.
Drinking Buddies (2013) - The criss-crossing of two relationships by four perfectly matched actors.
Before Midnight (2013) - The evolution of lives, the devolution of a relationship, the fight of immaturity versus maturity.
Newlyweds (2011) - Characters who step out of their relationship and into real life.
Labels: 400 Word Reviews, 7 Star Movies, Character Study, Female-centric, Relationship Dynamics
Snowpiercer: Movie Review
The Angriest Man in Brooklyn: Movie Review
Frozen: Movie Review
Audrey: Movie Review
Let's Be Cops: Movie Review
Begin Again: Movie Review
4 Minute Mile: Movie Review
Locke: Movie Review
Devil's Knot: | 899 |
The Wynn flower carousel in the entrance to Encore Boston Harbor. It is one of three designed for Wynn Resorts by Preston Bailey. (Photo by Bruce Mohl)
Rolling the Dice/ Gambling
Wynn talks up entertainment district in Everett
Maddox, sounding bullish, looks to expand, says casino not for sale
By Bruce Mohl Cas<|fim_middle|> done in Everett, building an integrated resort that plays a strong role in urban renewal.
Steve Wynn, who left the company last year amid allegations of sexual impropriety, was not mentioned during the press conference except when DeMaria referred to some early discussions with him in the early stages of the project. In many respects, however, the hotel and casino were the brainchild of Steve Wynn and carry his imprint.
Tagged in: Casinos
‹ Muslim to head city's immigrant advancement office Fighting opioids in the court and streets ›
Coverage of casino licensing and the gambling referendum
Encore gets seal of gaming commission approval
Boston reports moderate traffic from Encore opening
Wynn Resorts formally opens for business
You've got to check it out
By Bruce MohlSee all »
You could even swim in the Mystic at Encore | inos 0 Comments Jun 21, 2019
THE TUNE has certainly changed at Wynn Resorts.
A little over a month ago the company announced it was exploring the sale of Encore Boston Harbor to MGM Resorts. Those talks were called off, and CEO Matt Maddox stated emphatically on Friday that the company would not consider selling the property and indeed views it as the anchor for an expanding entertainment district in Everett over the next decade.
"Encore Boston Harbor is not for sale," Maddox said at a press conference in the facility's buffet area just off the massive casino floor. "We feel very confident about the location, the partnership with the city, and what this property will generate in the Northeast."
Maddox said the company has acquired 11 acres of undeveloped property across from the hotel over the last four years and is likely to add even more.
"We want to work with the city to create an entertainment district. It's not all going to be our company – Wynn," he said. "We want to work with lots of local developers, potentially other hoteliers, convention centers, etc. But our idea, along with the mayor's, is to continue to redevelop the area so it's known as the entertainment district in the Northeast."
Maddox said the hotel, casino, and convention center that are about to open to the public on Sunday are the first step. "This is what happens," he said. "You build the anchor and all of a sudden everyone looks around and says, 'Look at the opportunity.'"
That's music to the ears of Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria, who talks up the "second phase" of the project every chance he gets. On Wednesday, he said it was his understanding that many of the power plants across the street from the resort are up for sale, and there is strong interest from a number of buyers, including Wynn Resorts.
Maddox sounded bullish on the Boston market, saying he believes Encore Boston Harbor will have an impact regionally as well as internationally.
"I do think that there will be an impact [on Connecticut's casinos] because, as you know, a lot of the Connecticut market is Massachusetts. Clearly our facility, I believe, is superior and the location and the service are five star. One thing I don't want to get lost in this is we are in the business of tourism. We believe our company will be able to attract significant international tourism because people are really interested in coming to Boston. This is a great tourist destination," Maddox said. "We're focused on the region, but we're really focused on the planet."
Maddox said gamblers from the Far East are coming next week to check the resort out along with 25 journalists from Japan, where Wynn Resorts is investigating new casino options. Maddox said many in the casino industry are interested in what Wynn Resorts has | 591 |
'A Very Normal Family' is a dark comedy, says actor Roshan Mathew
Harikumar J S
Thiruvananthapuram, January 30, 2019 15:24 IST
The cast of A Very Normal Family | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The play, directed by the actor and premièring in the city on Friday, brings together a motley group of talented artistes
Roshan Mathew loves being on the stage as much as being seen on the screen. In fact, the actor says he broke into the silver screen after many successful years under the arc lights in Chennai and Mumbai. Now,<|fim_middle|> Very Normal Family premières at Nishagandhi Auditorium at 7.30 pm on February 1 as part of Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters)
Related Topics Thiruvananthapuram Theatre
Printable version | Jan 18, 2020 11:14:55 AM | https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/theatre/roshan-mathews-play-a-very-normal-family-which-premires-in-the-city-tomorrow-is-a-dark-comedy/article26127549.ece
I make the audience complicit in my art: Amitesh Grover
The festival director of the International Theatre Festival of Kerala, which begins on January 20, he says that the theme of the fete reflects the times we live in and the multiple and interactive roles of art and theatre
Parshathy J Nath | the Changanassery-born actor, known for his roles in Aanandam and Viswasapoorvam Mansoor among others, is donning the director's hat for A Very Normal Family, "a dark comedy" that explores orthodoxy and individual freedom at play through a modern-day extended family.
Conceptualised by Roshan, the play brings together a motley group of talented artistes.
"In Kochi and in other places, I met a lot of actors who were like me, who wanted to get better with acting or take their skills to the next level and gain a larger exposure. Some of those on-board are artistes who have spent their time waiting for good work and others have been around for a while," says Roshan, now based in Kochi. Actor Kani Kusruti is also part of the project.
"Kani had learnt about our project through a mutual friend and was quite enthusiastic about joining in," adds Roshan.
However, the "open-ended collective" spearheaded by Roshan chooses to work sans a name. "Our group was just forming as a collective and we were also discovering ourselves. We soon realised we didn't want to start off by calling ourselves by any name or company until we felt we were doing really well," says Roshan, who made his Mollywood debut with Puthiya Niyamam.
A poster of the play | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
A Very Normal Family revolves around a young woman, Tina, played by Darshana Rajendran of Mayaanadhi and Vijay Superum Pournamiyum fame, the only daughter in a house of three children. Tina, who works in a metro, comes back home for Easter holidays and breaks the news that she had got married two years ago but has now filed for divorce.
"That's the trigger. The rest of the play is about how each member of the family reacts to this situation and comes up with his/her own solutions. About how big a deal the divorce turns out and how the family actually makes it a much bigger issue than what may essentially be a rift between two people," says Roshan.
It is set in a Kerala town, a little away from a city. "It's a well-off Christian family, the kind of family where a matriarch rules the house. Kani essays that character, called 'Ammachi'," adds Roshan, who will be next seen on screen in upcoming Nivin Pauly-starrer Moothon, directed by Geethu Mohandas.
Roshan Mathew | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Though discussing a sensitive topic such as divorce, Roshan says he has steered clear of making any judgements. "We are merely dissecting a perceived 'stigma' in a conservative environment. Sometimes, it's an issue that gets blown out of proportion."
A bilingual play, with dialogues written in "contemporary parlance", Roshan says though in dramatic terms, Tina is the protagonist as her personal conflict takes the story forward, A Very Normal Family is not a female-centric work. "The character of Tina is merely used as the central point of view. However, we don't really have a lead character per se as the stage presence has been apportioned to reflect an ensemble cast," he points out.
Others in the cast include Rajesh Madhavan (Maheshinte Prathikaaram), Santhi Balakrishnan (Tharangam), Syamaprakash M S (Sleeplessly Yours), Divya Prabha (Take Off), RJ Sanjay Menon and Sidharth Varma.
(A | 750 |
La stazione di Lei è una fermata ferroviaria al servizio del comune di Lei, posta lungo la ferrovia Macomer-Nuoro.
Storia
L'impianto nacque con caratteristiche di stazione nell'ultima parte dell'Ottocento in coincidenza con la fase di realizzazione della ferrovia a scartamento ridotto tra Nuoro e Macomer, il cui tracciato si<|fim_middle|>omer-Nuoro
Lei (Italia)
Altri progetti
Lei
Lei (Italia) | sarebbe sviluppato a breve distanza dall'abitato di Lei. L'attivazione della stazione risale al 26 dicembre 1888, data in cui fu aperto al traffico il tronco iniziale della linea tra Macomer e la stazione di Tirso in cui l'impianto è compreso.
Successivamente lo scalo passò alla gestione delle Ferrovie Complementari della Sardegna nel 1921 e da queste alle Ferrovie della Sardegna nel 1989 e all'ARST nel 2010. In quello stesso anno l'intera Macomer-Nuoro fu chiusa per lavori di ammodernamento del tracciato e degli scali, compresa la stazione di Lei; alla riapertura nel 2012 tuttavia l'impianto era stato trasformato in fermata, stante la rimozione dal piazzale ferroviario di tutti i binari ad eccezione di quello di linea.
Strutture e impianti
L'impianto di Lei si trova ad alcune centinaia di metri dall'abitato omonimo, e dal 2012 presenta una configurazione di fermata passante, essendo dotata del solo binario di corsa a scartamento da 950 mm, dotato di una banchina. Per la realizzazione di quest'ultima sono stati rimossi due binari precedentemente presenti nello scalo: sino al 2010 infatti l'impianto aveva caratteristiche di stazione, avendo in posa un binario di incrocio ed in più un tronchino terminante dinanzi al dismesso scalo merci dell'impianto, quest'ultimo composto anche da un piano caricatore e da un magazzino in uso per questo servizio.
Adiacente al magazzino merci è situato il fabbricato viaggiatori della fermata, una costruzione a due piani a pianta rettangolare e tre accessi sul lato binari; presente inoltre un piccolo edificio adibito a magazzino.
Movimento
La fermata è servita dai treni dell'ARST operativi lungo la Macomer-Nuoro: i due capolinea sono anche i centri maggiori raggiungibili dai collegamenti interessanti l'impianto. Le relazioni vengono espletate nei giorni feriali, mentre nelle domeniche e nei festivi non vengono effettuati treni, in luogo dei quali vengono svolte alcune autocorse sostitutive.
Servizi
L'impianto è dotato di una sala d'attesa e di servizi igienici, questi ultimi tuttavia non più a disposizione dei viaggiatori. Era inoltre presente una biglietteria a sportello.
Sala d'attesa
Interscambi
Nel piazzale esterno allo scalo è presente una fermata delle autolinee interurbane dell'ARST, che collegano lo scalo con vari centri del circondario.
Fermata autobus
Note
Bibliografia
Voci correlate
Ferrovia Mac | 726 |
by Evan Minsker
Outrageous Cherry's Larry Ray Has Died
The founding guitarist of the Detroit rock institution was battling lung cancer
Photo by Butcher Walsh
Larry Ray, founding guitarist of the long-running Detroit psychedelic rock and power pop band Outrageous Cherry, has died. The band announced the news, saying he passed following a short battle with lung cancer. Born in 1954<|fim_middle|> as if he were reading from a 40's film noir script. He had a seemingly limitless knowledge of all kinds of music, and a highly individual guitar style: left-handed, never playing the same thing twice, always coming up with something new. And he was a really nice guy. Larry was one of a kind, and we miss him already.
Outrageous Cherry | , Larry Ray Piekutowski was the lead guitarist in the band since they formed in 1991. He was also a member of the Ivories and the Spike Drivers. He played on Outrageous Cherry's dozen albums, including their most recent LP, 2014's The Digital Age. Their most recent single "I Believe in Sunshine" was released by Burger Records this year. The band wrote in a tribute on Facebook:
Larry was a mysterious guy, who would typically provide elliptical answers to the most straightforward questions, | 111 |
Justia Regulation Tracker Department Of Commerce National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration Draft NOAA Scientific Integrity Policy and Handbook; Availability, 36094-36095 [2011-15435]
Draft NOAA Scientific Integrity Policy and Handbook; Availability, 36094-36095 [2011-15435]
Download as PDF 36094 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 119 / Tuesday, June 21, 2011 / Notices the surrogate financial ratios when the available record information—in the form of itemized indirect labor costs— demonstrates that labor costs are overstated. The Department notes that the use of a single surrogate country for labor input valuation purposes renders moot concerns expressed by MOFCOM and VASEP that ILO Chapter 6A data is only available for a limited number of countries. wwoods2 on DSK1DXX6B1PROD with NOTICES_PART 1 Calculation of Labor Surrogate Value Pursuant to the comments received and the Department's analysis thereof, the Department will value the NME respondent's labor input using industryspecific labor costs prevailing in the primary surrogate country, as reported in Chapter 6A of the ILO Yearbook of Labor Statistics. The following explains this single country wage rate methodology in more detail. The ILO collects labor cost data by country and industry, which is reported on the basis of the United Nations' International Standard Classification of All Economic Activities (''ISIC'').10 The industry-specific data is revised periodically, and not all revisions report data for all industries. The Department will make every attempt to identify and review relevant industry-specific wages in the primary surrogate country that are as contemporaneous as possible with the period of investigation. To determine the most appropriate labor cost data to use, the Department applies a number of filters.11 The Department 10 The ISIC identifies different industry classifications. The ISIC provides industry classifications by section (i.e., A—Agriculture, hunting, and forestry), then at the two-digit division level (i.e., 01A—Agriculture, hunting, and related service activities), then further sub-detail at the three-digit major group level (i.e., 011—Growing of crops; market gardening; horticulture), and sometimes a four-digit group level (i.e., 0111— Growing of cereals and other crops, nec.). There are explanatory notes at the two-digit division level, three-digit major group level, and four-digit group level that provide a detailed list of the industries covered in and excluded from each classification. The ISIC also has different revisions of this classification system: Rev. 2 (1968); Rev. 3 (1989); Rev. 3.1 (2002); and Rev. 4 (2008). 11 The Department sorts the ILO data based on data parameters in the following order: 1. ''Sub-classification,'' i.e., If there is no industry-specific data available for the surrogate country within the primary data source, i.e., ILO Chapter 6A data, the Department will then look to national data for the surrogate country for calculating the wage rate; 2. ''Type of Data,'' i.e., reported under categories compensation of employees and labor cost. We use labor cost data if available and compensation of employees where labor cost data are not available; 3. ''Contemporaneity,'' i.e., the Department uses the most recent earnings/wage rate data point available; 4. The unit of time for which the wage is reported. The Department selects from the following categories in the following hierarchy: (1) VerDate Mar<15>2010 15:25 Jun 20, 2011 Jkt 223001 inflates the selected earnings data to the year that covers the majority of the period of the proceeding using the relevant Consumer Price Index.12 Next, the Department converts the inflationadjusted hourly wage rate data for the surrogate country, which is denominated in that country's national currency, to U.S. dollars using annual exchange rates 13 as reported by the International Monetary Fund (''IMF'')'s International Financial Statistics (''IFS'') for the year that covers the majority of the period of investigation or review. The Department will then use this hourly earnings rate, denominated in U.S. dollars, to value the NME respondent's cost of labor for that proceeding. Finally, the Department will determine whether the facts and information available on the record warrant and permit an adjustment to the surrogate financial statements on a caseby-case basis. If there is evidence submitted on the record by interested parties demonstrating that the NME respondent's cost of labor is overstated, the Department will make the appropriate adjustments to the surrogate financial statements subject to the available information on the record. Specifically, when the surrogate financial statements include disaggregated overhead and selling, general and administrative expense items that are already included in the ILO's definition of Chapter 6A data, the Department will remove these identifiable costs items. Implementation The approach detailed above will be applied to ongoing administrative NME proceedings where the statutory deadlines permit. Dated: June 10, 2011. Ronald K. Lorentzen, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Import Administration. [FR Doc. 2011–15464 Filed 6–20–11; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P per hour; (2) per day; (3) per week; or (4) per month. Where data is not available on a per-hour basis, the Department converts that data to an hourly basis based on the premise that there are 8 working hours per day, 5.5 working days a week and 24 working days per month. 12 See http://www.imfstatistics.org/imf. 13 The exchange rate for each country is obtained from the IMF's IFS database by selecting: (1) ''Economic Concept View''; (2) ''Country Exchange Rates''; (3) ''National Currency per US$ (Per Avg)''; and (4) ''RF.ZF NC/US$, Period Average.'' PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Draft NOAA Scientific Integrity Policy and Handbook; Availability Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce (DOC). ACTION: Draft NOAA Scientific Integrity Policy and Handbook for Public Review. AGENCY: NOAA's draft scientific integrity policy is available for public review and comment until August 20, 2011. The draft incorporates the principles of scientific integrity contained in the President's March 9, 2009, memorandum and Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) director, John Holdren's December 17, 2010, memorandum on scientific integrity, and addresses how NOAA ensures quality science in its methods, review, and other aspects. NOAA also seeks comments on the accompanying handbook that outlines procedures to respond to allegations of misconduct. ADDRESSES: Both draft documents can be found electronically at: http:// www.noaa.gov/scientificintegrity. Those without computer access can call 301– 734–1186 to request a copy of the draft policy and handbook and instructions for returning written comments by U.S. Postal Service. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The NOAA Scientific Integrity team at integrity.noaa@noaa.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SUMMARY: Background The Presidential Memorandum on Scientific Integrity dated March 9, 2009, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy 2010 guidance memorandum on scientific integrity call for ensuring the highest level of integrity in all aspects of the executive branch's involvement with scientific and technological processes. The draft NOAA policy: • Lays out formal guidance with a ''Code of Conduct''; • Creates the conditions for enabling first-rate science and guarding against attempts to undermine or discredit it; • States the key role of science in informing policy; • Encourages scientists to publish data and findings to advance science, their careers, and NOAA's reputation for reliable science; • Encourages NOAA scientists to be leaders in the scientific community; E:\FR\FM\21JNN1.SGM 21JNN1 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 119 / Tuesday, June 21, 2011 / Notices • Provides whistle-blower protection; • Applies to all NOAA employees and provides applicable policies for contractors and grantees who are engaged in, supervise, or manage scientific activities, analyze and/or publicly communicate information resulting from scientific activities, or use scientific information or analyses in making bureau or office policy, management, or regulatory decisions; • Includes a training component. Dated: June 16, 2011. Terry Bevels, Deputy Chief Financial Officer, Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. [FR Doc. 2011–15435 Filed 6–20–11; 8:45 am] or penalty on the public sector, and will not have an economic impact of $100 million or more. A complete version of the DTR is available via the internet on the USTRANSCOM homepage at http:// www.transcom.mil/j5/pt/ dtr_part_iv.cfm. Dated: June 10, 2011. Aaron Siegel, Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense. [FR Doc. 2011–15363 Filed 6–20–11; 8:45 am] 36095 Governor Jack Markell of Delaware, or his alternate), the Commission may entertain questions from the public before or after the business at hand is completed. The proposed budget resolution and accompanying budget document are available on the Commission's Web site at http://www.drbc.net. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pamela M. Bush, Commission Secretary and Assistant General Counsel, DRBC, at pamela.bush@drbc.state.nj.us. BILLING CODE 5001–06–P Dated: June 14, 2011. Pamela M. Bush, Commission Secretary. DELAWARE RIVER BASIN COMMISSION [FR Doc. 2011–15331 Filed 6–20–11; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6360–01–P BILLING CODE 3510–KD–P Notice of Public Meeting Office of the Secretary [Docket ID: DOD–2010–OS–0034] SUMMARY: Defense Transportation Regulation, Part IV United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), DoD. ACTION: Announcement. AGENCY: Reference Federal Register Notice (FRN), Docket ID: DOD–2010– OS–0034, published April 1, 2010 (75 FR 16445–16446). DOD has completed their review and response to comments received in connection with the Defense Personal Property Program (DP3) Phase III Domestic Small Shipments (dS2) and Nontemporary Storage (NTS) draft business rules. Responses can be found on the Defense Transportation Regulation, Part IV Web site at http:// www.transcom.mil/dtr/part-iv/ phaseiii.cfm. All identified changes have been incorporated into the final dS2 and NTS business rules. Implementation timelines will be based on completion of Defense Personal Property System (DPS) Phase III programming projected for FY15 (dS2) and FY16 (NTS). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jim Teague, United States Transportation Command, TCJ5/4–PI, 508 Scott Drive, Scott Air Force Base, IL 62225–5357; (618) 256–9605. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Any subsequent modification(s) to the business rules beyond the above stated changes will be published in the Federal Register and incorporated into the Defense Transportation Regulation (DTR) Part IV (DTR 4500.9R). These program requirements do not impose a legal requirement, obligation, sanction SUMMARY: wwoods2 on DSK1DXX6B1PROD with NOTICES_PART 1 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Delaware River Basin Commission (''DRBC''). ACTION: Public meeting. AGENCY: DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE VerDate Mar<15>2010 15:25 Jun 20, 2011 Jkt 223001 Notice of Submission for OMB Review The DRBC will hold a public meeting via teleconference for the purposes of adopting its annual Capital and Current Expense Budgets for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012 and establishing a budget and finance committee. A public hearing on the fiscal year 2012 budgets was held previously, on March 2, 2011. DATES: The public meeting via teleconference will take place on Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 1 p.m. and is expected to last for less than one hour. ADDRESSES: The DRBC will provide public access to the teleconference from the Goddard Room of the Commission's office building at 25 State Police Drive in West Trenton, New Jersey. Directions can be found on the Commission's Web site at http://www.drbc.net. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 13.3 of the Delaware River Basin Compact provides that the Commission<|fim_middle|> analyses in making bureau or office policy, management,
or regulatory decisions;
Includes a training component.
Dated: June 16, 2011.
Terry Bevels,
Deputy Chief Financial Officer, Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric
Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
BILLING CODE 3510-KD-P | shall annually adopt a capital budget and a current expense budget. Section 14.4(b) of the Compact requires that the Commission conduct a public hearing before adopting the annual budgets. The required public hearing took place on March 2, 2011. The Commission also will establish a budget and finance committee consisting of representatives of each of the Commission's five signatories, to provide closer oversight of budget development at a time when the fiscal challenges facing the Commission and state agencies are particularly severe. The meeting via teleconference is open to the public but will not include a public hearing, since such a hearing already was conducted. At the discretion of the Chair (currently PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Department of Education. Comment request. AGENCY: ACTION: The Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Privacy, Information and Records Management Services, Office of Management, invites comments on the submission for OMB review as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–13). DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before July 21, 2011. ADDRESSES: Written comments should be addressed to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attention: Education Desk Officer, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th Street, NW., Room 10222, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 20503, be faxed to (202) 395–5806 or e-mailed to oira_submission@omb.eop.gov with a cc: to ICDocketMgr@ed.gov. Please note that written comments received in response to this notice will be considered public records. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35) requires that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) provide interested Federal agencies and the public an early opportunity to comment on information collection requests. The OMB is particularly interested in comments which: (1) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\21JNN1.SGM 21JNN1
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 119 (Tuesday, June 21, 2011)]
Draft NOAA Scientific Integrity Policy and Handbook; Availability
AGENCY: Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce
(DOC).
ACTION: Draft NOAA Scientific Integrity Policy and Handbook for Public
SUMMARY: NOAA's draft scientific integrity policy is available for
public review and comment until August 20, 2011. The draft incorporates
the principles of scientific integrity contained in the President's
March 9, 2009, memorandum and Office of Science and Technology Policy
(OSTP) director, John Holdren's December 17, 2010, memorandum on
scientific integrity, and addresses how NOAA ensures quality science in
its methods, review, and other aspects. NOAA also seeks comments on the
accompanying handbook that outlines procedures to respond to
allegations of misconduct.
ADDRESSES: Both draft documents can be found electronically at: http://www.noaa.gov/scientificintegrity. Those without computer access can
call 301-734-1186 to request a copy of the draft policy and handbook
and instructions for returning written comments by U.S. Postal Service.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The NOAA Scientific Integrity team at
integrity.noaa@noaa.gov.
The Presidential Memorandum on Scientific Integrity dated March 9,
2009, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy 2010 guidance
memorandum on scientific integrity call for ensuring the highest level
of integrity in all aspects of the executive branch's involvement with
scientific and technological processes.
The draft NOAA policy:
Lays out formal guidance with a ``Code of Conduct'';
Creates the conditions for enabling first-rate science and
guarding against attempts to undermine or discredit it;
States the key role of science in informing policy;
Encourages scientists to publish data and findings to
advance science, their careers, and NOAA's reputation for reliable
science;
Encourages NOAA scientists to be leaders in the scientific
community;
Provides whistle-blower protection;
Applies to all NOAA employees and provides applicable
policies for contractors and grantees who are engaged in, supervise, or
manage scientific activities, analyze and/or publicly communicate
information resulting from scientific activities, or use scientific
information or | 1,034 |
The Burlington County Times is a daily newspaper located in Westampton, New Jersey, U.S. The paper, which is part of the Gannett chain of newspapers, covers municipal and county issues in Burlington County<|fim_middle|> New Jersey
Publications established in 1958
1958 establishments in New Jersey
Gannett publications | , New Jersey as well as local and professional sporting events.
Coverage
The paper publishes weekly special sections, including "To Do", a guide to local entertainment, and "Spot" a weekly guide to things to see and do in Marlton, New Jersey, Medford, New Jersey, Medford Lakes, New Jersey, Moorestown, New Jersey, Mount Laurel, New Jersey, Riverton, New Jersey, and Southampton, New Jersey.
In September 2013 the Burlington County Times launched a website which features daily news stories, editorial content, obituaries, photographs, videos, and a community calendar. The paper also has a suite of mobile apps for iOS, Android and Kindle Fire.
History
The paper was founded in 1958 by S.W. Calkins, who already owned the Bucks County Courier Times in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and The Herald-Standard in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. At the urging of builder William Levitt, Calkins began the Levittown Times in now Willingboro, New Jersey, with offices and a printing facility on U.S. Route 130. Following the name change of Levittown to Willingboro, the name of the newspaper changed to "Burlington County Times." In the early 1970s, the paper went from a 6-day afternoon paper at a cost of 60 cents per week to a 7-day paper. Only the Sunday paper was a morning paper, the rest of the week still being published in the afternoons. With the addition of Sunday, the weekly subscription price rose to 75 cents. In 2008, print operations were shifted to a new facility in Falls Township, Pennsylvania along with the Bucks County Courier Times and The Intelligencer. In 2017, Calkins Media was acquired by GateHouse Media.
Notable writers
Bill Fleischman (1961 to 1966)
References
External links
*
Staff Directory
Burlington County, New Jersey
Newspapers published in | 430 |
How Big Macs ruined the Silk Road
Ian Thomson is impressed by the scholarship and literary craft of Colin Thubron's record of an epic journey through China and Central Asia, Shadow of the Silk Road
Sat 16 Sep 2006 20.04 EDT First published on Sat 16 Sep 2006 20.04 EDT
Buy Shadow of the Silk Road at the Guardian bookshop
Shadow of the Silk Road
by Colin Thubron
Chatto & Windus £20, pp363
There is a monotony of desert and steppes in Colin Thubron's ninth travel book<|fim_middle|> is a rare moment of levity in a travelogue that explores the rise of American goods (McDonald's, Nike, Microsoft) in Islamic lands and concludes that little has changed for the better.
Shadow of the Silk Road, the culmination of a lifetime's travel, impresses with its scholarship and literary craft. Nevertheless, it disappoints after In Siberia, one of the finest books on contemporary Russia.
Colin Thubron | , Shadow of the Silk Road, a record of an epic journey through China and Central Asia. The literary travelogue, with elements of history, anthropology, personal experience and quest, is a difficult genre. In the absence of conventional plot, the challenge is to create a forward momentum, something that Bruce Chatwin was skilled at.
In this book, however, Thubron has allowed the narrative to stagnate. His 7,000-mile tramp along the ancient trade route from eastern China to Turkey is timely, given our fears of Islam. He cut through missile-torn Afghanistan and other lands contested by the Taliban. Yet the writing is often ponderous and old-fashioned. Romantic reflections on Tamerlane the Great and other Silk Road titans have brought out the poetic in Thubron, a descendant of poet John Dryden. Often, however, the prose verges on the purple. 'Snow fell overnight, the first of autumn. I went out at dawn into its childhood miracle.' Thubron's search for poise and style can blunt the pleasure of this book.
Central Asia is in perilous upheaval. Its five republics, devised by Stalin to prevent a united Muslim bloc in his empire, are a stew of Islamic fundamentalism, gangster enterprise and booze-inflamed nostalgia for the Soviet days. Doggedly, Thubron trudges from the Chinese tomb of the Yellow Emperor to the Mediterranean port of Antioch in search of the lost hope of a people struggling with transition.
Parts of the book have a valedictory, death-haunted quality. As Thubron records the changes, he experiences 'transient bewilderment', 'stirring apprehension' and even 'harrowing perplexity'. In the past, he has revealed very little of himself in his travel writing. In his last book, however, the extraordinary In Siberia, he confessed that he was unmarried, childless and well past the terminal age for the average Russian male (Thubron is now in his mid-60s).
He must know that travel writing does not sell as it once did. In an attempt to revive the genre, he includes imaginary dialogues between himself and Silk Road merchants from the past. However, these are embarrassing in their melancholic self-regard. Thubron was among the first to abandon conventional travel narrative and focus on chance encounters with people. His marvellous accounts of communist Russia and China - Among the Russians and Behind the Wall - narrated the lives of ordinary people trapped by dictatorship. Classics of the genre, they were written with an unerring eye.
Two decades on, Shadow of the Silk Road documents the demise of Soviet ideologies and the rise of more frightening fanaticisms. Central Asia was a burden to Moscow during the 70 years of communism. Stalin closed more than 26,000 mosques but the Red Star, Thubron reports, never shone brightly over the Islamic USSR; now its restive populations are infiltrated by al-Qaeda.
Thubron's trademark literary prose, meticulousness and reserve are all on display. Beneath the fine writing, however, lies a sense of loss. In the shadowy caravan city of Samarkand, he finds that Tartar silk and gold have been replaced by a clutter of pornographic DVDs and other corruptions from the West. Tainted by capitalism, what will become of Samarkand and its people?
Thubron delights in the solitary frisson of travel and, as he attempts to unravel the Silk Road's present-day identity, he encounters Hunan traders, Uzbek prostitutes and volatile Kurdish Turks. There are moments of humour. In a memorial park for the Second World War, near Samarkand, Thubron finds a Turkic inscription quaintly translated into English: 'You are ever in our hearts, my dears.' This | 788 |
Morey Says Change Is Coming, But It's Change We All Know
By Rivers McCown Apr 20, 2011, 10:11am CDT
Share All sharing options for: Morey Says Change Is Coming, But It's Change We<|fim_middle|> to officially move on from the Yao Ming-Tracy McGrady era.
The awkward thing about that is that really, the Rockets have been changing this way for the better part of the last year. That's why Kyle Lowry is now the building block, that's why they dealt Trevor Ariza for Courtney Lee, Shane Battier for a first round pick, and Aaron Brooks for Goran Dragic. The Rockets have been in the business of developing a new generation of talent for a while now. Adelman's departure is only a re-assurance of the direction the Rockets are headed in:
"The mistakes that are done across the league are teams that stabilize on a foundation that wins you games and maybe preserves jobs, but they're not making the tough choices with either players or in other areas that give you the change you need to get you where you want to be," Morey said. "There's going to be change coming - more change. We believe in the plan. The plan is to try to continue to bring in quality players who are improving versus declining ... and continue to work to use trades.
"We're going to be a team that's young and improving, and we're going to be a team that tries to trade our way to improvement. At the end of the day, judge that. If you're ready to judge that we're already not sort of executing on the plan, that's fine. We're going to continue to execute on it until it works. Stability is a factor in teams that win the championship. But if you stabilize on a team that's going to end up short of that, then all you're doing is spinning your wheels in the 45-win range."
What would be the best way to start this "new" change? Probably a new center. Here's an interesting tidbit from Jonathan Feigen's chat yesterday:
Yao is in Beijing and is still not cleared to begin on court workouts. The Rockets might sign him as a free agent if all goes well, but they will absolutely look to sign a free agent center to start. Yao's recovery and return would be gravy, but they will not count on it.
That, friends, is our clearest sign yet that Yao is not in the long-term plans. The Rockets no longer see him as someone they need a contingency plan for, but a contingency plan for a better option. A bench player. | All Know
One thing that average teams tend to get into is a process of denial about just why they're not championship-caliber. While the Rockets have some very intriguing pieces and have accumulated (to use GM Daryl Morey's least favorite phrasing) assets, they've been a .500 team for awhile now. With head coach Rick Adelman out the door, the Rockets are free | 81 |
Populating your first saltwater tank can be quite a challenge. You do not want to buy a fish that will be too difficult, to begin with, and you likely do not want lackluster fish that will hang around in your tank, taking up space, and sucking up food.
A saltwater aquarium<|fim_middle|> the hobby trade as the red-lined or biocellate wrasse. It is a non-aggressive species that is compatible with other fish and is safe with corals but can be a threat to fan worms, small hermit crabs, snails, and ornamental shrimp. | fish compatibility chart will give you an idea of which fish may have a better chance of existing together in a closed space. In many cases, the chart indicates which will coexist with a certain amount of caution. Nothing is guaranteed. There will always be exceptions to any generalization, but the chart will give you a place to start when you are trying to figure out what will work in your aquarium.
One peculiarity of this clownfish is that, even when placed in a large aquarium, once it has established its territory, it will seldom stray from that area. If it makes its home in one corner of a 4-foot wide tank, it will rarely be seen at the other end of the tank.
Tank raised specimens (highly recommended) of this species are fairly easy to find and, if a young pair is purchased, they will easily become a mated pair, without much of the mating ritual abuse experienced with other species of clownfish. Also, being tank raised, they are accustomed to eating hand-fed foods and acclimate very well.
The colorful coral beauty angelfish, also commonly called the two-spined angelfish, is a popular dwarf angelfish which acclimates easily to aquarium life. Scientific called Centropyge bispinosus; it is a favorite species for aquariums due to its brilliant colors, hardiness, low price, and ready availability. This fish is normally not as aggressive as many other angelfish, but some individual specimens may be territorial in smaller aquariums, particularly if they have been in the tank for a while.
The flame angelfish also called a Japanese pygmy angelfish, is considered one of the best choices for aquariums because it usually adapts well to captivity. It is best kept singly or in mated pairs, and with other less-aggressive fish.
Although touted to be a fairly good reef safe fish, it may nip at large polyped stony corals, zoanthids, tridacnid clam mantles, and even some soft coral polyps. Therefore, this fish cannot be completely trusted if these invertebrates are present.
The lawnmower blenny is also known as the algae blenny, jeweled rockskipper blenny, sailfin blenny, jeweled blenny, and rock blenny. This blenny is a great algae eater which is a benefit to any saltwater aquarium. New tanks tend to grow a lot of algae as the nitrate levels rise. The lawnmower blenny helps keep the algae, particularly green hair algae, in check as the tank matures.
The major hurdle for this fish is to get it to eat tank foods. It is important to observe the fish eating before buying it. Offering the fish frozen mysis shrimp seems to help them get started. Also, if other fish in the tank are eating certain foods, the auriga seems to pick up on the fact that the food is edible.
Like it's cousin, the auriga butterflyfish, a major hurdle for this fish is to get it to eat tank foods. Observe the fish eating in a tank before buying it. Frozen mysis shrimp is a good go-to for feeding in the tank.
The ocellaris clownfish is often confused with the percula clownfish. Unless you are experienced with both fish, they are difficult to tell apart. The true percula is very bright orange, whereas, the ocellaris tends to be more drably colored. The percula clownfish also has a thicker black outline to its white body stripes. Their beautiful colors and likable personalities make them a wonderful addition to reef aquariums.
Even though the blue-green reef chromis (Chromis viridis) belongs to the damselfish family, unlike its damsel cousins, it seems to get along with almost any non-aggressive fish. It also does not bother corals or other invertebrates. The blue-green chromis readily eat tank foods and adapt to tank life very well.
The yellowtail damselfish seems to get along with most non-aggressive fish. The yellowtail damselfish is a favorite of aquarium hobbyists since it is extremely hardy and gorgeously colored. Unlike other damselfish, it usually leaves corals or other invertebrates alone. The yellowtail damselfish readily eats tank fed foods and adapts to tank life very well.
The firefish, scientifically called Nemateleotris magnifica, is a very docile fish. It should be kept singly unless the tank is very large, or it is put into the tank as part of a mated pair. This fish is very timid and will not come out of hiding unless it feels secure. The firefish is also known to leap from a tank when startled, so a covered tank is best.
The orange-spotted goby (Amblyeleotris guttata) spends its time gobbling sand and spitting it out through its gills, sifting food as it goes. This is a great little sand sifter which will keep your substrate free of uneaten food and other debris. Its diet should be supplemented with a variety of live and frozen brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, live black worms, and prepared foods for carnivores.
The sleeper-banded goby uses shallow burrows in the substrate as a refuge, keeping the substrate well oxygenated. It is rarely aggressive towards other fish. However, it is territorial and will fight with others of the same species unless they are a mated pair. Like most gobies, this fish is known to jump out of uncovered aquariums.
Like other gobies, the diamond watchman goby or watchman goby stirs the sand as it sifts through it, straining out food. These fish will typically clean out the sand bed, removing any microfauna, copepods, and beneficial bacteria that the tank may need. While the diamond watchman goby is peaceful and should not harm any other fish, they can become territorial when paired with similar sand sifters.
Rarely aggressive towards other fish. However, it is territorial and will fight with others of the same species unless they are a mated pair. This goby will also jump out of a tank, so a tight-fitting lid is recommended.
This fish should be fed a variety of foods, including fresh or frozen mysid shrimp, enriched brine shrimp, finely chopped table shrimp, and frozen foods for carnivores. This fish should be fed at least twice per day.
This flame hawkfish's vibrant red color, personable nature, and small size makes it a highly sought after specimen by hobbyists. However, like most hawkfish, it is a predatory bottom-dweller. It likes to sit on top of rocks or corals to keep watch, ready to pounce on any unsuspecting prey that swims too close. In a reef tank, this fish will most likely take up residence in a hard coral head, perching on top when at ease, and darting down inside the coral head when threatened. It may also take up refuge next to the base or under the tentacles of a large magnificent/ritteri anemone. The flame hawkfish gets along fairly well with other fish but may act aggressively towards other bottom-dwelling species. In a small aquarium this may present a problem, so either avoid other bottom-dwellers or provide this fish with plenty of room and hiding places to ease territorial conflicts.
The longnose hawkfish can be kept in male and female pairs but should be introduced to the tank at the same time. This fish is well known for jumping out of uncovered tanks, so cover your tank with a canopy.
The spines of the volitan contain a powerful toxin which can cause a very painful or fatal sting if you are allergic. Handle this fish with great caution. It should be noted that if the volitan does sting something in its tank, the poison released into the water can be fatal to other fish and invertebrates.
Commonly recognized as the fish "Dory" in the movie, "Finding Nemo," the blue tang (Paracanthurus hepatus) is not overly aggressive towards other tank mates but may become boisterous in the community. Juveniles can be kept together in groups, but adults will fight unless ample shelter and swimming room are provided. This species is prone to contracting the fish disease, ich, and is susceptible to head and lateral line erosion like most surgeonfish are.
Unlike most tangs or surgeonfish that require a steady diet of algae, the Pacific blue tang should also be fed meaty fares to satisfy its zooplankton dietary needs. Finely chopped fresh or frozen shrimp, mysid shrimp, brine shrimp, and preparations for herbivores are suitable foods, as well as nori (dried seaweed) is accepted.
The yellow tang (Zebrasoma flavescens) is one of the most popular fish for a saltwater aquarium. In general, this fish gets along well with other fish in an aquarium, but it can be aggressive towards other yellow tangs and surgeonfish if they are not introduced into the aquarium at the same time. If your tank size allows you to include several of these fish, you will be entertained by their lazy "follow the leader" patterns in and through your tank's rock structures.
The naso tang (Naso lituratus) is a fish which, once adjusted to aquarium life, has a great personality. It can be trained to eat food right out of your hand. It is one of the more aggressive surgeonfish species when it comes to territorial disputes with other surgeonfish, especially of its kind, but generally will get along with other fish tank mates and invertebrates. It is interesting that they will attack each other considering that in the wild they tend to congregate in small groups or schools.
The kole yellow eye tang (Ctenochaetus strigosus) spends its day constantly grazing and eating, so provide it with an environment that has plenty of algae. However, do not put one in a small reef tank, as it can do a lot of damage if you have delicate plants and algae growth that you want to keep. In a very large reef tank, the plant growth can recover, as the kole has so much to pick from. The kole tang adapts to tank food well. It likes nori (dried seaweed), flake foods made from dried marine algae, and will nibble on some meaty foods like dried shrimp and blood worms.
In the wild, each Niger triggerfish (Odonus niger) has its own house to live in as part of the coral and rock formations just outside the reef. They emerge and congregate near the surface of the water in large schools to feed on zooplankton and algae drifting along the current. In a closed environment with other Niger triggerfish, they will bite and attack each other. This is a fish that can be aggressive towards more docile fish and tank inhabitants.
This wrasse does not bury in the sand to sleep at night but will lay on top of the substrate or take refuge in rocks. It is a flighty fish that will leap out of an open aquarium, is constantly on the move, and needs lots of swimming room.
The eightline wrasse is shy at first, but once it gets used to being in an aquarium, it becomes bolder and will take food out of your hand. The eight-lined wrasse, so named for the eight stripes along the sides of its body, likes to hide, so be sure to give it plenty of cover.
Like most wrasses, the eight-lined wrasse likes to burrow under the sand or substrate in your tank as a means of sleeping and protection. Be sure to keep the substrate clean. It is a fish that can pick up bacterial diseases both internal and external easily.
The four-lined wrasse (Pseudocheilinus tetrataenia) is a smaller species, which does better in a less belligerent tank but may act aggressively toward more peaceful wrasses and other small fish. Given the right cover, it will spend a lot of its time hiding and foraging for small snails, worms, and crustacean in live rock.
Like most wrasses, the elegant wrasse likes to burrow under the sand or substrate in your tank as a means of sleeping and protection. Keep the sand clean for them. Wrasses can pick up internal and external bacterial diseases easily.
As with most wrasses, the ornate wrasse buries itself in the sand when frightened or while sleeping at night for protection. Distinctive for their stunning coloration, the beautifully ornamented Christmas wrasse from Fiji is also known in | 2,597 |
The RD761 International Junior Team Cup is named in honor of U.S. Junior National Team member Ricky Deci, who tragically passed away in 2001.
The annual RD76<|fim_middle|>. International Team Cup competition.
I have personally worked on the meet since 2004; it is an event very dear to the hearts of those affiliated with our gym.
Many professionals and volunteers work tirelessly each year to make it a success.
We are looking forward to the athletes of Europe honoring us once again in 2020, by participating at the next RD761 Jr. International Team Cup, Jan 17-18, 2020. | 1 age group invitational competition supports the Ricky Deci Memorial Fund.
This year, the US hosts met junior teams from Australia, France, Great Britain, Japan and Germany. In the 2019 team competition, Japanese boys took the title with a 240.100 total. The USA's 236.750 put them ahead of Great Britain's 227.200. Germany was fourth (224.800), followed by France (222.200) and Australia (218.000). The USA had the top team scores for still rings (39.700) and vault (42.850).
The 'RD' stands for Ricky Deci. Ricky was a 13-yr old former U.S. Jr National Team member, who trained at our gym (we were formerly Champion Gymnastics).
After a practice session for Championships at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Oct. 2001, Ricky dismounted from pommel horse and collapsed. His heart simply stopped due to an electrical malfunction.
Despite immediate medical efforts to revive him, he passed away in his coach's arms, the man who also owns our gym, Hideo (Mizo) Mizoguchi. Coincidentally, Ricky and Mizo share the same birthdays. The '761' was to be his athlete competition number at Championships.
- a competition for gymnasts of all levels and ages. The competition helps support the Ricky Deci Memorial Foundation, which provides scholarships and developmental training camps for talented gymnasts from all across the United States. Four years ago we added the Jr | 350 |
More secrets of ancient Chinese architecture styles: Insider tips for Western travelers
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Traditional Chinese architecture: 7 things to know before your first China tour
Discover the secrets of traditional Chinese architecture styles | Western travelers on a China tour.
Wrapped up in cosmology, mythology, and mystical symbolism, you can be forgiven for feeling just a tad confused. Between all the pagodas, temples, and courtyards, it's easy to overlook the significance and miss what's really important about each structure.
By contrast, traditional houses in the US or UK don't compare. Apart from the longevity of many buildings in China - some are even thousands of years old - you will discover that the walls, floors, decorations, and windows of traditional Chinese architecture are vastly more complex than its counterparts in other parts of the world.
Not surprisingly, even Chinese people find traditional Chinese architecture confusing, and while much has been written to clarify the meaning and symbolism, there are few of us who want to delve too deeply into the detail. Most of us simply want to know enough to make sense of things while we're on tour. So that's what we're sharing in this series of blogs on Chinese architecture.
Different styles, different places
We've mentioned that a good rule of thumb to apply in the study of ancient Chinese architecture is that each distinct style is associated with a particular region.
For those wanting to know a little more, here's a quick summary of the architecture style and corresponding region and features.
Architecture style Region Features
Wan (皖派) Anhui Grey blue tiles, white walls, and carved bricks
Su (苏派) Jiangsu and Zhejiang Hills, water, and winding paths
Min (闵派) Fujian Earth building defense function
Jing (京派) Beijing Symmetrical courtyard layout, Chinese cultural symbol
Jin (晋派) Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia and Gansu Cave houses, historical culture of the Shanxi merchants
Chuan (川派) Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou Stilt houses, colorful ethnic minority features
In this blog, we're covering the Jing, Jin, and Chuan styles of architecture, but you can read about the other styles here.
So, let's explore!
Jing style architecture
Jing style architecture is synonymous with symmetrical distribution and good wishes. The dominant feature of Jing style is the quadrangle shaped courtyard, an element that has evolved over 700 years.
Found predominantly in Beijing (hence the name Jing), this style is very common in China's north; mostly in Beijing and rural Shanxi.
Any time spent in China will mean you become very well acquainted with the Siheyuan, which is the style of building most frequently associated with Jing style. A Siheyuan is a type of residence, but throughout Chinese history, this style of building has been used for residences, palaces, temples, monasteries, family businesses, and even government offices.
Perhaps the finest example of Jing style architecture and the Siheyuan is the Forbidden City located in the heart of Beijing. In fact, it can be regarded as an enormous Siheyuan where mastery of this architectural style was achieved. Often beautifully adorned, in the most beautiful Siheyuan you will find ornate carvings, colourful decorative painting, intricate carvings, and more.
It's not surprising then that in the past, a large Siheyuan was a sign of wealth, importance, and prosperity. They would often house a large, extended family. Even today, those that still stand are used as accommodation, having been subdivided and in some cases, retrofitted with amenities.
If you take a Beijing tour or include Beijing in your China tour (a must!), take some time to visit the city's most expensive real estate, the hutong. In this old part of Beijing, you'll discover many Siheyuan still providing accommodation to locals. Going beyond the practical function of housing, a Siheyuan is a point of connection for residents who use their courtyards to engage with one another. The natural by product is a meaningful shared history.
Historically, there were over 26,000 Siheyuan in Beijing, however, by 2012 just over 900 were in a well-preserved condition. Although there aren't as many, the symbolism, tradition and meaning of the Siheyuan endures today.
Jin style architecture
Jin style architecture is a style of architecture found in China's northern Shanxi province, referring to parts of Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, and Qinghai.
The earliest examples of Jin style architecture include the murals and carvings found in caves. In fact, millions of people who call the Loess Plateau home reside in cave dwellings, just as they have for thousands of years. There is a logic to this practice. Caves are cool in summer and warm in winter.
By contrast, Jin style architecture also refers to the unique style of buildings and decorations that developed in close association with China's well-known Shanxi merchants. The influence of the Jin merchants on this style of architecture is pervasive and there are many wonderful testaments to it in buildings that still stand today.
One beautiful example is the Qiao family courtyard. It includes an incredible 300 houses and six courtyards throughout! Others can be found in Pingyao City Wall, the market street of Pingyao ancient city, and the Wang family compound in Lingshi.
Chuan style architecture
Chuan-style architecture is an architectural style that is popular in Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou. More specifically, it is an architectural style peculiar to the local minority people.
Like the cave dwellings of the Jin style, the geography of Chuan architecture has influenced the location of structures, which are built along mountains, small hills, and rivers. Each minority has crafted its own particular features and these distinctions can be found in the Dai minority's bamboo tower, the Dong minority drum tower, and the Diaojiaolou stilted tower in western Sichuan.
The bamboo house of the Dai nationality has been used for over 1,400 years. The lower level of the house is about seven or eight feet high to prevent the house from being flooded, as this style of the house is found in areas of high rainfall. Animals are tied to house posts, while the upper level is reserved for living and storage. A characteristic fire is found in the middle of the building, burning day and night for cooking and warmth.
The Dong minority people forged their own architectural style. It is best represented in the Drum Tower, which is found in every Dong village, usually on the flat or high grounds in the village center. An important focal point for all public village activities, the Drum Tower is surrounded by a square where people can gather. The pavilions are shaped like pagodas, with the landscape, flowers, dragons, phoenix, birds and ancient figures painted or sculpted on the eaves.
Dong minority residences are built on stilts and three or four stories high. Wood is the main material used, although roofs are tiled, and in some regions, the corridors and eaves of houses are connected.
The Diaojiaolou also belongs to this category of stilted or ganlan style buildings. Diaojiaolou is usually two or three floors and are supported by a base made of stone. The deceptively simple architecture hides the true ingenuity of these buildings, which rely on groove joints to hold columns and beams together, rather than nails.
The height of the buildings also plays a crucial role in survival and wellbeing. Ample ventilation protects against humidity. The building design also helps protect against the threats posed by the natural environment. With venomous snakes, floods and earthquakes among these, it's any wonder this building design has endured for centuries.
It's difficult in just a couple of articles to do justice to the diverse traditional architectural styles in China, but future travelers can gain a sense of what appeals to them and plan their China tour accordingly, remembering there is much to learn about the people who created it and the history and culture behind it.
If you're curious about a particular region or architectural style, look for a tour that allows you time to learn and explore by getting up close over a period of days. That way, you'll come away with a deeper sense of connection and understanding - and that is certainly the content of more meaningful travel memories.
** Information for this article was sourced from Wikipedia, whc.unexco.org, and WeChat Public Account ID: www1shoucangcom
ChinaTours.com is dedicated to helping western travelers from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and elsewhere enjoy an authentic experience of China, including those keen to learn and appreciate more of China's traditional Chinese architecture styles found in Beijing, Shanxi, and Sichuan. Many of our tours provide the opportunity for immersion in a culture and place for a day or a number of days, allowing more time to learn about the people. We can also tailor a tour that covers an area or region that is of particular interest to you. Want to know more? Just ask us! We're here to share your passion for learning and all things culture-related. Enquire via our contact form and we'll respond within 24 hours.
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\section{Introduction}
\label{sec:intro}
There has been a growing interest in the study of social phenomena
through the use of tools from statistical physics
\cite{Forsythe1996,Stanley1999,Stauffer2000,Stauffer2003}. This
trend has been in part stimulated by developments in complex networks
\cite{Barabasi2002,Dorogovtsev2002,Newman2003,Boccaletti2006}, which
have uncovered properties of the structures underlying the
interactions between agents in many natural, technological, and social
systems. Social processes can be simulated through the use of complex
networks models over which a dynamical interaction between the agents
represented by the nodes is defined, yielding results that can be
compared with the macroscopic results found in real social networks.
Election of representatives are important social processes in
democracies, where a large number of people take part and that
represent the result of many social factors. It was found
\cite{Costa1999} that the number of candidates with a given number of
votes in the 1998 Brazilian elections follows a power law with slope
$-1$ for some orders of magnitude, or a generalized Zipf's law
\cite{Lyra2003}.
Elections depend on the process of opinion formation by the voters.
Each voter chooses one candidate based on its beliefs and through
interaction with other voters. Many works have been carried out on
opinion formation while considering several types of dynamics and
underlying network topologies. Bernades \emph{et al.}\
\cite{Bernardes2002} and Gonz\'alez \emph{et al<|fim_middle|> $1\,000$ candidates,
a switching probability of $0.1$, and different number of links
per node. On the lefthand side for Erd\H{o}s-R\'enyi and on the
righthand side for Barab\'asi-Albert networks.}
\label{fig:links}
\end{figure}
The switching probability has effect only on the first part of the
curve, as can be seen from Figure~\ref{fig:change}. In both models,
this part of the curve is shifted down as the probability increases
and its range is extended until it touchs the original (for zero
probability) curve. Note that the inclination of the Barab\'asi-Albert
curve corresponding to small number of votes is maintained for the
different values of switching probability (but is different for zero
probability).
\begin{figure}
\includegraphics[width=0.48\textwidth]{change.eps}
\includegraphics[width=0.48\textwidth]{change-ba.eps}
\caption{Effect of the swtiching probability. Distributions after
$30$ steps for networks with $2\,000\,000$ voters, $1\,000$
candidates, $5$ links per node, and different values for the
switching probability. On the lefthand side for Erd\H{o}s-R\'enyi
and on the righthand side for Barab\'asi-Albert networks.}
\label{fig:change}
\end{figure}
A similar effect has been obtained while changing the number of steps
(Figure~\ref{fig:steps}). As the number of steps is increased, the
curve remains unchanged for large number of votes, but is donwshifted
for small number of votes. The similarity between an increase in the
number of steps and an increase in switching probability is easyly
explained: after all voters have a candidate, changes occur only by
switching candidates. In other words, increasing the number of steps
has as an effect increase in the number of times a switching is tried,
resulting in a similar effect as increasing the switching probability.
\begin{figure}
\includegraphics[width=0.48\textwidth]{steps.eps}
\includegraphics[width=0.48\textwidth]{steps-ba.eps}
\caption{Effect of the number of steps. Distributions for networks
with $2\,000\,000$ voters, $1\,000$ candidates, $5$ links per
node, a switching probability of $0.1$, and different total number
of steps. On the lefthand side for Erd\H{o}s-R\'enyi and on the
righthand side for Barab\'asi-Albert networks.}
\label{fig:steps}
\end{figure}
\section{Conclusions}
\label{sec:conclusions}
We suggested and studied a simple voting model based on the spreading
of opinions through the links of a network. The results of the
simulation of the model show a remarkable qualitative agreement with
experimental results for proportinal voting in Brazilian and Indian
elections \cite{Costa1999} when the network model used is of
Erd\H{o}s-R\'enyi type or a lattice with sufficient random shortcuts
added. In these networks, the model results in a power-law
distribution with an exponent of $-1$, but with a shortcut for large
number of votes and a plateau for small number of votes, as observed
in real elections. The ``small world'' effect appears to be of central
importance in this result, as the result for a lattice without
shortcuts is very different, without any power-law regime.
Interestingly, the Barab\'asi-Albert network model gives results that
are not consistent with real elections: there are two power-law
regimes without a shortcut and the second (and dominant) power-law
regime is not universal, depending on the number of links per node in
the network and the relation between number of voters and number of
candidates. Also, the first power-law regime is not characterized by
the experimental value of $-1$. This is somewhat puzzling, as many
social networks have power-law degree distribuitions \cite{Newman2003}
and are in this respect better related to the Barab\'asi-Albert model
than to the other two models investigated. We suspect the explanation
to this is related to the importance of clustering and communities in
social networks, neither of which represented in the Barab\'asi-Albert
model, although they are not present also in the Erd\H{o}s-R\'enyi
networks. This in an issue deserving further investigation.
\vspace{0.5cm}
\noindent {\bf Acknowledgements:} L. da F. Costa is grateful to CNPq
(308231/03-1) for financial sponsorship.
\bibliographystyle{unsrt}
| .}\ \cite{Gonzalez2004}
succeded in reproducing the general $-1$ slope of candidates with a
given number of votes in Brazilian election results by using the
Sznajd \cite{Sznajd2000} opinion formation model adapted to complex
networks.
In the Sznajd model, two neighbors that happen to have the same
opinion may convince their other neighbors. In this article, we adopt
a simpler model, where each single voter tries to convince its
neighbors, regardless of their previous opinion. The obtained results
exhibited a substantial agreement with real election results for some
network models.
The article is organized as follows. Firts we describe the network
(Sec.~\ref{sec:nets}) and opinion (Sec.~\ref{sec:opinion}) models used
in the simulations. Then, in Sec.~\ref{sec:results} we present and
discuss the simulation results and study the effect of the model
parameters. Finally, the conclusions are summarized in
Sec.~\ref{sec:conclusions}.
\section{Opinion and Network Models Used}
As done in other related works, we assume that the opinion formation
for the voting process occurs as interactions between agents connected
through a complex network. The result is thus determined by two
factors: (i)~the structure of the network that specify the possible
interactions between agents, and (ii)~the dynamics of opinion
formation between interacting agents. The following subsections
describe the models used in this work.
\subsection{Network Models}\label{sec:nets}
The voters and their social interactions are represented as a network,
so that the individuals are represented by nodes in the network and
every social interaction between pairs of voters is represented by a
link between the two corresponding nodes. The number of links attached
to a node is called the \emph{degree} of the node; the social distance
between to voters is given by the geodesic distance in the network,
defined as the minimum number of links that must be traversed in order
to reach one of the nodes starting from the other. Two important
network properties~\cite{Newman2003} are the degree distribution and
the average distance between pairs of nodes.
For the simulation of the opinion formation model we adopted the
Erd\H{o}s-R\'enyi and the Barab\'asi-Albert \cite{Barabasi2002} models
of complex networks. For comparison, simulations were also performed
in two-dimensional lattices and two-dimensional lattices with random
connections added between its nodes. The Erd\H{o}s-R\'{e}nyi networks
are characterized by a Poisson degree distribuion and the presence of
the ``small world'' property: the average distance between nodes grows
slowly with the number of nodes in the network. The Barab\'asi-Albert
model also has the small world property, but its degree distribuition
follows a power law, resembling in that sense many social
networks. The regular lattice was chosen as an example of a network
without the small world property, while the addition of random
connections enables a controled introduction of this property
(see~\cite{Watts1998}).
In the Barab\'asi-Albert model, the network starts with $m+1$
completely connected nodes and grows by the successive addition of
single nodes with $m$ connections established with the older nodes,
chosen according to the preferential attachment rule. The growth
stops when the desired number of nodes $N$ is reached.
To generate the Erd\H{o}s-R\'enyi network, we start with $N$ isolated
nodes and insert $L$ links connecting pairs of nodes chosen with
uniform probability, avoiding self- and duplicate connections; for
comparison with the Barab\'asi-Albert model, we choose $L$ so that
$m=L/N$ is the same as the $m$ values used for the Barab\'asi-Albert
model.
For the two-dimensional lattices, the $N$ nodes are distributed in a
square and the connections are established between neighboring nodes
in the lattice. Afterwards, additional connections can be
incorporated between uniformly random chosen pairs of nodes until a
desired number of average additional links per node is included. This
kind of randomly augmented regular network is similar to that used in
Newman and Watts small-world model \cite{Newman1999}.
\subsection{Opinion Model}\label{sec:opinion}
For a given network with $N$ voters (nodes), we start by distributing
the $C$ candidates among randomly chosen nodes (with uniform
probability), that is, each candidate is assigned to just one node in
the network (this reflects the fact that the candidates are also
voters). The remaining voters start as ``undecided'', meaning that
they have no favorite candidate yet. The following process is
subsequently repeated a total of $S N$ times: choose at random a voter
$i$ that already has an associated candidate $c_i$; for \emph{all}
neighbors of voter $i$, if they have no associated candidate (i.e. are
as yet undecided), they are associated with candidate $c_i$, otherwise
they change to candidate $c_i$ with a given \emph{switching
probability} $p$. The constant $S$ introduced above is henceforth
called the \emph{number of steps} of the algorithm (average number of
interactions of each node). This opinion model is motivated by the
following assumptions: (i)~undecided voters are passive, in the sense
that they do not spread their lack of opinion to other voters;
(ii)~undecided voters are easily convinced by interaction with someone
that already has a formed opinion; (iii)~the flexibility to change
opinions due to an interaction, quantificed by the parameter $p$, is
the same for all voters. Despite the many limitations which can be
identified in these hypotheses, they seem to constitute a good first
approximation an can be easily generalized in future works.
This model is similar to a simple spreading to unoccupied sites, and
can be reduced to an asynchronous spreading if the switching
probability is zero. In spite of its simplicity, the model yields
interesting results, as discussed below.
\section{Results}\label{sec:results}
In the following, we present and discuss the histograms expressing the
number of candidates with a given number of nodes. The plots are in
logarithmic scale, and the bin size doubles from one point to the next
in order to provide uniformity. The number of candidates in a bin are
normalized by the bin size. All results correspond to mean values
obtained after $30$ different realizations of the model with the given
parameters.
As becomes clear from an analysis of the following graphs, larger
values of $N/C$ tend to lead to more interesting results, motivating
the adoption of large $N$ and small $C$. The use of too large values
of $N$ implies a high computational and memory cost; the use of too
small values of $C$ leads to poor statistics implied by the large
variations in the number of candidates inside the bins. The standard
values of $N=2\,000\,000$ and $C=1\,000$ adopted in the following
represent a good compromise considering our computational resources.
Figure~\ref{fig:errors} shows the results of the simulation for
Erd\H{o}s-R\'enyi and Barab\'asi-Albert networks after $30$ steps and
with a switching probability of $0.1$. The result for the
Erd\H{o}s-R\'enyi network is very similar to results of real elections
\cite{Costa1999}. There is a power-law regime for intermediate number
of votes, a plateau for small number of votes and a cutoff for large
number of votes; the power-law regime has an exponent of $-1$, which
is almost the same as that obtained for real
elections~\cite{Costa1999}. The large variability on the plateau
region is also consistent with the differences found at this part of
the curves when considering different elections outcomes (see for
example the data in \cite{Lyra2003}).
For the Barab\'asi-Albert model, although two power-law regimes with
different exponents can be identified, neither corresponds to the
experimental value of $-1$.
\begin{figure}
\includegraphics[width=0.48\textwidth]{er.eps}
\includegraphics[width=0.48\textwidth]{ba.eps}
\caption{Distribution of candidates with a given number of votes
after $30$ steps for networks with $2\,000\,000$ voters, $1\,000$
candidates, $5$ links per node and a switching probability of
$0.1$. On the lefthand side for Erd\H{o}s-R\'enyi and on the
righthand side for Barab\'asi-Albert networks. Error bars show one
standard deviation.} \label{fig:errors}
\end{figure}
The lefthand side of Figure~\ref{fig:lattice} shows the result for the
simulation on a two-dimensional lattice. There is no sign of a
power-law regime and a clear peak around $1\,000$ votes can be noted,
in disagreement with the scale-free nature of the experimental
results. On the righthand side of the same figure, the effect of
adding random connections to the lattice can be easily visualized. It
is remarkable that the addition of just a small number of new links
(about half the number of nodes) is enough to get a result similar to
the one of the Erd\H{o}s-R\'enyi model. It is a known fact
\cite{Watts1998} that a small number of random links in a regular
network are enough to the emergence of the ``small world''
phenomenon. By enabling a candidate to reach the whole network of
voters in a small number of steps, this phenomenon increases the
chance of a candidate getting a very large number of votes, therefore
broadening the distribution.
\begin{figure}
\includegraphics[width=0.48\textwidth]{lt.eps}
\includegraphics[width=0.48\textwidth]{lattice.eps}
\caption{Distribution of candidates with a given number of votes
after $30$ steps for two-dimensional lattices with $2\,000\,000$
voters, $1\,000$ candidates, $5$ links per node and a switching
probability of $0.1$. On the lefthand side for a pure lattice (error
bars show one standard deviation) and on the righthand side for
lattices with the addition of the given average number of shortcut
links per node between randomly selected nodes. The result for the
Erd\H{o}s-R\'enyi network is also shown for comparison.}
\label{fig:lattice}
\end{figure}
Now we turn our attention to the influence of the parameters of the
model. In Figure~\ref{fig:cands} the effect of changing the number of
candidates while keeping the other parameters fixed is shown. For the
Erd\H{o}s-R\'enyi model, the effect of increasing the number of
candidates translates itself as an upward shift of the curve while, at
the same time, the cutoff is shifted to the left. This is an expected
result: as the number of candidates grows with a fixed number of
voters, the candidates are initially distributed closer to one another
in the network, and have therefore fewer opportunities to spread
influence before hitting a voter already with an opinion; this leads
to a cutoff in smaller number of votes and in an increase in the
number of candidates with less votes than the cutoff. In the
Barab\'asi-Albert model, the behavior for small number of votes is
similar: the curve is shifted up; but for the power-law regime of
large number of votes, the curve decays more steeply as more
candidates are added.
\begin{figure}
\includegraphics[width=0.48\textwidth]{cands.eps}
\includegraphics[width=0.48\textwidth]{cands-ba.eps}
\caption{Effect of the number of candidates. Distributions after
$30$ steps for networks with $2\,000\,000$ voters, $5$ links per
node, a switching probability of $0.1$, and different number of
candidates. On the lefthand side for Erd\H{o}s-R\'enyi and on the
righthand side for Barab\'asi-Albert networks.}
\label{fig:cands}
\end{figure}
Changing the number of voters has an impact limited almost exclusively
to the tail of the curves, as seen in Figure~\ref{fig:voters}. When
the number of voters is increased, in the Erd\H{o}s-R\'enyi model, the
cutoff is shifted to the left and the power-law regime is
correspondingly increased. In the Barab\'asi-Albert model, the maximum
number of votes is shifted and the inclination of the second power-law
regime is changed to acomodate this displacement. Comparing with
Figure~\ref{fig:cands}, we see that the tail of the curve for the
Barab\'asi-Albert model adapts its inclination according to the
relation between number of voters and candidates, i.e. a larger value
of $N/C$ implies a flatter tail.
\begin{figure}
\includegraphics[width=0.48\textwidth]{voters.eps}
\includegraphics[width=0.48\textwidth]{voters-ba.eps}
\caption{Effect of the number of voters. Distributions after $30$
steps for networks with $1\,000$ candidates, $5$ links per node, a
switching probability of $0.1$, and different number of voters. On
the lefthand side for Erd\H{o}-R\'enyi and on the righthand side for
Barab\'asi-Albert networks.}
\label{fig:voters}
\end{figure}
From Figure~\ref{fig:links} we can see that the behavior that is being
discussed appears only if the network is sufficiently connected: for
$m=1$ there is no power-law regime for the Erd\H{o}s-R\'enyi model and
the behavior for the Barab\'asi-Albert model is complex, with three
different regions and a peak for small number of votes. Also for this
latter model, the inclination of the tail of the curve appears to be
slightly influenced by the average connectivity, with steeper tails
for smaller connectivities.
\begin{figure}
\includegraphics[width=0.48\textwidth]{links.eps}
\includegraphics[width=0.48\textwidth]{links-ba.eps}
\caption{Effect of the number of links. Distributions after $30$
steps for networks with $2\,000\,000$ voters, | 3,373 |
New Release Review and Giveaway! HIS REBELLIOUS LASS by Callie Hutton (Scottish Hearts #2)
Cover Reveal and Giveaway! SWEET POTATO JONES by Jen Lowry
Cover Reveal! WAIT FOR ME by JH Croix (Swoon series)
New Release and Giveaway! LADY LUCK by K.C. Cross (Harem Station #4)
Published by beckymmoe on July 10, 2019
His Rebellious Lass
by Callie Hutton
Series Scottish Hearts Book One
Genre Adult Historical Romance
Publisher Entangled Scandalous
He wants to marry her off quickly. She says absolutely not.
When the Marquess of Campbell inherits a fiery, red-headed Scottish beauty as his ward, it's his job to marry her off. No problem. She comes with a fortune. Lady Bridget MacDuff will have suitors falling all over themselves to wed her.
Not so fast. Lady Bridget has plans for that fortune and they involve helping unfortunate women. And she has no intention of helping her devastatingly handsome guardian in his quest to get her off his hands. He doesn't plan to marry, either. Why should she?
Bridget and Cam are now on opposite sides of a war that neither one plans to lose. Even if Cam's rakish presence throws Bridget's heart into turmoil and the marquess can't deny that his ward sets his heart afire. And then Cam makes a bold proposal…
England September, 1818
Donald, The Marquess of Campbell, known as Cam to family, friends, and lovers, gripped the missive he'd received from his land steward and frowned.
My Lord, It is imperative that you return to Cumberland as quickly as possible to retrieve an item of utmost importance. Mr. David Sterns
He stared at the paper and read it over several times. No matter how hard he tried, no other words to clarify the statement appeared. He shook his head. Surely a more puzzling note did not exist. What the devil was "an item of utmost importance"?
He strode down the corridor to his bedchamber, none too happy. As he tossed items into a small satchel to make a quick trip in answer to the nebulous summons, he dwelled on the work in Parliament awaiting his attention. Although Parliament was no longer in session, having struck the final gavel for the year in June, Cam was, nevertheless, attending meetings and discussions with other members who had remained in Town. Meetings had been necessary to consider bills he was working on to assist veterans and their families. Taking the time to travel all the way to the Scottish border was frustrating. Especially when he had no idea why he was being summoned.
He had also planned to squeeze in a rousing couple of weeks of fun, frolic, women, and liquor to soothe himself, as the last of his three life-long friends had just married. While happy for the men and their newly acquired spouses, the last thing he wanted was a wife. He gripped his satchel and left the house.
A wife.
Just the thought made him itchy.
After five days of travel, Cam was more than ready to end his trek. Even though he'd spent time out of the carriage and on his horse, Nettles, he wanted to sleep in his own bed, eat Cook's food, and drink a glass of decent brandy in front of his own fireplace.
He and his valet, Markham, had traveled together in Cam's large and comfortable coach. He had no intention of staying any longer than it took to retrieve this "package." Even if he stayed only a few days in Cumberland, he would miss several important meetings in London.
Wearily, Cam climbed from the carriage, pressed his hands against his lower back, and stretched. He could not help the smile that covered his face as he looked at Campbell Manor. For as much as he preferred to be in London for Parliament, he loved his home estate.
The Manor staff awaited him outside, lined up to greet their master. Ralph, the head butler, introduced two new footmen. Mrs. Bromley, his housekeeper, had hired one new chamber maid. He always made it a point to greet each member of his staff and had learned their names, spouses' names, and children—although that changed somewhat dramatically visit to visit. His servants were quite prolific in their ability to reproduce.
After they made it into the entrance hall, Cam turned to Markham. "I would like a hot bath, clean clothes, and dinner. In that order."
Markham nodded and followed Cam into the house, giving orders to the footmen for a hot bath to be brought to the master's bedchamber directly.
Cam took the stairs to the first floor two at a time. This comfortable home was the place he had been raised with his younger sisters, Constance and Maryann.
Cam had been a mere twenty years when his father died ten years before, leaving Cam head of the family and guardian for the young girls, who were then twelve and fourteen. After sufficient grieving time, he'd enrolled them in a fashionable boarding school in London, which allowed him to see to his Parliamentary duties and stay close to them.
At the end of their first Seasons, both girls had become betrothed and were now enjoying marital bliss, bringing children into the world at an alarming rate.
His bedchamber welcomed him, as though it had held its breath for his return. The chunky dark furniture had been his father's, but the wall coverings, bedcovers, and draperies had been his own choosing. The deep-brown and blue print coordinated well with the dark wainscoting and blue-striped paper on the walls.
He'd kept the furniture to preserve the memory of his father, the man who'd made Cam's childhood one miserable event after another. Beatings, starvation, and other cruel means of discipline had comprised Cam's daily life. He wanted this reminder so he would never have children of his own and end up like his father.
His only escape from the brutality had been when he was sent to school, where he'd met Hawk, Templeton, and Bedford. They had become his family.
Cutting into his musing, footmen appeared with a large tub and buckets of steaming water, a reminder of his plan to have a bathing room installed in the house. It had been on his list of improvements for at least two years. All his time spent in London had forced him to put those projects on hold.
As he climbed into the tub and washed the road dust off, he considered not spending as much time in London. He missed it here, and there were many projects with the house he'd like to begin.
He looked around the room as he washed, dried off, and dressed. As always, he insisted on tying his own cravat, as every gentleman should do. A quick brush of his hair and he descended the stairs, cheerful to be out of the coach and ready for one of his best brandies before a delectable dinner.
He opened the door to the library, walked about two steps, and then came to a complete stop. A young woman he'd never seen before stood in the center of the room, staring at the doorway, her chin in the air. Her flashing crystal-blue eyes regarded him with a combination of fear and anger, and golden-red curls falling from her poorly constructed hairstyle landed on soft white shoulders.
The young lady's face was perfection. High arched brows, creamy skin, a tiny nose, and full lips. Lips that looked ready for kissing. On second glance, the way they were pursed, maybe not kissing.
"I am your ward." She placed her fisted hands on her hips. "And not happy about it."
Bridget glowered at Lord Campbell as all the blood seemed to drain from his face. Good, she'd shocked him. Precisely how she'd felt when she learned her fate.
"My what?" The man barely got the word out. Not that she cared if he was upset. She wanted her freedom—and money—and he could go to the devil.
"Please don't tell me you are the package I was sent to retrieve." He glared at her. She glared back. Fine. If he was as unhappy about this arrangement as she was, then he would most likely be willing to find a solution. One that would give her leave to do as she wished.
She regarded him coolly. "I believe so. Your man told me you would most likely not come if you knew you had a ward waiting for you."
"Smart man. And in a vast amount of trouble." Lord Campbell strode to the sideboard and poured a brandy. "Would you care for a drink? Or perhaps send for tea?" At least he had manners.
"Tea is for invalids and old ladies. I would like a drink, but none of that sherry. Whisky. Scotch whisky."
Although his eyebrows rose almost to his hairline, he poured the brown liquid from the bottle he held into a crystal tumbler. He re-capped the bottle—French brandy, she noted—and picked up another bottle then splashed two fingers' worth into a second glass. He strolled across the room and handed one to her. Motioning to the settee in front of the fireplace, he said, "Sit."
Her jaw dropped. This man is insufferable. "Is that an order, Lord Campbell?"
He sighed and dipped his head. No doubt he considered a minor nod a replacement for an apology. "Please have a seat." He swept his hand in the direction of the settee.
Bridget settled herself and took a sip of the whisky. For all her bravado, she was shaking inside now that she finally faced her guardian.
Guardian!
She was ever so annoyed and angry at this turn of events. Her dear papa had died only two weeks before. At the reading of his will, she'd been astounded to find that he had left her care in the hands of The Marquess of Campbell. For three days she'd cried, railed, and, yes, cursed her beloved father.
The problem was, as his solicitor, Mr. Manning had explained with a flushed face, Papa had not changed his will in years, and the Lord Campbell he'd meant to be her guardian was this Lord Campbell's father. Papa had not identified her guardian in any other way, therefore, by law, this young, handsome, and—from what she understood—rakish man was her guardian.
"I will begin by telling you I am more than happy to break this ridiculous arrangement and allow you to return to London and do whatever it is you do that makes the gossip columnists so very happy." She waved a dismissive hand at him.
He narrowed his eyes. "Perhaps, before you showed your poor manners by attacking me the minute I walked into my own library, you might introduce yourself properly and explain exactly what this guardianship means."
Oh, he is repugnant. Then as his words rolled over her, she cowered with shame. She had been quite rude, and this man was as much a victim of her father's will as she was. But if she were to gain some control, she had to stay strong. She took a deep breath and offered him a smile. "I apologize. I did not mean to attack you. I merely wanted to advise you that I do not want, nor do I need, a guardian. My name is Lady Bridget MacDuff, I am one and twenty, and I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."
"Apparently, your father did not think so." He took a sip of his drink, and she tried very hard not to notice how his lips covered the rim of the glass, making her wonder what they would feel like pressed up against her own lips. She mentally chastised herself. The man was her enemy, and she best ignore any silly attraction she felt toward him.
Her so-called guardian was a tall man and quite broad-shouldered. His curly ginger hair skimmed the top of his cravat in the back. The locks also covered his forehead, right above the greenest eyes Bridget had ever seen, surrounded by shining bronze gold–tipped eyelashes. She imagined the gossip columnists were correct and he gave many a young lady heart palpitations and something to dream about at night.
Certainly not her, though. He was her worst nightmare. "My father was getting on in years and refused to acknowledge that I was quite grown up."
"Nevertheless, he chose to name a guardian for you. I do not know you, nor your father, so perhaps you can enlighten me on how this all came about?"
Unable to sit for long periods of time, especially when she was unsettled, she placed the now empty whisky glass on the table in front of them and stood. Lord Campbell rose as well. Yes, very good manners. But then again, anyone who spent so much time seducing the ladies must possess the very best of polished manners. And charm.
"Papa and your father were schoolmates, who apparently kept up a correspondence over the years. Although the former Lord Campbell visited our estate a few times, I don't remember him, as I was quite young the last time he did."
"But my father has been dead for ten years. Your father must have known that. Why was a new guardian not named?"
Bridget shrugged. "I asked Mr. Manning, Papa's solicitor, the same question, and he told me he had urged Papa to change his will, but he always had an excuse."
Lord Campbell wandered over to the heavy wooden desk in the center of the room and rested his hip against the edge, swinging his booted foot. No. She did not notice how his breeches tightened over his muscled thighs. "Where can I find this Mr. Manning?"
"He lives in the village near Papa's estate."
"Where is that?"
"Scotland. Right across the border in Dumfriesshire."
"Scotland? I do not detect a Scottish accent."
"I spent a few years in London, where I attended a boarding school that beat the accent out of me. Papa wanted me to enter into London Society to find a husband."
"And did you attend a Season? I don't remember you."
She grinned. "No. I've been able to skip that torment for the past three years. I did not like London. 'Tis a dirty, smelly place, and I missed Scotland far too much."
"What happened to your father's estate?"
She raised her chin and scowled at the memory of the heir's response to her summons. "A very rude second cousin from the Highlands inherited Father's lands. He didn't even come for a visit, just sent word that he was much too busy and would attend to the estate in a few months."
Lord Campbell studied his empty glass. "I will contact Mr. Manning, but I'd like you to tell me the terms of this guardianship. If you are already one and twenty, I don't understand the need for it."
Praise the saints! Maybe the man would be gracious enough to cancel the entire thing. She nodded furiously. "I agree. Papa's will states that I am to have a guardian until I am three and twenty. At that time, if I have not married, I will inherit his fortune." And she had plans for that money, plans that could not wait another eighteen months.
Lord Campbell's eyes lit up. "Married?"
Her heart sunk to her knees. Blast it. Was that joy she saw in his eyes? Surely, he would not attempt to marry her off? She sucked in a breath. Or, worse yet, force her to marry him? A rake? Someone after her inheritance, perhaps?
She blurted out, "I will not marry you."
Once again, his brows rose to his hairline. "I am happy to hear that, Lady Bridget, considering I have no intention of marrying you. Or anybody, for that matter."
His Rebellious Lass has a solid start–Bridget and Cam clash from the start as he wants his unexpected ward married right away, and marriage to anyone is the last thing she wants. Once they each understand what the other wants (she wants to open a home for women affected by domestic violence, he wants to go back to his comfortable, non-ward life where he can live his never-getting-married life in peace) they reach a compromise: she'll go along with his attempts to find her a husband, and he'll assist her with starting her shelter. Right away, Bridget goes out of her way to make herself appear as unmarriageable as possible, and the tactics she uses are at time laugh-out-loud funny. (Her outfit at their first outing, OMG<|fim_middle|>away ends 7/12/2019 @ 11:59pm EST.
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Somewhere around the halfway mark, though, the story starts to veer a bit off the rails. Bridget and Cam are of course starting to feel drawn to each other–to be expected, because we all knew from the first sentence of the blurb this was going, right?–but the exploration of their initial attraction feels more clunky than natural. (I feel sparks! Oh no! Oh, wait, no sparks this time–phew. I'm good. I refuse to be attracted to him/her! I have a plan. Oh, dear–were those sparks again???) Then there's the fact that even though Bridget's one life goal since her friend died a battered woman has been to start a shelter, she has essentially made zero plans for it beyond "buy a house, help women, move to the country once said house is operating smoothly." She doesn't even understand budgeting, we find out later…? (We never do find out how on earth they're going to keep the home–which every woman in the part of town they're looking at buildings in seem to know to future purpose of–is going to be kept a secret from all of the men the women there are supposed to be protected from.) At one point Cam and Bridget are given a baby for its own protection–they give it to the nursemaid in Cam's sister's nursery, and from that point on she gets mentioned…maybe twice?
Then there's a kidnapping! A scandal! A rushed marriage! A absolutely unbelievable big misunderstanding that made me want to smack Cam upside the head (I'm sorry, a much more grovelly grovel was in order for that than what Bridget actually gets)…and eventually, an HEA–but by that time I was feeling more than a little whiplash-ish. Maybe if Ms. Hutton had attempted a bit less here I would have enjoyed it more?
His Rebellious Lass is the first book in a new series, though I did get the impression that it might be loosely connected to earlier books (Cam's friends' stories, maybe?) This one isn't ever going to be my favorite book from this author, but I am interested in seeing where else she will go with this series.
Rating: 3 stars / C
CALLIE HUTTON, USA Today bestselling author writes both Western Historical and Regency romance with "historic elements and sensory details" (The Romance Reviews). Callie lives in Oklahoma with several rescue dogs, two adult children, a daughter-in-law, twin grandsons and her top cheerleader husband (although thankfully not all in the same home!). Living in the Midwest provides plenty of opportunities for Callie do pursue her interests: researching history, meeting readers, spending time with her adorable two year old twin grandsons, and discovering new adventures. Callie loves to hear from readers and welcomes the opportunity to become friends, both in person or virtually.
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To celebrate the release of HIS REBELLIOUS LASS by Callie Hutton, we're giving away a $25 Amazon gift card to one lucky winner!
LINK: http://bit.ly/2XLZlbh
GIVEAWAY TERMS & CONDITIONS: Open to internationally. One winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card. This giveaway is administered by Pure Textuality PR on behalf of Entangled Publishing. Give | 792 |
Check out the Briko-Maplus Waxing Manual for great waxing tips from recreational skiing to elite racer.
Wax less, Glide faster and longer with Briko<|fim_middle|>ero. After scraping don't brush all of it out of the scratches, gouges and aggressive structure. Check out our Tuning Tips on Light Hot Scraping to reduce scraping after the wax cools.
When hot waxing skis or snowboards the temperature of the iron should be as cool as possible …..but warm enough so that the wax drips on easily. You do not want the iron so hot that smoking occurs. Iron temperature settings vary from one iron manufacturer to the other so some experimenting with your iron to find the right setting for each type of wax is necessary. The guide that we use with our Purl iron is between 210 F (110 C) for warm spring wax and up to 270 F (133 C) for our sub zero wax. See our Tuning Tips on Efficient Waxing to reduce waste, time and energy.
Toko Alpine, Nordic, Snowboard, Telemark and Backcountry Wax and Tools offers a superb combination of simplicity and performance. The Express Wax line is made up of liquid, paste, and rub-on waxes to satisfy the recreational skier who wants to keep the boards running and preserve his bases. The paraffin based waxes (iron-on) consist of just three colors designating appropriate snow conditions (Yellow, Red, and Blue).
Despite this simplicity, Toko waxes are relied on heavily at World Cup and Olympic events by ski powerhouse countries such as Sweden, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Germany, Finland, and the United States. The Toko Tools cater to the demands of the skier and snowboarder. Toko offers value priced edge tuning tools as well as tuning tools of the highest precision. | -Maplus. Holder of the World Speed Record.Briko-Maplus is the leading Italian wax manufacturer working directly with prof. Gianpaolo Gambaretto of Padua University who developed CERA F for Enichem in 1984 and is on the cutting-edge of fluorinated and perfluorinated wax development. Briko-Maplus provides a complete alpine, snowboard and nordic World Cup winning line of wax and tuning tools to a global market. The high-melt paraffins used in Briko-Maplus wax provides a more durable/longer lasting wax per application. This translates to more time with excellent glide while using less material, cost and time. The Briko-Maplus base Preparation and Saturation waxes are second to none.
At Purl Wax, we move fast. From a company perspective that means constant innovation. All of our waxes are biodegradable and environmentally friendly. We manufacture pure, clean ski and snowboard waxes with superior speed and durability. No fluoros. No toxic chemicals. No hype.
Our goal is to accelerate the world's transition to eco-friendly ski waxes with a full range of performance driven products. Made in Colorado.
Purple All Temp: In colder conditions run the blue cold temperature ski wax along your edges and the purple all temperature ski wax down the center.
Blue Cold Weather: For typical winter conditions, blend this cold ski wax with the purple all temperature ski wax and you will be amazed.
Yellow Warm: We recommend blending the spring ski wax with our all temperature ski wax when the temperature is between 24º – 30º. Above 28º we recommend adding graphite ski wax as a rub-on to repel contaminates.
Black Graphite: This wax is designed to overcome static friction that is encountered in cold dry snow. Rub the graphite in on top of our green sub-zero ski wax for optimum ski glide in severe cold conditions. OR, on the opposite end of the spectrum, this graphite ski wax can also be used to repel wax contaminants found in spring slush snow. Blend the graphite with our yellow spring ski for the best results.
A great way to get an even distribution of the graphite wax across your base is to crayon it in. Take the bar of wax, no iron, and rub it across the entire surface of your base. After that you can iron and scrape as usual or if you have a cork, you can cork it in and brush it out.
For a quick base repair fix for shallow base scratches, gouges and to moderate aggressive structure if the weather turns cold, try applying a little of the super hard Green Sub-Z | 543 |
A go-live decision model helps to assign accountability to key project stakeholders in order to make decision to proceed with go-live on an agreed date or not. Below is an example responsibility model that will guide to create a required decision responsibility model.
A run sheet is a list of procedures or events organised in progressive sequence to execute the required agreed outcome. Below sheet is an example that can be used as part of application migration to cloud.
The objective of change management in this context is to ensure that standardised methods and procedures are used for efficient and prompt handling of all changes to control IT infrastructure, in order to minimise the number and impact of any related incidents upon service (ITSM Best Practice).
In this context, below is a simple change management practice model that can be used to control all changes to IT infrastructure in an IaaS application migration.
Hope<|fim_middle|> IT Service Management will govern and lead all IT services utilising strategic processes and technology enablers based on industry best practices.
Contestability between IT Service providers is a key outcome for service management across IT@Organisation, where it does not have a negative impact on the customer experience.
The Organisation's IT operating model will be based on the principles of Customer-centricity (Organisation's business and IT), consistency and quality of service and continual improvement of process maturity.
Organisation will retain and own all IP for Organisation's Service Management knowledge assets and processes.
Changes to existing Organisation processes and procedures will only be made where those changes are necessary to deliver benefits from the Cloud platform.
Before beginning process design, ownership of the process and its outcomes, resource availability, cost benefit analysis and performance measurements will be defined and agreed.
Please note that there will be practical implications to organisation's service management processes (typically – incident management, problem management, capacity management, service restoration, change management, configuration management and release management). Also these are some of the good principles to consider and can be customised as per organisational strategy and priorities. | you found these examples useful for your application migration to assist and complete transition.
Below are some good IT Service Management Operational Principles to consider when migrating applications into Cloud. These will help to align your operational goals and organisation's strategic initiatives.
Organisation's | 49 |
The Medici originated in the valley of the Mugello and moved to nearby Florence in the 13th century. In 1397, Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici established a bank. Soon he opened branches all over Italy and Europe and became involved in papal finances, enterprises that resulted in his amassing a large fortune. With<|fim_middle|> that the Medici were one of the central forces that enabled the Renaissance to take place as they contributed greatly to the cultural and intellectual fabric of Florence, the birthplace of the movement. Without their patronage the philosophers Marsilio Ficino and Pico della Mirandola, the artists Donatello, Filippo Brunelleschi, Sandro Botticelli, and Michelangelo, the poet Angelo Poliziano, and the astronomer Galileo Galilei might not have had the opportunity to achieve the endeavors for which they are so well known.
See also Medici, Lorenzo "The Magnificent" de'; Medici, Marie de'. | wealth came power and, in 1402, Giovanni was elected to serve as one of the priors of Florence's legislative body, the Signoria. His son Cosimo is the one who sealed the family's political hegemony when in 1434 he was able to effect the removal of the Albizzi from power and to take over their position as the city's leading political figure. Medici rule was to last until the 18th century, when the family died out, save for exile in 1494 and again in 1527. In 1530, the Medici took absolute control of Tuscany as dukes and, in 1569 as grand dukes, titles they obtained through the efforts of two Medici popes: Leo X and Clement VII. Marriage alliances linked them to the royal houses of France and Spain, further strengthening their position of power.
It is not unreasonable to say | 199 |
In my work with Better by Design, I was exposed to user centred design processes from both brand designers and industrial designers. We worked with IDEO, DesignWorks, Interbrand, FormWay and other leading design firms. It was interesting to contrast new product development processes with brand design processes. My experience is that the heart of a good brand design process is providing space to support exploration and creativity (while still driving towards a commercial outcome).
Later on, when I worked at BRR, we evolved a design process specifically to deliver good quality brand identities in situations of high uncertainty. I specialised in creating brands for complex clients such as geographical regions, B2B companies and primary producer cooperatives. Personally, I'm a venture capital lawyer by background and a strategist by trade so my role in the design process is to champion user-centred thinking and make sure that the client is happy.
Why have a formal process for a creative undertaking?
Ironically, the more creative the work is, the more systematic the process needs to be. Marissa Mayer (of Google and Yahoo) says that "creativity loves constraints". Our current design process is designed to account for a high level of uncertainty in startups and technology companies.
If you had a design-aware leader like Steve Jobs as a client, you could just go and show Steve different<|fim_middle|> and other brands to convey the options for the tone of the brand.
The design genres stage is about finding which moods and tones we want to convey.
The first genre took its cue from mathematics and was inspired by Alan Turing and the calculus of growth.
The second design genre took its cue from biological models of growth.
The third design genre expressed the brand essence through fractal mathematics and the scientific models of chaos and order.
Three things that each person likes about each option.
Three things that each person dislikes about each option.
We also ask for the attendees to vote on the preferred direction to proceed with to the next round of design.
It's important that the design review meeting not get hung up on the particular details of each design genre. At this early stage, the genres are simply an attempt to define the playing field within which the creativity of the design process will happen.
The design concepts are explorations based on the chosen design genre and feedback collected in the design genre stage. This is where the real craft of a brand designer kicks in.
The design concept stage includes conceptual mockups to test the system.
The old way of doing brand design was to create design concepts by designing the logo, secondary graphic devices, typography and colour palette in sequence. Usually starting with the the logo by itself.
The Lean Branding approach is to imagine the applications themselves and then birth the design system out of the intended applications. The entire brand is created all at once and then gradually improved as it is tested and iterated. This requires a particular type of experience and creativity. I've only worked with a handful of designers in my career who can do this type of "application first" brand design. They're rare, but worth it.
The deliverables from the design concepts stage are options for the logo, fonts and colour palette as a "minimum viable design system". The design concept stage usually includes three different design directions for a logo (as well as the associated design system that would go with each logo).
The design concepts stage is really an iterative process within the team. The document is a summary of the team's thinking up to that point. The design concepts document is a slightly arbitrary milestone at which to get client feedback on two or three options that might survive to become the final design system.
The design system is built using the roughly formed systems that were latent in the design concepts. At this stage, it's more about converging on a final result. The presentation document will include lots of example applications and they'll usually be applied to real-world collateral. They're still not finished design templates. But they set out a single system in a coherent and consistent way.
The design team uses the milestone client presentations to critique the work and get feedback.
Sometimes, the original brand design team will create some finished collateral items such as posters, t-shirts and other branded items. These are useful as reference samples for the in-house team to use to guide future implementations. These are a key part of lean branding because they allow the team to observe real world users interacting with the brand.
At the design genres stage, it may be a couple of obvious applications like business cards. These will be pretty rough.
As we move further along into design concepts, we test the work on posters, web, social media and brochures.
When we get to the design system it will be much more integrated and in-depth and look closer to finished work.
The trick with mockups is to be pragmatic and show just enough so that the brand feels real enough for the client to make an informed decision. For each client, there will be different usages which feel more real based on their industry. For example, with the Innovation Warehouse, the website is very important, as is the interior signage.
One of the risks with normal in-situ applications is that they become too literal and a client will start arguing about the literal application too early in the process and they get distracted from having the timely conversation about the work at hand.
It can be useful to do a deliberately fictional application because it allows you to have a safe conversation. One of the most successful test applications that I've used was a mock-up of a retail brand onto a Volkswagen Mini. This was a powerful way of bringing the brand to life even though they would rarely (if ever) actually make car signage.
There are some mockup tools that are deliberately realistic whereas other tools deliberately look unfinished (like a pencil sketch). The reason for making things look deliberately sketched is that the client can get attached to a specific look too early (when it's more about the overall look). Even so, the sooner we know what the client doesn't like, the better. On balance, we prefer to show things as realistically as possible so tools like Context by LiveSurface and PlaceIt from Breezi are a key part of our workflow.
You can follow the designs while they are created and tested as a live brand case study and also on the Innovation Warehouse blog. The next step in the process is the design genres. We'll be uploading the entire document as a PDF so that you can see the work and use it as a template for creating your own brand as well. | versions every day and each round of feedback would iterate towards something amazing. But when you have to present to a client team that has a mix of different opinions (from different managers), you need a process to corral opinions and drive towards certainty.
The design process is partially about doing the design, but it's really about selling the design to the client. Ultimately, the client has to love the brand because they have to live with it. The main deliverable of the brand design isn't the logo. The real outcome is a design system that can be used to create finished pieces of collateral.
Each design stage diverges from a single point. We put a stake in the ground and explore out in multiple directions. The skillsets for diverging and converging are markedly different. At some point during each stage we sit down as a team and decide that we've explored wide enough. Then we start to coagulate the work into clusters for presentation to the client as options.
Each stage needs an identifiable deliverable that shows progress. We need to be able to declare that the work is "finished work", even though it's just a way-point in the overall process. That allows the means that the client can give intelligent feedback (at the right moment) to guide the end result.
The work for the Innovation Warehouse includes a co-operative between myself, Klaus Bravenboer, Sichi, Ross Mackay and other designers. So we're using a simplified process with can bring together a diverse team.
The first stage in a good design process is to create a set of design genres. The design genres are a set of ideas and themes that make the brand values and positioning visual. The design genres explore how the strategy comes to life as design, photography and imagery.
The deliverable of this stage is mood boards of found images and examples of existing brands that express a similar tone or "mood". We built the mood boards using Pinterest boards for internal team collaboration and then made separate collages to represent each of the three proposed design genres.
The design genre document also includes the design team's interpretations and summary of the key points from the strategy stage. This is usually done by picking out the key bits of copywriting that will be used in the visualisations.
The design genres stage is how a brand moves from fuzzy concepts (in the strategy stage) into visual metaphors, tones, colours, shapes and imagery. It's best not to do any conventional "design" work at this stage and instead to use found imagery | 506 |
The first Brazilian performer to attain international stardom, singer and actress Carmen Miranda was born Maria<|fim_middle|> Marco de Canavezes, Portugal, but she was raised in Rio de Janeiro from infancy onward. After quitting school, she began working at an area shop, where her habit of singing on the job brought her to the attention of a local radio station. Seemingly overnight, Miranda emerged as one of the top attractions on the Rio club circuit, and upon signing to RCA in 1928, she became a massive star throughout Brazil. She made her film debut in 1933's A Voz do Carnaval, solidifying her fame two years later with Estudantes. While performing at Rio's Casino da Urca in 1939, Miranda was spotted by Broadway impresario Lee Shubert, who immediately arranged to bring her to America; she soon made her New York debut in his show The Streets of Paris before settling in Hollywood the following year.
In the years which followed, Miranda virtually embodied Hollywood's narrow and condescending concept of Latin American culture — from her first starring role in 1940's Down Argentine Way, her enduring public image remained that of the feisty Brazilian bombshell, invariably clad in some sort of enormous fruit-basket headdress while singing and dancing. It was an image she proved unable to shake during her film career; worse, during her first visit back to Brazil, Miranda was accused of becoming too "Americanized." (The experience later resulted in her song "Disseram Que Eu Voltei Americanizada" — "They Said I Came Back Americanized.") As World War II drew to an end, however, the market for the light, campy musicals on which Miranda's fame rested began to dry up, and in 1953, she made her final screen appearance in the Dean Martin/Jerry Lewis vehicle Scared Stiff. | do Carmo Miranda da Cunha on February 9, 1909 in | 19 |
Whether for day or week coastal cruising in the Caribbean or the South of France, CHLOE combines comfort with elegance; the yacht comfortably sleeping four with good en suite facilities and an<|fim_middle|> fore cabin Each has en suite shower and head compartment. She can sleep a further two in the main saloon if required. | option for two more in the main saloon.
Just four years old, CHLOE would seem to be in immaculate condition, the owners having kept her fully maintained. The yacht has cruised extensively proving a pleasure to sail, and fully manageable by just two crew. Equally she proved ideally suited to cope with the bigger swell and strong winds in the Caribbean. She is moreover a competitive racing boat, evidenced by her achievements so far.
The construction and design of the Spirit yachts naturally lends them to competing in classic style racing at local and international regattas. CHLOE first competed in the 2012 Panerai Classics Regatta, Cowes just days after her launch. Quickly showing she had the performance to win she was then entered in other events around the UK with quite some success.
Her major achievement though was at the Antigua Classics Regatta 2014, where she beat all her similar sized competitors and was only beaten herself by one much larger yacht. In the 2013 and 2014 Round the Island (of Wight) races she performed outstandingly well against modern race yachts, beating most across the water. In 2014, she also won the Modern Classics Class.
Her IRC rating offers a good prospect of winning races at many regattas and sailing events around the world. In racing mode she is a pleasure to sail, well balanced right up through the wind range and easily steered. Crew work is straightforward and uncomplicated. There are no spinnaker poles and extra guy lines, just simple to use asymmetric spinnakers.
Fifty four Spirit yachts have now been built and delivered to their owners around the world. Nine of those participated in the 2014 Antigua Classics Regatta. This the 27th regatta was blessed with some of the most exciting racing ever seen at this event; 25-28 knot trade winds and 2-3 metre rolling seas producing demanding but truly exhilarating sailing. CHLOE was 2nd in the Spirit Class behind NAZGUL, a 76 ft Spirit. In the Spirit of Tradition Class she was 3rd behind the 130 ft J Class RAINBOW and NAZGUL.
- Keel faired and coated with epoxy barrier coating before painting.
- Heavy usage items such as the helm wheel have up to 12 coats of varnish.
- All bearings are plain high load for high load applications.
Accommodation is for four in a double owner's cabin aft and two single guest berths in the | 535 |
Leahy Statement On The 150th Anniversary Of The Appropriations Committee
Thank you Chairman Cochran and the U.S. Capitol Historical Society, for gathering us here today with the former and current members and staff of the committee, and Senate Historian Betty Koed to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Senate Appropriations Committee. I also want to welcome to the former chair, Senator Mikulski, the only woman in the history of the Senate to chair this committee and the longest serving woman in the history of Congress. Established on March 6, 1867, its powers a… Continue Reading
Reaction Of Senator Patrick Leahy To Majority Leader McConnell's Decision To Delay Senate Votes On The Trumpcare Bill
"I have heard from thousands of Vermonters who oppose these stumbling and outrageous efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and to replace it with Trumpcare. 'Mean' only begins to describe it. "It's time for Senate Republicans not just to delay this vote, but to shelve it. In truth, this is a plan for more huge tax cuts for the wealthiest, in the guise of a health plan. It would take away health insurance from 22 million Americans and leave millions more with less coverage, at higher cos… Continue Reading
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy at the Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing on "The President's FY18 Funding Request for the EPA"
Chairwoman Murkowski and Ranking Member Udall, this is an important hearing. The Trump administration has demonstrated its clear contempt for the critical work historically done by the Environmental Protection Agency to protect and preserve our environment. I wonder how you can look at this Committee and defend this as a plan to uphold the Agency's mission. Where we should be doubling down on our investment to protect our environment and curb the effects of climate change, this administrat… Continue Reading
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On President Trump's Cuba Policy
Mr. President, on June 16th, in a campaign style speech glorifying the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961, President Trump spoke of freedom and democracy for the Cuban people. Those are goals we all share, not only for the people of Cuba but for people everywhere. But the hypocrisy of the President's remarks in Miami, when he announced his decision to roll back engagement between the United States and Cuba, was glaring, if not surprising. This is a president who has praised, feted, … Continue Reading
Senators (including Leahy, the 'father' of the nat'l organic program) Call on USDA to Combat Fraudulent Organic Imports
Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) today called on Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to increase enforcement of non-organic imports being fraudulently sold as USDA-certified organic in the United States. "Organic farmers in the United States cannot be expected to compete against fraudulent organic imports, and American consumers have the right to expect that products sold as organic meet the criteria for use of the organic l… Continue Reading
Leahy And Other Democratic Senate Leaders Urge Path Forward As Funding Deadline And Sequestration Loom
Senate Democratic<|fim_middle|> Leader Among Nearly 200 Members Of Congress Who Have Filed Lawsuit To Compel President Trump To Comply With Constitution's EMOLUMENTS Clause
***VIDEO AVAILABLE*** Leahy And Other Congressional Leaders Lay Out Constitutional Case For Compelling President Trump To Obey Anti-Corruption Foreign Emoluments Clause . . . In the week since nearly 200 Members of Congress filed a complaint to compel President Trump to comply with the Constitution, public reporting has revealed new evidence of foreign benefits WASHINGTON (TUESDAY, June 20, 2017) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) Tuesday joined Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Representativ… Continue Reading
Vice Chairman Leahy's Statement On The FY 18 Budget Request For The Federal Communications Commission
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Vice Chairman, Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government Hearing On "A Review of the FY 2018 Budget Request for the Federal Communications Commission" June 20, 2017 Thank you, Chairwoman Capito and Ranking Member Coons, for the opportunity to make brief remarks. The Trump budget proposal for FY 2018 cuts funding for the FCC's core budget by 5 percent. If implemented it would require a reduction in over… Continue Reading
Leahy's Senate Address Tues. Afternoon On Republicans Continuing To Hide Their TRUMPCARE BILL From The Public And From The Senate, A Week Before The Expected Vote
Senate Address of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On the Devastating Impacts of Trumpcare Senate Floor Tuesday, June 20, 2017 For the last seven years, we have heard Republicans in Congress campaign on the pledge to repeal the Affordable Care Act. State to state, district to district, like President Trump, they have pledged to repeal and replace the landmark health reform bill that made access to affordable healthcare a reality for millions of Americans. You would think after seven years of cam… Continue Reading
Leahy Announces $11 Million In Affordable Housing And Community Development Funds For Vermont
Leahy Announces $11 Million In Affordable Housing And Community Development Funds For Vermont WASHINGTON (TUESDAY, June 20, 2017) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Tuesday that Vermont will receive more than $11 million in new affordable housing and community development funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Earlier this year, as Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Leahy successfully negotiated the fiscal year 2017 appropriations act,… Continue Reading
STATEMENT OF SENATOR PATRICK LEAHY SUBCOMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION & RELATED AGENCIES HEARING ON "A REVIEW OF THE FY 2018 FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION BUDGET REQUEST"
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration & Related Agencies Hearing on "A Review of the FY 2018 Food And Drug Administration Budget Request" June 20, 2017 Thank you, Chairman Hoeven and Ranking Member Merkley, for holding this hearing today to examine the President's Fiscal Year 2018 budget proposal for the Food and Drug Administration. And thank you, Commissioner Gottlieb, for joining us here today. I thank the Chair a… Continue Reading
Reaction Of Senator Patrick Leahy To President Trump's Decision To Tighten Restrictions On Americans' Travel To And Trade With Cuba
[(FRIDAY, June 16, 2017) - Below is the reaction of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to President Trump's decision to tighten restrictions on travel and trade between Americans and Cuba. Leahy, the Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of its Subcommittee on the State Department and Foreign Operations, for two decades has led in pressing for reform of the failed five-decades-old U.S. policy on Cuba. Leahy and Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) are the lead sponsors of legi… Continue Reading
At Appropriations Hearing With HHS Secy. Price, Leahy Slams Republicans' Closed-Door Cobbling Together Of A Senate Trumpcare Plan
Secretary Price, welcome to the Appropriations Committee. The purview of the Department of Health and Human Services is wide in scope and touches the lives of every American. But, as with other departments, the proposed budget for the Department of Health and Human Services is abysmal. It would undermine the Department's very mission to protect the health and wellbeing of Americans. Instead of investing in programs that help support the middle class and lift up the most vulnerable among us, … Continue Reading
Leahy Leads Bill, Joined By Klobuchar and Durbin, To Increase Voter Participation
Senator Patrick Leahy introduced legislation Wednesday to modernize the nation's voter registration systems and make it easier for all Americans to vote and participate in our democracy. The Automatic Voter Registration Act of 2017 requires states to automatically register eligible vote when they interact with certain state and federal agencies, unless those people decline. The bill would streamline the voter registration process and allow citizens to register online, making it easier for ind… Continue Reading
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On the Introduction of the Automatic Voter Registration Act of 2017
The right to vote is among the most sacred rights guaranteed by our Constitution. It forms the foundation for our democracy and inspires countless people across the world still striving for a meaningful opportunity to engage in the political process and shape their futures. My friend John Lewis has often said that "the right to vote is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have in a democracy." I could not agree more with him. America is a stronger and greater country when more Americans part… Continue Reading | Leader Charles E. Schumer and Senators Patrick Leahy, Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Dick Durbin, Patty Murray and Debbie Stabenow Monday laid a path forward to complete the annual appropriations bills and to lift the irresponsible, post-sequester spending caps before the September 30 deadline to fund the government for fiscal year 2018. In a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran, the Senators… Continue Reading
Reaction Of Senator Patrick Leahy To The Senate's Trumpcare Plan
We're finally seeing why Senate Republican leaders have been hiding their shameful Trumpcare bill for so long. With no hearings, no debate, no vetting process, and no score, this plan breaks every promise the President made about what he would do in repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act. Cobbled together behind closed doors, it is a cruel and cynical hoax, played on millions upon millions of Americans who would lose all or some of their health insurance protections under this plan. … Continue Reading
Vice Chairman Leahy Statement On The FY 18 Budget Request For The National Institutes Of Health
Thank you, Chairman Blunt and Ranking Member Murray, for holding this important hearing today, and for the opportunity to make a few brief remarks. Welcome, Dr. Collins. Unfortunately, the President's proposed budget displays a fundamental lack of understanding of the role of government of, by, and for the people, in supporting the middle class, lifting up the most vulnerable among us, and serving our values and interests as a nation. Sequestration has had devastating consequences for both d… Continue Reading
Leahy Introduces Bill To Restore Protections of The Voting Rights Act, To Protect Americans' Voting Rights And To Counter Voter Suppression and Discrimination
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) led 46 Democratic Senators in reintroducing the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2017 on Thursday. Leahy's bill restores and modernizes the Voting Rights Act after the Supreme Court gutted the landmark civil rights law in the "Shelby County" decision in 2013. Following that decision, several states rushed to exploit the federal government's inability to adequately protect Americans' voting rights and enacted a wave of new voter suppression laws, from racial gerrym… Continue Reading
Statement On The President's FY 18 Funding Request For The U.S. Department Of Energy
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Vice Chairman, Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee On Energy and Water Development Hearing On "A Review of the President's Fiscal Year 2018 Funding Request For The U.S. Department Of Energy" June 21, 2017 I want to thank Chairman Alexander and Ranking Member Feinstein for having this hearing today to discuss the administration's Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Request for the Department of Energy. Secretary Perry, the Energy Department is one that h… Continue Reading
Senator Leahy And Governor Scott: Leahy And Scott Make Joint Recommendation For Vermont's Next U.S. Attorney
Senator Leahy And Governor Scott Make Joint Recommendation For Vermont's Next U.S. Attorney (WEDNESDAY, June 21, 2017) -- U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Vermont Governor Phil Scott (R) have recommended Burlington attorney Christina Nolan to President Trump to be Vermont's next U.S. Attorney. Nolan would be the 38th U.S. Attorney in Vermont's history and the first woman nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate for the position. She would lead an office of 45 employees, incl… Continue Reading
Leahy Is A | 760 |
Reporting to an ex Big 4 trained CA and a commercially experienced<|fim_middle|> partnering with executives to deliver insights.
The key success factor for this Financial and Management Accountant will be your ability to deliver accurate and timely reporting and a passion to help drive value for the business through partnering and process efficiency.
A highly regarded player in its field, this organisation is a prominent brand that has the backing of a top performing private equity investment group. With a total employee base of 120, this organisation has the expected characteristics of a smaller enterprise however being PE owned they employ the best of the best and their reporting and governance framework is comparable to a listed organisation. The organisation will provide the right entrepreneurial finance professional an opportunity to be instrumental in growing the group. | Financial Controller, this Financial and Management Accountant will deliver to all financial and management requirements of this business. This is a broad and exciting role that has primary day-to-day responsibility for ensuring the timely and accurate completion of monthly results across both the P&L and Balance Sheet, including posting of journals, preparation of reconciliations, supporting the development of budgets and forecasts and business | 75 |
finished post projects related<|fim_middle|> and the darkest lows. I am so looking forward to exploring a new season of calm and clarity. I finally picked my word for this year- Light. More to come on what this word means to me and how I hope to embracing it's multiple meanings. | to The Dating Divas blog and the Jessica Sprague community.
planned Olivia's first birthday and completed over 10 handmade projects to complement her theme.
hosted 11 people at our house and cooked for 14 over the course of a week!
transformed our kitchen mess into a beautiful and practical space.
endured and recovered from the stomach flu!
I'm starting to feel tired even reading this list… phew! I'm really glad the month of December is behind us. It was filled to the brim with amazing memories…. and enough stress to power a small city. It was a fitting end to an incredibly intense year. Adios, 2013- you were filled with the brightest highs | 148 |
The integrative design process understands that buildings, their components, and their context are interrelated. Observe this principle by involving all stakeholders from project conception through delivery and beyond. Include all stakeholders to identify synergies that otherwise would go unnoticed to reduce the initial and operating costs and optimize the design for appearance, comfort, and energy efficiency. An integrated IEQ team can involve the workplace specialist, interior designer, facility manager, owner, occupant, maintenance staff and mechanical, lighting and acoustical engineers with a goal to maximize occupant comfort and health.
By establishing green cleaning contracts and purchasing agreements that specify environmentally-friendly cleaning and office materials, the facility manager plays an important role in improving overall indoor air quality. Administering occupant satisfaction surveys prior to and following any retrofit project will help identify IEQ categories of greater interest, saving money and time in bringing IEQ benefits to the space. Metering and building control systems provide the Facility Manager information on fluctuations in temperature, humidity, electricity and ventilation before it impacts occupant comfort and periodic occupancy surveys can ensure the targeted temperature, relative humidity, lighting, and other building environmental factors are providing the expected occupant satisfaction. The Facility Manager along with the Mechanical Engineer and Maintenance staff should ensure a process is in place to track and respond to occupant discomfort complaints during the integrative process. In addition, a robust tracking process throughout can ensure green maintenance procedures are implemented consistently.
Optimization of the HVAC system is critical in maintaining a healthy and productive indoor environment. The mechanical engineer is responsible for providing adequate levels of ventilation and filtration, which circulate air from within and outside the facility, as well as proper humidity and temperature levels during all seasons and times of day. All ASHRAE standards need to be met, with plans for retrocommissioning to ensure the space is safe and comfortable into the future. The mechanical engineer should work closely with the Architect and Interior Designer in providing thermal zones for customizability by occupants where desired. Additionally, the Mechanical Engineer should coordinate with the Acoustical Engineer to reduce and block HVAC mechanical sound from causing worker disruptions and potentially leverage the HVAC system as a source of background noise.
The owner wants to maximize the project's return on investment as well as the overall building's market value. As a result, the building owner should be made aware of the financial and social benefits of creating a high quality indoor environment. Increases in worker performance and property value coupled with a reduction in associated liability concerns of an unhealthy building can greatly offset any upfront investments in IEQ renovations.1 The owner will develop the Owner's Project Requirements (OPR) with the integrative team at project kick-off to establish prioritization of critical design and operational criteria. The integrative team working in collaboration from project conception should be focused not only on optimizing comfort and environmental stability but also limiting life cycle costs of the building.
The occupant's health and productivity is directly affected by the IEQ and therefore their well-being should be considered throughout the integrative design process. Controllability of the indoor environment can be beneficial not only to the worker's performance but also create reductions in utility consumption if designed properly. Bring the building occupant to the integrative table to ensure successful participation by the occupant in maintaining good IEQ and the lighting and acoustic requirements are sufficient to meet the task needs of the space.
The lighting engineer, in cooperation with the rest of the integrative team, should ensure as much natural daylight permeates the space as possible. A lighting strategy that incorporates a combination of direct and indirect light fixtures, individual controls and occupancy/daylight sensors, and task lighting alternatives provides both an equally distributed illumination level and additional opportunities for occupant controllability. The lighting engineer is trained to prevent glare and direct exposure to sunlight as they contribute to a negative and uncomfortable indoor environment. An effective lighting strategy that limits solar heat gain and waste heat from electric lighting, and collaboration with the Mechanical Engineer, may permit a smaller sizing of HVAC equipment.
Interior space not only impacts materials and resource use, but also is<|fim_middle|> should be easy to follow and implement, including schedules and guidelines for any necessary trainings or certifications.1 Maintenance personnel can provide input on making systems easier to maintain, such as convenient access to filters, valves, and motors or the use of non-absorbent materials, particularly in high traffic areas.
Occupant IEQ surveys often report significant dissatisfaction with building acoustical performance. The acoustical engineer is tasked with creating a productive acoustic environment through a combination of sound absorption technologies, blocking designs, and masking strategies. The acoustical engineer should work alongside the Interior Designer and Mechanical Engineer to identify opportunities to limit distractions, such as creating acoustical zones or providing steady background noise from HVAC equipment. Collaboration with the Architect may lead to room layouts that limit sound transfer. | critical to human performance through safe and healthy interiors that promote psychological and social well-being. The interior designer works within the integrative team to create interior spaces that aim to optimize opportunities to engage in social encounters balanced with private spaces, meaningful and interesting sensory and visual connections, natural sound levels, healthy material selection, and ability to maintain and control personal comfort. Creating the workplace to support human needs, in collaboration with the Architect, Mechanical, Acoustical and Lighting Engineers, will provide the greatest level of human comfort and satisfaction. See the GSA Total Workplace Library to find how interior design affects occupant satisfaction and building performance.
The workplace specialist role is important to have at the table, as he/she is tightly engaged with the human behavior aspect of creating a healthy and functional space. The workplace specialist should collaborate closely with the Facility Manager and Interior Designer to ensure the project is not only a nice space but also one focused on human interactions, health, and safety.
Maintenance personnel are critical in ensuring ongoing indoor environmental performance. Thorough green cleaning and purchasing plans | 209 |
NEA Source Term Evaluation and Mitigation (STEM) Project
Past, recent and ongoing R&D programmes (e.g. Phebus FP, ISTP, ARTIST, OECD/BIP and THAI Projects) are mainly focussed on the reduction of uncertainties on the evaluation of the potential source term to the environment in case of a light water reactor (LWR) severe accident. This effort is sustained within the EU/SARNET Network of Excellence.
However, it has been recognised that known phenomenological uncertainties remain for some complex phenomena with<|fim_middle|>ium transport in pipes.
Within the frame of the NEA STEM Project, the first series of experiments (iodine behaviour under radiation) are dedicated to the analysis of radiation effects and will thus be realized in benches built on the EPICUR (Experimental Programme of Iodine Chemistry Under Radiation) facility. The second series of experiments (ruthenium transport) will aim to analyse the chemistry of ruthenium in pipes including the reactor coolant system and in filters. They will be performed in dedicated benches allowing the injection of different chemical compounds followed by their transport through high temperature gradient tubes up to aerosols filters and bubblers for gas trapping
Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Korea and the United States of America.
July 2011 to September 2015
EUR 3.5 million
STEM-2
Overview of Joint Projects
NEA Nuclear Safety Programme | a significant impact on source term. For public acceptance of lifetime extension of existing reactors, it must be demonstrated that their safety level continues to be enhanced.
Therefore, a new NEA project named STEM (Source Term Evaluation and Mitigation) was initiated in 2011 to improve the general evaluation of the source term. In addition, the reduction of known phenomenological uncertainties on certain phenomena is expected to help in
providing better information and tools to emergency teams in order to help them making a more robust diagnosis and prognosis of the progression of an accident and a better evaluation of potential release of radioactive materials;
investigating phenomena involved in possible complementary mitigation measures, natural or engineered, so as to minimise releases to the environment.
The NEA STEM Project deals with three main issues:
Radioactive iodine release in mid and long term – In complement to previous programmes, it is proposed to perform experiments to study the stability of aerosol particles under radiation and the long term gas/deposits equilibrium in a containment.
Interactions between iodine and paints – No experiments are planned but a literature survey especially focussed on the effect of paint ageing that is likely to lead to the definition of experiments in a possible follow-up project.
Ruthenium chemistry – In complement to previous programmes, it is proposed to perform experiments to study the Ruthen | 269 |
Review - Safe at Home
Artist: The International Submarine Band
Label: Sundazed
Media:<|fim_middle|> classic" is. Me too.
Widely regarded as the first country-rock record (as if that was a good movement to kick off), Safe at Home is a decidedly unsteady and rather unrewarding record. For the legions of Parsons fanatics – and there are many more now than a decade ago – this won't matter. To them, Gram was the real deal, a desert-loving messiah of twang, and these songs are filled with glimmering foreshadows of the greatness that would come in the next few years before Gram was lifted up into heaven to sit at the right hand of Hank the Father. For the rest of us who happen to be sane, Safe at Home is remarkably unremarkable. Legend or not. | CD
WorkNameSort: Safe at Home
I used to have an original vinyl copy of this album. Actually, I had four, and I sold 'em for about a buck apiece. Why do I mention this? Because Gram Parsons (who, as principal songwriter and cutie-pie focal point, was largely responsible for the sound of ISB) has, in the last decade or so, gone from being a mildly interesting country-rock cult figure to some sort of full-bore legend/standard-bearer. Which is odd, because I always thought Gram Parsons was a bit of a fake.
His music, especially his first solo album, is infinitely enjoyable. But something nags at you even if you didn't know that he was born into a deeply cushioned upper-middle-class life, that his grandparents were hugely successful citrus farmers from Winter Haven who were initial investors in Cypress Gardens, or that his parents owned a box factory in Waycross, Ga. Listening to Parsons – even without knowing that his real name was Cecil Ingram Connor III, or knowing he went to Harvard or was in a by-the-numbers folk group from South Carolina – you realize that his style has always sounded forced and imitative.
True, his lyrics were usually brilliant and his taste in collaborators impeccable, but listen to Safe at Home and tell me you don't hear a group of rich kids dabbling in the music of the common man as a novelty. Lee Hazlewood knew a thing or three about novelty, so it's not surprising that this album was originally released on his LHI label, but what few Gramophiles might want to admit is that their hero was as complicit in the sales job. Parsons wanted success as a musician and he wanted it badly. He knew he had a gift for songcraft, but his ego simply wouldn't allow him to write wonderful songs for other people. Whether it was for ISB, the Flying Burrito Brothers or his eventual solo career, his personality and force of will always helped him "humbly" elbow his way to the front of the stage to give that aw-shucks grin of his.
For evidence, look at the songs on Safe at Home: Parsons couldn't even come up with enough original material to fill the album, forcing the group to fill the gaps between a lifeless, Emmylou-less "Luxury Liner" and the original version of "Do You Know How It Feels (To Be Lonesome)" with somnambulant covers such as Bobby Bare's "Miller's Cave" and a medley of "Folsom Prison Blues" and "That's All Right." (Novelty? Huh?) Covers, yes. Contributions from other band members, no. By the end of the CD's 10 tracks (this Sundazed reissue tacks on a cover of "Knee Deep in the Blues"), you'll be wondering what all the fuss about this "lost | 597 |
The most pleasant game of 2021 is now playable in your browser
No Comments on The most pleasant game of 2021 is now playable in your browser
Townscaper, the game where you poke little buildings into existence, is now available to play for free in your browser. The browser version scales the available space down to a more manageable level than its Steam counterpart, but contains the same procedurally generated towns.
Developer Oskar Stålberg used the Unity engine's ability to port the game onto other platforms. Like the normal version, you drop buildings into the ocean with a click of the mouse. They stack and join together on a grid to create a colorful town. To get different buildings, you can rearrange how you have things laid out by undoing building blocks with a right mouse click. The whole experience is like being a child and playing with toys in a bathtub. That's why our very own Nat called it "an absolutely joyous little time w<|fim_middle|> out of your creation as it grows in size.
Townscaper's reach past its PC version isn't quite as impressive as Doom appearing on a calculator, but it has made it to plastic via some users' 3D printed versions of their towns. There's also a first-person browser program that lets you import the .obj file from the game into it so you can walk around your own borough.
If you need a distraction or want to share the delightful boops and blops of this cute game with others, the browser is the easiest place to do it. | aster" in her Townscaper review.
Oh. What's this?A free Townscaper web demo, playable straight in the browser: https://t.co/yuiioimXGg🕊️💦🌊🏡🏤⛪️🏤🏡🌊💦🕊️ pic.twitter.com/Hg0f187xsbDecember 1, 2021
Once you've built out something cozy, you can take your town via the string of characters after the # in the URL and port it into the Steam version of the game. That version is a fairly cheap $5.99 game and will let you stretch your town out across the screen. Thankfully, the game also features the ability to zoom in and | 147 |
Playa del Carmen is an eclectic and popular vacation<|fim_middle|> of the Riviera Maya (to easy depths of around 90 to 100 feet) where visitors can sit and view the sharks in their natural habitat. | hub that offers a rich blend of Mexican and Caribbean culture, 75 miles of white sandy beaches and an incredibly rich and diverse natural environment that offers a range of exciting options that visitors can explore and enjoy. As part of the now world famous Riviera Maya, an area that stretches north to south from the sleepy fishing village of Puerto Morelos to the coastal paradise of Tulum, it has enjoyed intense growth during the last decade and has fast become one of the world's most popular spots for beach vacations.
2. Sea turtles have been swimming our oceans for millions of years. The coastline of Riviera Maya is an important nesting area for the green turtle and loggerhead turtle that from May until September come to shore to nest and lay eggs. The abundance of these beautiful creatures almost guarantees regular sightings either from above while swimming and snorkeling, or below while scuba diving.
3. Bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas), also known as the Zambezi shark, are commonly found worldwide in warm, shallow waters along coasts and in rivers. This imposing animal grows up to 8 feet in length and can weigh up to almost 300 pounds. The bull shark's diet consists mainly of bony fish and small sharks, including other bull sharks, but can also include turtles, birds, dolphins, crustaceans and rays. During the winter months of January through April experienced scuba diving operators take tours down to the sandy floors | 292 |
At the recent Parish Council meeting Mr. Martin Tidman, Wessex Water, stressed the need for members of the public to report any problems to them to help ensure that they provide a good service. The number to ring is 0345 600 4 600. He also spoke about the problems caused by wet wipes being flushed away – about 80% of all blockages in sewers are caused by wet wipes and talks are ongoing with manufacturers for packaging to be relabelled. In the meantime, be aware that many products labelled 'flushable' are not and they are causing huge problems for the water companies.
The Parish Council would like to express their sadness following the death of Councillor Mervyn Osman on 14 April 2016 and our sympathy is extended to Sue and the family.
The Parish Council recently appealed for sponsors to help towards the cost of restoring Dawes Pond to an amenity that the village can be<|fim_middle|> Wiltshire were 240 litre capacity, however, the new bins now being supplied are 180 litre in line with the size of bins in other parts of the County. The charge for green waste collection is the same for all sizes. The reduction in the size of the bins is not shown on the Wiltshire Council website when ordering a new one. | proud of. The Council has received a very generous offer from Mr Nick Kirkham of Glove Factory Studios to pay £3750 towards the cost. The Parish Council decided at its last meeting to go ahead with the project, funding the balance of the cost from the Village Development Fund. A contractor has been selected and the work will be carried out late August/September this year. The delay is in order to cause the minimum disruption to wildlife. The project will re-shape the pond to include a shallow margin area all round for safety. A buried butyl rubber liner will ensure that there are no leaks and a pump will be installed to top up the level of the pond from the brook. The whole area will be grassed and works to some of the trees will be undertaken. Some new planting of evergreens at the rear of the pond will be made.
Until recently all green waste bins supplied by Wiltshire Council in West | 190 |
Recently I<|fim_middle|>ill next time, Make it Your Own! | had a young man over to the house who was back on leave from military service. One of his favorite dishes is Veal Scaloppini so of course I made it for him. During our meal we talked and enjoyed some vino and just shared each other's company. Too often this fast paced life makes us forget we should just slow down a bit, take a breath and enjoy each other. To me, sharing a meal is one of the best opportunities to connect or reconnect.
Finding veal cutlets can be a challenge at times so this also works with chicken. For Scaloppini the process is pretty much the same, but the sauces can vary greatly. It all begins with gently pounding the cutlets out (too much force and they split, too little and they can be tough). I put mine between sheets of plastic wrap to assist the process.
Once the cutlet is pounded, season with salt and pepper, dredge in flour, dip in egg and roll in breadcrumb. I cook these in a large skillet with a mixture of butter and olive oil. Because they are so thin, it only takes a bit on each side – it's really more about getting the breading crispy. Hold the cooked Scaloppini in a warm oven.
Back in the skillet I add a bit more butter, lemon juice, capers and white wine, deglazing the pan and thickening with a bit of cornstarch (mix with water to create a slurry before adding). I then add in some thin slices of lemon and usually serve over fettuccine.
The greatest challenge with this dish is timing. Make sure the rest of your meal is mostly ready before you start cooking the pounded cutlets, as it all moves pretty quickly from that point on. Try cooking this with someone, to just share the time, as well as the meal when it's done.
If you haven't found me on Facebook yet please do. I share lots of food and wine thoughts as well as information all month long. I look forward to hearing about your culinary adventures, questions or suggestions.
T | 421 |
In the past few years, public Wi-Fi has gone from an attraction to a necessity for many industries. People's obsession with constantly checking their phones has led to cafes, libraries, shops and many other organisations being forced to provide Wi-Fi or risk potential customers going elsewhere.
But the way companies offer Wi-Fi to customers is set to change, as the collection of data to log in to wireless hotspots is subject to the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
The GDPR, which takes effect on 25 May 2018, applies to any organisation that handles EU residents' personal data.
A lot of public Wi-Fi is free, but that might not be the case for much longer. The most common practice of providing free Wi-Fi is to offset the cost by selling data that's collected to marketing companies, but the GDPR will toughen the rules for doing that. Anyone who processes data will need a legitimate reason to do so, they must process as little data as is necessary for that purpose and that data must be used only for that purpose.
Unless users consent to their data being used for marketing purposes, this practice will no longer be possible.
Organisations that provide free Wi-Fi have three alternatives to selling data, none of which are terribly attractive: to put in place a pay-to-use service, to eat the cost themselves or to stop providing Wi-Fi altogether. Which of these choices organisations opt for will depend on how important they deem free Wi-Fi to be to their business.
Organisations that continue to provide Wi-Fi – however they pay for it – will still need to sort out the issue of finding a legitimate reason to process data.
Contrary to what many people think, this doesn't necessarily mean gaining consent. There are six lawful bases for collecting data, and consent is the least preferable because it can be hard to obtain and maintain. However, in this instance many organisations will find themselves having to rely on it.
Wi-Fi provider Purple claims to be the first such company to meet these rules. In a blog post, it said it had updated its consent policy and created a user account system that allows people to log in to<|fim_middle|> – or compliance with the GDPR at all. Shane Buckley, CEO of Wi-Fi company Xirrus, says organisations may choose to implement federated identity management (FIM) technology.
He said: "There is no need to store any customer data with FIM, which makes it an attractive route for public Wi-Fi providers seeking cost-effective GDPR compliance.
"Many people already use the process regularly when using their Facebook profile to access a third party website or app. Similarly, a secure federated login replaces the collection of personal data to allow customers to auto-connect to public Wi-Fi networks.
These courses are available in both classroom and distance learning formats.
Can an organisation that provides "free" wifi do so only if a user consents to marketing emails?
Your doubt is correct. If the individual can only access Wi-Fi by consenting to something unrelated (like marketing emails), then their consent isn't "freely given". You can still ask the individual to consent to marketing emails; you just need to make it clear that they'll be able to access Wi-Fi either way. | rectify and erase any data they no longer want to share.
All organisations that rely on consent will need a system similar to Purple's.
But there is another option, one that doesn't rely on consent | 41 |
Who does not want to have a luxurious hair care treatment in the comforts of their own home? Aside from saving up on salon and<|fim_middle|>ash guide.
Honey is a known humectant that attracts and retains moisture. Apply it on hair and you get naturally soft, shiny tresses because of the added moisture. Combine honey with castor and coconut oil and you get a hair moisturizing, all natural mix.
Combine equal parts castor and coconut oil, and honey. Massage mixture onto hair and cover with plastic. Wrap in a towel and leave on for 1-2 hours. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water. Use shampoo if necessary.
You cannot avoid hair damage no matter how hard you try. The best thing you can do to help minimize damage is to use a hair repair mask. This castor oil recipe helps your scalp and tresses heal from hair damage. It restores natural hair oils and prevents further weakening of your strands.
Mix castor oil, olive oil, coconut oil, and honey into a bowl.
Heat the mixture for a minute while stirring gently.
Remove from heat and let cool for a while.
Add the egg and apple cider vinegar. Make sure to create a smooth blend for this hair mask.
Apply on scalp and hair and wrap in shower cap or plastic. Cover with a towel.
Leave the solution on for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Rinse thoroughly.
These castor oil recipes are easy to do and do not require a lot of money to create. Some of the ingredients can be found in your own home. Try these recipes using Shiny Leaf Organic Castor Oil now and watch as your hair and eyelashes transform before your eyes. | spa fees, you can get silky soft hair without stepping out of your room. You can get that spa at home feel with the help of these castor oil recipes for hair care.
These simple castor oil hair care recipes are easy to whip up. Learn how to make these oil blends and see just how well castor oil nourishes hair from roots to tips.
There are so many hair care blends that you can try with castor oil. This oil is so versatile, it can be mixed with oils, serums, shampoos, conditioners, and other hair care products. These castor oil recipes can help solve all sorts of hair concerns. These blends are effective, easy to make, and requires very few ingredients. Couple it with effective hair care tips and you can transform dry and dull hair into soft and shiny tresses.
There are a lot of essential oils that you can mix castor oil with. But Jojoba and Argan are two of the most suitable essences. Jojoba oil contains vitamins E and C that hair needs to stay healthy. Argan oil, on the other hand, is a moisturizing oil that helps strengthen strands so they don't break easily. Combine them in a simple castor oil recipe and you get a mix that helps promote the growth of thicker and stronger hair strands.
Mix equal parts of castor oil and jojoba or argan oil in a small amber glass bottle.
Take a few drops of the oil and gently massage on scalp and hair.
Do this at night 2-4 times a week.
Coconut oil and castor oil are both carrier oils that you can mix with other essential oils. After adding the carrier oils, the essential oils become diluted and easier to apply on hair and skin. Both oils contain hair-nourishing ingredients that give you softer and smoother strands. Try this simple castor oil recipe and see the difference after just a few uses.
Create this blend of hair mask by mixing the castor oil and coconut oil in a bowl.
To use this mask, heat the oil mixture for 30 seconds. Do not expose to direct heat. Be careful not to let the mixture boil.
Apply the mixture on the scalp by massaging gently. Comb through the strands to spread it evenly.
Wrap hair with a shower cap and a towel for 3 hours. Let the recipe work its magic on your hair.
Rinse thoroughly using lukewarm water. Use shampoo if necessary.
Castor oil is one of the best all-natural hair conditioners you will ever use. This conditioning hair mask helps replenish the moisture on your scalp and tresses.
Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and massage on dry hair.
Make sure to cover your hair from roots to tips.
Place a plastic wrap or shower cap on your tresses and then wrap a towel over it.
Let the mixture sit for 2 hours.
Rinse thoroughly with water. Use shampoo if necessary.
You can create this blend with three ingredients or just stick with two. This works by preventing hair loss and weakening of hair strands. It also promotes the growth of stronger tresses.
Mix equal parts castor and rosemary and/or almond oil. Apply on your scalp at night a few times a week for great results. You may also let the mixture sit overnight to help the scalp heal from damage.
Castor Oil strengthens strands and prevents hair fall on eyelashes. It provides moisture and is an effective alternative to expensive eyelash lengthening treatments. With continued use and proper diet, you get longer, thicker eyelashes and may not need to use mascaras anymore.
Mix these natural essential oils in an amber colored glass bottle.
Use a mascara wand or applicator to cover the lashes with this oil blend.
Apply daily see a difference in the length and thickness of your eyelashes.
You may also apply the oil mix at night and leave on overnight.
Learn more about eyelashes and how they grow in this eyel | 802 |
Join the City Rhythm Orchestra for their annual Christmas extravaganza Holiday Style! The renowned sound of the 15-piece big band cooks up innovative versions of seasonal classics with lots of fun and excitement for the whole family. In addition to their famous brass sound, the group features crowd favorites Steve Ritrovato, Vicki Woodlyn, Rich Cox and Gil Morrow on vocals, plus amazing jazz soloists. Their repertoire includes Christmas songs made famous by legendary performers ranging from Frank<|fim_middle|> have limited leg room. | Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, to Ray Charles and The Beatles, plus lots of surprises to put you in the holiday spirit!
Tickets are non-refundable. General admission seating. Ticket prices do not include the $2.50 per ticket Facilities Fee or the $2.00 per ticket Service Fee. These fees will be calculated at check out. Tickets available with cash, check or credit card at the Colonial Theatre Box Office or online. Please note that the seats in the rear balcony | 98 |
We're Crying Because We<|fim_middle|> | Love Lizzo's Tiny Desk Performance
The "Juice" singer rocked her NPR Tiny Desk concert and we're probably going to rewatch it every single day for the rest of the summer.
By Jenna Amatulli
True story: Lizzo performed a concert at NPR's Tiny Desk and it did not disappoint.
From the start, the 31-year-old singer had her audience laughing as she referred to the "tiny ass desk" and hyped up the crowd by saying she's wanted to do a concert there for a "long time." She then belted out her song "Cuz I Love You."
Accompanied by a four-piece backing band, the singer, born Melissa Viviane Jefferson, also sang her hits like "Truth Hurts" and "Juice." In addition to a stylish orange ensemble, Lizzo brought to the concert her usual vivacious energy and an epic flute solo.
NPR noted that "there were as many people as we've ever had at a Tiny Desk concert" in attendance for Lizzo and we're honestly just jealous we weren't there.
You can watch the whole performance above.
Jenna Amatulli
Pop of Culture Lizzo Tiny Desk Concerts | 246 |
We're working to build a new park on Madison Avenue in East Hollywood. Funding secured through the California State Parks, Department of Parks and Recreation, Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Program will transform part of this half-acre lot into recreation play spaces. The Los Angeles Community Garden Council will use the remainder of the site to build a community garden. Once past the entry plaza's decorative gates, kids will discover the dynamic new playground and junior-sized basketball court. With a large sunshade covering the area, children can play<|fim_middle|> the playgrounds, at the picnic tables, or on grassy mounds ringed by native, drought-resistant plants. The paths linking the playgrounds and fitness areas to the community garden and garden education center are made from cobbles that allow stormwater to permeate the ground.
Project partners include: Councilmember Eric G. Garcetti, the East Hollywood Neighborhood Council, Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, The City of Los Angeles, Department of Recreation and Parks. and the Los Angeles Community Garden Council. | year-round. Adults will be able to exercise with friends at the Fitness Zone® outdoor gyms located adjacent to the playground. People can relax on the mosaic-tiled seat walls circling | 37 |
Where to find the most beautiful villages in the Basque Country?
Do you know the 4 most beautiful villages of the Basque Country "Euskadi"?
When you think of the Basque Country (Euskadi), the most famous destinations immediately come to mind: Biarritz, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Bayonne… But if you really want to immerse yourself in the Basque soul, you'll have to explore its sometimes unknown villages.
During your stay in our charming hotel at the gates of Biarritz, take advantage of our ideal location to discover the 4 most beautiful villages of the Basque Country labeled "Most beautiful villages of France" and with a very rich heritage despite their size.
The label « Most Beautiful Villages in France »
The label "Plus beaux villages de France" is awarded to beautiful villages of less than 20<|fim_middle|> site of a fortified manor house that stood here in the 12th century.
3 of the most beautiful villages in France are located in the back country
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port is a well-preserved village, a famous stop on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. Surrounded by hilly landscapes, it charms pilgrims as much as visitors who love beautiful stones. This medieval town is partly seductive with its narrow streets and cobblestones, its picturesque facades along the water's edge, its old bridge over the Nive river and its imposing citadel offering a magnificent panorama of the surrounding area.A village that tells its history through its heritage and typical architecture.
Places not to be missed in the village
The church of Notre-Dame-du-Bout-du-Pont, renamed the church of the Assumption of the Virgin, is the most important Gothic building in the Basque Country. It is attached to the old medieval hospital.
Its square is accessible through the Navarre Gate. The Notre Dame door was opened in the church tower. The footbridge, which can be used near the church, offers a breathtaking view of the city.
Other exceptional places make the charm of this Basque village: during your walk, don't miss the sloping Rue de la Citadelle which joins the Porte Saint-Jacques, or the Rue d'Espagne through which the pilgrims used to leave.
These two streets are rich in remarkable facades, old shops, sculpted lintels and awnings.
This superb 14th-century Navarrese bastide has an incredible charm. Its picturesque central square with arcades, its typical white houses with red half-timbering and its craftsmen's workshops, each with its own universe, make it a very popular destination. Its church (with the same name as that of the village of Ainhoa, Our Lady of the Assumption) stands out in the region for its cemetery paved with tombstones and its interior lined with three floors of wooden galleries. In addition, its Basque pelota court is the oldest in France!
Places not to be missed in the village of La Bastite Clairence
Most of the shops in the town are run by local artisans, who generally produce good quality items rather than tourist quality. If you are looking for unusual gifts, this is a good place to find them.
The church is more ornate on the outside than most churches in the area. Inside, it has wooden galleries around the edges, as is common in Basque churches, giving it a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Next to the church is a Jewish cemetery.
Once you have had a good walk around the village, you should visit the small shop in the Rue Notre Dame which sells macaroons. These come in many flavours, including chilli, thanks to the famous Espelette chillies. Delicious! Go and get your bag of macaroons in the little garden behind the tourist office of La Bastide-Clairence to taste them better!
Espelette is world famous for its chilli pepper culture and is also a picturesque traditional village in Labourd. The facades of its half-timbered Basque houses are decorated for most of the year with bunches of dried chillies. The town's emblem, the Espelette chilli pepper, is celebrated at the end of October: two days of concerts, tastings of local products, with chilli pepper at the top of the list, and demonstrations of Basque strength or ball games.
Places not to be missed in the village of Espelette
From spring to autumn, a visit to the "Atelier du Piment" is a must: you will discover all the secrets of the cultivation of the famous Espelette chilli pepper through a tour that takes you from the fields to the artisanal production workshops. The village is also a pleasant place to walk around: a pedestrian area allows you to stroll between numerous shops selling local products and crafts, admiring the typical architecture of the houses and shops.
Espelette, one of the most beautiful village in the basque country takes its name from its castle, built by the barons of Ezpeleta around the year 1000. This beautiful building is open to the public and is located near the main pedestrian area of the village. It is well worth a visit, especially for its permanent exhibition "chilli in the world". The church of Saint-Etienne d'Espelette, located a few steps from the main street of the village, is one of the most beautiful churches in the Basque Country. You will discover a magnificent baroque altarpiece and 3 floors of galleries dating from the 17th century. And to finish off with the Antton chocolate factory, take advantage of your visit to Espelette to discover and taste Antton's chocolate sweets, which passionately combine pure cocoa butter chocolate and noble materials.
The Laminak, a hotel in Biarritz ranked among the best boutique establishments in the Basque Country
Coming to the Laminak to spend your summer vacations is to ensure that you will have an exceptional time. However, it is important to choose the right hotel in Biarritz.
At the boutique hotel Le Laminak Biarritz Arbonne everything is done to make your stay in the Basque Country as pleasant as possible. Indeed, its top-of-the-range services and its exceptional location are undeniable assets.
Discover the latest news of our 3 star hotel in Biarritz
What to do in the basque country
Specialties of the Basque Country to put in your suitcase
During your stay at the Hotel Laminak Biarritz Arbonne, discover the specialties of the Basque Country to put in your suitcase.
26 September 2022 No Comments
The Laminak hotel, near Bidart, gives you some must-sees to bring back from your stay in the Basque Country.
The Laminak legend
Discover the Basque legends that inspired the name of our hotel at the gates of Biarritz and the picturesque villages of the region. | 00 inhabitants which have a rich heritage with at least two sites listed as historical monuments.
It was Charles Ceyrac, former mayor of Collonges-la-Rouge, who initiated this label, wishing to promote the heritage of towns that he considered remarkable. The objective was to fight against rural desertification. For this, several mayors joined forces and founded an association in 1982 with the aim of enhancing their villages and bringing them back to life by encouraging visitors to discover the treasures they contain.
Since 1991, the association has established a real quality approach based on a quasi scientific process and criteria for selecting villages. With an average of only 20% of applications accepted, this method has proven its rigor and selectivity, guarantees of the credibility of the label. In 2020, 159 villages are members of this association.
Among the most beautiful villages of the Basque Country, 4 villages are labelled "Most beautiful villages of France".
A typical village known for its smuggling past and its beauty, Sare is located between the legendary Axuria and Rhune mountains, less than 20 kilometres from the Laminak hotel.
Half-timbered houses, six centuries old facades, all set in a green setting where traditions have survived the ages. Just 6 km from the village you will find its caves and you can take advantage of the guided tours offered there to learn more about Basque mythology.
Places not to be missed in the village of Sare
From the central square occupied by the pelota court, walk along the alleys lined with hundred-year-old plane trees to discover the hamlets, the little oratories, the bridges and the washhouses. Look up to watch the vultures flying over the Rhune massif in the distance… And then on drizzly days, take advantage of the excuse of culture to climb the bell tower of the beautiful Saint-Martin church and see its golden oak galleries, or take refuge in the traditional Basque house of Ortillopirz, and let the rain fall on its domain of vines and fruit trees. And on the same mild rainy day, why not take a trip to the Ferme des Fresques and take shelter in the underground world of the prehistoric caves of Sare.
Only a few kilometres from Sare, Ainhoa is a bastide on the route to Santiago de Compostela. Its charm is due in part to the white and red facades of its typical Labourdine houses along its unique street.
The village invites you to stroll along the street to discover the various shops representing the local crafts and gastronomy. You will also discover its small church Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption classified as a Historic Monument
Places not to missed in the basque village of Ainhoa
The most curious feature of Ainhoa is that the buildings on one side of the street are more decorative and have more balconies than those on the other side. In fact, this is because the local tradition is to build the houses with their backs to the sea to protect them from the wind and rain, so that on one side of Ainhoa's main street, you can see the backs of the houses. The roofs that overhang and protect the half-timbered houses are another characteristic of the architecture of the area.
The church of Our Lady of the Assumption, located in the centre of the village of Ainhoa, originally dates back to the 13th century, although important modifications were made later, especially in the 17th century with the addition of the bell tower. The original church was built on the | 749 |
KEN WILLIS: Shame on NASCAR for moving Busch Clash from Daytona to California
Ken Willis
The Daytona Beach News-Journal
Excuse my knee-jerk reaction, but this one irritates me. To say the least.
It's official. NASCAR is taking the 2022 Busch Clash from Daytona to the Los Angeles Coliseum. I really expected more out of this generation of NASCAR leadership. Granted, I'm speaking as a longtime, interested onlooker, not a profit-and-loss player in the sports-entertainment industry<|fim_middle|> you, the fans who still cling to anything written about stock-car racing.
Kennedy, the future and fourth-generation NASCAR leadership, explained the move.
"I think the large fan base that we have here in Los Angeles, the largest that we actually have in the nation, paired with exciting racing and being here in the downtown Los Angeles market, I think will be really special."
He also said discussions started two years ago.
"We've had these discussions for a while, and they actually came about by us going to their website, finding their contact page and reaching out to them," Kennedy said. "So, we started that in 2019, I had a few conversations, obviously with COVID put things on pause, but resurfaced and I would say early on this year, I've had a ton of dialogue.
"Over summer, we put a team together a couple of months ago, and really we're off to the races and running now."
Everybody likes Ben. Maybe this will end up looking like a brilliant move. Though at a cost. For better and worse, he'll own it the way his uncle Brian France owned a whole lot of moves for which he wished he had a mulligan.
Hell, maybe he never regretted those moves. Probably didn't.
Those who ignore history, as they say.
I have no doubt a NASCAR event in such an historic setting will be amazing, assuming it's a racy track. But is it worth giving up yet another piece of tradition?
We'll see. I have my doubts, but I've been wrong before.
— Reach Ken Willis at ken.willis@ken.willis@news-jrnl.com | .
Judging from the initial reports, NASCAR vice president Ben Kennedy is the big mover and shaker here, but this couldn't be him alone. The network suits and Anheuser-Busch had to play a big role.
It wasn't 20 years ago, or even 10 years ago, when NASCAR basically apologized for pooping on their hardcore, gray-headed, pickup-driving fans after introducing us to Fontana, Vegas, Car of Tomorrow, etc. It was just two years ago, right around the time they began a bunch of feel-good maneuvers.
They can't ... right?:What's with the rumor of NASCAR moving Busch Clash from Daytona to L.A. next year? | KEN WILLIS
Last straw:HEY, WILLIE! Moving NASCAR's Busch Clash from Daytona to L.A. would be the last straw
"We lost our way," was the big takeaway from NASCAR president Steve Phelps.
And now this.
It's hard to fathom.
And borderline unforgivable to many, I'll predict. Not that they care what I think.
A million years ago, give or take, they truly cared what the print news media felt, largely because that segment of media, in theory, represented the folks the media were informing. That'd be you, what's left of | 265 |
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Ask him a question and he'll give you (or Deborah Solomon) an answer about why he traded his limo's for a Yak...and the behind the scenes of one of our BIG MOO Charities, Room to Read... in the July 23 Sunday New York Times.
Questions for John Wood
Interview by DEBORAH SOLOMON
Q:<|fim_middle|>The Phelon Group
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Carol Cone | You're one of several Microsoft entrepreneurs who seem eager to live out some fantasy of saving the world. As the founder of Room to Read, do you really believe you can personally "educate the world's children," as the subtitle of your forthcoming book, "Leaving Microsoft to Change the World," proclaims?
We're trying to open libraries and schools, mostly for kids K to 5, in the developing world at a pace that emulates Starbucks'. With 850 million illiterate people in the world, we need the nonprofit sector to scale rapidly.
But can libraries open as quickly as coffee bars?
In the past six years, we have established 2,500 libraries and 210 schools in Nepal, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and elsewhere. Our model allows us to build a school with running water and toilets and a library for $12,000 in Nepal. We can do a school in Vietnam for about $15,000.
How can you, as a businessman and Microsoft's former head of development in China, know what books to put in a grade-school library?
We work with U.S. publishers to gain donations of English-language children's books.
Oh, I see. You're building libraries in developing countries with overstock from U.S. publishers?
Yes, and we also publish local-language children's books using indigenous authors and artists. We are finding the Dr. Seuss of Nepal.
Who will write "Green Eggs and Tofu"?
Yes, or "Green Yaks and Mountains."
Once you open a library, do you pay to hire a librarian and run it?
No, the local village pays for that. We monitor the library for the first three years. You want to go back and make sure they're not using it to house their chickens and their goats.
Does Room to Read have an endowment?
No. We have to earn our keep every day. We are not trying to create a foundation or endowment; we are trying to deploy as quickly as possible. This year our budget is $7 million, and my paid staff is a little over 80 people.
Does the U.S. government kick in anything?
We don't seek government funding here in the U.S. We don't want to get into a fight with the U.S. government over whether we are allowed to teach kids about condoms or AIDS.
With all this travel, what is your personal life like?
I never thought I would still be renting at age 42. I am a not-married, no-kids, globe-trotting workaholic.
In your book, you fault a former girlfriend for wanting to stay at a Four Seasons Hotel. Are you allergic to pleasure?
There is no Gandhi-esque desire to starve myself. All other things being equal, I would much rather sit in the front of the plane than a middle seat in the back of the airplane.
I always think the only real advantage of being rich is not having to fly coach.
I have donors who say, "Why don't you upgrade on my miles so you can be more productive on your 15-hour flight to Katmandu?" And I take them up on it.
How nice. But do you really need donations?
What about the fabled Microsoft stock? I cashed most of it and have used it to live on. I sold it at the wrong time. I sold most of it after it had declined by 50 percent. My timing was off because you can't day-trade from the Himalayas.
Do you think you are following in Bill Gates's philanthropic footsteps?
In a way, I've got a nine-year head start on him at leaving Microsoft to devote myself to this full time. Gates is not going full time until 2008.
It's been said that all true philanthropy is done anonymously. Are you concerned that you are using charity as a vehicle for self-promotion?
I hope the book is promoting of the cause, rather than me.
It does heroicize your role in all this, complete with a picture of you on the cover, grinning as you deliver books by yak in rural Nepal.
The media loves to glom onto one person. If I wrote a book called "I'm Surrounded by the World's Most Amazing Team of Individuals," nobody would publish it.
Posted by remarkabalize on July 24, 2006 at 10:24 AM | Permalink
Authors' Links
Dean Debiase
William Godin
Tim Manners
Robyn Waters
Red Maxwell
Promise Phelon
| 943 |
See what customers voted for as their favorite Trader Joe's items in the Customer Choice Awards.
Attention: Trader Joe's shoppers have spoken—the votes for the most favorite products by consumers are officially in. That's right, the grocery store that's highly regarded for offering foods from around the world for affordable prices recently held its 10th annual Customer Choice Awards, and we got the results. Shoppers had the opportunity to vote for their most favorite TJ's product among 16 different categories.
Here's what customers like you voted for as the best products. Did your favorite TJ item make the list?
Trader Joe's Mandarin Orange Chicken is a crowd favorite, garnering the ultimate superlative as the most well-liked store product. The sweet and tender chicken made its debut in stores back in 2004 and has evidently been stealing Trader Joe's fans' hearts ever since.
The appetizer is equally as important as the entrée, yes? At TJ's, devoted customers weighed in and said that the company's rendition of spinach and artichoke dip was by far their top pre-feast pick. Sink some corn tortilla chips into a bowl of this creamy bowl of cheese and vegetables! After all, what party is complete without spinach and artichoke dip?
Never had a Danish Kringle? It's a large, flaky pastry that originated in, spoiler alert, Denmark. Fun fact: The Kringle is the "Official Wisconsin Pastry," having entered the city of Racine by Danish immigrants in the late 19th century. Try Trader Joe's version of the Kringle—it's loyal customers' favorite baked good!
For the top beverage at a store to be their custom sparkling water is really speaking volumes about the company. To take something as simple as carbonated water and amp it up with natural flavors is impressive. The four flavors—island colada, grapefruit, cranberry clementine, and pineapple—are so irresistible, that they beat out other fan favorites such as Triple Ginger Brew and Spiced Cider.
Peanut butter and<|fim_middle|> Joe's top-rated meat is its Carne Asada Autentica. Shoppers say, "Carne Asada is a BBQ champ!" Check out TJ's Carne Asada Salad recipe for an additional way to incorporate this meat into your meal.
How cute are Trader Joe's Teeny Tiny Avocados? Just how teeny tiny are these avocados? They're about one-third of the size of a typical Hass Avocado. Note that just one of these avocados is equivalent to a single serving of avocado.
Trader Joe's describes this snack as "crunchy pillows of peanut-buttery-bliss." Enough said.
For those who identify as vegan or vegetarian, this meat substitute is made just for you! And it's clearly a hit, with customers voting for it as the favorite vegan and vegetarian store product.
Peppermint Bark Oreos have got some serious competition with this Trader Joe's product. Candy Cane Joe-Joe's beat out other seasonal TJ's staples like Mini Mint Stars and Jingle Jangle.
Beware: 21st-century "health food" stores can actually trick you into eating less healthfully.
Can Shopping Trader Joe's Instead of Whole Foods Really Save You Money?
And it delivers right to your door. | chocolate takes the win on this one. Is anyone really that surprised? Check out how you can include them into an even sweeter snack with the Trader Joe's recipe for Peanut Butter Cup Cinnamallow Treats!
Um, what's unexpected about cheddar? TJ's bestowed that title upon its custom block of cheddar cheese for a reason. According to the company's podcast, upon the first nibble, it tastes like an aged cheddar. However, upon more savoring, a tangy flavor arises and it almost begins to taste like an aged parmesan. You wouldn't expect that kind of change in flavor, no?
This is the salty, garlicky blend your taste buds are practically begging for. Skip the bagel and sprinkle this seasoning atop some veggies or meat.
These mini cones pack delicious vanilla ice cream and are crowned with chocolate. You can get a box of eight for just $2.99 at TJ's. What a steal!
This frozen food made it on the charts not once, but twice after earning the title as both the most favorite store product and entrée. Each chicken bite of chicken is doused in a house-made sauce consisting of fresh California orange peels, garlic, ginger, green onions, and—for that salty finish—soy sauce.
A cheesy, black bean burrito to go? Yes, please! For only $2.99, you can get a tasty, filling burrito to quell those lunchtime hunger pangs.
Trader | 305 |
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Every cinematic saga has a defining chapter upon which all other instalments are judged. Each other entry strives to scale the heights of that towering peak with varying results and the entire series tends to wrap itself around the singular achievement that comes to represent a franchise at its best and brightest. Even with eleven movies stretching across enough space to fill three decades, the Star Trek franchise boasts a clear winner in this department, a movie that bests all other Treks in vitality, excitement, inspiration, and influence.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is that undisputed gem that makes the franchise's highs and lows an experience worth enduring in hopes that one day such magic will explode in the skies again. There's an energy surging through Khan's veins that is absent from later big-screen Trek adventures. Perhaps because Captain (sorry, Admiral, since he earns a promotion in the cinematic world) Kirk was getting too old to punch people in the face and Captain (no promotion for you) Picard was always more of a talker than a puncher, the franchise really settled down after this instalment.
The newly rejuvenated franchise appears to be returning to a place of fast-paced fun under the tutelage of JJ Abrams, who clearly adores The Wrath of Khan, but for now, there's no big-screen Trek adventure that hits every note with such grand precision as the first sequel. Star Trek II's space opera sensibilities can be viewed as inspirational fodder for JJ Abram's 2009 franchise reboot, but their employment in The Wrath of Khan is entirely unique in this steadfast series.
There's something jumpy and boisterous about the whole affair, as if it's the very antithesis of the first movie. I love The Motion Picture in all its ponderously probing glory, but it's a very different sci-fi beast than its direct descendant. While director Robert Wise was interested in the oozing mysteries of an explorative journey in space, The Wrath of Khan helmer Nicholas Meyer is concerned with the exploration of morality and mortality in the face of complicated conflict.
When two members (one of whom is Trek regular Chekov, played by Walter Koenig) of a Starfleet ship called the Reliant go to investigate a seemingly barren planet, they stumble upon the home of a very angry, very old man named Khan (a white-haired Ricardo Montalban at his seething best). First introduced in a 1967 television episode titled Space Seed, Khan is a genetically altered superman from the late 20th century.
Once the ruler of a good chunk of our planet, Khan eventually fled Earth and took to the skies in hopes of finding a new planet to conquer. He and his crew went into a deep sleep aboard their ship and were awakened by Kirk more than two hundred years later. Space Seed concluded with Khan and his people (along with an Enterprise crewmember who falls for Khan and assumedly later became his wife) being banished to a dusty planet where they will have to fight to survive. Given that Khan tried to kill Kirk and steal the Enterprise in the episode, the punishment seemed almost fair. Even Khan seemed pretty pleased about the whole thing.
But years later, Khan is bursting with rage and his Wrath is unleashed when the Reliant duo stumble upon his lair. He quickly puts a plan in motion to exact bloody, Melvillian revenge upon Kirk, whom he now blames for the death of his wife.<|fim_middle|> movie's greatest gift.
It's not often that a sci-fi action flick offers a moral dilemma without a simple solution. Khan may be a borderline madman with some sort of warped God complex, but he also has good reason to hate Kirk's manly guts. Khan was bred to be a superior being and he wants nothing more than to fulfill his potential as a superpower. That doesn't make him too relatable, but his anger and frustration that stems from the loss of his loved one does. He may be a villain, but he's also a complicated person who challenges our perception of the usually flawless hero we intend to cheer on.
This questioning of unbridled heroism and obsessive antagonism places Star Trek II in a meaty maze of morality through which navigation is necessary. Neither Khan nor Kirk can claim absolute innocence and putting their actions under the microscope proves to be richly rewarding. The best villains push the heroes to places where they begin to lose control of their faculties, not only physically, but psychologically and emotionally as well. Khan makes Kirk a better cinematic hero by pushing him so far, but he also forces us to evaluate Kirk's place in the cosmos.
The Wrath of Khan begins with Kirk feeling old and unneeded, a relic of a bygone (future) age, but it ends with him feeling revitalized, refreshed and eager to tackle new adventures in space. With his famously stilted line deliveries and comfortable screen presence, Shatner manages to communicate Kirk's crisis with a rather startling dramatic punch. He can feel the walls closing in and his energy level depleting, but he isn't ready to turn his back on his captaining (oops, admiraling) duties, which is a good thing, since he went on to star in five more Trek movies.
This internal dilemma is essentially solved by Khan's return, which adds additional depth to the conflict. Khan's reappearance threatens Kirk and puts him in a bit of a moral quandary, but it also provides Kirk with the opportunity to pull off enough save-the-day heroics to remind everyone (himself included) that he hasn't lost his passion and ability for adventure. Occupying the other side of the conflict, we are allowed to empathize with Khan, whose thirst for revenge brings about his eventual undoing. He is most certainly the villain of the movie, but there is still room to feel for the guy and imagine how different his life could have been had he never met Kirk way back in Space Seed.
Such character-driven commitment to the narrative is exciting in a movie that boasts more action and adventure than many of the other Trek instalments combined. But that's why this supreme sequel has endured for so long and managed to become the benchmark for great Trek movies. It represents a faithful dedication to the ethical framework upon which Gene Roddenberry built the franchise, but it also expands the boundaries to suit the suddenly cinematic nature of the adventure.
There are many reasons that Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan succeeds so admirably (it's visually exciting, the performances are memorable, and James Horner's score is quite rousing), but its attention to characters and conflict is what solidifies the movie's status as the definitive classic chapter in the series. The plot is smart and engaging, thanks to a pile of people, including producer Harve Bennett, who received a 'story' credit, screenwriter Jack P. Sowards, director Nicholas Meyer (who apparently rewrote the script, but was never officially credited for doing so) and even Herman Melville, whose work is a clear influence on the movie.
When the camera spies an ancient copy of Moby Dick on a shelf, it's no coincidence. This sequel is ripe with references to Melville's classic novel. In many ways, Khan is Ahab, chasing his white whale (Kirk, whose Starship Enterprise is a more apt physical match for the titular beast). As if the plot comparison wasn't enough, there are even specific lines of dialogue lifted directly from Melville's prose. The use of these lines may be a bit obvious and it means that subtlety is briskly tossed out the window, but these references work beautifully in the grand scheme of this meaty popcorn masterpiece.
Montalban expertly delivers his lines so that they land with considerable impact and prevent the surrounding scenes from devolving into silliness. When he spews the line "From Hell's heart, I stab at thee," he convincingly weaves the words into the sci-fi fabric of the movie's universe. It doesn't feel like a random literary reference, but rather a believable moment that illustrates Khan's boundless wrath. After all, it is on Khan's shelf that we spot the copy of Moby Dick, so perhaps the guy just loves to quote Melville in life-or-death situations.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan occupies a fascinating place in this franchise's history. It is the best of the best (even if many of the instalments are mediocre) and its buoyant blend of swashbuckling adventure and character-driven drama is impressive in how it employs both intelligence and imagination. A hero as iconic as Kirk deserves a great villain and Khan is most assuredly a fascinating antagonist. I love what Star Trek II has to say about revenge (that it is a fruitless exercise that often ends in damnation) and passion (that we can't expect to be happy when we're not doing what we love), but most of all, I love what it says about science fiction adventures on the whole: that there is no excuse to sacrifice brains for brawn, because both can exist in tantalizing tandem, each complementing the other with hope and humanity. | The events of Space Seed are relatively black and white, considering that Khan is clearly the bad guy doing bad things and Kirk is clearly just trying to keep the peace. But the lines of morality have been brilliantly blurred in The Wrath of Khan and Nicholas Meyer does a fantastic job of pushing both protagonist and antagonist into the same light. Kirk may have done what he felt he had to do, but doesn't that mean he must now take responsibility for his actions?
At its core, Star Trek II is focused on a hero vs. villain conflict the likes of which this franchise has not successfully flirted with since. There have been a few memorable villains here and there, but Montalban's Khan is a series highlight, a smart, engaging antagonist with enough dramatic backstory to lend his dastardly plot some real weight. Montalban knows how to match master scenery chewer Shatner in sheer beefy presence and watching the two of them face off against each other is perhaps the | 197 |
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New EnglandNE
New England Revolution vs. Philadelphia Union | MLS match preview
MLS<|fim_middle|>Philadelphia Union
6 Games Played 7
1 Wins 3
3 Losses 2
2 Draws 2
2 Goals 10
6 Goals Conceded 10
13 Shots on Target 34
85 Fouls committed 107
74 Fouls suffered 88
11 Offside 14
18 Corners 41
0 1 2 3 4+ Total Avg
NE 4 2 0 0 0 2 0.3
PHI 0 5 1 1 0 10 1.4
0 1 2 3 4+ Avg
NE 2 0 0 0 0 0.0
PHI 0 3 0 0 0 1.0 | soccer staff
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION vs PHILADELPHIA UNION
GILLETTE STADIUM, Foxborough, Mass.
April 27, 2013 (WEEK 9, MLS Game #74)
7:30 p.m. ET (CSN-NE; TCN-Phi)
Aiming to put a halt to a long winless skid, the New England Revolution return home to face Philadelphia Union on Saturday evening at Gillette Stadium in the second meeting of the year between the clubs. The Revolution haven't won since the season opener, now five games without a victory, following their 4-1 loss at New York last weekend. Union haven't lost in three matches, coming off a 3-2 win at D.C. United to start their road swing.
DOWNLOAD FULL GAME GUIDE (PDF)
REFEREE: Baldomero Toledo. AR1 (bench): C.J. Morgante; AR2 (opposite): Brian Dunn; 4th: Mathieu Bourdeau
MLS Career: 150 games; FC/gm: 25.1; Y/gm: 3.4; R: 49; pens: 57
DISABLED LIST: NE: Kevin Alston
SUSPENDED: none
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: none
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: PHI: Conor Casey
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
ALL-TIME (8 meetings): Revolution 0 wins, 7 goals … Union 5 wins, 14 goals … Ties 3
AT GILLETTE STADIUM (3 meetings): Revolution 0 wins, 1 goal … Union 2 wins, 5 goals … Ties 1
FUTURE MATCH: 8/25: New England Revolution vs. Philadelphia Union, 7:30 p.m. ET
The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Jack McInerney's 76th-minute goal gave Union a 1-0 win on March 16 at PPL Park, part of MLS Rivalry Week.
Union are now undefeated in eight meetings all-time with the Revolution, with five victories. They've won on two of their three visits to Gillette Stadium.
Coaches record: Jay Heaps vs. PHI: P4 W0 L3 D1 … John Hackworth vs. NE: P4 W3 L0 D1
3/16: PHI 1, NE 0 (McInerney 76)
The game's lone goal came after 76 minutes. The initial header by Jack McInerney from a Sebastien Le Toux corner kick was saved by Revolution goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth, but McInerney pounced on the rebound and put into the back of the net.
Union goalkeeper Zac MacMath was credited with two saves in his first clean sheet of the season.
PHILADELPHIA UNION (4-1-3-2): Zac MacMath - Sheanon Williams, Jeff Parke, Amobi Okugo, Raymon Gaddis - Brian Carroll - Danny Cruz (Michael Lahoud 8), Keon Daniel, Michael Farfan (Antoine Hoppenot 67) - Sebastien Le Toux, Jack McInerney (Chris Albright 87).
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (4-2-3-1): Bobby Shuttleworth - Andrew Farrell, Jose Goncalves, A.J. Soares, Kevin Alston (Chris Tierney 79) - Clyde Simms (Andy Dorman 46), Scott Caldwell - Kelyn Rowe, Juan Toja (Chad Barrett 79), Lee Nguyen - Jerry Bengtson.
The New England Revolution had their winless streak extended to five games, losing 4-1 to the New York Red Bulls on Saturday evening at Red Bull Arena. The Revolution are in ninth place in the Eastern Conference with 5 points from 6 matches.
The Red Bulls took the lead after just four minutes when Dax McCarty brought down a pass from Tim Cahill and placed a low shot just inside the near post from the edge of the penalty area.
But the Revolution were level just two minutes later, as fullback Brandon Barklage put a header into his own net while defending a set piece.
Barklage made up for that just another two minutes later, finding Fabian Espindola with a pass from inside his own half on the touchline. Espindola collected the pass, cut inside of A.J. Soares and slipped a ball inside the far post past goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth.
The Red Bulls then put the game away with two late goals. In the 82nd minute, Jonny Steele put a nice pass in behind the New England defense for Thierry Henry to race onto before slotting it inside the low far corner.
Steele then went from provider to scorer a minute from the end of regulation, tapping home from close range for his first goal as a member of the Red Bulls after a low cross from Eric Alexander.
Revolution head coach Jay Heaps made three changes to the team that played to a scoreless draw with Seattle Sounders FC at CenturyLink Field. Andy Dorman and Diego Fagundez came into the team, in place of Clyde Simms and Juan Toja.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (4-4-2): Bobby Shuttleworth - Andrew Farrell, A.J. Soares (Stephen McCarthy 18), Jose Goncalves, Chris Tierney - Kelyn Rowe, Andy Dorman (Juan Toja 61), Kalifa Cisse, Lee Nguyen - Jerry Bengtson, Diego Fagundez (Saer Sene 61).
After conceding just two goals in their opening five matches of the season, the Revolution allowed four goals in the loss in New York – having equaled their season total in goals allowed before the game was 10 minutes old.
"It's a tough situation. We had six or seven guys within a half mile of the actual tragedy on Monday," said Revolution head coach Jay Heaps. "We'd like to think you can step on the field and keep your focus and unfortunately the first couple minutes was where this game was decided and our focus was not there."
Said fullback Chris Tierney: "It was a wild start. Not what we had planned on. We knew they were going to come out strong as they usually do at home. Unfortunately, they caught us with that early goal and that really hurt us. We did well to get back to 1-1 and had some chances at 2-1 but it just didn't go our way."
While the Revolution saw their goalless streak end at 394 minutes in their 4-1 loss at New York, a Revolution player still has not scored a goal since the season opener on March 2. The New England goal came through an own goal.
Diego Fagundez made his second start of the season, over the last three games, in partnering Jerry Bengtson in attack and playing 61 minutes.
"We didn't play our best in the first half but once we came out in the second half we were playing well but we couldn't get our chances clear," said Fagundez. "We had a couple good chances but we just didn't have that final ball to get it in the back of the net."
Andy Dorman made his first start in his return to the club, his first MLS start since the 2007 season. He played 61 minutes before being removed for Juan Toja, who had started every match this season for the Revolution.
Saer Sene made his second consecutive appearance off the substitutes' bench, playing the final half-hour.
"At the end of the day, we're looking to move forward and keep getting better," Tierney said. "There were spells where I thought we did OK tonight. Unfortunately, the result didn't go our way. We'll pick ourselves up and try to get three against Philly. It's a must-win for us at home. We're looking forward to it."
READ: Rookie Rankings: Revs' Andrew Farrell leads the pack this week
Philadelphia Union stretched their undefeated streak to three games, coming away from RFK Stadium with a 3-2 victory against D.C. United on Sunday afternoon. Union sit in a tie for fourth place in the Eastern Conference with 11 points from 7 matches.
Union opened the scoring in the seventh minute. Brian Carroll slid and intercepted a pass, knocking it to forward Conor Casey, who then played a through ball to Jack McInerney. He split United's center backs and blasted a left-footed shot past D.C. goalkeeper Bill Hamid.
Four minutes later, Philadelphia made it 2-0 when former United midfielder Danny Cruz found Casey open at the top of the 18-yard box with a pass from the right flank for a shot that beat Hamid low and to his left.
United cut the lead in the 17th minute. After a partially cleared freekick was recirculated around the area, Brandon McDonald put in an angled ball for Dwayne De Rosario, who cut it back for Perry Kitchen to pound it home from the heart of the area.
But Union restored their two-goal advantage in the 26th minute. Defender Sheanon Williams delivered a long throw-in toward the middle of the area where Amobi Okugo's flick header put the ball at the feet of Jack McInerney, and he didn't miss at the far post.
United were able to pull a goal again in the 48th minute, when Lionard Pajoy headed a Daniel Woolard cross past Philadelphia goalkeeper Zac MacMath, but they could get no closer.
Union team manager John Hackworth made one change to the team that reached a 1-1 result with Toronto FC at PPL Park. Michael Farfan came into the midfield in place of Sebastien Le Toux.
PHILADELPHIA UNION (4-4-2): Zac MacMath - Sheanon Williams, Jeff Parke, Amobi Okugo, Raymon Gaddis - Danny Cruz (Gabriel Farfan 87), Keon Daniel, Brian Carroll, Michael Farfan (Michael Lahoud 68) - Conor Casey, Jack McInerney (Antoine Hoppenot 77).
READ: Three for Thursday: Why the McInerney/Chicharito comparisons might be on the mark
Jack McInerney took over the lead in the MLS Golden Boot standings with his fifth and sixth goals of the season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, McInerney is the youngest player in MLS history to hold the outright lead in goals scored (20 years, 259 days).
"Him finishing two – I believe both of them were left footed goals – and Conor [Casey] getting one. It was just a day that we took care of business in front of goal and it was really great to see," said Union team manager John Hackworth. "It set us up for the result. … I know everybody says [McInerney] is kind of more of a 'tap in' specialist and that kind of thing, but he has a lot of arsenal in his bag and he can certainly hurt you from distance and hurt you in different ways and he showed that today."
For the third time in the last four games, a long throw-in from fullback Sheanon Williams led to a Union goal. He saw a throw-in headed directly into the goal by Conor Casey on March 30 vs. New York; his long throw started the play on Philadelphia's late equalizer in Toronto the week before the D.C. match.
"Last year we were doing the throw-ins too but we didn't have that physical presence that Conor [Casey] brings," McInerney said. "He stands out there and takes out a couple of guys or gets the flick on it. Obviously that's creating chances for us. We're going to use it obviously if it's working." Said Hackworth: "It's just a weapon that we have right now and our team is taking advantage of those. That's something in the past we haven't really capitalized on. But right now we are."
Making his third consecutive start, Casey scored his first goal for Union since coming over from Colorado in the offseason, and recorded an assist for a second consecutive week.
"He's the player. He's the dimension that we haven't had. And not only does he do it with his back to goal, he finishes a great chance, but he's defending on restarts and all those little things. He's good in possession when you need him to be. He's getting out of tight spaces," said Hackworth. "So, [it was] a huge game from Conor. I'm not surprised because I always believed that he could do that. I've seen him do it a number of times. I'm just happy he's doing it for the Philadelphia Union now."
It was the second win in four games away from PPL Park for Union, who have lost just once on their travels. A year ago, they were 3-10-4 on the road.
"We're tactically playing better. We understand what we need to do when we come on the road, in these really tough environments, and everything is going to go against us and how we're going to have to try and manage it," said Hackworth. "Our team is growing up. And, you know, as a result you're really starting to see us compete for points on the road."
Center back Amobi Okugo also contributed with his second assist in the last three games, having scored his first professional goal earlier in the season.
"I think that there are a lot of very hungry guys on this team in general. It is a young team, but they play with chips on their shoulders and want to prove something," said Casey. "That is a good thing for this team, and that's something that I kind of always brought to my game too—just a desire to win. They haven't had a great deal of success over the years, but it is a very hungry team right now. We just really have to build of this start to the season."
Mar 16, 2013 PHI 1 - 0 NE
Oct 6, 2012 PHI 1 - 0 NE
Sep 1, 2012 NE 0 - 0 PHI
Jul 29, 2012 PHI 2 - 1 NE
Sep 7, 2011 PHI 4 - 4 NE
New England Revolution | 3,059 |
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\section{Introduction}
Unambiguous experimental realization of a quantum spin liquid (QSL) state remains an enduring challenge \cite{Balents10:464,Zhou17:89,broholm20:367}. Characterized by a ground state featuring highly entangled spins exhibiting no long-range magnetic order, QSL states are born out of an intricate and often subtle interplay of comparable, often competing, energy scales and are thought to be quenched by relatively small perturbations. Thus, understanding and controlling crystalline disorder, structural distortions, chemical impurities, and intrinsic defects are critical challenges when developing QSL phenomenology in real materials.
NaRuO$_2$ is a newly proposed, candidate QSL host that straddles a unique energy landscape -- one where Heisenberg-Kitaev interactions as well as extended exchange foster a native, quantum disordered ground state \cite{ortizNaRuO2}. NaRuO$_2$ is a member of the layered family of $AB$O$_2$ delafossite-like oxides, a larger family of $R\overline{3}m$ quasi-two-dimensional materials that support ideal antiferromagnetic triangular lattices on the $B$-site sublattice. Specifically, NaRuO$_2$ (Figure \ref{fig:Crystal}) features a triangular lattice of Ru$^{3+}$ ions separated by planes of Na$^+$. The edge-sharing RuO$_6$ octahedra place the Ru$^{3+}$ (4d$^5$) ions in a lightly trigonally distorted cubic crystal field. With appreciable spin-orbit coupling $\lambda$ and Coulomb repulsion $U$, the system is capable of supporting a half-filled $J_\text{eff}=1/2$ orbital. The result is a weak $J_\text{eff}=1/2$ Mott state with a disordered magnetic ground state and energetic antiferromagnetic interactions \cite{ortizNaRuO2}.
Despite lacking native chemical disorder such as that present in triangular lattice compounds like YbMgGaO$_{4}$ \cite{Paddison17:13,li19:2}, off-stoichometry and the resulting defects are a persistent concern among the alkali metal delafossite variants \cite{Dally17:459,clarke1998synthesis}. The typical culprit tends to be alkali-metal vacancies, whose presence is traditionally countered by the introduction of an excess of alkali precursors during growth. However, the historical precedent for alkali-vacancies as the dominant defect often neglects complex structure-defect-property relationships that can dominate in real systems -- NaRuO$_2$ is one such example.
In this work, we examine the defect chemistry of the Heisenberg-Kitaev candidate material NaRuO$_{2}$, mapping the Na--Ru--O phase diagram in the vicinity of NaRuO$_{2}$ to understand the extent and type of off-stoichiometry supported by the compound. We demonstrate the formation of a single solid-solution Na$_{3+x}$Ru$_{3-x}$O$_6$~between the triangular lattice compound NaRuO$_{2}$ and the disordered honeycomb lattice compound Na$_{2}$RuO$_{3}$ \cite{mogare2004syntheses}, highlighting the tendency for NaRuO$_{2}$ to form Na-rich Na$_\text{Ru}$ defects. A combination of bulk magnetization and electron transport measurements highlight strong property changes as a function of Na-loading, highlighting the importance, and more importantly, the ability to control stoichiometry in NaRuO$_{2}$.
\begin{figure}
\includegraphics[width=1\linewidth]{CrystalStructure.png}
\caption{Delafossite ($R\bar{3}m$) crystal structure assumed by the Na$_{3+x}$Ru$_{3-x}$O$_6$~solid solution between the ternary end members NaRuO$_{2}$ ($x$=0) and disordered Na$_{2}$RuO$_{3}$ ($x$=1). Na$_{3+x}$Ru$_{3-x}$O$_6$~forms a triangular sublattice comprised of edge-sharing Ru$^{3+}$ (4$d^{5}$) octahedra. Na-rich conditions overwhelmingly favor formation of Na$_\text{Ru}$ anti-site defects, diluting the Ru$^{3+}$ sublattice with nonmagnetic Na$^{+}$.}
\label{fig:Crystal}
\end{figure}
\section{Experimental Methods}
\subsection{Synthesis}
Polycrystalline members of the Na$_{3+x}$Ru$_{3-x}$O$_6$~solid solution were synthesized using mechanochemical methods. Na$_{2}$O$_{2}$ beads (Sigma, 97\%), RuO$_{2}$ powder (Alfa, 99.95\%), and Na metal (Alfa 99.8\%) were
combined in a pre-seasoned tungsten carbide ball mill vial and sealed under Ar. Due to the volitility of Na and and potential oxygen off-stoichiometry in RuO$_{2-x}$, adjustments are required to the nominal Na:Ru:O ratios. Specifically, both the compositions for Na$_2$RuO$_3$ and NaRuO$_2$ were empirically tuned to yield phase-pure compositions at Na$_{1.07}$(RuO$_2$)$_{1.13}$(Na$_2$O$_2$)$_{0.70}$ (Na$_{2.0}$Ru$_{0.9}$O$_{3.0}$) and Na$_{1.07}$(RuO$_2$)$_{1.37}$(Na$_2$O$_2$)$_{0.37}$ (Na$_{1.0}$Ru$_{0.8}$O$_{2.0}$) respectively. Using a combination of excess Na metal, Na$_2$O$_2$ and RuO$_2$, we iteratively narrowed down the single-phase region of the NaRuO$_2$--Na$_2$RuO$_3$ alloy, adjusting the compositional vectors until secondary phases were eliminated. All alloys were generated through a subsequent linear interpolation of the \textit{tuned} compositions of Na$_2$RuO$_3$ and NaRuO$_2$. Empirical tuning and interpolation is essential, as the compensating ratio of Na:Ru:O that yields phase pure NaRuO$_2$ is not the same as the compensation required for Na$_2$RuO$_3$.
The resulting mixture was milled for 60~min in a Spex 8000D Mixer/Mill using four 7.9~mm tungsten carbide balls. The reaction generates a substantial amount of heat, and care must be taken with large sample volumes. The resulting precursor is confirmed amorphous by powder x-ray diffraction. The milled powder was then lightly ground in an agate mortar under Ar to disperse any agglomerates, sieved through a 100 micron sieve, and loaded into 2~mL alumina cylindrical crucibles (CoorsTek). In addition, a small portion of the milled powder was cold-pressed into 5~mm diameter pellets and buried within the powder bed. The crucibles were subsequently sealed under 1~atm of Ar in fused silica ampoules and placed within a 900$^{\circ}$C preheated furnace. Samples were annealed for 30~min and then immediately air-quenched before extracting powders under Ar. The final powders and sintered pellets are largely phase pure with trace amounts of Ru metal ($<$2~\%). Powders are black and moisture sensitive, with sensitivity increasing dramatically with additional Na content.
\subsection{Structural Characterization}
Phase purity was initially examined with powder x-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements at room temperature on a Panalytical Empyrean diffractometer (Cu K$_{\alpha_{1,2}}$) in Bragg-Brentano ($\theta$-$\theta$) geometry. Na$_{3+x}$Ru$_{3-x}$O$_6$~powders were placed on a Si zero-diffraction plate under argon and capped with a 12~mm$\times$12~mm piece Kapton film to shield against atmospheric moisture. Pawley and Rietveld refinements were performed using \texttt{TOPAS Academic} v6 \cite{Coelho}. Structural models and visualization utilized the \textsc{VESTA} software package \cite{Momma2011}.
\subsection{Magnetization and Electron Transport Measurements}
Temperature dependent dc-magnetization data under zero-field-cooled (ZFC) and field-cooled (FC) conditions were collected on a 7~T Quantum Design Magnetic Property Measurement System (MPMS3) SQUID magnetometer. Samples were sealed in polypropylene holders under argon to minimize absorption of atmospheric moisture. Data was collected continuously in sweep mode with a ramp rate of 2~K/min in the presence of an external DC field of 1000~Oe. Isothermal dc-magnetization measurements at 2~K were collected continuously in sweep mode with a ramp rate of 100~Oe/sec.
Resistivity measurements were performed on sintered pellets of Na$_{3+x}$Ru$_{3-x}$O$_6$~that were sectioned into rectangular bars with approximate dimensions of 1$\times$2$\times$0.5~mm. Electrical contacts were made in a standard four-point geometry with contacts being made with a combination of gold wire and silver paint. Thermal contact and electrical isolation was ensured using layers of GE varnish and cigarette paper. The temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity was measured with the Electrical Transport Option (ETO) in a 9~T Quantum Design Dynacool Physical Property Measurement System (PPMS) using a drive current of 10 $\mu$A and drive frequency of 100~Hz. Data was collected continuously in sweep mode with a ramp rate of 2~K/min.
\section{Results \& Discussion}
\subsection{Synthesis \& Structure}
Motivated by the combination of strong spin-orbit coupling, the expanded nature of the Ru $d$-orbitals, and remnant Coulomb interaction effects, ruthenates have continued to garner substantial attention<|fim_middle|> was supported by the U. S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357. A portion of this research used resources at the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), which is a DOE Office of Science User Facility operated by Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
| . Owing to the many stable oxidation states of Ru, the Na--Ru--O phase diagram is remarkably complex. Within a relatively narrow set of chemical potentials there are at least 7 reported Na--Ru--O ternary compounds: NaRuO$_2$ \cite{shikano2004naruo2}, NaRu$_2$O$_4$ \cite{shikano2004synthesis}, Na$_2$RuO$_3$ \cite{mogare2004syntheses}, Na$_3$RuO$_4$ \cite{regan2005isolated}, Na$_2$RuO$_4$ \cite{mogare2004syntheses}, Na$_{27}$Ru$_{14}$O$_{48}$ \cite{allred2011na27ru14o48}, and Na$_{3-x}$Ru$_4$O$_9$ \cite{regan2006structure}.
NaRuO$_2$ is of particular interest due to the triangular sublattice of Ru$^{3+}$ and the potential applications as a QSL candidate material \cite{ortizNaRuO2}. Remarkably, a survey of adjacent phases to NaRuO$_2$ reveals the ``disordered'' ($R\bar{3}m$) polymorph of Na$_2$RuO$_3$ is structurally identical to NaRuO$_2$, except for the random dilution of the Ru$^{3+}$ triangular sublattice with nonmagnetic Na$_\text{Ru}$ defects. It is important to note that while Na$_2$RuO$_3$ can also crystallize in a ordered $C2/c$ monoclinic structure, it is not clear which phase is the thermodynamic ground state.
Such a relationship and the resulting potential for off-stoichiometry in NaRuO$_{2}$ is supported by a comparison the available crystallographic data. The original synthesis procedure reported for NaRuO$_2$ involves a three step decomposition process where: 1) \ce{Na2RuO4} was synthesized from a stoichiometric mixture of \ce{Na2O2} and \ce{RuO2}, 2) stoichiometric amounts of \ce{Na2RuO4} and Ru metal were mixed, dried, and sealed inside gold tubing, and finally 3) the mixture was heated at 1173~K for 12~h and then 1273~K for 120~h \cite{shikano2004synthesis}. This processing route produces material with lattice parameters [$a,c$] : [3.02~\AA, 16.49~\AA]. We have developed a new, rapid, mechanochemical route for the synthesis of NaRuO$_{2}$ \cite{ortizNaRuO2}, which is the method utilized in the present study. This processing route renders NaRuO$_2$ with lattice parameters [3.06~\AA, 16.18~\AA].
The difference observed in the $c$-axis lattice parameters reported in this work \cite{ortizNaRuO2} and prior work by Shikano et al. \cite{shikano2004naruo2} is substantial and noteworthy. One potential origin of this discrepancy is the impact of Na off-stoichiometry, which would naturally impact the interlayer spacing. Looking to the analogous titanate structure (Na$_{1-x}$TiO$_{2}$), detailed structural studies have identified a contraction along \textit{c} and an expansion in \textit{a} as Na-vacancies were eliminated and the composition approached nominal NaTiO$_2$ \cite{clarke1998synthesis}. We suggest that the smaller \textit{c}-axis lattice parameter of NaRuO$_{2}$ synthesized via the mechanochemical route presented herein are closer to the ideal 1:1:2 stoichiometry. This is further supported by our previous neutron powder diffraction refinement \cite{ortizNaRuO2}, which indicates that the \textit{tuned} NaRuO$_2$ composition is stoichiometric within the resolution of our measurement. The discrepancy between the prior report and our results suggests that off-stoichiometry and defect control are important factors in NaRuO$_2$.
Drawing inspiration from the thermoelectric community and the concept of ``phase boundary mapping" \cite{pbmortiz2019carrier, pbmohno2017achieving,pbmohno2018phase,pbmcrawford2018experimental}, we sought to map the phase space surrounding NaRuO$_2$. Wide swaths of the space immediately surrounding NaRuO$_2$ are dominated by 2-phase equilibria, which is unexpected if NaRuO$_2$ is a prototypical line compound. This is instead consistent with the formation of a large single-phase region or an extended alloy. Furthermore, NaRuO$_2$ shows an unusual proclivity to incorporate excess Na into the structure. Considering the structural similarity of disordered Na$_2$RuO$_3$, an extended solid solution between NaRuO$_2$ and Na$_2$RuO$_3$ could exist. In support of this conjecture, synthesizing Na$_{2}$RuO$_{3}$ using the same synthetic conditions as NaRuO$_{2}$ results in the formation of disordered $R\bar{3}m$ Na$_{2}$RuO$_{3}$. This disordered Na$_{2}$RuO$_{3}$ polymorph persists after extended annealing and appears to be the stable structure under our processing conditions.
\begin{figure}
\includegraphics[width=1\linewidth]{Scattering.png}
\caption{X-ray patterns of Na$_{3+x}$Ru$_{3-x}$O$_6$ alloy series demonstrate Successful alloying of NaRuO$_{2}$ ($x$=0) and Na$_2$RuO$_3$ ($x$=1) through continuous shifts in the peak positions and intensities. Black traces indicate resulting Pawley refinements in the $R\overline{3}m$ structure. All samples up to $x$=1 are predominately phase-pure Na$_{3+x}$Ru$_{3-x}$O$_6$ with trace Ru metal. Samples extending beyond nominal Na$_{2}$RuO$_{3}$ ($x$=1) exhibit increased Ru formation, suggesting a geometrical shift in the single-phase boundary.}
\label{fig:Scattering}
\end{figure}
To verify the solid-solution hypothesis, a series of samples ranging from NaRuO$_{2}$--Na$_{2}$RuO$_{3}$ were synthesized. For the sake of convenience, we will refer to the series using the renormalized stoichiometry Na$_{3+x}$Ru$_{3-x}$O$_6$ where the end members of $x$=0 and $x$=1 correspond to nominal NaRuO$_{2}$ and Na$_{2}$RuO$_{3}$, respectively. As illustrated in Fig.~\ref{fig:Scattering}, x-ray and neutron diffraction data confirm that the series of alloys constructed along the NaRuO$_2$--Na$_2$RuO$_3$ pseudobinary phase diagram are predominantly single phase, with a only a small secondary fraction of Ru metal. In the spirt of phase-boundary mapping \cite{pbmcrawford2018experimental,pbmohno2017achieving,pbmohno2018phase,pbmortiz2019carrier}, this impurity was intentionally introduced to pin the samples to the Ru-rich edge of the single-phase region. Significant changes in peak positions and the corresponding lattice parameters (Fig.~\ref{fig:Vegard}) are clearly observed in the x-ray scattering measurements.
A summary of the changes in the crystallographic parameters accompanying the transition from NaRuO$_{2}$ to Na$_{2}$RuO$_{3}$ is presented in Fig.~\ref{fig:Vegard}. The cell volume increases both monotonically and linearly from NaRuO$_{2}$ ($x$=0) to Na$_{2}$RuO$_{3}$ ($x$=1), consistent with Vegard's Law. This serves as confirmation of a solid solution, and further highlights the propensity for the formation of Na$_\text{Ru}$ antisite defects in NaRuO$_{2}$. Unexpectedly, the off-stoichometry of disordered Na$_{2}$RuO$_{3}$ is similarly complex and has the ability to absorb excess Na up to $x$=4/3. Past this point, samples become multiphase and exhibit a mixture of Na-rich Na$_{3+x}$Ru$_{3-x}$O$_6$ and Na$_{3}$RuO$_{4}$. It is interesting to note that the symmetry of Na$_{3}$RuO$_{4}$ (space group $C2/m$) is a subgroup for $R\bar{3}m$ and is structurally similar to NaRuO$_{2}$ and Na$_{2}$RuO$_{3}$ ($e.g.$ 6-coordinate Na/Ru, approximate planes of metal cations).
\begin{figure}
\includegraphics[width=1\linewidth]{VegardLaw.png}
\caption{(a) Compositional dependence of the lattice parameters and cell volume for the Na$_{3+x}$Ru$_{3-x}$O$_6$~solid solution extracted from Pawley refinements of room temperature pXRD data. (b) Tentative processing ternary phase diagram at 900$^{\circ}$C isotherm for Na--Ru--O space surrounding the Na$_{3+x}$Ru$_{3-x}$O$_6$~solid solution. }
\label{fig:Vegard}
\end{figure}
The volumetric expansion of the lattice observed in Fig.~\ref{fig:Vegard} with additional Na-loading can be rationalized through simple ionic radii arguments. In a 6-coordinate environment, the Shannon radius of Ru$^{3+}$ is 0.68~\AA\ and Ru$^{4+}$ is 0.62~\AA. While excess Na is expected to convert Ru$^{3+}$ to Ru$^{4+}$, the effect of substituting the much larger Na$^+$ (1.02~\AA) on Ru$^{3+}$ dominates. Thus, a general expansion of the lattice is expected as Na$_\text{Ru}$ defects accumulate.
The Na$_{3+x}$Ru$_{3-x}$O$_6$~solid solution poses a synthetic challenge, particularly when the stoichiometry of polycrystalline NaRuO$_2$ needs to be tightly controlled. As illustrated in Fig.~\ref{fig:Vegard}(b), the Na$_{3+x}$Ru$_{3-x}$O$_6$~solid solution creates several large 2-phase (blue) regions where Na$_{3+x}$Ru$_{3-x}$O$_6$~ is at equilibrium with NaRu$_{2}$O$_{4}$ under O-rich conditions, Ru metal under O-poor conditions, and Na$_{3}$RuO$_{4}$ under Na-rich conditions. Three unique three-phase (gray) equilibria were identified between Na$_{3+x}$Ru$_{3-x}$O$_6$--NaRu$_2$O$_4$--Ru, Na$_{3+x}$Ru$_{3-x}$O$_6$--Na$_2$RuO$_4$--Na$_3$RuO$_4$, and Na$_{3+x}$Ru$_{3-x}$O$_6$--Na$_3$RuO$_4$--Ru. In our experience, the NaRuO$_2$--Na$_2$RuO$_3$ alloy does not readily support off-stoichiometry in the Ru-rich direction beyond NaRuO$_2$. Employing the principles of phase boundary mapping, we would aim to synthesize NaRuO$_2$ under conditions that place it in equilibrium with NaRu$_2$O$_4$ and Ru metal. A convenient metric would be to minimize the cell volume of NaRuO$_2$.
Attempts to make samples in the O-rich region above nominal Na$_{2}$RuO$_{3}$ indicate the presence of \textit{at least one} unknown Na--Ru--O ternary, complicating the mapping process. Although we would na\"{i}vely suspect samples to contain Na$_{28}$Ru$_{14}$O$_{48}$ \cite{allred2011na27ru14o48}, this phase could not be reproduced using the processing techniques described here. Considering the potential complexity in this region of the diagram, we refrain from postulating on the phase equilibria in this region. This is complicated by the existence of the Na$_{3-x}$Ru$_4$O$_9$ solid-solution, creating large swaths of 2-phase regions. Future work will be required to fully understand the O-rich side of the Na--Ru--O phase diagram.
Regardless of the additional complexities present in the O-rich regime, the isothermal phase diagram presented here establishes a reliable method for Ru-rich processing of NaRuO$_{2}$, minimizing the substitution of nonmagnetic Na$_\text{Ru}$ defects on the Ru triangular lattice. Compositions located in the three-phase NaRuO$_2$--NaRu$_2$O$_4$--Ru Alkemade triangle will reliably produce NaRuO$_{2}$ at the compositional invariant point where the ternary Alkemade triangle adjoins the vertex of the Na$_{3+x}$Ru$_{3-x}$O$_6$~single-phase region. Tuning the composition to produce NaRuO$_{2}$ at this vertex with minimal contributions from Ru-metal and NaRu$_2$O$_4$ enables stoichiometry control in a system with a complex phase diagram containing volatile elements.
\begin{figure}
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{Resistivity.png}
\caption{Temperature dependence of electronic resistivity of Na$_{3+x}$Ru$_{3-x}$O$_6$~alloys up to $x=2/3$ is consistent with a lightly doped insulator, with (inset) resistivity increasing exponentially with Na incorporation.}
\label{fig:Transport}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure*}
\includegraphics[width=1\textwidth]{MagnetizationData.png}
\caption{(a) Temperature dependence of the ZFC and FC dc magnetic susceptibility for Na$_{3+x}$Ru$_{3-x}$O$_6$ alloys in an external applied field of 1000~Oe. Black triangles denote bifurcation temperatures of the ZFC/FC curves. (b) Compositional dependence of the ZFC/FC bifurcation temperature. Peaking for intermediate compositions, ZFC/FC splitting falls below 2~K for the nominal end members $x$=0 and 1. (c) Field dependence of the dc isothermal magnetization at 2~K with (d) magnified view about $H=0$, highlighting non-zero coercivity for intermediate Na loading. Note that the coercivity vanishes to within the level of background for $x$=0 and 1. (e) Temperature dependence of the in-phase component $\chi'$ of the ac susceptibility in the absence of an external dc field with (f) corresponding Arrhenius plot.}
\label{fig:Mag}
\end{figure*}
\subsection{Magnetization and Electrical Transport}
Our prior investigation on both the magnetic and electronic properties of stoichiometric NaRuO$_{2}$ identified the system as a magnetic insulator with a quantum disordered ground state \cite{ortizNaRuO2}. Considering that Na$_{2}$RuO$_{3}$ was considered a distinct compound to date, the discovery of the Na$_{3+x}$Ru$_{3-x}$O$_6$~solid solution should provide an experimental route to exploring the physical properties and possibly unique crossovers ($e.g.$ metal-to-insulator) between the endpoint members. However, literature reports on the magnetic and electronic properties of Na$_{2}$RuO$_{3}$ are varied. Much of the variation stems from the ambiguity whether the ordered or disordered polymorph is present. Even within studies focused predominantly on disordered Na$_{2}$RuO$_{3}$ or mixtures of the ordered/disordered phase, there are conflicting reports. Some works suggest insulating behavior with long range antiferromagnetic order \cite{Wang14:90,gapontsev2017spectral}, while others report a paramagnetic, moderately correlated electron metal with no observable magnetic excitations \cite{Veiga20:4}.
This lack of consensus on Na$_{2}$RuO$_{3}$ is likely driven by the existence of the Na$_{3+x}$Ru$_{3-x}$O$_6$~solid-solution. Since Na$_{2}$RuO$_{3}$ is not a line compound, the stoichiometry of a given synthesis is not well-defined. In the case of disordered Na$_{2}$RuO$_{3}$, the majority of samples were produced as a product of decomposition reactions, yielding lattice parameters \textit{a} : [3.11--3.17~\AA] and \textit{c} : [15.94-16.04~\AA] \cite{mogare2004syntheses,tamaru2013layered,Veiga20:4}. One of the ``hallmark'' features of disordered Na$_2$RuO$_3$ in prior work is the merger of the (101) and (006) peak positions. In good agreement with prior literature, we find that the peak merger occurs with \textit{a}=3.11~\AA~and \textit{c}=15.94~\AA. However, our nominal stoichiometry at that point is only $x$=2/3 instead of $x$=1. This is conceptually consistent with our findings that the Na--Ru--O systems require additional Na and O to compensate for volitility issues. Furthermore, Na incorporation continues well past the point of peak merger -- and well beyond nominal Na$_{2}$RuO$_{3}$ (Fig.~\ref{fig:Vegard}).
The Na$_{3+x}$Ru$_{3-x}$O$_6$~solid solution presents an opportunity to study the defect-sensitivity of NaRuO$_2$ and the consequence of diluting the Ru-sublattice. We first address the electrical resistivity to determine whether all members of the Na$_{3+x}$Ru$_{3-x}$O$_6$~solid solution remain insulating, or whether the Na$_\text{Ru}$ defects cause any increase in the free carrier concentration. As illustrated in Fig.~\ref{fig:Transport}, the resistivity at room temperature for many of the series falls within the lightly doped semiconducting regime (10-100\,m$\Omega$-cm), and rises exponentially with decreasing temperature. Both observations suggest that members of the Na$_{3+x}$Ru$_{3-x}$O$_6$ solid solution up to $x$=2/3 are insulators or small-gap semiconductors.
The isothermal resistivity at 300~K (Fig.~\ref{fig:Transport}(inset)) exhibits an exponential \textit{increase} with Na content, contradicting the most facile defect formation ($e.g.$ $\text{Na}_\text{Ru} + 2\text{h})$ and instead supports the localization of holes via a shift of Ru into a higher oxidation state. The influence of poorly screened, higher charged Ru$^{4+}$ -- coupled with increased alloy/disorder scattering likely contribute to the strong resistivity increases. Potentially more complex compensation reactions such as oxygen vacancies could be present, and more research (e.g. DFT defect studies) will be important for fully understanding the defect energetics in the alloys. We note here that members with higher Na content ($x\geq$1) become progressively deliquescent and will condense atmospheric water on the surfaces, precluding reliable measurement of the resistivity.
The dc susceptibility data for select Na$_{3+x}$Ru$_{3-x}$O$_6$ compositions are plotted in Fig.~\ref{fig:Mag}(a). A manual vertical offset has been introduced to facilitate a visual qualitative comparison, and an unscaled set of magnetization curves is included in the supplementary information for comparison \cite{ESI}. Notably, an onset of irreversibility in the ZFC/FC curves appears in compositions with nonintenger $x$. This irreversibility is absent in the stoichiometric $x$=0 end member above 2 K. Then, as summarized in Fig.~\ref{fig:Mag}(b), ZFC/FC irreversibility onsets at finite $x$ and increases in temperature as further disorder is introduced. Near the midpoint between NaRuO$_2$ and Na$_2$RuO$_3$, the irreversibility temperature reaches a local maximum and then begins to decrease again as $x=1$ is approached. In the nominal $x$=1 composition with uniform Ru$^{4+}$ sites, the system naively assumes a $J_\text{eff}=0$ nonmagnetic singlet state and irreversibility vanishes. With continued Na loading beyond $x=1$, moments are reintroduced and a sharp reemergence of irreversibility occurs. It should be noted that as $x=0,1/6,1$ samples exhibit no discernible splitting by 2~K, this lower limit on the onset of an irreversibility temperature is denoted as open circles in Fig.~\ref{fig:Mag}(b).
As illustrated in Figs.~\ref{fig:Mag}(c,d), the main qualitative trends presented in Fig.~\ref{fig:Mag}(b) are also reflected in the compositional dependence of the isothermal dc magnetization. Compositions with higher irrversibility temperatures exhibit larger coercivity, particularly for those samples where $x>1$ (Fig.~\ref{fig:Mag}(d)). Irreversibility in FC/ZFC data reflect that local Ru moments freeze, and Fig.~\ref{fig:Mag}(e) illustrates this freezing further in the Na-rich side of the phase diagram with $x=7/6$. The ac-susceptibility data reveal a clear frequency-dependence associated with local moment freezing and an activation energy $E_{a}/R$ $\sim$ 150~K for the higher temperature feature. Further work exploring this freezing process and whether long-range correlations form will require neutron scattering measurements on single crystals.
It is worth stressing here that even in the nominal $x=0$ composition, a low-temperature cusp appears in the ac-susceptibility below 2 K \cite{ortizNaRuO2}. Near 1.7 K, signs of partial moment freezing were observed, indicating a weak spin freezing transition and crossover in the low frequency spin dynamics. We attribute this crossover/partial freezing as likely driven by a small percentage of remnant Na defects (~1 $\%$). This is consistent with the amplification of the freezing onset upon the intentional introduction of additional Na defects along the solid solution line between NaRuO$_2$ and Na$_2$RuO$_3$.
\section{Conclusions}
Born from the need to control and understand defect relationships in the Heisenberg-Kitaev candidate material NaRuO$_{2}$, we studied the chemical potential phase space surrounding NaRuO$_{2}$. We discovered the existence of a full solid-solution Na$_{3+x}$Ru$_{3-x}$O$_6$~between NaRuO$_{2}$ ($x$=0) and disordered Na$_2$RuO$_3$ ($x$=1). While resistivity measurements demonstrate that all members of Na$_{3+x}$Ru$_{3-x}$O$_6$~are insulators, increased Na-incorporation into the alloy results in a glass-like freezing of local Ru moments between stoichiometric endpoints. At small $x$, this is conceptually consistent with moment dilution/induced freezing on a highly frustrated Ru$^{3+}$ sublattice. Our study provides key information needed to control chemical disorder and off-stoichiometry in the Heisenberg-Kitaev candidate material NaRuO$_2$.
\section{Acknowledgments}
We acknowledge fruitful conversations with A.~A.~Aczel, G.~Pokharel, and A.~R.~Ericks. This work was supported by the US Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering under Grant No. DE-SC0017752. B.R.O. and P.M.S. both acknowledge financial support from the California NanoSystems Institute through the Elings Fellowship program. The research made use of the shared facilities of the NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at UC Santa Barbara (DMR- 1720256). The UC Santa Barbara MRSEC is a member of the Materials Research Facilities Network. (www.mrfn.org). This work also used facilities supported via the UC Santa Barbara NSF Quantum Foundry funded via the Q-AMASE-i program under award DMR-1906325. Use of the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory | 5,621 |
The Foreign Affairs Committee had the privilege and pleasure of hosting Swedish lawyer Conrad Wallenrodhe, who explained<|fim_middle|> with the proper distance, which is an important quality to have in such positions.
The event ended with a lively discussion, with the audience raising numerous questions which our speaker fielded patiently and eloquently. The great interest in this event among the members of the bar association and the wealth of interesting and practical information shared with us about the practice of law in a nearby European country suggests that it would be worthwhile to schedule similar events as a regular part of the work of the Foreign Affairs Committee. | to a large gathering the rules and principles for practice of the legal profession in Sweden. It should be explained upfront that Sweden is not among the countries with a dual system of legal professions—unlike Poland, there is no division of lawyers into attorneys (radcy prawni) and advocates (adwokaci). There is one profession, and the practitioners hold the title of advokat.
The fascinating lecture by our guest was not limited to this profession. A relatively high proportion of law graduates in Sweden find work in the courts and the prosecution system (26%), and another large number in the state and local administration (together 17%), and the tax and social insurance system. The career path chosen by a lawyer depends in large measure on his or her intellectual capabilities, psychological predispositions, and financial expectations.
In the case of advokats, their earnings range widely depending on the field, tenure and—naturally—where they practice. An advokat can earn more in Stockholm than in other cities and regions of the country. The monthly salary of a lawyer fresh from university is SEK 26,000–35,000 (PLN 13,000–17,000), which may be regarded as decent pay considering the conditions in which Swedish advokats work. The legal market is unregulated, access to the profession is broad and easy, and, unlike Poland, Swedish law does not recognize the notion that parties must be represented by professional counsel. Anyone can appear in court as an attorney for a party in civil proceedings or to represent a defendant privately, with the exception of certain family matters and criminal matters. Advokat Wallenrodhe pointed out that the courts do have various problems with such non-professional representatives, who can prove burdensome to the system due to their lack of legal knowledge, which does not encourage efficiency in the proceedings, but these problems are somehow dealt with in practice.
What kinds of matters do advokats handle? Commercial practice predominates (60%), with other fields including family, criminal and social law and the law of refugees—of whom, as is well known, there are many in Sweden, as it is not just a friendly country but also wealthy. As in Poland, there are court-appointed cases. There is no obligation to take such cases, but many advokats are eager to handle such cases because it makes economic sense to do so. The hourly rate for court-appointed cases is SEK 1,276 + VAT, which works out to PLN 640 + VAT, with a separate rate for "wasted time." In defining and calculating the number of hours actually worked to determine the fee, certain "abuses" may be encountered, but that would be too strong and insulting a term for Swedish advokats, so we may refer instead to unconventional and controversial behaviour, such as including in the hours worked the time it takes to travel from a lawyer's office to a nearby court. Apart from setting the hourly rate for court-appointed cases, Swedish law does not interfere in the amount or method of calculating advokats' fees, leaving those arrangements up to the parties. Internal bar regulations merely provide that the fee must be "fair." When the court orders the losing party to reimburse the prevailing party for its attorneys' fees, it should also guided by the principle of fairness, which in large, complex cases may mean fees running into many millions of kronor.
As mentioned, many of the solutions presented by Advokat Wallenrodhe differ significantly from those applied here in Poland. But this is not the case with the bar association, which, as in Poland, is mandatory (that is, membership in the bar association is mandatory), and advokats are subject to supervision by the bar, which may commence disciplinary proceedings for violation of rules of professional ethics. The relevant bar authorities have a wide range of sanctions at their disposal, which may include a reprimand, censure, censure with a fine, and, finally, in the most serious cases, disbarment and stripping the offender of the title of advokat. The severest sanction is not applied often, with about one advokat being disbarred per year on average, and over 90% of disciplinary cases are dismissed. There are a total of about 600 disciplinary cases per year, which is not very many considering the number of advokats and the number of cases they handle, estimated at 500,000 per year.
Advokat Wallenrodhe's lecture concluded with a presentation of the professional "afterlife" of Swedish advokats. During retirement, one of the main ways they spend their free time is serving on supervisory boards of joint-stock companies. They offer the boards their experience, knowledge of the law, and skill at reflection and looking at matters | 1,002 |
<|fim_middle|>idelberg. | Textual Case-based Reasoning (TCBR) is a powerful paradigm within CBR. Biologically inspired design – the invention of technological systems by analogy to biological systems – presents an opportunity for exploring cross-domain TCBR. Our in situ studies of the retrieval task in biologically inspired design identified findability and recognizability of biology articles on the Web relevant to a design problem as major challenges. To address these challenges, we have developed a technique for semantic tagging of biology articles based on Structure-Behavior-Function models of the biological systems described in the article. We have also implemented the technique in an interactive system called Biologue. Controlled experiments with Biologue indicate improvements in both findability and recognizability of useful biology articles. Our work suggests that task-specific but domain-general model-based tagging might be useful for TCBR in support of complex reasoning tasks engaging cross-domain analogies.
Vattam, S. S., & Goel, A. K. (2013, July). Biological solutions for engineering problems: a study in cross-domain textual case-based reasoning. In International Conference on Case-Based Reasoning (pp. 343-357). Springer, Berlin, He | 244 |
I've never been a big fan of cucumber. I find them rather tasteless and watery. But it is those exact reasons that make them a perfect base for a cold summer soup. I use cucumber with different herbs, or combined with other fruits or vegetables to make a light soup, especially on a warm summers afternoon or dinner. In this case I used kiwi, an excellent source of vitamin C.
It may seem very "light" for a meal on its own, but we are eating way too much and our portions are way too big. This is an ample meal, if seved with some grilled seafood, like shrimps or langoustine tails, then followed by a cheese platter and a crusty grain bread and finished off with a seasonal dessert, or even only fruit.
It is custom in our house to eat "3 courses". Now doesn't that sound pretentious! But in fact, it is actually only "one course" that we serve seperately in 3 stages, or even more! A salad would serve as a starter, in it's own bowl or plate, then followed up with maybe a fish/meat and a small vegetable, like a cherry tomato or two, or a bundle of french string beans tied with some tasty ham, and afterwards maybe a slice of 2 cheeses with baguette and finish off lastly with some dessert like a fruit, or joghurt. A small espresso. Maybe a chocolate. That's it.
Another rule of thumb is: When you start light, you can go heavier OR start heavy and go lighter. And try to keep the portions small, served on small plates! That way, each serving gets centre stage, each flavour is appreciated on its own – no fighting flavours and colours all on one plate. With all the money you save on buying smaller quantities of food, you can invest in some interesting plates, making meals attractive and appealing. The stomach(and brain) is also cheated into thinking he has been given a five course meal, so the feeling of satiety and satisfaction is still rich! Serve the food on plates each individually as well, so you don't get seduced into second helpings when the bowls stare longingly at you on the table, right in front of you! Men are usually resistant to get up to serve themselves and women are embaressed to have everybody see them get up for MORE FOOD!
So. Let's eat less. Smaller portions. Around a table. Attractive table ware. Colourful. Light. Lets' talk about our food. About its colours. The tastes and smells and flavours, textures. Let's enjoy it and rise from the table, still having room and energy left for a brisk walk.
Next Article Watermelon and recipe thoughts.
The bugs and blooms though? Over the top ridiculously genius:)Lifelike!And with all my rain? these sunny photos warm my soul.
Came in here to continue my "work" and read this.
Thankyou for taking up the "eat less, but eat well" mantra!
I love your food philosophy! 🙂 And the beautiful photos make my day!
What a lovely & refreshing soup!!
Hi Ronelle, Thank you so much for your comments. This is the first time I'm visiting your blog. and seems<|fim_middle|> this peaceful place!
The soup looks delicious and something that I am going to bring to my luncheon on Wedneday. I was going to make a cold gespacho, but this looks like it will be a nice difference. You always inspire me. Have a good summer, filled with family visits and good friends.
Your soup spells summer all over it. Gorgeous photos too. You have quite the eye for photography. I could learn a lot here.
I've been on holiday with no internet access so it's nice to be back and visit my friends. Looks like I've missed a lot of good stuff.
Your soup looks delicious, light, and fresh. The feta on top looks like a perfect garnish too.
FELICITATION encore une fois pour ce blog qui est vraiment magnifique et qui donne envie d'y retourner, rien que pour le plaisir des yeux et des papilles. Des photos superbes, une présentation originale, that's just BRILLIANT!
And your sunflower photos are stunning! 3 star, that's cute!
All very true and sound advice, if you ask me… And I LOVE the sunflower pics! | quiet interesting for me. I love to cook too. yea and obviously to eat too. 🙂 Cucumber and kiwi soup!!!! Hmmm! Temme about the taste of the soup… looks yummy.
You don't sound pretentious at all!!! I know that my plates are too full and we eat too much and waste far too much!!! You inspire me to change our eating style…thx for that!!!
Thank you for the lovely comments on my kitchen reno. I see that you have been even busier with your own new cottage reno. It looks like it is progressing nicely. It will be a lovely retreat, how I envy you | 132 |
The UNESCO OER Community received the 2008 MANeLA Leadership Award. Â It was presented at eLearning Africa last week by Moustapha Diack, Director of MERLOT Africa Network (MAN), and Gerry Hanley, Executive Director of MERLOT.
The Leadership Award recognizes the Community's "significant contribution to the global understanding<|fim_middle|> to MAN for this honour.
Thank to Susan D'Antoni and her staff, for their endful energy and work and for being the catalyst of our community! | of the issues and innovations surrounding OER and the OER movement".
The Merlot Africa Network (MAN) established a "MAN-eLearning Africa exemplary practice Award" to recognize exemplary OER (learning resources) and Communities of Practice. MAN made use of the peer review protocol already established by MERLOT for selecting best practices, and modified the protocol to include criteria of OER internationalization such as multi-language support and accessibility. Â Our thanks | 88 |
Notes: Chef Hubert Keller of Fleur de Lys restaurant in<|fim_middle|> sides, 2 to 3 minutes total. Sprinkle pepper evenly over fish.
Put pan with fish in a 400° oven; bake until fish is opaque but still moist-looking in center of thickest part (cut to test), 5 to 7 minutes.
Transfer fish to rimmed plates. Spoon sauce evenly around fish and sprinkle with chives. | San Francisco demonstrated this imaginative dish last year at the Winter Wine Escape at the Mauna Kea Resort in Hawaii. Serve with sautéed spinach and roasted fingerling potatoes.
Crush cardamom pods; remove black seed.
In a 1- to 1 1/2-quart pan, mix cardamom seed, carrot juice, 1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar, cornstarch, and sugar until well blended. Stir over high heat until mixture boils; reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 1/2 cup, 7 to 9 minutes. Cover pan and remove from heat; let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Taste, and add salt and more vinegar if desired. Pour sauce through a fine strainer into a bowl.
Meanwhile, rinse fish, pat dry, and cut into 4 equal portions. Rub fish all over with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Set a 10- to 12-inch nonstick frying pan (with ovenproof handle) over high heat. When pan is hot, add fish and turn as needed to brown on both | 233 |
Rheem Manufacturing has been a trusted name<|fim_middle|> products worldwide.
During the last few years, Rheem has increased its presence worldwide and has established an extensive sales, service, and parts distribution network to address the special needs of our customers. | in the United States for many years. One of the world's leading manufacturers of central heating and cooling products, Rheem distributes its full line of residential and commercial products around the globe.
Rheem Manufacturing Company was established in the mid-1920s when brothers Richard and Donald Rheem acquired a galvanizing plant in San Francisco, California. They opened another plant near Los Angeles a decade later and began manufacturing water heaters. By 1936, Rheem had coast to coast distribution, and during the 1940s and 1950s, increased its product line to include space heating units for homes, oil furnaces and air conditioners. As the company grows, it continues to expand its line of residential and commercial | 155 |
Kaštel Stari is a village within the administrative area of Kaštela, in Dalmatia, Croatia. Its name means Old Castle, this came from a nobleman from Trogir Koriolan Cipiko, writer, humanist and military leader who built a mansion in 1476 which it is believed led to the name Kastel Stari<|fim_middle|> fishing in October. Kastela also organises and hosts concerts featuring locals singers and musicians, comedy shows etc . The local football team (HKN Kastel Stari) play at the edge of the village.
In January 2020 work commenced on a new marina and improvements to the Riva, the work is expected to continue through to the autumn of 2021.
See also
Kaštela
Kaštel Gomilica
Kaštel Kambelovac
Kaštel Lukšić
Kaštel Novi
Kaštel Sućurac
Kaštel Štafilić
References
Populated places in Split-Dalmatia County | .
The main local employment comes from Tourism, the area is also popular with visitors from Split and the village is within a 20-minute drive of Split airport. The village is also about 20 minutes from Trogir by car and in the high season a boat can also take you to Trogir.
At one time the 12 mile stretch between Split and the airport has 16 fortified castles, today Kastela includes 7 distinct townships, of which Kastel Stari is one of them.
Local Interest
History of the Village
History of the fortified village can be traced back to the fall of Bosnia in 1463, Dalmatia, which was at the time part of the Venetian Republic, faced danger from the Ottoman invaders. Following the fall of the fort at Klis in 1537 Kastela was exposed to frequent incursions. From the 15th century to 17th century local landowners, and noblemen established a series of fortified villages of which seven remain today.
The historic core of Kastel Stari is made of three forts and a fortified village (citadel and fortified village Cippico, tower Celio-Cega and fortified Andreis house). Citadel Cippico was built on a rock in 1481 by Koriolan Cippico, a nobleman, humanist and warrior from Trogir. In 1507 he fortified land to the north by building defensive walls with towers on the corners in order to protect the houses of his farmers. Along with the lateral walls and streams as a defensive barrier.
Following the end of the dangers the Village spread out side of the walls and the area in front of the citadel was filled in on the side of the bridge. This is how Bracdeveloped a village square with a flagpole column and well with drinking water. Along the eastern wall of the village was the Cippico family garden, on the northern side of the village stood a dyery. The baroque Chapel of St Joseph, which Lelije Cippico built in 1695 as a family chapel stands inside the village. Outside the fortified village of Koriolan Cippico, in front of its western gate stood the Parish Church of St John the Baptist built in 16th century which now has a church built in the 18th century. A new parish church (Our Lady of the Rosary)which began construction in 1871 is now at the northwest of the fortified village.
West of the fortified village on the rocks two more forts were built:citadel Celio-Cega preserved until the present and the citadel of the Andreis family, nowadays hardly visible in the sea.
Local Interest
The Parish Church Our Lady of Rosary is one of the largest in Central Dalmatia. Constructed as a nave basilica it has a marble interior stretching 400m. The town also hosts (along with other towns in the area) a Carnival in February and during July and August the 'Kastela Cultural Summer Carnival' which includes exhibitions, music, sports and other events. There are a range of restaurants offering local and traditional dishes, there are also a range of apartments available to visitors during the summer.
The village has a daily market during the year selling local produce, flowers etc. in the 'Brac' (Square) and also hosts several festivals during the summer in the square or on the 'Riva' (Port side). These include the Fishermen's party in July, Victory Day in August and squid | 745 |
21ST-CENTURY MUSIC
21ST-CENTURY MUSIC / September 2010
An Interview with David Sanford / Tom Moore
A Tradition of Change / Mark Alburger
Chronicle of July 2010
Illustration / Garage A Trois
Mark Alburger
EDITOR-PUBLISHER
Harriet March Page
Patti Noel Deuter
Erling Wold
Alexis Alrich
Katherine Buono
Ken Bullock
A.J. Churchill
David Cleary
Jeff Dunn
Phillip George
Elliot Harmon
Jeff Kaliss
John Lane
Arel Lucas
Michael McDonagh
Chip Michael
Andrew Shapiro
INFORMATION FOR SUBSCRIBERS
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Posted by Mark Alburger at 11:00 PM
Labels: 21st-Century Music September 2010, Garage A Trois
David Sanford, born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, is professor of music at Mt. Holyoke College in western Massachusetts, and his interests and influences range from dodecaphonicism through big band to funk and R&B. We first met as new arrivals at Princeton University in 1989, where he was an incoming doctoral student in composition, and I was the new librarian in charge of the Music Department's recording collection. We talked via Skype on February 1, 2010.
MOORE: Where did you grow up? What was the musical environment in your household?
SANFORD: I grew up in Pittsburgh, PA, until I was eleven. My mother was a choir director, and would play the piano at home. My father was into jazz, but they divorced when I was six, so I don't remember him playing it around the house, but he was the one who turned us on to it, when we were a little bit older. What we used to hear was my mother practicing, and I think we tuned that out – that was "old folk's music" – dead dull music. Pop music-wise, when we got in the car people would play R&B radio. The station, which is still there, is WAMO. I also had a baby-sitter when I was five who would play it all day. The songs I remember, which I wish I could have played 100 times if I had owned the records, were Cloud Nine by the Temptations, Say It Loud by James Brown, and Grazing in the Grass by Friends of Distinction. Those were in heavy rotation. We got the rhythm and blues from that era, and then the Jackson Five came along, and that was the center of our universe for a while. And that edition of the Temptations – I never liked the earlier, more pop, audience-friendly, love-song Temptations as much as the protest-era Temptations. Psychedelic Shack, Ball of Confusion – which today is still one of my three favorite pieces in the world. Runaway Child, Running Wild, Can't Get Next to You – all of those were the best songs in the world. As we got older, when my brother and I started buying records, it was invariably R&B of that sort. We got into Earth, Wind and Fire, I was into the Isley Brothers, Sly and the Family Stone. My mother had Aretha Franklin records, which we just heard as "my mother's music". It was only much later that I realized that this stuff was as funky as what we were listening to. We tended to tune her out, and it wasn't until I was in my teens that I started to appreciate the classics, particularly the love songs -- Al Green, Marvin Gaye, although we owned "Let's Get It On." The real smooth ballads we didn't get into until much later. We moved to Colorado when I was eleven. That is when I first got into big band. We had a great band director named William McMosley. Like us, he was one of the few black people in that part of Colorado Springs -- a big, scary, imposing tyrant of a band director. It was the first marching band I was in, and I thought it was really great. The jazz band I first heard when my brother was in eighth grade and I was still in grade school. They were doing a piece called Barn Burner -- in fact, I have the sheet music sitting here because my brother loaned it to me -- Harry Stone is the composer. It was one of those pieces that changed my life. After that I got into junior high school, and Mingus and Dizzy Gillespie were the records we started taking out of the library, Miles Davis, Birth of the Cool. I played those to death. I tried to get into Coltrane early, but the first record I listened to was Expression, so I ran back the other direction from that for a while. It was a long time before I got in classic big band. Of course, everyone was listening to Maynard then, and for me via that Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, Toshiko Akiyoshi. That was also when I was reading Downbeat magazine, so by the time I was thirteen I knew the names of all the famous jazz musicians, even though I couldn't find a lot of the records in Colorado Springs. I knew who all the free jazzers were, and so forth. At that point I was thinking that Anthony Braxton would be the future of jazz, because of what Downbeat was saying. By high school, I was getting more in classical music. And with respect to R&B, once disco came in, I was tuning out, by about '76 to 77. Everyone started to do more disco-ish, canned beats. The lyrics had been about protest and social issues, and all of a sudden it started to be about dancing. In the late seventies there was also drum and bugle corps, which introduced us to classical music in the "wrong" way. The first time I heard Firebird, it was being played by a drum and bugle corps, and I loved it. Marche Slave, Petrushka, Verdi Requiem, New World Symphony – of course if you had heard the original first, it might drive you up the wall. There is an amazing Shostakovich 10th out there for drum and bugle corps that I would still say is incredibly listenable. It gets at what Shostakovich wanted. And The Firebird, played by the Phantom Regiment in 1978 I actually like a little bit better, although I shouldn't put that on tape...
MOORE: Why not?
SANFORD: It was this savage, primal thing -- a perfect use of the medium. In college I started getting more into Stravinsky, but in high school I was heavily into the Leonard Bernstein Mass, thanks to the same library, which had the recording. The drum corps played Spartacus by Khachaturian, so we loved that. And a lot of concert band music. Back then, to me the great composers were John Barnes Chance and Clifton Williams. It wasn't till later that we figured out who Schoenberg and Boulez were...
MOORE: Did you have any involvement with your mother's church choir?
SANFORD: Never. In high school, my brother as a junior joined choir for the first time. I hated singing. I [heard] them, and I liked the music, so I joined when I was a junior. We were doing bits from the Creation... I don't think I admired what my mother was doing at the time. I admired that she could play the organ, but we didn't listen to the choir and think "Wow, that's really cool…" There were a few spirituals: I thought Soon I Will Be Done with the Troubles of the World was great. Hospodi Pomilui was clever and fun. But most of them we would just tune out, unfortunately.
MOORE: What was it that led you to pick up trombone?
SANFORD: I was nine, my brother had started trombone earlier, and I wanted to not play trombone. So I started playing trumpet, but I couldn't get a sound out of it. I still can't -- I have just never had the chops for it. They gave me a euphonium; I played that for about a half a year, the middle key stuck, they sent it out for repairs, and gave me a trombone in the meantime. They needed trombones, and let me stay with it, which set in motion a really bad competition between my brother and me. We would invariably be competing for the same things. He was always better than me, but I was good at working up showy pieces for auditions, and beat him out a couple of times. I never loved the trombone as a sound for me. Given the choice, I think would have preferred tenor sax. But you would not have gotten to play in the orchestra playing sax. Even the tenor sax parts in concert band are not that interesting. I am perfectly happy to have played trombone because of the windows that it opened.
MOORE: Your brother is two years older than you are?
SANFORD: Yes. He sings pop. We went in completely different directions, even though we went to the same college. He went to Music Education, and I went to Theory and Composition. This was at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, which is actually a very good big band school. It was while we were there and still is. Good brass, good percussion. At the time the orchestra was less so, but it has gotten much better. The chorus was pretty good, I thought, and they had the best vocal jazz ensemble in the country when we were there. We both sang in that. He got into the vocal jazz, and also sang in a church that had a pop Christian choir. He saw Schoenberg and Webern as something amusing -- the oddity of these weird Germans -- whereas I took to it.
MOORE: "I can like things that are weirder than anyone else can…"
SANFORD: It's the same thing with punk rock, death metal, Goth -- if you feel alienated, you can be drawn to music that other people are running away from. You think, "here are people who know what it is to be alienated, here is music that speaks that language." That wasn't the intention of the Second Vienna School, but that's how I heard it back then.
MOORE: How did you start as a composer?
SANFORD: I actually began in junior high. I wanted to write big band charts. I did an arrangement, without even having a tape of the song, of the theme by Pat Williams for Bob Newhart. Around the same time I wrote my first composition, called Tempest. I have it somewhere in a box, I think. At the time I would go to the music store and they had big band scores – Woody Herman's version of Billy Cobham's Crosswinds., things like that. So I got into doing big band pieces then. By tenth grade, they had changes and sections, a 3/8 thing like La Fiesta, and then a funk thing in F … I think the riffs probably weren't that bad. Of course the trumpet parts were way too high. I discovered the [octatonic] scale as a sophomore in high school, although I didn't hear them call it octatonic until graduate school. I started a couple of pieces like that for choir, which probably would have been very difficult to sing. By the time I was in college I was writing more conventional compositions. I did about three or four big band compositions as an undergraduate, and during the whole time I was at New England Conservatory I didn't write any. I was doing "serious" composition, studying with Arthur Berger, so I was writing 12-tone music. And I didn't write any at Princeton, either. The first big-band composition I wrote in 15 years was for my wife -- we had a big band play when we got married. That opened the floodgates -- I got to go to Rome in 2002-2003, and my project was to write big band music. If you know David Rakowski, he works on etudes when he is not doing bigger pieces. When I am not doing bigger pieces, I am writing for big band.
MOORE: And those etudes by David Rakowski have been extremely successful…
SANFORD: Yes – they are everywhere – everyone plays them.
MOORE: Please talk about NEC.
SANFORD: I was into the idea that they had a jazz department there. I had a choice of studying with Tom McKinley or Arthur Berger, and I saw Berger as someone rigorous, who would do the twelve-tone thing, and I wanted to write more complex music, more strident music, more "serious" music, and thought that that was the way to go. Berger's opinions seemed to be coming from Mount Olympus. There are not so many people whose opinions mattered so much to me, even though esthetically I was coming from a completely different ballpark.
MOORE: What year did you start there?
SANFORD: In the fall of 1985. I did a composition master's, which I got in '87, and then went back for a theory master's, which I got in '89. While I was there I was working various jobs in order to support myself. NEC, then, had a tuition that was an exorbitant $8000 a year, and my apartment was $400 a month, which seemed outrageous then as well. It's funny to look back on that now... I had a scholarship plus work study jobs. I worked at Au Bon Pain for 2½ years, and then full time on stage crew. So I was working 40 hours a week as well as studying. I got to a lot of concerts, a lot of movies -- but I didn't have anywhere close to the amount of time that I needed for studying scores etc. I didn't write a ton of significant music there -- a few pieces that helped get me into Princeton, but I wish that I could have spent more time immersing myself in music there, like a full-time student.
MOORE: Were there things from the jazz scene in Boston at the time that made an impact?
SANFORD: I would say big-time. Jazz-wise Northern Colorado was musically pretty conservative as a rule, except for some grad students that were there, like Hugh Regan, who was there during my first year, and there was an odd free-jazz bent for a lot of the undergrads. My second year a guy came in by the name of Jack Walthrop, who was a big fusion sax player. I remember going to a party after a concert, and he put on a tape of Pangaea, and I thought "Oh my gosh, who's that??" "Miles Davis, man..." I had heard that Miles was doing electric things, but I had never heard anything. I couldn't believe that it sounded like the funk of my youth -- it put me on a path to believing that I was digging in the right place if Miles liked the same stuff that we did... By the time I was a senior, the big bands were all playing arrangements that seemed really cheesy to me. It was a time when jazz had become really conservative too. By the time that I got to NEC there was a really vibrant jazz community there. John Medeski was there, Cuong Vu was there, Chris Speed, Josh Roseman, whom I have known ever since then -- he was a freshman when I was starting grad school, and we were on stage crew together. There were a lot of guys who have gone on to do big things on the scene. At the school you had people who were just saying, "hey, find your own thing", they weren't ragging on Wynton Marsalis -- Russell himself, Bob Moses, Dave Holland came later on. Jimmy Giuffre was there, John McNeil, Ran Blake had this third-stream department -- this was all after Gunther Schuller's time, but they were still preaching that aesthetic. Every big band concert was loaded with interesting stuff. Ken Schaphorst was around -- I think he had just graduated, but he led a big band in town that really played well. It was a great community, although I didn't get to hear nearly as much music as I would have liked to. Ron Della Chiesa at WGBH brought a band called UYA, a bunch of undergrads from NEC who were playing a funk thing, in the studio playing live over the air -- I thought<|fim_middle|> and Electronics, by EKG, after Morton Feldman," as the electronic score, intriguing as it was, bore little resemblance to what Feldman's intentions may have been vis a vis an orchestra.
Burns cited in his program notes the influence and inspiration of Luigi Nono, and we were treated to the underplayed Italian master's ...sofferte onde serene... (1976), one of three "old-school" compositions featuring electronic sounds on electromagnetic tape. Here the sonorities of pianist Christopher Jones intentionally blended in with altered pianistic pingings on the pre-recording, as a dark, sonorous soundscape.
The sound world of Dennis Smalley's Clarinet Threads (1985), as brought to life by clarinetist Matt Ingalls, was considerably more, well, electrifying, in hair-raising high notes that commanded attention. The virtuosity in this performance, against a fixed electronic component, was impressive -- indeed the quality of the live performers throughout the evening was first rate.
And the excellence continued in cellist Monica Scott's realization of a Mario Davidovsky classic: Synchronisms No. 3 (1965). This, the oldest work on the program, was near ground zero of the whole live-soloist-and-electronics category, and had an almost nostalgic and pristine quality in its careful alteration of media. Scott brought technique and tone to the table, and the electronic score perked agreeably.
By contrast, while Per Bloland's Quintet (2005) was not quite the newest work on the program, it certainly pointed towards future directions. Saxophonist John Ingle became his own one-man band, with the assistance of an Apple laptop, in realizing five-part music in real time that animated and thrilled. The precise cut-offs alone were worth the price of admission (OK, I got in free as a critic, but still...), and bespoke of the excitement of the evening, taken in by an enthusiastic capacity crowd.
Posted by Mark Alburger at 9:00 PM
Labels: Mark Alburger, SFSound
Garage a Trois. Maxwell's, New York, NY. "The terminology can't be trusted when it comes to Garage a Trois, a band consisting of the drummer Stanton Moore, the saxophonist known as Skerik, the percussionist Mike Dillon and the keyboardist Marco Benevento. That's four people, not three, despite the group's chosen name; it doesn't have much stake in garage rock, either. And while Garage a Trois fits the profile of a jam band, its music feels more focused and less freewheeling than that particular pigeonhole might suggest. Garage a Trois formed just over a decade ago, originally with Mr. Moore, Skerik and the guitarist Charlie Hunter. Its sensibilities have skewed grittier and more psychedelic with the current lineup, largely because of the fuzz-tone output of Mr. Benevento. . . . [T]he band played a shrewdly overdriven show, combining heavy-riff distortion with a rough-and-tumble funk delirium. Almost all the songs were from its most recent release, Power Patriot (Royal Potato Family), a respectable album but only a faint intimation of what Garage a Trois can do live. (That may ultimately be the strongest link the group shares with its jam-circuit brethren.) The band's life force is rhythm, both at a subterranean level and on the surface. Mr. Moore is also a founding member of Galactic, which has evolved into an all-purpose New Orleans house band equally at home with bounce music or Mardi Gras funk. He has a knack for disarming bombast with elasticity, sounding sly and adaptable even when jackhammering at his toms. And he had a ready sidekick in Mr. Dillon, who began the set on vibraphone before turning to congas, tablas and effects. There was mathematical complexity in some of the tunes, like Rescue Spreaders, which involved a whorl of superimposed meters, in groupings of four and five. (During a vibraphone solo by Mr. Dillon the rest of the band shifted neatly into swing.) But it was no less satisfying to hear the album's relatively simple title track rendered tougher and wilder, with Mr. Dillon socking a pair of cowbells and Skerik howling through his horn. One tumultuous stretch of the tune recalled the Brecker Brothers at their fusioneering peak, when their sound was best described by the title of a live album: Heavy Metal Be-Bop. Skerik and Mr. Dillon also played an opening set as two-thirds of the Dead Kenny G's. (The other third is Brad Houser, on bass and baritone saxophone.) Their rapport in this setting was a bit more feverish than in Garage a Trois, and their tone a lot more juvenile. Skerik was freer and more impulsive with his improvising as the trio pinballed between styles: Afro-pop, Balkan klezmer, pocket funk lashed to Middle Eastern modality. The jumpiness felt a little dated and obvious — very 1990's Knitting Factory — as did the ostensible target of the band's fury. There are few easier marks than Kenny G, the living symbol of simpering instrumental pop. Skerik and crew know this, but why would they let that stop them? What's in a name, anyway? [Nate Chinen, The New York Times, 7/11/10].
Washington Square Music Festival Chamber Orchestra. St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, New York, NY. "Karl Amadeus Hartmann's Tanzsuite (1931) [is] a light-spirited, zesty quintet by a composer best known for intensely emotional scores like the Concerto Funèbre, and for having removed himself from German public musical life as a protest during the Nazi years. The suite shows why the Nazis would have frowned upon his music. You hear in it the same jazz and cabaret impulses that animate Weill's early music, as well as some Stravinskyan snarkiness. The program ended with the Dixtuor — a double quintet for winds and strings — by Théodore Dubois, a French composer who flourished around the turn of the 20th century and directed the Paris Conservatoire briefly. His influences seem decidedly Germanic: much of this 1906 work draws on Wagner's rich harmonic world, and with the help of the church's resonance it had an almost symphonic heft" [Allan Kozinn, The New York Times, 7/14/10].
New York Philharmonic and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Great Lawn, Central Park, New York, NY. "For the first time in the 46-year history of this summer music tradition, the Philharmonic was sharing a parks program with a guest ensemble, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. All day Monday the forecasts were predicting a strong likelihood of thunderstorms. But the Philharmonic administration took a chance, as did some 30,000 people who showed up, according to New York Police Department estimates. The air was thick with humidity, but the skies were fairly clear, and the concert went on as planned. And not until 10:45, just as the ovation started at the end of the Philharmonic's performance of Ravel's "Boléro," the final work on this long double program, did it start to rain. People scattered, and as had previously been announced, the postconcert fireworks display was skipped. The Philharmonic made one concession to the iffy weather predictions: the order of the program was switched, and the Shanghai Symphony played first, with the Philharmonic following after intermission. On one level this was the polite thing to do: guests first. But there was more to it. This leading Chinese orchestra was in town, in part, to promote World Expo 2010, taking place in Shanghai. By sharing this parks program, the Shanghai Symphony was basking in the Philharmonic's renown and reaching new audiences. For the privilege, the Chinese orchestra helped defray the cost of the concert. So it was more essential to get in the performances by the visitors. There was no possibility of a rain date, since the Shanghai musicians were scheduled to leave New York on Wednesday. In any event, it was a pleasure to hear this impressive Chinese orchestra, which won standing ovations throughout its performances. . . . Ode to the Expo by Guang Zhao [was] a lush, soaring neo-Romantic crowd pleaser that made the composer seem a Chinese Andrew Lloyd Webber. Lang Lang, the superstar Chinese pianist, joined the Shanghai Symphony for its final work, Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. As always, there were stunning aspects to Mr. Lang's playing: uncanny control of inner voices; sensitivity to color and nuance that came across even through loudspeakers; impressive lightness in rustling passagework; chiseled tone for steely bursts of chords and octaves. He played the piece with jazzy vitality, as if he were improvising on the spot. But -- also a Lang Lang trademark -- he teased melodic lines for maximum expressiveness and jerked the music this way and that. The Chinese orchestra sounded quite at home in Gershwin, complete with bluesy wa-wa trumpet solos. . . . Finally, Andrey Boreyko, the dynamic Russian conductor, led the Philharmonic in vibrant performances of . . . Bernstein's Symphonic Dances From "West Side Story" and Boléro [Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times, 7/14/10].
New York Philharmonic in music of Anatoly Liadov, Alexander Glazunov, Erwin Schulhof, and Sergei Prokofiev. Great Lawn, Central Park, New York, NY. "But occasionally the orchestra offers rarities at these summer concerts, and the program . . . was split evenly between the novel and the familiar. That can be tricky: a virtually unknown curtain raiser by Liadov and obscure saxophone concertos by Glazunov and Erwin Schulhoff made up the program's first half, but as an audience lure, the Philharmonic engaged the popular saxophonist Branford Marsalis as soloist. . . . The conductor was Andrey Boreyko, a 52-year-old Russian with podiums in Bern, Switzerland, and Düsseldorf, Germany, who made an impressive Philharmonic debut in 2007. If Russian music is his comfort zone, he did not stray far from it. Only Schulhoff, a Czech composer, represented a different corner of the repertory. (And Schulhoff took Soviet citizenship in 1941, just before the Nazis deported him to the Wülzburg concentration camp, where he died in 1942.) Mr. Boreyko began with Liadov's Baba-Yaga, an evocation of the same folk-tale witch whose hut makes an appearance near the end of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. But where Mussorgsky painted in crude, powerful strokes, Liadov was more expansive, surrounding the witch's dramatic, low-lying theme with splashes of color from the woodwinds and brasses. Glazunov filled the solo line of his Concerto for Alto Saxophone and String Orchestra (1934) with sweet melodic turns and ample filigree, and he gave the instrument a richly detailed, virtuosic cadenza. The work's connections to jazz are few and fleeting, but you hear them, distantly, in its slow movement. Even so, the music seemed perfectly suited to Mr. Marsalis's velvety tone, lush vibrato and soulful approach to phrasing. Schulhoff's Jazz Concerto is actually a recent arrangement of his Hot-Sonate, a 1930 work for saxophone and piano, by Richard Rodney Bennett. Schulhoff loved jazz. You can hear it in the bluesy turns of this work's Andante and in the zesty syncopations of the Molto vivo finale, which in Mr. Bennett's scoring hints at a big-band sound. Mr. Marsalis's energetic, beautifully proportioned reading made a powerful case for the work. . . . [A]nyone who wanted to hear the orchestra at full throttle had the chance after intermission, when Mr. Boreyko led a vigorous, rich-hued suite from Prokofiev's ballet score Romeo and Juliet [Allan Kozinn, The New York Times, 7/16/10].
New York Sufi Music Festival. Union Square, New York, NY. "Hands waved overhead. Voices shouted lyrics and whooped with delight. Children were hoisted onto parents' shoulders. In the tightly packed crowd a few dancers made room to jump. T-shirts were tossed to fans from the stage. Yet in the songs that Abida Parveen was singing, saints were praised. They were Islamic saints, the poets and philosophers revered by Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam. It was the first New York Sufi Music Festival, a free three-hour concert . . . and it had music from the four provinces of Pakistan, including traditional faqirs who perform outside temples, Sufi rock, and a kind of rapping from Baluchistan. The concert was presented by a new organization called Pakistani Peace Builders, which was formed after the attempted bombing in Times Square by a Pakistani-American. The group seeks to counteract negative images of Pakistan by presenting a longtime Pakistani Islamic tradition that preaches love, peace, and tolerance. Sufism itself has been a target of Islamic fundamentalists; on July 1 suicide bombers attacked Pakistan's most important Sufi shrine. Pakistan's ambassador to the United Nations, Abdullah Hussain Haroon, spoke between sets . . . 'What we're here to do today,' he said, is 'to be at peace with all of America.' The music's message was one of joyful devotion and improvisatory freedom. Ms. Parveen, one of Pakistan's most celebrated musicians, was singing in a Sufi style called kafi. Like the qawwali music popularized worldwide by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, kafi sets classical poems -- about the love and intoxication of the divine, about seeking the spirit within -- to visceral, handclapping rhythms and vocal lines that swoop and twist with passionate volatility. Ms. Parveen carried songs from serene, hovering introductions to virtuosic euphoria. Long, sustained notes suddenly broke into phrases that zigzagged up and down an octave or more; repeated refrains took on an insistent rasp and became springboards for elaborate leaps and arabesques; quick syllables turned into percussive exchanges with the band. Each song was a continual revelation, making the old poems fully alive. While the crowd was there for Ms. Parveen's first New York City performance in a decade, the rest of the program was strong. The Soung Fakirs, from Sachal Sarmast Shrine in Sindh, danced in bright orange robes to devotional songs with vigorous, incantatory choruses. Akhtar Chanal Zehri, though he was introduced as a rapper, was backed by traditional instruments and seemed more of a folk singer, heartily intoning his rhythmic lyrics on a repeating note or two and, eventually, twirling like a Sufi dervish. Rafaqat Ali Khan, the heir to his family's school of classical singing (khayal), was backed only by percussion, pushing his long-breathed phrasing into ever more flamboyant swirls and quavers. The tabla player Tari Khan, who also accompanied Rafaqat Ali Khan, played a kinetic solo set that carried a 4/4 rhythm through variants from the Middle East, Europe, New York City and (joined by two more drummers) Africa. There was also instrumental music from the bansuri (wooden flute) player Ghaus Box Brohi. On the modernizing side, Zeb and Haniya, two Pakistani women who started their duo as college students at Mount Holyoke and Smith, performed gentler songs in the Dari tradition, a Pakistani style with Central Asian roots, with Haniya adding syncopated electric guitar behind Zeb's smoky voice. Under wooden flute and classical-style vocals the Mekaal Hasan Band plugged in with reggae, folk-rock and a tricky jazz-rock riff. But the lyrics quoted devotional poetry that was 900 years old, distant from the turmoil of the present" [Jon Pareles, The New York Times, 7/21/10].
Music of Terry Riley and Lou Harrison performed by the Voxare Quartet. Bargemusic, New York, NY. "Artists often argue that their works are wrongly categorized, and they are not alone. While introducing compositions by Terry Riley . . . members of the Voxare Quartet said they disagreed with the Minimalist label assigned to [him]. The concert was the first in a three-part weekend series featuring the Voxare Quartet and celebrating the 75th birthday of Mr. Riley, best known for In C, his 1964 masterpiece, which boldly defied the rigid intellectual and emotionless constraints of the modernism then in vogue. With its repetitive interlocking patterns and hypnotic, uplifting mood [the work] became a benchmark of the Minimalist movement and is now a repertory classic. The personable and passionate Voxare players -- Emily Ondracek and Galina Zhdanova, violinists; Erik Peterson, violist; and Adrian Daurov, cellist -- took turns introducing the works played on Friday, some of which certainly had Minimalist hallmarks: rhythmic ostinatos, repetition and slow harmonic development. But the eclectic mix also showed that Mr. Riley, whose interests include jazz and Indian raga, is not so easily pigeonholed. The program opened with his optimistic and visceral Sunrise of the Planetary Dream Collector, composed in 1980 for the Kronos Quartet, a longtime collaborator of Mr. Riley's. During the 1970's he focused on improvisation and North Indian raga instead of formal composition, but at Kronos's insistence he notated the score for Sunrise. Still, as Ms. Ondracek explained, he wrote sections of the score on different sheets of paper so the performers could decide the order of performance. The Voxare Quartet offered a spirited, high-energy performance, vividly conveying the work's beautiful colors. In total contrast were the spare, stark textures of Mr. Riley's String Quartet (1960), his first work in that genre, written when he was a graduate student and under the influence of La Monte Young, who is sometimes called the first Minimalist composer. Mr. Riley was inspired by foghorns in San Francisco Bay, and the music conveys their distant, misty sounds, although the concept doesn't effectively sustain the work. The Voxare players also offered a vibrant interpretation of The Wheel/Mythic Birds Waltz, which opens with a wistful ballade, then fuses ragtime, jazz and Indian raga in the contrapuntal and metrically complex waltz; and G-Song, which incorporates a set of variations on a melancholy G-minor theme that Mr. Riley used for a French film score. The concert ended with Lou Harrison's striking String Quartet Set (1979), which reveals Mr. Harrison's affinity with world and early music. The richly scored five-movement piece ranges from the melancholy Plaint to the exuberant Estampie, which uses the cello as a percussive instrument. The performance was excellent, with distinctive contributions from each player" [Vivien Schweitzer, The New York Times, 7/26/10].
Ethel Fair: The Songwriters. Damrosch Park, New York, NY. "From its start, in 1998, [Ethel] has used amplification as well as the same pedals and sound-processing devices that rock bands use, and it plays only new music, including pieces by its members. . . . Ethel moved more decisively into the pop world by joining forces with performing songwriters from several corners of rock, pop and folk music. . . . [T]he concert . . . included collaborations with the Argentine singer and guitarist Juana Molina, the bluesy folk singer Dayna Kurtz, the guitarists Tom Verlaine and Patrick A. Derivaz and the guitarists turned film-score composers Mike Viola and Adam Schlesinger. As a prelude of sorts Ethel performed a few pieces on its own, starting with Marcelo Zarvos's energetically rhythmic Arrival. In the best rock band spirit, it offered a couple of selections from its Cantaloupe CD Ethel, the post-Minimalist March from Phil Kline's Blue Room and Other Stories and John King's quirkily bluesy Shuffle from Sweet Hardwood. But in the best spirit of a classical ensemble, it neglected to mention the disc. The pop collaborations were fun, if a bit frustrating for an Ethel fan. The quartet stood toward the back of the stage, ceding the front and center to its guests. And the distinction was not only visual; often Ethel's contributions were more deferential than substantial. But not always. Its accompaniment to Ms. Kurtz's incendiary It's the Day of Atonement, 2001 included an ornate violin part, played by Mary Rowell on an instrument owned by Ms. Kurtz's grandfather. Ms. Molina's Pastor Mentiroso and Mr. Verlaine's Prove It were augmented by appealingly involved string writing. And Ethel coalesced as a tight band around Mr. Schlesinger's account of That Thing You Do, the title song from the 1996 Tom Hanks film about a Beatlesesque rock band, and Mr. Viola's song The Clap from this year's film Get Him to the Greek. The one time you heard more of Ethel than you might have expected was in the full-cast finale, a version of George Harrison's While My Guitar Gently Weeps. On balance, the arrangement was lovely, with attractive imaginatively filled-out textures, graceful vocal harmonies and striking individual contributions from Ms. Kurtz and Ms. Molina. But with several properly equipped guitarists onstage, not least Mr. Verlaine and Mr. Schlesinger, the song's instrumental break turned out to be not a weeping guitar line but vigorous chordal interplay by Ms. Rowell and Cornelius Dufallo, the group's violinists, Ralph Farris, its violist, and Dorothy Lawson, its cellist" [Allan Kozinn, The New York Times, 7/29/10].
Labels: Garage A Trois, New York Philharmonic, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra
Mark Alburger (b. 1957, Upper Darby, PA) is an award-winning, eclectic ASCAP composer of postminimal, postpopular, and postcomedic sensibilities. He is Music Director of San Francisco Composers Chamber Orchestra and San Francisco Cabaret Opera, Editor-Publisher of 21st-Century Music (P.O. Box 2842 San Anselmo, CA 94960) and New Music, Music Critic for Commuter Times, and Instructor in Music Theory and Literature at Diablo Valley College. His principal teachers were Gerald Levinson, Joan Panetti, and James Freeman at Swarthmore College (B.A.); Jules Langert at Dominican University (M.A.); Christopher Yavelow at Claremont University (Ph.D.); and Terry Riley. Dr. Alburger has composed 340 major works over the past 46 years, including chamber music, concertos, oratorios, operas, song cycles, and symphonies. His complete catalogue is being issued on discs from New Music. Alburger's multiple blogs include: markalburger.blogspot.com, markalburger2013.blogspot.com, markalburgerworks.blogspot.com, markalburgerevents.blogspot.com, markalburgermusichistory.blogspot. com, 21st-centurymusic.blogspot.com | that was incredible... I was invariably inspired by whatever I heard on his show. A life-changing moment was my first month there, when they had a Boston Jazz Festival on the Esplanade. George Russell's big band was playing one night. At that time I was living in Chelsea, and it was a pain in the neck to get to the Back Bay from there, but my roommate was driving in, and he dropped me off near the Auditorium stop. As I was walking toward the Hatch Shell, you could hear George Garzone playing from about five blocks away, and I thought, "that is my favorite sound in the world!" The concert was riveting. This was the big band I had always wanted to hear; it was the first time I had heard people exploring the territory that I was into. So it was a life-changing experience. Unlike the situation with the strings at Northern Colorado, when I got to NEC you would walk through the halls and hear student groups doing Brahms chamber music, Beethoven string quartets, Bartok -- things I had not heard at all earlier, except occasionally on records. Not music that you would hear in the hallways at Northern Colorado. I loved hearing that level of music all the time at NEC. I also sang with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus -- I met John Fitz Rogers in that choir. We did Symphony of Psalms, we did three of the tableaux from St. Francis by Messiaen, we did Elektra -- that was life-changing, just absolute fun. Boston had a vibrant musical atmosphere, with the early music scene, something I always have enjoyed. I had never heard that much, unless I was singing in it, but Boston has all those top-level groups, with Joel Cohen, Banchetto Musicale, David Hoose….
MOORE: What was it that drew you to Princeton from NEC?
SANFORD: I was thinking that Columbia was where I had to go. My initial assumption was that I had to go to Juilliard, because Babbitt and Carter and Sessions and Diamond were all there. But I had the realization that A. if you get in you won't get very much support and B. you probably won't get in anyway. I had narrowed it down to Harvard, Princeton and Columbia. I had always wanted to go to Harvard because if you are in Boston it seems like the center of the universe, although I probably would not have been a very good fit from what I could tell. Columbia – I thought New York was the final frontier, and I loved the Upper West Side, and still do. Princeton seemed like a distant third. Peter Robles went there, whom I had known from my first two years at NEC. We studied with Berger. He was always saying " You've gotta come down -- Steve Mackey is here, and Paul Lansky, and they're brilliant..." I didn't know so much about what they were writing, didn't know so much about the place, but thought it was a long way from New York. They called me up, so I took a train down, and they were incredibly nice. They were not full of BS about what music was, and as much as I loved Arthur Berger and Pozzi Escot, the music that I wanted to write was nothing like theirs. Princeton seemed to be so open to so many things. I also met Bob Sadin, and he played a recording of a piece by Richard Argosh, and I thought "they have got an ensemble here that will play your stuff?" And the fact that you could get to New York so easily by train for so cheap... And the campus was beautiful. The bottom line was that Columbia let me in with no money, Harvard didn't accept me, and Princeton gave me a full fellowship. If Columbia had given me some funding I might have thought about it, but as it was it wasn't even close. And Columbia and Harvard seemed to be, in my surface experience, only tolerant of jazz, whereas Princeton was aware that it was part of their spectrum. Jim Randall was someone who had an elastic intelligence that could encompass anything that you threw in his direction.
MOORE: Quite a remarkable guy. I remember at the time thinking, nevertheless, that you were pushing the envelope by writing a dissertation on Miles Davis's Agharta.
SANFORD: My original plan was to do a project that looked at three pieces on the fringes of jazz -- Agharta, on the R&B/populist/minimalist/primitivist end, Graettinger's City of Glass, from the overly European/unswinging end, and Mingus's Three Worlds of Drums, a sort of unnatural/unstable combination that was in a volatile dialectic that was about to blow itself apart -- I still love that about that piece. Jack Walrath put a lot of that together -- the melodic and harmonic scheme is Mingus's, but Walrath says that he did a bunch of it. In the end I did a ton of research on the Miles. I was working at Merrill Lynch at that time, so my research hours were always in the evening, and I had problems getting my hands on the score for City of Glass, and I amassed so much material on Agharta that I thought I would simply limit the dissertation to that. I don't if anyone else has approached that piece since -- but there are now a lot of people talking about the electric Miles. I see that album as a significant work, although there are people who still don't...
MOORE: What does a listener take away from those recordings in terms of style? It's a place that jazz has not gone back to since then.
SANFORD: I don't know that much music has. There was a period there that began in the sixties, with James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone, Funkadelic, the Isley Brothers, Hendrix, to some degree -- which had the same energy as what free jazz was, but coming from a rhythm and blues context, so that you might have only one chord. People say "that's just a drone." If you call it "modal jazz" people get all excited about the possibilities; if you put a funk beat, they think it's a trite example of someone who doesn't know how to get out of the key... yes, if you just play a blues scale over, but these guys weren't just playing a blues scale over it. Ultimately, Miles often was, and we know that he was the one who opened up the possibilities of modal jazz. His solo, particularly in Prelude, is fascinating. I am hardly a minimalist, but as jazz goes, Miles set the standard for not showing off. He was always economical, but here he takes a melody and repeats it over and over again, somewhat like what he was doing earlier with heads of tunes, like Nefertiti, for example, or Circle in the Round. He is helped by the fact that the other players don't do that -- Sonny Fortune does all the things Coltrane and Shorter were doing, with more of a blues edge to it. He was the thing that drew me to those recordings. Pete Cosey is even farther out. I didn't love his solos when I first heard them -- I wasn't a big rock fan, and had no context for guitar solos. Greg Tate did a very important article on the electric Miles for Downbeat in the early eighties, and he said that he didn't believe that his "esteemed colleagues" had the rhythm-and-blues background to be able to evaluate the work. I think you did have to grow up listening to rhythm and blues from that period, listening to things like Bootsy's Rubber Band -- it can just stay here, that's perfectly fine. You have to be able to appreciate something that way. You have to hear that Miles was trying to do that. Now, why was Miles trying to do that? The ferocity with which he does it, along with things from around that time -- Calypso Frelimo, Rated X -- expresses to me a real anger. One of my arguments is that Miles always had an anger in him. Jazz musicians were generally applauded for taking black anger and sublimating it in this very elegant musical language. Miles is glowering, he's got this raspy voice, he was beaten by the cops -- there was an appeal to the fact that whatever anger he had as a person was sublimated in his music -- whatever there was might have been expressed by someone else in his band -- Coltrane, Tony Williams, but never him. But at this point, it's coming straight from him. He was a different person then, too. There's a new book that says he was depressed, something that I didn't know when I was writing the dissertation. This is either music that precedes his death, or the hiatus that followed.
MOORE: They say that it is the people who are depressed who see reality more clearly than the rest of us.
SANFORD: I am not quite sure that I am depressed, but even at Princeton I was drawn to guys who walked that edge -- Eliot Handelman could be that way, Stan Link was that way. For better or for worse -- I don't know if that helps you write music. It probably doesn't help you get teaching jobs, but I always admired their honesty which to me seemed to feed their musical understanding.
MOORE: But, in terms of Miles, that music from that period -- such as Rated X -- is still the most difficult to assimilate, which is why I can't imagine how people can accuse the style of having its origin in wanting to sell recordings.
SANFORD: It's funny -- I taught a course in transgressive music this semester, which was all first- year students at Mt. Holyoke, and none of them seemed to be shocked by it. You can't shock anybody anymore. That abrasive sound didn't seem to bother them. I was offended by Bill Laswell, who did a remix for Panthalassa, saying that the original sound was so bad. I loved the original, I loved the abrasion. There's a certain self-flagellation in immersing yourself in so much grating high-frequency sound, which is continuous and sustained.
MOORE: It was clearly intentional.
SANFORD: And the stopping and starting -- I compared that to what Stockhausen was doing with Trans and Stop. There were hands outside the music which put these violent "ceases" into the music that made you contemplate nothing. It's unrelated to anything in pop music, and almost like water torture to some people. It stops and starts again, stops and starts again.
MOORE: What about the famous moment in Cosey's solo where he goes beyond just notes, beyond one-chord into simply noise?
SANFORD: That is the point where I was thinking that this guitarist is doing things that you don't hear other guitarists do. It's gone beyond what you are "supposed" to do, which is what I eventually liked about it. What you are supposed to do is play pitches, and if you are going to do effects, you let the feedback and the amp do it. In the case of Cosey, you get the sense that here is a guy who has gone beyond language... he is choking the heck out the neck like someone who is trying to strangle the guitar. It's a wonderful moment, and when he comes out of it... going into it and coming out of it are the most ferocious parts of the piece. Before I would listen to Sonny Fortune, and then just take it off; but it was as I was transcribing that that I started listening to more and more of the guitar solo. What fun it is!
MOORE: If you think of how Coltrane would build his solos, he would arrive at a point of ecstasy beyond which you couldn't possibly go, the moment where he brings it back, and within five or ten seconds you are at the head again.
SANFORD: Yes, there is the same thing there. In the case of Cosey, I never really knew that much about his background. There were a few things that referenced him as belonging to the AACM, so yes, I think he knew free jazz and Coltrane, but people simply thought of him as a blues guitarist, like Blood Ulmer, who is equally interesting in his own way.
MOORE: Let's talk about some of your pieces, perhaps starting with some things that are more on the classical side.
SANFORD: Almost everything I have done recently has been swinging more toward the jazz end of things. There are a few things I did with Speculum. The first was Chamber Concerto No. 3, which came out on CRI in the mid-90's [CRI CD 705, 1996]. That was influenced by Mingus in a lot of respects. It takes lines from Three Worlds of Drums, and quotes from a few other pieces. I tell people that, and they say "there's no jazz in there." At that point, for me, Speculum was the center of the universe -- that was where music was going. I had been a "sound mass" guy as an undergraduate -- I wanted to write big pieces like Berio, and the wind ensemble composers -- Karel Husa, with big percussion batteries, and brass taking your head off. Via Arthur Berger, I got the idea that chamber music was where it's all at. It's been a long road to get back to writing large ensemble music. Allen Blustein ended up playing the Chamber Concerto No. 3 more jazzy than I had intended -- and I liked it that way. He would swing some of the 16ths, and there's a little bit of Bartok's Contrasts later on, which was not intentional. I was working with the tone row, although there are tonal centers all through, except for the third movement, where I was trying to be as abstract as possible. At that point I was quoting like crazy, but I also had more time to write that piece. I took the year off to live in New York, which was also really depressing -- just the wrong time in my life. It was a fertile scene, but I didn't have tons of money to go to concerts every night. I was sort of a loner. I would occasionally come into Princeton, see concerts, hang out with people. And I didn't have a piano in my apartment. It was a tough year to do something like that. Consequently I ended up stressing over every idea and every measure. There are quotes from Mingus, but also from Elvis Costello, and from Jesus Christ Superstar (which I can't reveal, or it will kill that part of the piece if I say what it is...) There's a break in the clarinet solo that should sound exactly like the break in Sonny Fortune's solo from Prelude on Agharta. There's a little Primus thing that sounds nothing like Primus, but I was listening to them at that point. It was a really overwrought piece, and I kind of like that aspect of it. I wish I could still write overwrought pieces, but then I think about the time it took -- I remember spending two weeks just to copy the thing (and doing nothing else, because at that time I could). Of course, now, in the days of Sibelius, nobody does that any more. I remember sitting in my room and playing all these different recordings -- Nevermind by Nirvana, which was new, Pierre Dorge and the New Jungle Ensemble, Very Very Circus by Henry Threadgill, Dylan's Blood on the Tracks -- playing those while I copied music all day. That Zen of copying, where you could play music in the background, is gone. I kind of miss that.
MOORE: Please talk about the CD with the Pittsburgh Collective.
SANFORD: These are charts that I have been wanting to write for the last 20 or 25 years. To be specific, I can remember being in a bar in Boston in 1987, and thinking "wouldn't it be great to do City of Glass to a beat like "Super Stupid" by Funkadelic? It would work really well." I wanted to do a bop tune like Gillespie, which became Alchemy. I wanted to do a shuffle -- Sting had a version of Shadows in the Rain which he did on the Dream of Blue Turtles album. If you ever see the documentary about that -- which is impossible to watch, because he comes off pretty pompous -- the opening of the concert is that version. I thought "What a great way to open a concert," so I wanted to do that, with a long tenor sax solo running through the whole thing. That became Fenwick. There were all these tunes that I knew I would write from day one -- it was just a matter of having the time to do it. Those ideas are simple things -- charts, rather than grand compositions. The "big pretentious" ideas I had for writing, where all the streams of what I am doing would coalesce, really haven't started kicking in so much. V-Reel has a little of that; Scherzo Grosso is because I was talking to Matt Haimovitz, and saying that I wanted to write a piano concerto, and he said "why not a cello concerto?" Within about two years that piece came together.
MOORE: Had you known Haimovitz at Princeton?
SANFORD: I never met him at Princeton. He started the same year that we did [1989]. Peter Robles told me who he was -- I had no idea at the time. His DG discs from when he was in high school were on sale at Sam Goody's. He played one piece on a composition concert there over in Taplin Auditorium. That was the one time that I saw him play. And then he was gone. He dropped out, and ended up transferring to Harvard. I met him at UMass, while I was at Mt. Holyoke. Mary and I were in one of the few local Korean restaurants, and he was there with a cello, and I walked over and said "Are you Matt Haimovitz?" and introduced myself to him and his wife, the composer Luna Pearl Woolf. Not so much later they called me up and asked me to write a piece for their Anthem album. It was originally for solo cello, and is on the Pittsburgh Collective album as well. This was Seventh Avenue Kaddish, which was an elegy for 9/11. I have to say that I am not usually that kind of a writer -- sentiment is something that I do badly. It follows the pattern of Coltrane's A Love Supreme, with four movements. An opening, free cadenza, then a tough 12/8 thing which is kind of aggressive, slightly rhythmic, in a Latin way, a jazzy third part, not unlike "Pursuance" in A Love Supreme, and the final elegy is like the "Psalm." My main idea was that of a street musician, which really he took to, since he was playing in pizza parlors and nightclubs and CBGB's and so forth. It fit esthetically with what he was doing. For [the version of that on] the Pittsburgh Collective CD I added a drummer, Mark Raynes, and told him to think of it like Interstellar Space [duo between Coltrane and Rashied Ali]. The drum part is not written out -- I gave him where things will change, and other than that they just interact as they will. And Haimovitz was very big on the idea of the big band concerto. Oxingale, which put it out, is his and Luna's company. We did a Miller Theater concert of it back in 2007. I also did an orchestral version of it 2006, which Nagano conducted at Berkeley and Marin Alsop did at the Cabrillo Festival. Even though I am making some connections in the straight classical market, it still feels like it is more via that jazz angle.
MOORE: Is there a big upcoming project?
SANFORD: One thing that I am doing with Haimovitz is a series of jazz arrangements for his cello group, Uccello, which is anywhere from two to eight celli. They played those last summer [2009], and will record them in May [2010]. Those have been a lot of fun. We did Liza in the style of Django Reinhardt, with four celli, Open Country Joy by Mahavishnu, and Haitian Fight Song, which on paper you might think "would that work??" It's odd, it's a bit weird, but I think that it works really well. You have to suspend your disbelief, and realize that Mingus and Dannie Richmond and Booker Ervin are not on stage here... My "big composition," something I have been wanting to write for three years, is a concerto grosso with the big band and Speculum Musicae. I have a ton of ideas for it.
MOORE: Is there a working title for it?
SANFORD: I don't have a title for it yet, but it will be a big, long work. We'll see what we can do with it for one concert in New York and then take it from there. That's what I am most excited about right now.
Labels: 21st-Century Music September 2010, David Sanford, Tom Moore
It's hard to believe that electroacoustic music has been around for more than 60 years. Dating back at least to 1948 with Pierre Schaeffer's first tape compositions (a style dubbed Musique Concrete), the genre flourishes in many contexts. One such is chamber music of a live acoustic soloist in consort with electronically generated sounds, and it was this type of concert that was presented, with resounding success, on July 16, by sfSound at Community Music Center.
The featured group was EKG, the duo of oboist / English hornist Kyle Bruckmann and analog electronician Ernst Karel, heard in two works: Christopher Burns's The Mutiny of Rivers (2010) and Morton Feldman's Oboe and Orchestra (1976). The former was an improvisational tour-de-force, where English hornist Bruckman was given 13 unordered large sheets of music (some notational, some instructional) against 6 streams of electronics, from which Karel could sample and further alter before making audible. The result was a fevered thrill ride down a sonic cascade.
The Feldman was just about the opposite, as expected. Known for his extended, meditative, tangentially-minimalist soundscapes, Feldman offers here about 20 minutes of plaintive, plangent, lonely motives -- fairly engaging, but a little difficult to fully assess in this realization. In truth, the piece probably should have been redubbed "Oboe | 4,817 |
By Jessica Galang Canadian Startup News December 14, 2016
Chefs Plate highlights sustainability focus after closing second tranche with InvestEco Capital
After announcing a $6 million Series B in September, Toronto-based Chefs Plate announced that it's closed the second tranche of its Series B thanks to its commitment on food sustainability; the tranche was closed by InvestEco Capital's Sustainable Food Fund II, which focuses on companies that support food waste reduction and sustainability.
"Changing the food supply chain is a major hurdle to helping reduce the annual $31 billon food waste problem in Canada," said Charles Holt, vice president of InvestEco Capital. "Chefs Plate is committed to building a better food system that puts<|fim_middle|> work directly with artisan farmers and purveyors from across the country. There are no middle men," said Shea. "Our model allows us to deliver farm-to-table food three times faster than the traditional grocery channel. This eliminates the waste that occurs from perishable foods sitting on selves in grocery stores and warehouses across the country."
Chefs Plate delivers gourmet read-to-cook meals, and the company says that it's supporting food waste production through its farm-to-table approach. It prioritizes the purchase of Canadian-grown and farmed produce, meats, and seafood, and its portioned kits mean that consumers aren't wasting any ingredients.
"We have a subscription-based model that allows us to scale the consumer side quickly as well as predict demand," said Shea. "Our ability to predict demand means our Canadian suppliers can plan and grow crops specifically for our customer base thus dramatically reducing wasteful over-production."
The company donates surplus fresh food to Second Harvest, a not-for-profit that picks up food which would otherwise go to waste and delivers it to community agencies. The company is a partner of Ocean Wise, which promotes sustainable fishing practices.
InvestEco joins existing investors, Acton Capital Partners, Emil Capital and BrandProject in the Series B round.
fundingimpacttoronto
0 replies on "Chefs Plate highlights sustainability focus after closing second tranche with InvestEco Capital" | Canadian suppliers and growers first. This helps eliminate wasteful steps in the food chain which is why they were the right investment for us."
Jamie Shea, co-founder of Chefs Plate, said that the company invests heavily in its tech infrastructure to disrupt the food retail and supply chain in Canada. "By investing in our own platforms and systems, we | 70 |
Q: TimeZoneInfo.FindSystemTimeZoneById() not working for "Gulf Standard Time" I am using below code to get time zone details for "Gulf Standard Time", but its throwing error as below
The time zone ID 'Gulf Standard Time' was not found on the local computer.
below is line of code i am using
TimeZoneInfo tZone = TimeZoneInfo.FindSystemTimeZoneById("Gulf Standard Time");
Can you please tell me what exactly is<|fim_middle|>Gulf Standard Time" isn't a valid Windows time zone identifier.
Gulf Standard Time usually refers to UTC+04:00 with no DST, as observed in the United Arab Emirates and Oman, as described here. The corresponding time zone in Windows appears with an English display name of (UTC+04:00) Abu Dhabi, Muscat, and has a corresponding ID of Arabian Standard Time.
Thus in .NET:
TimeZoneInfo tZone = TimeZoneInfo.FindSystemTimeZoneById("Arabian Standard Time");
Console.WriteLine(tzone.DisplayName);
// prints: (UTC+04:00) Abu Dhabi, Muscat
To get a list of supported time zones, use TimeZoneInfo.GetSystemTimeZones() in your .NET code, and examine the Id and DisplayName properties. Alternatively, you can call TZUTIL /L on the command line to list them.
Also, just to point out that this all assumes you are running on Windows. If you are actually running .NET Core on non-Windows systems (Linux, OSX, etc.), then you should uses IANA time zone IDs. In this case, either "Asia/Dubai", or "Asia/Muscat" would be appropriate.
And if your code might run both on Windows and Non-Windows systems, then you will need to take advantage of my TimeZoneConverter library.
| the issue in code, as i have checked and its correct time zone name.
A: As pointed out in comments, " | 25 |
This collaborative research cohort will create<|fim_middle|> stand-alone exhibits building from the live Peer Gynt production .
Interaction design concepts include perceived affordances, translation of physical action into digital information, and user observation. Prospective students applying to the project group should have skill in 3D modeling and animation, art, music, gaming, programming, video, engineering, robotics, and design.
Please indicate your interest in "Mechatronics" in your application. | tangible user interfaces for interactive art, design and performance with Professor Jennifer Parker through The OpenLab Network. OpenLab facilitates innovative, creative and collaborative research with art, community, design, and science at the University of California Santa Cruz.
Research projects developed by the Mechatronic's project group will stem from Professor Parker's systems based approach for fabricating functional experimental art and education devices that combine principles of kinetics, electronics, motion control, sensors, actuators, motors, and other control devices with Arduino Boards and Make Boards with Max/MSP/Jitter and Processing as the primary programming languages. The fabrication methods include, woodwork, metalwork, mold-making, and rapid prototyping to build and advance iterations of the mechatronic platform. The conceptual framework of the projects created by the Mechatronic's project group will be developed in relation to the research topic chosen by the group to develop.
The project group will focus on the design and prototyping of tangible user interfaces to create meaningful correlations between ideas, user gestures, the controller interface, and the output of that controller. Opportunities for collaboration with the DANM Performative Technologies cohort will also be established as a means to investigate the transformative possibilities of performative objects and media into an installation space to produce interactive | 250 |
The Best Action Games on<|fim_middle|>, you will love this game. Unlike other games that focus on action and power-ups, this game is all about racing and skill. It's challenging, innovative, and fun to play.
For those who…
Love the speed and excitement of a challenging racers
Enjoy racers with new mechanics
Like futuristic style
Not for those who…
Prefer puzzle games
Avoid fast paced action
10 Ways Ads End Up in Facebook Jail & How to Avoid It Senior Frontend Developer (Remote, Europe) job with Shopify | iOS
Games to Get Your Adrenaline Pumping
A fast-paced racing bike game
Impulse GP – Super Bike Racing
For those who like tons of speed with special areas to gain even more speed.
Impulse GP is a racing game that depends on the player's skill and precision in order to be successful. The game takes place in a near futuristic world with super fast bikes and challenging circuits with opposing racers. You'll have to be accurate and timely in order to shave seconds off your previous times and beat the opposition.
If you enjoy motor racing | 113 |
The Corvette's missing link
Before having a legendary name among American muscle cars, Chevrolet had made many car models that would later carry the name of Corvette. Among the many models that have been made by the American car manufacturer, there are several models that are very well known to the public and of course some that have been forgotten.
The looks of the Chevrolet XP-700 Corvette in the first year of its existence and used as Bill Mitchell's personal car. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/3plx7ye)
And one of them might be the Chevrolet XP-700 Corvette concept car. It is estimated that the concept car mentioned above is appeared in between the 1959 Stingray Racer XP-87 and the 1961 Mako Shark XP-755.
The Chevrolet XP-700 Corvette is featured with a special bubble top roof that was said to eliminate glare, a ventilating system built into the bubble, and a periscope-type rear view mirror to provide a completely unobstructed view of the road behind. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/3plx7ye)
As qouted of the ChevyhardCore, the concept car's story dates back to 1958, when Bill Mitchell, then Vice President of General Motors Styling, worked with the Chevrolet design studio to create a concept car that would be called the XP-700.
According to the American manufacturer's internal documents, the XP-700 Corvette is one of the newest experimental vehicles that Chevrolet uses to test new ideas, will be the show's best attraction. The car combines an extreme sports car image with unusual ideas about driver safety.
The Chevrolet XP-700 Corvette's rear-styling also states is credited with influencing the second-generation Corvette. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/3plx7ye)
The concept car actually started life as the 1958 Corvette, which was heavily modified over its fiberglass body to give the appearance of a sports vehicle inspired by the Grand Prix racing car. Its appearance was then drastically changed with the low hood overhang of the fiberglass body, broad frontal air scoops, transparent passenger canopy, and snubbed rear quarters impart a flavor of the most advanced race cars of the day.
Initially, the XP-700 was painted red, and was used by Bill Mitchell as his personal car for the first year of its existence. There are quite a few sophisticated and prominent features embedded in the concept car, including the special bubble top roof that was said to eliminate glare, a ventilating system built into the bubble, and a periscope-type rear view mirror to provide a completely unobstructed view of the road behind.
The Chevrolet XP-700 Corvette uses a small 283 cubic-inch block engine with 230 horsepower under the hood, and is paired with a<|fim_middle|> '58, apparently still keeps a small 283 cubic-inch block engine with 230 horsepower under the hood, and is paired with a four-speed manual transmission system.
The Chevrolet XP-700 Corvette concept car was revealed to the public for the first time at the 4th International Automobile Show in New York before it's gone. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/3plx7ye)
Initially the concept car was red, and then it is repainted in 1959, making it appear in a very futuristic metallic silver color. Finally, in April 1960, the figure of 'Dream Car' was revealed to the public for the first time at the 4th International Automobile Show in New York.
After that the concept car existence seemed to just disappear, as qouted of the American car manufacturer's internal source who said that the XP-700 concept car was changed to the XP-755 Corvette (Mako Shark) concept car around 1961 and 1962.😕
Well, just by looking at the similarity in shape, it could be that the XP-755 is a transformation from the XP-700 Corvette (the only difference is in the front fascia). What do you think? *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | CHEVYHARDCORE.COM ]
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Related posts: Automotives , Classic , Sportscar , Unique
post by Just_Ferdinand on Wednesday, December 30, 2020
Label: Automotives , Classic , Sportscar , Unique
Just_Ferdinand
Automotives|Classic|Sportscar|Unique| | four-speed manual transmission system. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/3plx7ye)
The special bubble top roof, which is arguably the most attractive part of the concept car, was installed in October 1959 and is made of the laminated plastic canopy was coated with vaporized aluminum, so that the coating helps block out sunlight, which will certainly turn the car's interior into a kind of terrarium.
It turns out that the transparent canopy acted in many way, such as a one-way mirror. Besides that, the rear-styling also states is credited with influencing the second-generation Corvette. While sitting in the car, passengers were met with a metal strut in the center of the canopy that featured louvered vents. This ventilation system is a must, to keep the bubble-covered interior comfortable.
As the driving force, the XP-700 concept car which is started its life as the Corvette | 186 |
In with the new
Staff and students react to iPass changes
Elizabeth Valadez, Reporter|August 17, 2018
Jordin Baker
Social studies teacher and cross country<|fim_middle|> it to have an effect, he thinks it will make being a student athlete worthwhile. In addition to this new version of iPass, other changes have been made to the period overall.
According to Assistant Principal Andrew Ashcraft, the iPass classes have been reorganized based on grade level and last name so guidance counselors can better interact with their students. Administration sees this new process as an opportunity to further help students succeed.
Ashcraft is hopeful that this adjustment will be valuable in the long run.
"We made the iPass change to better serve the students…," Ashcraft said. "And (to) get the right (information) to the
right (students)."
Now that the iPass classes have been revised, this allows the first 20 minutes to be used by counselors. They hope this will help counselors familiarize themselves with their students and give them information they need. As a result, silent sustained reading is no longer part of iPass.
Along with the change in iPass setup, Ashcraft says that the beginning 20 minutes may be used for lessons to teach students about the culture and values of SHS. He describes these as integrity, perseverance, a sense of community, social conscience, service and responsibility for growth.
Freshman Lawson Shields likes iPass because he feels the team-building exercises and inspirational videos that are given to him and his peers will be beneficial.
"It gives kids more encouragement," Shields said.
On top of these changes for all iPass classes, specialty iPass classes for student athletes have been made. These athletic iPass classes are taught by different sports coaches and are made up of more than 250 junior and senior varsity athletes.
According to Fishel, who has an athletic iPass, the first 20 minutes will consist of watching or doing something pertaining to athletics. This will be followed by discussion that can lead to more engaged and involved students.
"Hopefully, (iPass) is a time to reflect, appreciate and build upon (athletics) and take something for your life," Fishel said.
Although staff members are hopeful, some students aren't on board. Junior and soccer player Kendall Henderson feels that she doesn't understand what the athletic iPass is supposed to do for her and other student athletes. Henderson also thinks that this change creates too much separation.
"I think separating the athletes from everybody else is almost like favoritism," Henderson said.
In the future, though, there is potential for specialty iPass classes for other school organizations. Ashcraft says it all depends on the numbers and commitment of
the organization.
Elizabeth Valadez, Editor-In-Chief
Hey, y'all. It's Elizabeth Valadez, and this year I'm back for my third and final year as The Journal's Editor-In-Chief. I also play the clarinet,...
Online again?
Growing into leaders
Colors for inclusion
'Inspiring change and action'
One Acts | coach Nathan Fishel instructs his athletic iPass students on Aug. 9.
The athletic version of iPass is like a vitamin for students, according to social studies teacher and cross country coach Nathan Fishel. Although it will take a while for | 50 |
Alex B. Hill
health disparities, social justice, geography, food politics, medical anthropology
Category: Activism
giving data empathy
Activism, Data, Development
Originally posted on DETROITography.com
I am constantly thinking about how to make maps and data more focused on people, their stories, and the impacts that those numbers represent. It is a constant battle working with data and numbers every day and one that is most often overlooked by organizations that are focused on utilizing big data and attempting to turn a city around. Earlier this year I spoke to a group of public administration and policy students on Data and Detroit: The Need for People Centered Innovation. This is the content of a recent talk that I gave at the launch of Open Data Windsor-Essex.
Detroit has recently become overwhelmed with people interested in its problems and the data that accompanies those problems: $18 billion in debt; 380,032 blighted properties; 70,500 foreclosures; 8,000 occupied homes headed to the property auction, evictions imminent.
Big numbers, big data, and big problems.
There is a growing set of psychological research that demonstrates how big data is dehumanizing: companies hide behind algorithms, numbers associated with mass atrocities don't spur action, and we have become detached from the people who represent those numbers.
Open data is a critical movement that is a must-have for anyone who hopes to impact people's lives with data, the next step of that movement is to join data with empathy for people-centered innovation.
"open civic data isn't just nice to have, it is a must have."
Beth Niblock, City of Detroit CIO (Techonomy Detroit 2015)
Detroit's bankruptcy, warranted or not, threw Detroit's data in full view of the national media. Where did the bulk of the deficit come from? Where were the biggest cuts going to happen? How many retirees would lose their pensions? How many people don't pay their taxes? How many overdue bills does Detroit have?
Once the media jumped on the Detroit bankruptcy wagon, the related problems began cascading through the headlines. At the fore was Detroit's "Hurricane without Water" – a man made crisis of epic proportions, the Wayne County Property Auction. Year after year the county auctions homes the majority of which fail to be paid for and thus return to the auction in following years. It actually cost the county more money to run the auction than the revenue that it generates. That all goes without mentioning the thousands of Detroit residents who face potential eviction from their homes as a result of subprime lending, improper management, worthless landlords, or compounding issues from Detroit's history of mismanagement.
It is fairly easy to find data about Detroit and create seemingly beautiful visualizations of its problems, but the data in and of itself doesn't tell a story and doesn't give full context as to how these big problems impact people.
data ≠ solution
Some have tried to say that Detroit has been operating from an information deficit, however I would argue that the main problem was that no one was utilizing or analyzing the data that existed, which in many cases meant that the data wasn't even being collected. Those hoping to create the solutions weren't using all of the available tools.
Simply beginning to collect that data and share it on an open platform is an important step, but is not a solution in and of itself. Open data is a baby step among many as we move towards more accountability in government, non-profits, and other sectors.
Detroit's water crisis is a perfect example of the downfall of data. The city knew that it had 150,000 outstanding water bills that totaled over $118 million. The city quickly developed a plan, hired a contractor, and began shutting off people's water for non-payment. The first round of shutoffs started without any notice or communication. Some people who had even kept up their water bills faced shutoffs because the contractors were just shutting off entire streets.
After national and international backlash the city attempted to better communicate the problem, but again largely failed as water affordability was still non-existent. Overall, 25,<|fim_middle|> Detroit property to date, Motor City Mapping, the above quote from Emergency Manager Orr should be a moot point. It would take less than a few hours to check a list of delinquent water accounts against a list of "vacant" or "unoccupied" properties across the city. Mayor Mike Duggan and Detroit's new Chief Information Officer (CIO) Beth Niblock seem to be on board with opening up the city's data as well as utilizing more technology to better provide services to residents.
Here is my short list of data that should have been utilized to better serve Detroit residents as opposed to penalizing them or resorting to scare tactics.
1. Motor City Mapping: In the most comprehensive citywide parcel survey ever conducted, a host of Detroit data focused organizations have compiled an incredible set of data and they have released it openly to the public. As Detroit works to revolutionize its technologies how did it miss the boat in utilizing this recent, widely publicized data survey. Again, it would take less than a few hours to check a list of delinquent water accounts against a list of "vacant" or "unoccupied" properties.
2. Census Bureau Data: Detroit residents are over 30% unemployed and 40% living below the poverty line. Many residents of Detroit are individuals who have been unable to leave, but have made it through Detroit's toughest times. Detroit is a man-made disaster zone that has evolved slowly over the course of six decades. The city and the problems that residents face lay bare the inadequacies of our current systems to serve all residents. Neither the city government nor the emergency manager can rely on punitive actions to do any good for current or future Detroit residents.
3. District Managers and Community Networks: The DWSD contracted out door-to-door residential water shutoffs to a profit driven corporation. Any community organization in the city will tell you that mailing notices to residents is not enough. Many community organizations utilize a network of contacts and pay street teams to spread the word about community programs. Would it have really been that hard to do some basic canvassing to get people set up with assistance instead of just shutting off water completely? Why weren't the new District Managers utilized?
Emergency Manager Orr and Mayor Duggan truly need to take a lesson from Detroit Mayors past who instead of making harmful decisions chose to serve the needs of residents first. Mayor Pingree utilized vacant land to feed the hungry and launched new programs for the poor during the 1893 economic depression. Mayor Murphy supported 400 acres of gardens and turned old factories into housing for the homeless during the Great Depression.
At this time of Detroit "revitalization," when will Detroit's decision-makers demonstrate that keeping people (both wealthy and poor) in the city will be better for Detroit's future. Instead of these harmful actions, the Detroit government needs to push for greater people-centered innovation to serve all residents.
2014/07/24 2014/10/14 Alex B. HillCity of Detroit, data, data driven, Data Driven Detroit, Detroit, emergency manager, Loveland Technologies, Motor City Mapping, shutoffs, WaterLeave a comment
how can the #occupy movement influence policy?
I've been following the #Occupy efforts across the country and recently I've heard more that the energy spent "camping" could be better applied to making real changes. No movement has been successful without people working both inside and outside the system. It is critical to have those protesting and putting pressure on the system as well as those allied in positions of power to make change happen.
There are a few instances of #Occupy efforts having real local impacts on people's lives and some policies, but not many. The major outcomes that the #Occupy movement seems to desire are real changes to policies and structures within government and business. I think that locally based #Occupy movements across the country can easily change direction from fending off police crackdowns to making serious changes to local policies and structures. A little "power mapping" can go a long way. Well not everyone can take the time to "occupy" a space or drop their commitments to protest, there are likely many sympathizers sitting in office buildings and at working at home who are important allies. Likewise, there are likely many local and state level politicians who agree strongly with the #Occupy ideals, but need the extra push from citizen involvement to stand up and make changes to policy.
"collective challenges, based on common purposes and social solidarities, in sustained interaction with elites, opponents, and authorities. […] Riots and other flashes in the pan aren't a social movement–it isn't a movement unless it is "sustained." – Tarrow, Power in Movement
1. Local Politics:
One of the best things about the #Occupy movement is that it is decentralized. Not every city is the same, not every occupation has the exact same goals. There are local nuances to politics, policies, and structures that can be changed with a critical mass of people working together. Anger with the system is a positive. Take the time to look through local policies and ordinances that cause undo difficulty or harm to people, whether its related to corporations or not. Enough people can get an issue added to the local ballot with enough signatures. The Occupy Wall Street protesters have decentralized themselves even further to subway stations and other locations to spread their message. I can easily see local #Occupy groups canvassing for a local ballot initiative to change the way corporations can operate within their city. Supporting local candidates for City Council and for State Congress who share the values of the #Occupy movement are a great way to influence policies and structures.
"I've been fighting to keep this building for the community," Blakely said. "But I'm an old lady. I had no man-power."
The Occupy Wall Street efforts have a great example of local action with a real impact in Harlem. Protesters staged a sit-in to prevent the gentrification of an apartment complex where the landlord was hoping that withholding heat would make the current tenants leave. The occupiers efforts forced the landlord to grant access to the boiler room and, by emergency order of the city, install a brand new one. This is an excellent example of the potential for #Occupy movement to have real local impacts on people's lives.
2. Credit Unions:
Now more than ever, people are conscious of who takes care of their money and where it's going. Big Banks have conducted predatory lending for decades, large lending institutions have collapsed, and the economic crisis has highlighted a need to have greater control of ones finances.
The best place to save your money, have greater control of it, and know that it is helping your local community is in a credit union. Credit unions are cooperative banking institutions that typically operate as non-profit institutions dedicated to serving its members, those who set-up banking accounts and keep their money there. Many credit unions also run programs to teach financial literacy and participate in community efforts.
The Credit Union National Association (CUNA) reported 600,000 new credit union members in 2010. Since September 29, 2011 until reported on November 3, 2011 roughly 650,000 people had become new members of a credit union. One month saw more credit union members than an entire year. The spike in membership coincides with Bank of America's $5 fee for debit, but also matches with the growing discontent with the financial system and the #Occupy protests. The important thing to note is that joining credit unions isn't a partisan issue.
3. Cooperative Institutions:
Another key issue that many people have highlighted with the #Occupy protests is that of the harmful practices of corporations. Some of the best places of work have been companies that are worker-owned and run.
"Cooperatives are a reminder to the international community that it is possible to pursue both economic viability and social responsibility." – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon
The United Nations has marked 2012 as the "International Year of Cooperatives." Arguably one of the world's largest and most influential institutions has decided to highlight businesses and organizations that utilize people power. The UN is talking about cooperatives building a better world: greater food security, balance between profit and people's needs, and focus on self-help. Some have argued that the #Occupy movement needs to embrace the cooperative movement.
While cooperatives have been around for a long time and they hold great prospects for the "developing" world, they also offer great opportunities for US businesses and organizations. Not too long ago in 2008, the Republic Windows and Doors workers occupied their factory after receiving 3 days notice that the company would be shutting down. After a 6 day occupation, rally at Bank of America, and support from local organizations and politicians, the workers won their fight for the pay they were owed. After winning their occupation, the workers considered restarting the company as a worker-owned cooperative business. In the end they were bought by a eco-building company. It was noted that due to a lack of greater support for cooperative business development in the US they had difficulty finding the resources they needed to put together a cooperative business.
This is a perfect example of what dedicated workers can do at their businesses today. Instead of occupying streets and parks, why not help workers occupy their businesses and establish worker-owned cooperatives. Joining or starting a cooperative organization is an important first step to changing the structures that develop policies that will directly impact our well-being.
The future of the #Occupy movement may seem to be uncertain, but with greater involvement in local politics and policy, increased control over finances, and more people-focused power structures – the #Occupy movement could have a dramatic effect on how our world works.
If you've heard of any #Occupy political platforms, candidates, or efforts to influence policy please post them here. Thanks!
"Occupy Policy" by John Edward
2011/11/20 2011/11/20 Alex B. Hill#OWS, city government, cooperatives, credit unions, localization, occupy wall streetLeave a comment
why #OccupyDetroit won't work
The #OccupyWallStreet protests have been incredible to watch. The protestors picked a great target for their message, organized without planning for a one day event, and have been building support ever since. I've spoken with friends involved in spinoff occupations and many ask me when "Occupy Detroit" is going to begin. Since then I've been throwing the idea around in my head and it never quite fits for Detroit. Just today I discovered that "Occupy Detroit" has already started to be organized for October 21, 2011.
1. What to Occupy
Interestingly the meeting point chosen is the iconic Detroit symbol of "ruin and decay," Michigan Central Station. A large, empty building near Corktown, privately owned is not a great location to bring a large group of people to protest. I understand it is just the meeting point and protests will take place downtown, but that is where everyone should meet – downtown. It seems like the larger problem is that there is a group of people interested in occupying something, but they aren't sure what to occupy yet.
The biggest corporate symbol in Detroit is GM Tower, right downtown by the river. The problem with protesting GM is that Detroiters and Michiganders are sick of being angry at the auto companies. It is a protest fatigue, everyone and their grandmother has something to say against the auto companies. It is an argument that doesn't hold passion anymore. So what is next? Therein lies the problem. Detroit, corporately, is pretty small. The best large corporations that are in the city worth protesting are the banks. Many of the banks backed out of home loans for many Detroit residents during the recession. Just recently Citizen's Bank was taken to court because of racial discrimination and unequal lending practices in Detroit and Flint.
Corporations take advantage of Detroit's population in poverty all the time. A perfect example is Chase Bank, they have their community giving initiatives to look good, but where does the money they give away come from? It comes from all the people whose houses they foreclosed. Chase has set up a number of simple drive-through banking stations across the city. They've used technology to offer their service and avoided placing people in buildings to serve communities. Chase is notorious for its predatory lending services for home mortgages.
Chase Tower is located downtown, in the middle of an area where many wealthy people from the suburbs like to frequent. A potential place to make a statement in Detroit.
In the end, occupation in Detroit will be difficult. Many people "camp out" everyday for lack of a home or place to sleep. It is a divide between those who choose to take to the streets and those who have no choice. Another issue is that much of Detroit is unoccupied, so the message of an #OccupyDetroit effort may be easily lost.
2. Who will Occupy?
The other major problem that I see is that the young, white activist community in Detroit is doing the organizing. This is a far cry from the locally run organizations and neighborhood block clubs where the real effects of corporate greed are hardest felt. Many times African American residents of Detroit are very skeptical of young, white people making a lot of noise.
When the United Stated Social Forum (USSF) came to Detroit in the summer of 2010, there was a deep divide between the white activist community in Detroit (and the US) and the majority African American residents of the city. I was asked by many people, "what is going on?" and "why are all of these people here?" That isn't to say that there was no racial diversity at the USSF, but unfortunately those who represented Detroit were a majority white activists disconnected from those living in Detroit.
I recently attended TEDxDetroit which was again a majority white. Detroit's population is 76% African American, but TEDxDetroit was easily 80% or more white individuals with ideas to bring into Detroit without involving those who already live here. Why can't organizations find and highlight the work done by people already here?
Detroit is full of vibrant ideas and interesting people. The problem is that the residents of Detroit who are facing the most difficult issues aren't downtown. Most residents of Detroit live out in the neighborhoods and can't often benefit from the downtown developments created to bring people in from the suburbs.
3. Already Occupied?
It is safe to say that many of those who live below the poverty line are less concerned with occupying something downtown and instead working on advancing their status in life. Detroit has a high percentage of its population living below the poverty line, hungry, without health insurance, and many without good paying jobs. The residents of Detroit are already occupied with making their lives and city a better place.
The recent Census showed that Detroit's population is decreasing. Many people that I have talked to, including, Detroit high school student talk about getting out of Detroit and leaving for something better. How can a generation that wants to get out of Detroit be motivated to occupy what they don't want?
If there is any sort of occupation in Detroit, it will represent the economic and racial disparities in the city and demonstrate the deep need to build real connections across communities. A real movement in Detroit would involve Block Clubs and Neighborhood Associations.
2011/10/10 Alex B. Hill#OccupyDetroit, Chase Bank, Detroit, disparities, poverty, privilege, raceLeave a comment
is the IMF really like a credit union?
better health + growing population ≠ societal collapse #7billion
when the rubber hits the road: rolling on the misfortunes of marcus garvey
why is the african dirt so red. . . blood spilled | 000 people signed up for water payment plans, but due to the continued unaffordability only about 300 remained active.
In a city where there is 20% unemployment, 40% living below the poverty line, and a 50% jobless rate – I'd really like to know what the City of Detroit thought was going to happen. Punitive measures against the poor represent the greatest failure of a city and the misuse of readily available data. If you can fund contractors to shut off water, then you can fund canvassers to go door-to-door with information about assistance programs, etc.
What are the people's needs (user needs)? An empathetic service would ground itself in the concrete needs of concrete people. Lauren Hood at Techonomy 2015 reminded the audience full of tech leaders, startup CEOs, and other innovators that they can't hope to impact Detroit by talking about tech without the people who would most benefit from those innovations.
"There's no one here that actually represents the people we are trying to impact."
Lauren Hood, Director Live6 (Techonomy Detroit 2015)
We've come to think that the next app, data aggregator, or web map (line up the buzzwords: big data, information age, government-as-a-platform, transparency, crowdfunding, open data, civic tech) will change the world – but it is people who change the world with data, not vice versa. We must learn to prioritize people and their needs as we push open data. Data is often about fast responses and short timeframes for launch. Prioritizing people takes more effort and more time, but we must refocus or we will be lost among the tabular data.
numbers don't motivate
In 2007, I was engaged in efforts to raise awareness about the genocide in Darfur. It was easy to get people involved on college campuses for a while, but issue fatigue quickly took hold.
There were 3 million people displaced; 300,000 killed – This became a common theme in my undergraduate studies in international relations. I was regularly engaged with the work of international nonprofits and NGOs, many of which had mastered the art of fundraising based on a single tragic picture rather than big numbers. Constantly listing the 6 to 7 figure numbers associated with tragedy quickly wears down any personal or institutional resolve, but that doesn't mean we ignore the numbers.
"If I look at the mass I will never act. If I look at the one, I will."
Mother Theresa
Big numbers don't motivate action, they have the completely opposite effect. We become "numbed by numbers." The recent New York Times piece on "How Syrians Are Dying" is a good example with one person representing one pixelated dot on the screen.
"a single man killed is a misfortune, a million is a statistic."
Frenchman, not Stalin (qtd. by Charles J. Rolo, The Atlantic Bookshelf)
The big numbers that we have in Detroit continue to build and are constantly repeated, but not much has changed (i.e. foreclosure crisis). Thinking about the "big numbers numbing effect," it is no wonder that we have gotten lost along the way especially as leadership pushes "revitalization" often without engaging or asking people what they need in their neighborhood.
Nothing is more important than giving data context. Spreadsheets are great for compiling, but not very helpful in understanding data or being persuaded by it. The majority of data that we see isn't shared in raw form for that very reason. We often see data in dashboards, infographics, and other visuals.
"a picture is worth 1,000 data points"
Behavioral Economics and the Psychology of Numbers in Design
Typical economic theory relies on the assumption that humans are inherently logical decision-makers, but the reality is that we are more strongly influenced by emotion resulting in reflexive responses. Thankfully this often helps us be empathetic and act against our self-interest in order to help others.
As much as compiling databases is the current norm, it is beyond critical that we find a way to show the faces behind the numbers. The following are some examples of storytelling (with or without data) that could be examples moving forward where data and stories can work together to give a more full picture of a problem.
Two-thirds of Detroit residents have access to a car, but that data from the Census doesn't encompass the difficulties associated with car ownership, insurance, maintenance, regularity of use, etc. It is no mystery that transportation in Detroit is in need of significant improvement. This most often comes in to play when discussing access to jobs, which are concentrated in suburbs without public transit. The highest estimates put Detroit's jobless rate at 50% with 40% of people living below the poverty line.
Roughly 300,000 people in Detroit could be jobless, yet the story of "the walking man" captured the attention of thousands of people. The walking man, James Robertson, lived in Detroit and worked at a suburban factory. He took the bus where it was available, but ended up with a 21 mile roundtrip walk to get to work. The power of his story raised $350,000 and a new $35,000 car.
He noted that the money should go to the transit department, feared for his safety, and ended up moving to a new home in the suburbs. It wasn't the big numbers that motivated people to act, but one person's story.
Because Someone Lives Here
Tax foreclosure is an entire industry of big data, big numbers that often don't reflect life stories.
This year the Wayne County Treasurer identified 61,912 properties in Detroit for foreclosure in 2015. Loveland Technologies found that 35,669 of these properties (63%). People live here. Simply looking at the data with the enormous number of foreclosures or the amount of taxes due to the city is not enough.
Motor City Mapping: Tax Foreclosure Survey
The partner groups working on the Motor City Mapping project worked together to talk to 71% of all of the 7,725 people who came to Cobo Center for the foreclosure "show cause" hearings. After completing their very data heavy parcel mapping and property categorization, they sought out data to humanize the tax foreclosure issue. They found that 83% of people were home owners and 88% of people wanted to be able to stay in their homes. By taking the time to answer questions, offer coffee and snack, or just be a listening ear – people were able to be placed at the center of a massive data effort. There need to be more of these types of mixed approaches and they need to be planned from the beginning.
The latest celebrity of urban theory, Richard Florida, who has plugged his controversial "creative class" as the savior of rustbelt urban cores has also noted that people must be the focus of our work in cities.
We can confer subsidies on places to improve their infrastructure, universities, and core institutions, or quality of life, but at the end of the day, people — not industries or even places — should be our biggest concern.
If we aren't using data to improve the lives of people then we are doing it all wrong.
data is a critical tool for making change and impact
big numbers demonstrate size of problem, but not context or motivation
we must utilize a mixed methods approach with both numerical data and human stories
2015/11/12 2015/11/12 Alex B. Hill2015, behavioral economics, big data, blight, code for america, data, Detroit, foreclosure, human centered, human impact, humanizing, innovation, open data, people, property, psychology, stories, tax, techonomy, Wayne County1 Comment
Data: 290,439 Michiganders signed up for new health coverage in 2015
Activism, Data, Health
MICHUHCAN
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reports that 290,439 Michiganders signed up for health coverage that will start on February 1st.
The next enrollment period runs from February 15th – March 1st.
HHS says that about 6.5 million people have signed up or renewed their health coverage in the marketplace since November 15th.
2015/01/27 2016/03/23 Alex B. HillACA, Affordable Care Act, data, health care, Medicaid, MichiganLeave a comment
insider, outsider, detroiter
Activism, Data
Race, regionalism, and reconciliation are the three core issues that Dr. Peter Hammer talks about related to Detroit's future plans and revitalization efforts. I agree with his assessment that the Detroit Future City (DFC) plan does not account for any of these frames, nor are any of them mentioned in the report. The DFC strategic framework is 319 pages of bureaucratic planning with a mere 24 pages on civic engagement. I think this speaks volumes as to the direction and focus of the foundations, administration, and others working to "revitalize" Detroit. There is a pervasive desire to forget or erase history: racial and regional.
If Detroit is to be successful again, then Detroit as its current population, as its regional namesake, and as its national brand needs to bring people together in meaningful and innovative ways to create and implement equitable plans that connect the past to the future.
Detroit is both a marginalized city bounded by its city limits and a broad concept that has a wide geographic footprint. The largest geographic concept of "Detroit" includes a 7 county region that encompasses all of Southeast Michigan.
There are approximately 713,777 people who live inside the boundary lines of Detroit while there are 3,734,090 people within the Detroit Urban Area (DUA; Census Bureau 2010). Here are some more pie charts:
Looks familiar right? The pie chart of the left is essentially a mirror image of the pie chart that I put together showing the imbalance of "Race and Revitalization in Detroit." I received many comments that argued that the data showed the same regional breakdown of population demographics. I also received too many "So what!" comments that demonstrated common misunderstandings related to the data that I presented. The majority of the DUA is white, the majority of Detroit is black. Many people from the DUA are moving back to Detroit with ideas and hopes for revitalization. That isn't a problem as long as it is not creating harm for people who have been living, working, and sustaining Detroit over the last half century. Since the 1970s, migrating white families moved to the outer suburbs of Detroit, while during the same time black families were only able to move to different areas of Detroit where they were no longer restricted by racially discriminatory housing policies or to the inner-ring suburbs. In order for equitable change to occur in Detroit new residents to the city need to remember that they are outsiders to a system that has a long and charged history.
Within discussions of "two Detroits" or New and Old Detroit, there is a thread of conversations that debate, "When are you officially a Detroiter?" Beyond the disparaging comments and false urban rites of passage there is an important disconnect between those living within the city limits and those living within the idea of "Detroit." The comments and feedback that I received seemed to fall along those same distinct lines of understanding Detroit as outsider vs. insider. "Detroit" is a broad concept that goes beyond the city limits and that is often why many people in the region feel so strongly about the city and what is happening to revitalize it.
Having an idea of Detroit versus living or experiencing the changes occurring in Detroit are completely different, compelling narratives.
Those who disagreed with my assessment were largely living outside the city limits and had a wide range of issues with black people and statistics. Those who agreed with my piece mostly lived inside the City of Detroit and had two main responses: one of support and one expressing that this problem of racial equity was nothing new.
#privilege
It was very unsettling to see the posts on my Facebook timeline flip from featured images of my data pie charts to images of my own face. It was unsettling because I quickly became concerned that my young, white, male face was becoming the story rather than the racial inequity of revitalization. I could not control who my parents were just as much as I could not control the socio-economic situation of my family. Yet, in all of this talk of racial equity, I have to accept my privilege as well as my own responsibility in working towards more equitable solutions. I can't just say, "So what?" and pretend that I don't have a role to play. (Read the full comic strip on understanding white privilege)
"For white people to acknowledge white privilege they'd have to acknowledge a stake, no matter how small, in the ongoing injustice." – Herb H.
My first consideration was that data is very buzz-worthy right now. I had personally noticed racially skewed programs, but many of my data choices came out of conversations with community members. Countless Detroit residents have been watching these changes and some have experienced the lack of resources available to community groups working to improve their neighborhoods. It was readily apparent that my status as a white male in Detroit allowed my data and writing to be more easily digested and shared. Some community members reacted saying:
"If I had tried to publish the same thing, it would have come off as the 'angry black person.'"
To that end I have been very conscious of interview requests. I am not interested in allowing the lopsided media narrative of Detroit revitalization to continue, but rather I am interested in continuing genuine conversations about racial equity in Detroit. In order for the genuine conversations to occur there needs to be many people in the room, which includes the voices of community members who have too often been excluded from these conversations.
"The idea is that only whites are getting a seat at the table of revitalization. If the pool is being pulled from elsewhere, it's a good time to question why that decision is being made. If Detroit is what is in need of revitalization, why are we giving the help and expertise to people not from the city?" – u/FakeFaked
Detroit is at a critical moment where people have excitement, interest, and money that they want to put into the city. For Detroit's revitalization the means need to justify the end. We can't just hope for all "good" efforts to make a better Detroit, we must be conscious of who is at the table and most importantly who is not at the table and why they aren't there.
"We're not angry with them [white kids], we're pissed that we weren't given the same opportunities and aren't in the game now." – Barbara W.
"And I imagine they [foundations] haven't the first idea what's going on in the black community in Detroit. I'm also guessing from some of the responses here that people don't understand the history of Detroit either." – Sean P.
Finally, the most stand out response to my piece was that my writing had become a perfect illustration of the problem that I am trying to highlight:
"[dislike] Shit we've not only been saying, but ALSO been experiencing, but it's never valid until it's cosigned by the white guy." – David N.
In all of the comments and conversations I have had I think it is just as important to acknowledge the privilege of being silent. Race doesn't affect everyone in the same way and white people are often able to live their entire lifetime and not feel a need to talk about it or discuss how they fit into a racially unjust system.
#equity
Racial equity and revitalization have not gone hand in hand. As I wrote above, the DFC framework doesn't include race or regionalism. Race is only mentioned on one of the civic engagement pages to show the breakdown of who participated in surveys. The increased use of "revitalization" by many of the programs that I researched assumes that Detroit is already not vital. This links to the concept of "Detroit as a blank canvas" and the common misperception that you can do whatever you want in Detroit because there is nothing here. Revitalization is a broad term that means different things to different people.
Currently, there is a need to better understand how different people see revitalization in their own communities.
In Detroit, "revitalization" is also a fairly new term (see also: renewal, resurgence, recovery, rebirth).
Google Trends demonstrates that "Detroit revitalization" is a term that came about in 2011, which is the same year that many of the programs I profiled began. The term has seen greater use in 2013 which has continued up until recently this summer (July 2014). The "Detroit recovery" has been discussed for much longer and likely will continue to be used by the mainstream media. Looking more closely at these terms is important in order to better understand how the narrative about Detroit's revitalization is being constructed. ("Detroit resurgence" wasn't significant and "Detroit rebirth" was skewed by J Dilla's musical release with the same terms in the summer of 2012.)
Many of the programs that I evaluated have a strong focus on diversity. However, diversity does not equate to racial equity. Diversity when applied to individuals is simply a group of people with a variety of different identities and ideas. In the same vein equality is not the same as equity. Equality means that everyone gets the same, but that isn't enough when different races of people have historically been denied opportunities and aren't starting on a level playing field.
"[…] when you walk into a room to listen to a conversation about mass transit and the racial make up of the group is 95% white. That is inequity. When I asked the organizer why he doesn't have more folks who actually use public transportation on the panel […] he says "he doesn't know any," that seems deliberate. Maybe not deliberately excluding but definitely deliberately including folks who are similar to him. It's evidence reflected in my personal experience." – Terietta I.
Detroit doesn't have a problem with diversity, but there are large gaps in equity that need to be addressed.
"I agree with you. It's about equity, giving groups what they need in order to be successful. Unfortunately, we are so stuck on equality, giving each group the same thing. I also wonder whether or not we have the political will to create race-based programs." – Ron T.
The equity gap is one that is not new, nor is it one that many Detroiters need data to make it real.
"Don't need a pie chart to see the deal but glad he did the research for those whose didn't know. So now what should be done? Detroit will never fully prosper unless everybody gets a piece of the pie. Must be mindful to never repeat mistakes of the past." – Wendy D.
#detroitfuture
Everyone has a stake in Detroit's future, but the larger questions need to be asked about whether program constraints, organizational values, or the privilege to not care allows Detroit's revitalization to be exclusive. It is unlikely that you would build a tool shed in your neighbor's yard without asking. The same goes for development efforts in Detroit.
We are all neighbors within the city limits and throughout the metro region.
Let's have some more conversations about the impacts of our actions as they relate to racial equity and Detroit's history of racial discrimination.
2014/11/13 Alex B. HillDetroit, Detroit Future City, equality, equity, Peter Hammer, privilege, race, racial equity, racism, rebirth, recovery, regionalism, revitalizationLeave a comment
Michigan Health Insurance Mission Statements Text Analysis
Word clouds aren't as often used thing these days, but I think it really helps to illustrate the difference between the officially stated "missions" of insurance companies versus the activities that they engage in, which could often times be defined as contradictory.
Few health insurance companies or plans in Michigan have specific mission statements, the majority have very broad missions. Based on the frequency of terms used across health insurance mission statements, more of these companies should be:
providing Michigan [residents] health care access."
This simple concept of increasing access to health care has gained great prominence with the passage and acceptance of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). However, this composite mission statement is often placed secondary to the corporate and monetary interests of these insurance companies. The ACA has placed great emphasis on increasing access to health care while allowing the insurance companies to profit.
In the past, the insurance companies…
2014/10/22 2016/03/23 Alex B. HillACA, access, Affordable Care Act, health care, health insurance, insurance companies, Michigan, mission, mission statement, Obamacare, text analysisLeave a comment
detroit: black problems, white solutions
Activism, Data, Research
Last updated 03/19/15:
Jon Chezick of D:hive BUILD Institute has graduated 400 from their program (56% black, 32% are white) via Deadline Detroit
Matthew Clayson, Director of Detroit Creative Corridor Center has had 70 founders, 42 white (60%); 23 African American (33%); 2 Asian American (3%); 2 Arab American (3%); 1 Latino (1%) via Deadline Detroit
Meeting scheduled with Graig Donnelly, Director of WSU Detroit Revitalization Fellows, "the stats for our program look right about at what you said."
Panel and meeting scheduled with Challenge Detroit, Dierdre Groves and Shelley Danner
Contacted by ProsperUS: "About 90% of our participants are minorities, and over 80% are African American. We have trained 204 people in 5 Detroit neighborhoods: Southwest, Lower East Side, Northend/Woodward Central, Cody Rouge (over by Warrendale), and Grandmont Rosedale."
Contacted by Skillman Foundation for an interview in their Annual Report
Response from Kresge Foundation Communications Director, Cynthia Shaw: "Kresge is a national foundation with the goal of expanding opportunities for low-income people in America's cities. That goal drives our grant-making and social investing. We have a dedicated Detroit program because Detroit is our home town. So, we take notice of data like that produced by Mr. Hill (and others)." via Michigan Citizen
Invited to facilitate at Youth Civil Rights Conference with the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights at WSU
Contacted by W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Detroit Office
Republished in Infinite Mile online magazine, Issue 11, November 2014
Data and research republished in column by Nolan Finley in the Detroit News
There are countless reports, maps, and statistics that demonstrate Detroit's population changes over the years as well as the city's decline. What is often overlooked in these figures are the social inequalities that fueled Detroit's continued racial inequity. Structural racism is not easy to explain in a sound bite, but it has kept the scales tipped against Detroit's black population for the last century. The effects of structural racism can be seen in the decades of black Detroiters being relegated to lower end jobs, rarely being promoted, being the first to be laid off, and being targeted for subprime mortgages.
Detroit's revitalization is completely one-sided. The surge in investment in this majority black city is not going to black residents. I began noticing a troubling trend. First, at Whole Foods one out of the ten featured suppliers were black. Then again when the 2013 Detroit Design Festival interviewed designers and one out of eight were black. A recent United Way campaign featured eight Detroit leaders and only two were black. I could only wonder why these revitalization efforts were so lopsided. Finally, I couldn't help but cringe at TEDxDetroit 2013 where 80% of attendees were white coming up with "solutions" for Detroit, an 83% black city. To top it off, Wayne State University's student population doesn't even reflect the city with almost 50% white students and 20% black with only 9% of black students graduating in 4 years.
I'm not alone in my concerns either. There is overwhelming evidence that our cities are becoming more segregated and unequal. Not to mention the racist mortgage lending practices of our country's largest banks decimating black home ownership in major cities, specifically in Detroit. One journalist has asked "Is there room for Black people in the new Detroit" and others have lamented "Detroit doesn't need hipsters to survive, it needs Black people." The New York Times received a lot of push back after a travel piece only featured White-owned businesses in Corktown which then brought out a counter article, "Black-owned businesses are quietly fueling Detroit's resurgence, but no one's talking about it." Aaron Foley recently wrote an excellent piece for Bridge magazine, saying:
"When "new" is basically used as code for "white" in a city where the "old" is "black," it can drive someone like me [a black person in Detroit] to think they're obsolete." – Aaron Foley
There is a very real concern over the shifting interests and populations within Detroit where the benefits of gentrification do not trickle down, but rather force more hardship on those who cannot pay to play. Increased property values don't solve poverty or crime, they just make poverty and crime more concentrated.
Last year, I began attempting to track and quantify the issue within Detroit's revitalization as it relates to racial inequity. After working for 3 years with families across Detroit, I couldn't help notice the absence of long-time Detroiters in development discussions, funding proposals, and the new "benefits" of a growing Detroit.
The title of this post, Black Problems, White Solutions, is a reflection that in Detroit problems are seen as being caused by black people, but the solutions are being powered by white people, neither of which are true.
My first challenge was that there is no demographic data (race, gender, age) published by small start-ups or even large corporations, or nonprofits. This meant that I would need to find the data myself. How could one white male possibly determine the race of hundreds of individuals involved in Detroit's revitalization? short answer: I can't.
My next challenge was that I had to construct ideas about race in order to categorize individuals. I was extremely hesitant because I know that race is socially constructed, that individuals self-identify in very different ways, and that identity can and does change over time. It is important to note that discrimination affects minorities no matter how one self-identifies. Over a period of July – August 2014, I combed the websites of Detroit companies and start-ups for information about their staff. I, obviously, had to base my categorizations on my own assumptions and perceptions of race. I pulled headshots from individual biographies posted publicly on fellowship programs, academic profiles, and many "About" pages. All this data was then compiled into the database that I later analyzed.
My analysis brought to mind the PBS project where user can sort photos of individuals by "race" where the main takeaway was:
"Classifying them [headshots] into groups is a subjective process, influenced by cultural ideas and political priorities."
The article "Stereotypes drive perceptions of race" demonstrated that changes in racial categories "were driven by changes in the people's life circumstances and common racial stereotypes." There is also evidence that Latino individuals often choose to check the "White" box on the Census form as a sign of status. There is a similar issue where "Arab" populations are lumped into the "White" category by the Census Bureau. Our official systems to categorize race are both flawed and inadequate.
Note: "American Indian" was excluded even though there were around 2,500 individuals living in Detroit from the 2010 Census, the American Indian population makes up less than 0.5% of the total Detroit population, but also bore the brunt of early slavery in Detroit.
What I found, unfortunately, confirmed what I had been seeing. Detroit's revitalization is made up of a majority of white people. That isn't to say that Detroit's black population isn't contributing anything to revitalization, rather it suggests that there is a deliberate racially unequal distribution of support and funding. In total 818 individuals were identified from fellowship programs, business incubators, universities, foundations, and other "innovation" programs.
Across all of the programs 69.2% of individuals were classified as White and only 23.7% as Black (1.6% Latino, 4.8% Asian, 0.7% Arab). Looking at this new data, it is clear that there is a serious imbalance of both opportunity and outcomes in Detroit.
The majority of programs and institutions that were checked were grossly out of balance in terms of racial equity. The only program that had less than 50% white individuals was the D:hive BUILD small business incubator. The Urban Innovation Exchange featured profiles also came close, but tended to feature 50% white individuals and 50% of all other races. The Wayne County Community College District notable had the most black Presidents and Vice Presidents.
Those who hold the decision-making power with private funds, institutions of higher learning, and foundations support members of their own race rather than the majority race of the residents of Detroit.
Note: The degree to which other minority groups besides "black" are under-represented is also a compelling result that warrants further investigation.
In many ways Detroit has become the national test case for various issues: municipal pension issues, economic decline and resurgence, as well as monetizing or privatizing city services. There is potential for Detroit to become the test case for racial equity in urban centers. Detroit is at the very beginning of its efforts to revitalize and reinvest. During this period it is critical to ensure there is a structure that promotes equity in training, hiring, bidding, and selecting individuals who are the city's present and will be it's future. This is the critical moment where Detroit should try to lift all residents and not just those who can drop multi-millions for an expressway ramp or swoon decision-makers with a new stadium plan.
Mayor Duggan has said that every neighborhood has a future, but does every neighbor have a future in Detroit?
Detroit can build itself to be the city that prioritizes its people first by going beyond "community engagement." If the city pushes for a strong community based redevelopment model from the bottom-up it could allow for a more racially equitable path forward. The city and its various supporters need to both ask Detroiters what they want to see in their communities and give them the tools, training, and support to make it happen. There is no reason that community development can't also lead to citywide revitalization.
Thanks to the many people who gave me comments and feedback throughout the process of putting this together.
2014/10/16 2015/03/19 Alex B. Hillblack, city within a city, Detroit, Downtown, Duggan, foundation, gentrification, innovation, leadership, Midtown, new Detroit, race, resurgence, revitalization, startup, two Detroits, university, Wayne State University, white36 Comments
What's the Difference Between the Health Insurance Exchange and the Health Insurance Marketplace?
Activism, Health
2014/10/07 2016/03/23 Alex B. HillACA, Affordable Care Act, health care, health insurance, health insurance exchange, health insurance marketplace, healthcare.gov, marketplace, ObamacareLeave a comment
Data, People, and Water: the need for people-centered innovation in Detroit
"Orr on Wednesday said more needs to be done to differentiate the legitimate residential accounts from those connected to blighted and abandoned properties, or occupied by squatters or used as drug houses — conduct that the city doesn't want to facilitate." – Detroit News
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Info about the business that owns / has rights to the brand HRX in India
HRX Near Me - HRX Store Locator
List of HRX stores. | Hrithik Roshan's life that taught him, no matter how big an adversity, it can be overcome with perseverance, HRX was built in 2013 by Hrithik Roshan and Exceed Entertainment. Created to inspire and guide billions of people toward their fitness goal. Not just a brand, HRX is a mission that helps us enable and support people to be the fittest, happiest and most confident version of themselves.
When we work on our fitness goal, it brings about a drastic change in all aspects of our life. At HRX, it's our mission to motivate and enable you to work on your mind and body, making sure you can be the best version of you.
The HRX product range includes Clothing & Accessories, Footwear, Bags, Eyewear, Fitness Products & Gadgets, Audio Products and more.
https://www.hrxbrand.com/
https://www.facebook.com/hrxbrand
Twitter URL:
https://twitter.com/hrxbrand
Youtube URL:
https://www.youtube.com/user/hrxbrand
Photos | 218 |
Set of 5 High-Vis, internally lighted traffic cones that telescope flat and store in their own carrying case<|fim_middle|> any vehicle. Each complete lighting kit includes five full-size traffic cones when open— plus a remarkably convenient carry case that stores and protects all five in an area only 12" x 12" x 9" for the cones. So you can always have cones for any emergency.
2 Lighting Modes: Flashing or Steady Burn.
Is this the 28" cone with an upper 6" stripe and a lower 4" stripe? The picture of the standing cone shows 1 stripe but the picture of the case looks like there are 2 stripes.
Suppose to be 1 collar, A reflective collar, Cones open to 28"
How much do these cones weigh? I need cones rated for highway speeds. | .
Pop them up when you need them. Pack and Pop Collapsible Cones prove that good things do sometimes come in small packages. These well designed, durable, waterproof nylon cones are designed to fit virtually any emergency situation. They're made to be highly visible during the day, regardless of the weather. A reflective collar and an internal battery-operated flashing LED light makes them stand out at night, even when it's completely dark. The bright, efficient shock- and weather-resistant LED will never need to be replaced. It will run for 36 hours on a single set of two AAA alkaline batteries in steady burn mode, and even longer when set to flash.
Fold to fit in virtually | 140 |
Financial parts of the projects are always very critical and equally challenging for engineers and technical professionals. The financial constraints even delay the project completion as experienced by many engineers across the globe. Engineers and technical professionals must learn the financial aspects of projects in order to achieve clear and compelling project economics.
This shall help engineers, project managers, sales and marketing executives etc. to get their project approved and thereby have a dominant impact in their organisation's overall business performance.
This 2-day masterclass will provide participants a fruitful platform to have far more control over corporate budgets, reports, profits and expenditure. Participants will also gain skills to comprehend contents of financial statements, analyse and interpret financial information, effectively control costs of expenditure. This new found financial awareness on tools and terms will help engineers to effectively interact and co-work with finance managers, reduce costs and waste, plan ahead adequately and make wiser decisions<|fim_middle|> and profitability will be addressed. | that impact on corporate finance.
This practical course is targeted at engineers, sales and marketing executives, project managers and any staff who do not have formal training in financial management, but who require a better understanding of the concepts of cost management and financials. In addition, the related concepts of profits, assets, productivity | 62 |
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